Six Reasons Why Mobile Marketing Works

The consumer-worshiped mobile phone has emerged as a viable marketing channel that has marketing executives salivating. It already is creating new and effective ways to reach and connect with consumers at anytime from anywhere.  Here are six reasons why mobile phone marketing is fast becoming a powerful marketing tactic.

1. Convenience: It is hard to not be pleased with the convenience of mobile phones. Most people are delighted to do things with the simple ease of touching a few keys on their cell phone. Consumers are now able to make reservations, find out their favorite clothing store is offering a 50% sale, order a meal to be picked up later, and even get a heads-up if their child is coming up on a waiting list for a certain preschool.  All of these tasks are possible with mobile marketing.

2. Personal: Mobile phones are a very personal piece of property because we are always connected to them - in fact, 91 percent of mobile users keep their phone within one meter of reach 24 hours a day seven days a week. By contacting your customers through their cell phones, you are being put into the same category as your customers’ friends and family. Businesses are discovering that it’s easy to provide that same feeling of individual treatment when they are contacting customers on a one-on-one basis.

3. Quick: Mobile text marketing is quick. You do not have to wait for a radio ad to be produced, and it doesn’t need to be sent off for printing.  Plus, with text message marketing you can use that sense of urgency to help promote a special offer on a slow day or remind people of a lunch special you are featuring.

4. ROI: Mobile marketing helps your marketing return on investment because the advertisement is often welcomed since it is based on getting permission first. Marketing via the mobile phone channel can offer better results. With print media and direct mail, a high percent of the receivers are not the intended recipient and therefore the ads can be disregarded.  Plus, with mobile marketing, the tracking and reporting for campaigns can occur literally in real time.

5: Green: Mobile marketing is green. Many environmentally savvy customers appreciate that there is no waste of paper. Think of the amount of envelopes and inserts that are never read, and eventually are discarded. Not only does text message marketing reduce waste, the company’s message is also stored on the recipient’s phone. By transitioning to SMS mobile marketing, businesses reduce waste while actually promoting their company.

6. The Wave: Above all, mobile marketing is the wave of the future— mostly because Generation Y (Gen Why Not, see previous Sundog post) is our future.  Mobile marketing is proving to be one of the most effective ways to this audience.  Generation Y alone is estimated to put out $200 billion annually in discretionary spending. As a result, advertisers are clamoring to reach them in digital and mobile environments because that’s where they’re spending so much of their time. 

So get ready to see more mobile marketing coming to a cell phone or PDA near you – like it or not, it’s where we are headed.