Mobile Marketing of Presidential Proportion

The facts about mobile marketing:

• According to a Nielsen study, approximately 30% of US mobile users have a smartphone in 2010.
• Smartphones will grow by about one third to 43% of mobile users by 2015 according to eMarketer.
• In 2010 & 2011, marketers have used or are planning to use a variety of mobile marketing techniques in 2010 and 2011 however less than half of them have a mobile website according to Forrester Research via eMarketer. (See my blog about Mobile Websites)
• Be aware – your competition is closer than you think! 46% of shoppers checked competitors’ website using a mobile device while in bricks and mortar stores, ForeSee found.
• 95 % of text messages are read and most within 4-5 minutes after receiving the message.
• Response rates: SMS (15%-30%); Email (5%); Direct mail (2.61%)

Research clearly demonstrates the need for marketers to carefully consider its mobile marketing strategy going forward. Mobile marketing is both cost effective and an efficient way to reach consumers. In one of the most effective mobile marketing campaigns to date, President Barack Obama rallied young voters  to win in a historic election. Here is what we, as marketers, can learn from the Obama campaign:

Obama’s campaign strategy team used a combination of mobile marketing strategies to reach young voters including SMS text messaging, mobile Web site, interactive voice response, mobile video and mobile banner ads. The team understood that this was a powerful medium to reach young voters because most young people have their phones on them 24/7 and because of the immediacy of the messaging that they have come to expect. They used mobile to rally voters to attend rallies, to announce Joe Biden as the Vice Presidential candidate (before announcing to the press), and to thank voters when President Obama won the election. One of the key factors to the mobile message was that it was simple and personal. “Mobile marketers should keep their messages succinct and simple and include a specific call to action”, said Jason Spero, vice president of marketing for the mobile ad network AdMob. President Obama’s thank you message was sent just minutes after winning the election and read: “”We just made history. All of this happened because you gave your time, talent and passion to this campaign. All of this happened because of you. Barack.” The supporters felt connected to Barack Obama in a way that neither television nor print advertising can accomplish as effectively.

Mobile marketing is a great tool to reach many customers because of the immediacy and direct access to the consumer, however SMS mobile messaging is not appropriate for all campaigns and should be used sparingly and with the appropriate message. Product Marketing Manager for the ExactTarget firm, R.J. Talyor, warns, “The cellphone is the last area that a person feels is still private. The people who have your cellphone number are typically your friends and family, so people are wary to give out numbers to people they know will market to them.”  Mr. Talyor uses the Obama campaign strategy to reinforce the idea of using text messaging for marketing only when the message is “urgent and portable.”  “The Obama campaign has identified a message that is urgent and needs to reach subscribers wherever they are.” Lastly, consumers ability to both opt-in and opt-out of messages at anytime. Spam will only serve to annoy customers and drive them to your competition.

Whether you are a fan of President Obama or not, one would have to agree that his marketing strategy was a winning one!

NetworkedBlogs

Wouldn’t it be great if there was an app that would automatically sync your blog with your Facebook page? As I pondered that question, I did a quick Google search and discovered there is (of course!) – NetworkedBlogs. The app allows you to easily syndicate your blog to Facebook and Twitter, so you can share with your friends your recent blog posts.

Here is how you can register your blog with NetworkedBlogs and get more exposure for your blog:

1) Visit http://www.networkedblogs.com

2) Click “Register a Blog”

3) Submit your blog name

4) You will be required to verify that you are the owner of the blog by inputting HTML code onto your blog. They have included instructions for various types of blog applications including WordPress.

5) Once you have verified your blog, you will than select the channels you want to syndicate your blog to. If you have Facebook Fanpage or groups you can syndicate specifically to those groups.

6) Get blogging! Now that your blog is being syndicated your followers will be able to view your blog via Facebook or Twitter.

You can follow my blog on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/collaborativemediamarketing.

Here is a link to my NetworkedBlog page: http://networkedblogs.com/qm7dt The page includes widgets to share the blog post with friends through email, Twitter or Facebook.

Find a Hot Spot to Market To

As I was connecting to the “free” WiFi at John Wayne Airport in sunny California, I saw the typical “This service is provided” by promotion but something new peaked my interest. Before I could connect I had to watch a 30 second commercial from one of the WiFi sponsors – brilliant!

We all know nothing is free these days, therefore the exchange of value in this case is the company provides you with free WiFi while you wait for your flight and in return you take 30 seconds of your time to view its commercial. It seems like a fair trade.

According to HypeWiFi, the typical demographic for WiFi hotspot users is 18- 35, affluent and brand loyal. Based on the WiFi location a demographic profile of the area will be provided to the company in order to create site specific campaigns in order to tailor a companies marketing. Companies can also collect demographic information by creating questions based on the criteria it is most interested in. Additionally advertisers can use a pay-per-response method in order to attract its target market. For example, as consumers answer survey questions if their responses don’t match the qualities of a companies target market then the will not be directed to that advertisers message.

WiFi costs can quickly add up while traveling between different cities and many consumers are more willing to answer surveys and view advertising in order to have free internet access.

Here is an example of a Flonase advertisement used in a Doctor’s office:

Disney and YouTube Partnership

Today Walt Disney Co. announced a new partnership with YouTube, to release original video series produced by Disney for YouTube.com, as well as Disney.com. With rapidly declining sales and web traffic, Disney knew it had to look to other outlets to reach its consumers. With more than 30 billion views a day, YouTube is a powerhouse of online video content and an extraordinarily viable platform for advertisers. Co-President of Disney Interactive told the New York Times “It’s imperative to go where our audience is,” He added that the idea is to ‘bring Disney’s legacy of storytelling to a new generation of families and Disney enthusiasts on the platforms they prefer.'” The first web series will be based on Disney’s popular iPad/iPhone app “Where’s My Water?” with Swampy the alligator – click here to see.

Clearly the viewers are on YouTube, but is this the right medium for the wholesome Disney brand and will parents be apt to allow their children to spend long periods of time viewing video content on YouTube? According to CommenSenseMedia.org 42% of parents say language is an issue they are concerned about on YouTube’s site, while 38% say they are worried about sexual content that children may be exposed to. Their concerns are valid given the broad range of user generated content available on the site however YouTube has taken measures to address parents concerns by offering an opt-in Safety Mode feature to filter out the content you do not want children to view. Ultimately it is up to the parents to monitor the content their children view online.

YouTube hopes to use this project as a catalyst for more original content channels, for example comedians, sports and other celebrity entertainers. “The investments in the channels reflect Google’s belief that the Internet is the third phase of the television business, after network TV (with a few channels) and cable TV (with hundreds).” No surprise there! So how will competitors like Hulu respond, I guess we’ll have to stay tuned to find out.