Is Mobile Marketing an Effective Advertising Method?
What would it be like to be at the forefront of the internet revolution in 1998-99, knowing what you now know? What would you do differently. Did you know that the absolute hottest trend, possibly bigger than the Internet revolution itself, is mobile connectivity. While it seems today everyone has a cellphone, we’re just beginning. CNET predicts that there will be 5 Billion cellular customers in the next 1-2 years.
How can you participate in and profit from this trend? E Brian Rose, on of the leading Internet marketers today, believes that it’s exactly the same as with any new technology. Simply do some research to know what is working in the marketing arena and then share this with business owners. Every business is looking for a way to expand their message to potential customers and find new ways of bringing existing customers back. The key to successful advertising has always been in getting your message in front of the customer.
What are the common advertising choices of small business?
- Print ads – How many people read the newspaper as part of their daily routine today vs. using CNN.com, FoxNews.com, or the online version of their favorite newspaper? Unless you’re selling hearing aids, or something geared to older people, print ads are no longer viable. The read rate for print ads is 0.25%
- Direct mail – Similarly, how many people read the direct mail coupons in this day and age? The read rate is 1.5% for direct mail.
- Email marketing – This isn’t the easiest thing for small mom/pop shops to do, although still fairly effective. For email, the read rate is 5%.
In the absence of a better choice, these primary methods still work. But there is a better option today: text marketing has a 97% read rate. In addition, text marketing is the least expensive form of advertising, possibly because it is also the least known way of reaching customers. 
E Brian Rose believes, however, that the number of text marketing campaigns will explode in the next 6 months.
Today, 24% of Americans sleep with their cell phone, although it isn’t the healthiest thing to do. In addition, 90% of text messages are read within the first 15 minutes. Text marketing has become the #1 way to reach a potential or existing client. But small businesses don’t yet realize this fact! Many are still paying $10 to 20,000 per year for their (almost defunct) yellow pages ads. It is very realistic today to be able to improve a business’ marketing effectiveness over 20 times while decreasing costs by 50%.
Text marketing, also called SMS marketing, is when businesses make use of the texting feature that is available on almost every cell phone. Businesses can text coupons, sale notices, daily specials, appointment reminders, and more, using a 100% opt-in strategy. 
In particular types of businesses based on appointments, e.g., hair dressers, medical and dental offices, the biggest losses occur due to missed appointments. These businesses can “text” customers the day before, and an hour before their appointment. Studies now show that no-shows can be cut by over 30% with a text messaging system in place.
Is mobile marketing the wave of the future? Stay tuned to this blog for some exciting upcoming developments, case studies, and specific ideas of how to leverage this exploding marketing method.
Related articles
