Archive for July, 2011

 A June study from Nielsen shows that the Android operating system is now the #1 smartphone system in the USA.  Apple continues to hold market share while RIM Blackberry is in decline.

Mobile coupons are the most popular way to reach shoppers now-a-days and the results are paying off. Almost 70% of the people agreed and signed up for mobile grocery store coupons.

The usage growth of smartphone technology and the recession period have created the perfect storm for thrifty consumers: mobile coupons on the same devices they carry with them everywhere anyways!

When it comes to mobile coupons for grocery stores, its women who have shown the most interest. Presently, 93% of women aged in between 16-54 say that they look for bargains in the form of coupons. Men say they are also interested on coupons but more likely on mobile 1 oil and other automotive needs. Look for even more growth in mobile coupons as the retail companies are continuously trying to fulfill the ever-growing demand of the consumers!

Many radio stations are using text message marketing, but few are maximizing the revenue that they can with it.

Reach radio listeners everywhere

The fact is that text message marketing is currently carrying the lion’s share of the local mobile marketing opportunity that radio stations compete in.  While apps are certainly cool, and mobile web sites have become almost mandatory, it is the ubiquitous text message that is the big money maker for radio stations.

Let’s face it; we don’t all own smartphones.  In fact, the vast majority of Americans don’t own smartphones.  And, still less than 40% of Americans go on the mobile web, but when it comes to text messaging, almost everybody plays.

IDEAS FOR RADIO TEXT MESSAGE MARKETING

But, it isn’t just on-air commercials that are driving interactive text message participation with your radio station listeners.  Savvy stations are using their Facebook page, for instance, to drive interactive text message use and maximize the size of the database.  It’s a social media-mobile media double play.  Offer a text message sweepstakes on your Facebook page and double your pleasure, double your fun.  Of course, adding a local advertiser-sponsor is always mandatory.

You can also use a text message promotion to drive customers to a specific location.  Send a broadcast text message to your opt-in database to give a promotion that offers a free offer if radio listeners go to the store to pick up the free offer.  In fact, I think you’ll find that the text message announcements will drive more traffic to your customer than a radio advertisement will.  That’s because text message marketing offers a one-to-one advertisement for your listeners that they will look at immediately and react quickly.

That’s the power of mobile marketing, but it can’t be anything without the opt-in database that only radio can develop.

Watch this video about how radio stations can sell text message advertising to its clients.

Advantages to using text message marketing

Why are marketers using text message marketing?

A recent survey by Mobile Marketer tells us why marketers are using text message marketing and what advantages there are to using SMS text message marketing.

• Campaigns are easy to set up and manage = 52.7%
• Inexpensive relative to apps = 47.3%
• Can be run in-house = 42.4%
• Can bridge platforms to other campaigns = 38.0%
• Offers reach targeted users = 36.4%
• Works better than other mobile campaigns for time oriented programs = 23.9%
• Offers clear ROI = 18.5%

Whatever your reasons for using text message marketing, you can be a pro in less than 10 minutes when you use 84444.com.

There are many aspects to mobile marketing, but the most important aspect continues to be text message marketing.  A recent study from Mobile Marketer shows that text message marketing is the tool most likely to be used in a company’s mobile marketing efforts.  Marketers were able to check more than one item in the list below.

 

Scannable bar codes, also known as QR Codes, were the second most popular use of mobile marketing by current users followed by apps.  Mobile coupons remain an important part of mobile marketing efforts as well with 29.4% of marketers currently using them.

At 84444.com, we continue to tell our customers of the importance of using embedded links in their text message marketing reply and broadcast messages.  An embedded link is nothing more than including a URL in the text message.  When an embedded link is used, the consumer with a smartphone can simply touch it to access the content; if he has a feature phone, he will need to go out on the mobile web to obtain the content contained within the URL.

If there was ever any doubt that a lead from a mobile web site was of higher quality than one to an internet web site, check out the statistics on click through rates from mobile sites versus internet sites.  Unfortunately, banner ads on traditional internet web sites are becoming increasingly invisible.

Entertainment seems to work best when the marketer promotes on a mobile web site.

performed worse.

At 84444.com, we are proud to be from Philadelphia.  Last week, we wrote about the importance of our bond with Philadelphia and discussed the benefits of working with a local Philadelphia mobile marketing company.

Today, we take a look at the projected growth in the local Philadelphia mobile marketing market.  By 2015, the report from Mobitrove says, about half of all mobile advertising and mobile promotions will come from text message marketing.

You can check out the local mobile marketing projections for any USA city at Mobitrove.

Mobile marketing has found the large numbers that it has been seeking.  Consider the following from the ComScore study:

• 38.4% of Americans access the mobile web
• 36.6% downloaded apps
• 68.8% used text messaging

Still, many American companies still have not optimized their web sites for the mobile phone.

Text message marketing is the overwhelming favorite when it comes to marketers use of the many mobile marketing tools that are available to them.  Interestingly, the QR Code is the second most commonly used mobile marketing tool–a trend that would not have been notable last year.

Text message marketing drives pizza sales.

According to a study by Exact Target, 41% of consumers have made a purchase after receiving a text message marketing promotion on their cell phone.  The same study indicated that 55% had made a purchase after receiving an email on their cell phone and 35% had shopped on their mobile phone after having read a Facebook promotion.

To the best of my knowledge, this is the first study that shows just how powerful text message marketing can be not only for awareness, but for purchasing of goods as well.  Done right, mobile marketing and text message marketing can be a powerful medium for driving sales.