Mobile marketing explained in 10 minutes

Mobile marketing explained in 10 minutes

By Manuela Vulpescu

Did you know that the number of people worldwide having a mobile phone is estimated to be higher than the number of people getting access to basic requirements? As scary as it may sound, and despite all the negative buzz around technology, humans remain mesmerized by it and inclined to make all efforts to get access to the fascinating worlds it may open.

  • Almost 80% of smartphone users reported that their phone is the first thing they check in the morning.
  • According to Statista, Romanians would spend, on average, 7,5 hours a day on the internet, out of which 2 hours on Social Media.
  • More than 75% of these activities take place while using mobile devices.

Long story short: there is nothing more comfortable than a mobile phone to reach people in our days. That’s for sure, the main reason mobile marketing became so important and needed to be considered and eventually integrated into almost any company’s overall digital marketing strategy .

3 rules of mobile marketing

  1. Ensure that customers accept marketing through mobile devices.

    Creating healthy databases is the most challenging part of the entire process. You have to ensure that your clients are genuinely interested in receiving communications from you via mobile. Keep in mind that mobile marketing is exclusively permission-based, even when your message could be considered an emergency one.

  2. Provide the right value at the right time.

    Before going live with any mobile campaign, you should ask yourself whether the things you want to communicate are relevant and time-sensitive or if they can create a unique and memorable experience for your target audiences. If there is a slight chance that you might very well send the message out via other channels without damaging your ongoing relationships, you should probably do that.

  3. Choose the right operating methods.

    Here are some delivery options that should inspire your imagination and help you create your mobile marketing strategy.

Mobile Websites

Mobile-friendly landing pages, promotional sites, or permanent sites became an integral part of every business. Still, they do not have to replica your online web pages if you consider that your mobile users’ motivation is different.

Mobile Apps

Out of millions of possibilities, we like to talk about 2 types of mobile applications: the ones that are embedded on mobile devices and that are generally determined by either the handset manufacturer or the mobile carrier, and the ones that need to be downloaded from the app stores.

Frequently used apps:

  • Games
  • Utilitarian apps
  • Social Media apps
  • Sports apps
  • Branded apps

Should you invest in a mobile app?

  • Yes, if you can provide more value - entertain, inform, and make your customers’ tasks more manageable.
  • No, if your only purpose is to create buzz.
  • Yes, if you want to create buzz and are 120% sure, you can develop a new “Angry Birds” or “Pokemon Go” phenomenon.

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality is driven by software and uses a digital mobile camera to capture images from the real environment to determine the animation placement. When the camera sees an image that the software can enhance, such as physical objects, faces, magazine ads, shapes, GPS coordinates, the animation is displayed.

Investing in augmented reality could make sense if you want to drive a new product’s trial or intend to improve the customer experience to build brand loyalty. IKEA or Starbucks has developed a series of memorable campaigns. Here are two examples of them.

IKEA Place

Sturbucks - The Biggest and Most Interactive Starbucks in Shanghai

Philadelphia also came up with a similar amazing idea. Users were invited to point a smartphone with the app at a cream cheese tube while in the supermarket. This enabled them to access recipes and play a game in which they were supposed to hunt for ingredients in the store and gain points that could have been transformed into coupons.

SMS Marketing

For developing SMS campaigns, brands get shortcodes assigned to them and use messaging platforms to create real-time communication while integrating keywords for mobile users who have opted to receive information on selected topics.

  • SMS works best in conjunction with Loyalty Programs or VIP Clubs.
  • It requires minimum logistics and marketing costs and is still an excellent tool for announcing a sale or introducing a new product.
  • You may also consider text messaging when willing to send reminders to your customers. Think about dentists or doctors in general who use SMS on a large scale to signalize upcoming appointments, ideally 48 - to 72 hours before the event. We call this location-based marketing.
  • By adding a call-to-action in your messages, you can also integrate SMS to complement other marketing materials.
  • It is still the best way to send out time-sensitive information like, for instance, program or store location changes.

An increase in media-rich devices has resulted in companies providing additional links to richer content, enabling customers to visit landing pages or to access video content, making SMS a more exciting experience after all.

QR Codes

Deploy QR codes if you know for sure that your customers are really inclined to use them. Best practices show that you should place them at locations where people may have more time to spend. For example, you can imagine that having a QR code on a billboard on a highway might have less of an impact than if you’d have placed it in a bus station where people would have had more time to scan it and interact with your message. It would help if you also considered the cell phone signal at deployment locations to ensure the best experience.

IVR (Interactive Voice Response)

IVR systems are typically used to service high call volumes while reducing the cost and improving the customer experience. Industries that use IVR on a large scale are telephone banking, prepaid phone card companies, televoting, and credit card services. It might also be a solution if you wish to extend the business hours to 24/7 operation. The best way to implement it is to cooperate with companies that offer a complete solution and manage the entire project for you.


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