Category Archives: Mobile Marketing

Mobile Marketing

Finding A Good Mobile Marketing Company

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by Matthew Loop

If you are in business, you may be thinking of new ways to reach your customers. One of the latest trends is to hire a mobile marketing company. These companies can send text message alerts to your customers on a wide range of topics and can keep them informed of any current promotions that you may be running.

To find a good marketing company, you may want to ask your colleagues who use this method of marketing who they use. Many times they can refer you to their sales specialist who will be happy to meet with you. They can also make you aware of promotions that may have worked well for them in the past.

If you cannot find a referral then you will want to look for advertising agencies and see if they offer this service. When you meet with them you will want to ask them how they receive the phone numbers to compose the texts to. In some cases you may be responsible for giving them the numbers and in others you may be placed in a co-op with other advertisers.

You will want to ask how frequently you can have messages sent out as well. If you are having a slow period you may want to make a great offer and have it sent out to your customers right away. You do not want to send too many messages out, however anything that you can do to increase business will be of benefit.

One of the benefits to using this service is that it is sent to many people at one time. You do not have to worry about direct mail pieces that can take several days or may come back as undeliverable. Most people who receive text messages check them as soon as they are received.

You may also want to consider the first time you use this service to put an offer that must be redeemed by showing the text that was received. This will provide you with a direct measurable result of your mobile marketing company results. It can also help you decide which campaigns to use in the future as well.

The fact is, cell phones are not going anywhere. You need to make a decision here and now about whether you want to stake your claim in this boom or not. Those that adopt early are going to build their businesses much faster.

About the Author

Looking for a trusted mobile marketing company with a great reputation? Visit http://DCMobileText.com now to learn how mobile marketing can grow your business and make you more money.

Local SEO, Mobile Marketing, Social Media

Location Marketing : The Latest Small Business Tool

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by Ajay Prasad

The basic concept of location based marketing has been around for years but the internet, social media websites as well as ‘smart phones’, together are set to change it forever.

Simple yet brilliant phone applications such as Foursquare and Gowalla which rely on Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) have made it possible for business to communicate with their customers online. More commonly known social networks such as Facebook, Google Maps and Yelp too are catching up and helping make social media become an integral part of real world commerce.

Social networks and the so called ‘lo-so’ networks are an all new medium for Advertising and Marketing and the quicker do business comprehend them and adapt to take their advantages the better it is for them.

How does it all work?

Everything’s digital. Gone are the days when everyone kept a phonebook and a hefty copy of the Yellowpages directories, most of us today look for services and businesses online. Say it’s your first ever evening in San Francisco and the only thing in on your mind is ‘Sushi’. What do you do? You pull out your smart phone or switch on your laptop, visit a search engine website like Google and type “Sea Food in San Francisco” or perhaps even “Sushi in San Francisco”. Trust me, Google will let you in on thousands and thousands of results and is quite capable of leaving you all confused. What do you do? You click on the new Local Search Result Only feature. This would enable the search engine to provide you with results relevant to your physical location. You can then choose from a handful of restaurants, where you may relish your Sushi.

How does Local Marketing help Businesses?

Anyone on the streets, round the corner or even a mile away can, only with a couple of clicks on their ‘smart phones’, instantly find out about the services and goods your business offers. This new possibility naturally increases the on-foot traffic to your store and also encourages impulsive buying. Being published on online business directories allow anyone in the city to find your goods and services.

Local social media marketing is a form of direct marketing; your promotional material reaches out to real potential customers who are already making an effort to find you. Your promotional material is delivered electronically and on demand. It is, in comparison, an eco-friendly form of advertising as there is no hard copy paper wastage involved.
How do Businesses use Local Marketing?

Business register themselves on local marketing feature of search engines like Yahoo, Google, Bing etc, and on Business directory websites such as yelp to gain online visibility. It’s important to fill the business profile on such websites carefully.

Some companies opt for professional search engine optimization (SEO) for their websites. The importance of (SEO) is only to rise in the near future for not only would the website require to be indexed properly so they may be found within the general internet top search engines but would soon also require to be found by physical, geographic, location as well.

Another way businesses are using social media and location based marketing is to engage with their customers. Applications like Twitter allow building an intimidate relationship with customers. They act as an online mouthpiece where a store may talk of a new product launch or an art gallery may speak of a special event.

About the Author

Ajay Prasad is founder of Global Marketing Resources LLC that runs a number of ecommerce websites under its umbrella. Ajay’s functional expertise includes website strategy, marketing management, business development, consumer research, market analysis and strategic planning. SearchLocalHQ is an Orange County Internet Solution company that aims to develop an overall Web Marketing and Local Search Marketing solution for a small local business. For more information visit: http://searchlocalhq.com/

Mobile Marketing

HO, HO, HO! Bring Christmas To The Masses By Using Mobile Marketing

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Digitalks #11
Photo by _dChrisby Drew Barnes

Think about it for a second. Who is ready to make a purchase more than the consumer searching on their phone? They are most likely searching locally either for the nearest store or a particular item. Get in front of these consumers and they are most likely to come into your store and make a purchase.

Marketers need to be aware that using mobile media during the holidays will put your product or store in front the people who are looking for it already. They have a question you give them the answers and scene.

Not to mention all the consumers out there checking prices, sending photos of potential gifts sharing them on Facebook and Twitter, and let’s not forget about checking in on mobile social networks like Foursquare, Gowalla, Loopt, Yelp and Facebook’s Places. That may me all it takes to get someone to your location. Someone checks in and his or her friend notices and thinks, “I completely forgot about that place they have great gifts. I am going over there right after work”

Consider this for a second. How many freaking ads do you see over the holidays? So many that most are simply blocked out. Me personally, if I see another jewelry ad it may end with a hurt jeweler. With mobile this opens up a way to get in front of the consumer when they are away from all the competition and when they are in a buying mood. Great combination. Don’t you think?

Most people who have the capability use their phones will user their phones as a shopping tool from anything to price comparisons, sharing purchases and links with other and to stay entertained in a long checkout line.

According to Webster Lewin, senior vice president and director of digital innovation and strategy at MS&LGroup Digital, New York .’Providing useful mobile applications that actually help the holiday shopping process is a great way to stay top of mind and drive repeat brand engagement. However, the challenge of discovery is one of the biggest hurdles in mobile.”

‘Fortunately, there is a wide range of mobile advertising opportunities within applications that support the shopping process,’ he said.

‘In many cases the consumers that spend the most time doing those activities are also the ones most likely to have more disposable income,’ Mr. Lewin said. ‘Also, consumers that engage with your brand on their mobile devices are more likely to have a favorable brand impression, and purchase intent.”

Just those quotes alone should spur any marketer into action!

Here are a few facts to consider:
1. An analysis done by Microsoft of their mobile search data found that 53 percent of mobile searches on Bing have local intent.
2. Google suggest that 20 percent of all search is related to location.
3. Differences between mobile search user behavior and PC search: 70 percent of PC ‘query chains’ are completed in about one week while 70 percent of mobile users do so in one hour. Talk about being motivated to buy!
4. Over 50 percent of the mobile search queries are about things that are not very far from the user or right in front of them.

One thing to consider is to make sure your doing local search optimization as well so your store or product can be found on mobile devices when people are searching nearby.

Ramp up your mobile marketing campaign this holiday season and make sure you track your results so you can tell your boss the ROI and watch his job drop.

Happy Holidays Kiddos

About the Author

Drew Barnes is an expert in the area of local search optimization. Read more about local search marketing at the http://www.turnuplocal.com