Finding More Business through Mobile Phone Marketing

What is the one thing just about every person you know these days will not leave home without? If you answered their mobile phone, you would be correct.

Billions of people around the world take their mobile phones with them wherever they go, and they keep them on, all day, every day. Even when they are out of reach of their computers, and email, their phones are within arms reach. It is no wonder that mobile phone marketing is such a phenomenon!

Mobile phone marketing works much the same as email marketing. Users or subscribers sign up, and agree to receive marketing communications, usually through a third party agency. That agency prepares and delivers their clients’ marketing messages to the phones of the people on their list, in various formats, usually text or multi media messages. It is quick, easy, convenient, and cheap, with a huge reach compared to certain other marketing methods.

The only catch involved is getting the people who are on their lists to agree to receive advertising messages.

Clever marketing companies have, however, found ways to entice mobile phone users to agree, and the primary method they use is by offering their subscribers free mobile content or applications. These applications and content are either custom created by the marketing company, or licensed from a software provider.

In essence, users’ sign up for a service in order to receive free games or applications for their mobile phones, or free content like wallpapers or ring tones. In return, they provide that company with their mobile number, and other basic information. Once that is done, and they have confirmed their mobile number by responding to a text message, they are able to download their content.

Those companies then compile lists of their subscribers, usually arranged by geographical area, age and gender, as well as a few other demographic differentiators, and offer businesses the opportunity to send mass mobile messages to their target demographic.

The benefits for business owners looking for innovative marketing methods are that this type of mobile marketing is cheap, and it is possible to reach a targeted group of mobile subscribers, who live in a particular area, or are a particular age of gender.

Because mobile phones are generally always on, it’s also an instant form of marketing, and unlike email marketing, where users often use dedicated accounts to sign up for offers, only to never access them again, you can be reasonably sure that your message will reach it’s intended recipient.

Many companies have had great success using mobile marketing by sending their customers details about limited time offers, or competitions, that have definite time limits, and are a strong call to action, and a carefully crafted mobile marketing campaign can see a significant increase in web traffic or sales.

The major pitfall that business owners should be aware of, when it comes to mobile marketing is that, up till very recently, the industry has been largely unregulated. Not only are mobile phone users becoming more wary about what they sign up for, but they are also becoming more ‘ad blind.’ Regulatory and government bodies in various countries are also lobbying for changes in the way that mobile marketing works, and at present, there is no one who can say with any level of certainty, what will happen in the industry in years to come.

Even so, mobile marketing is instant, and even if there are major changes to legislation to come, if you choose to get involved now, your marketing campaign should be well on it’s way to achieving it’s goal long before any of those changes take effect.

There are many different mobile marketing companies too, and it is worth looking into their fees, services, and subscriber pool before you sign up with any single provider. There is also the option of attempting to have your existing customers, and users of your website or visitors to your store sign up for text message alerts directly from you, and then using mass texting software to send your own marketing messages to them.

However you achieve it and whether new regulations come into effect or not, there is no denying that mobile phone marketing is an attractive option for business owners, and one that is well worth exploring.