Quality Control

Just to get an idea of how powerful Mobile marketing really is, let’s take a look at Google. Revenues from the mega company’s mobile division account for roughly $5.8 billion. According to Cowen and company this number is set to get grow over the coming years as mobile revenue will likely grow to 26% of the company’s earnings by 2016, representing total sales of $20.7 billion.

Marketers who have been keeping an eye on the mobile marketing industry know the significance of small shiny devices all too well. Yet businesses small and large especially in western countries don’t seem to be allocating large portions of their budgets towards exploiting  opportunities. Forrester Research, Inc. analyst Melissa Parrish reveals what sort of questions organizations should be answering in the planning, execution and measurement stages of a mobile campaign so that businesses can realize their mobile marketing maturity. Her research entitled ‘Score Your Mobile Marketing’, is a must read and can be found on the Forester database.

Firms need to quickly asses their standing in the mobile realm and devote considerable resources towards this platform. I share the notion that most companies do not see seem to see any significance in mobile. The lack of attention mobile is receiving from some business might be due to the fact that they see mobile advertising and mobile marketing as the same concept, but this is not the case. I agree with Mobeen Khan, Executive Director of Mobility Solutions Marketing for AT&T, when he says “Mobile advertising and mobile marketing isn’t the same thing. Mobile marketing is an immersive experience.”

I personally want to see retail stores use location based services to generate more sales from their most loyal fan base. Providing mobile coupons with a time lmit- to the Smartphone of an individual, who has just walked into on the largest mall in a particular city, would be a interesting and easy way to make sure they spend their money at your location first before moving onto the other stores on their shopping list. Sandy Shen, research director at Gartner says “Mobile technology is the vehicle of immediacy, putting mobile marketers in the critical position of being masters of timing — knowing when and how to drop the right offer at the right time. As a strategic marketer I agree with Sandy, but as a consumer I’m not seeing companies actively pursue this potent tactic.

Mobile marketing campaigns are not rocket science, firms need to simply assess their current position with respect to mobile marketing. Secondly they create a campaign based around the following three elements: