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The Mobile Marketing Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Mobile Marketing Campaigns
The Mobile Marketing Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Mobile Marketing Campaigns
The Mobile Marketing Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Mobile Marketing Campaigns
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The Mobile Marketing Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Mobile Marketing Campaigns

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In this new interactive edition of her bestselling guide to mobile marketing, Kim Dushinski shows how any firm can create successful mobile campaigns without breaking the bank. Her easy-to-follow advice helps readers interact with mobile users, build stronger customer relationships, reach a virtually unlimited number of new prospects, and gain competitive advantage by making the move to mobile now.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 1, 2012
ISBN9781937290450
The Mobile Marketing Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Mobile Marketing Campaigns

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    The Mobile Marketing Handbook - Kim Dushinski

    Marketing

    Interact With This Book

    The Mobile Marketing Handbook is not just a print book; it is a multichannel interactive guide to the world of mobile marketing. While the Online Resource Guide in this book includes audio, video, updated content, and mobile marketing vendor recommendations, you will find many instances where the book is also mobile interactive. Yes, you can actually use your cell phone to interact with the book by going to mobile websites, sending and receiving text messages, and more. At the end of each chapter, there is also a Mobile Interactive Quiz that you can use to assess your grasp of the information in that chapter and earn certification for doing so. Lastly, you can use social media to interact directly with me and other readers.

    Online Resource Guide

    www.mobilemarketinghandbook.com

    VIP Code: mobilefirst

    Mobile Interactive Box

    When you see a Mobile Interactive Box in the chapters (just look for the cell phone icon shown here), you have reached a mobile interactive spot in the book. Grab your cell phone and follow the instructions. If the instructions include sending a text message to a short code, you will only be able to do this with a U.S. phone in most cases. Unfortunately, this is a function of how short codes work, and it is cost-prohibitive to have international codes for each of the text message options. Each of the mobile interactive exchanges is documented in the Online Resource Guide so you can still access the information but without the mobile experience.

    Mobile Quiz

    At the end of each chapter is a mobile quiz, marked by a large question mark (as shown here). You will be given a keyword and a short code that you can use to take a three-question quiz via text message. If you take every chapter’s quiz using the same cell phone number for each quiz and answer at least 75 percent of the questions correctly, you will earn a printable certificate and an online badge that you can add to your website and social profiles that show you have earned The Mobile Marketing Handbook certification.

    Register for the Mobile Quiz

    To register your phone for the Mobile Interactive Quiz, text MMHQUIZ to 21970 from your phone (make sure you use the same phone number for each quiz to ensure that you receive credit for your work). Message and data rates may apply. You will receive up to two messages per month in addition to each quiz. You can reply STOP at anytime to discontinue all messages; you will also be eliminated from the Mobile Interactive Quiz certification process. You can reply HELP at any time to receive assistance with the process (U.S. phone numbers only).

    The Mobile Interactive Quiz has been designed for use through December 31, 2013; and you also have the option of taking the quiz online at the Online Resource Guide.

    Mobile quiz powered by TextingForward.com, LLC.

    Social Networking

    Another way to interact with this book, other readers, and me is to use Facebook and Twitter. You can post comments, questions, and share examples of your mobile marketing work on the Facebook Page for the book or use the hashtag #MMH2 on Twitter.

    Facebook

    www.facebook.com/mobilemarketinghandbook

    Twitter

    www.twitter.com/kimdushinski

    Hashtag #MMH2

    (See Chapter 10 for more information on Twitter and hashtags.)

    Introduction

    Welcome to the second edition of The Mobile Marketing Handbook. For those of you who read the first edition, there are plenty of new mobile marketing trends and updates in this second edition. So much has changed in mobile since 2009 when it was first published.

    The Mobile Marketing Handbook will prove to be a valuable resource for those who are interested in launching an effective mobile marketing campaign with the best return on investment (ROI). The book’s step-by-step approach is specifically designed for marketing professionals and business owners who need practical advice on getting started and/or improving their mobile marketing campaigns. Entrepreneurs who are interested in starting a business in mobile marketing will find everything from strategic decision-making advice to tools and techniques, such as text messaging, mobile website creation, mobile advertising, and location-based marketing.

    My View of Mobile Marketing

    In the first edition of this book, I wrote about my view of mobile marketing as it related to every other kind of marketing that I have worked on in my career. As I started writing the introduction for this edition, I realized that I have stopped comparing mobile to other marketing tools. Mobile is truly a marketing channel of its own with a specific set of tools, strategies, regulations, and vendor ecosystem. However, mobile is so ubiquitous and interwoven with every other marketing channel that it can no longer be fully separated from most marketing campaigns.

    For example, email marketing no longer happens without mobile interaction among consumers. Businesses that send email blasts now understand that the majority of their audience is likely to check email using their small-screen mobile devices; thus email marketing is tightly intertwined in mobile marketing. Likewise, consumers expect to access the internet whenever and wherever they are with any kind of web-enabled device. Websites must also be mobile-accessible to connect with mobile audiences.

    Even when mobile can be separated from other forms of marketing, it is best to include it and the leverage it offers. Mobile marketing goes beyond simple text messaging, and the power of text message marketing brings signs (print and digital) to life. Print advertising has been empowered with mobile bar codes that give ads an extra layer of marketing power. Businesses can leverage their physical location into a powerful marketing tool through mobile location-based marketing. Adding a mobile component to any kind of marketing simply offers more opportunities.

    But I am not alone in my views about mobile. At the 2010 Mobile World Congress, Google reported that the company would focus on developing for mobile first with all of its products going forward. For Google CEO Eric Schmidt, mobile first means creating new services for smartphones before developing them for PCs. This only makes sense since the number of mobile phone subscriptions worldwide has topped 5 billion, and it is clear that mobile devices are woven into the fabric of our daily lives in such a way that we cannot imagine living without them.

    Why Is Mobile Marketing Different From Other Marketing?

    The marketing expert in you may be tempted to assume that mobile is similar to all of your other marketing efforts. While many of the strategic concepts may be the same, mobile is a unique marketing tool. Specifically, you have to give your target market some kind of added value in order for mobile to achieve its true potential as a marketing tool. Mobile also isn’t just a smaller version of television or the internet. Other factors come into play, such as how personal the device is to the user. No other media is so closely associated to each user; most people have their cell phones with them 24/7/365. The way your audience interacts with your marketing is also different because users have to opt in to your campaign; it doesn’t just happen. The location of your audience is also a factor in reaching out with mobile. Mobile is different in so many ways, and this book is designed to show you how to use mobile marketing effectively.

    Who Will Benefit From This Book and How

    The strategies and techniques in this book are practical; it will help anyone involved in mobile marketing learn the steps in creating and launching a campaign strategy. While many statistics, examples, and vendors in the book are based in North America, the principles of mobile marketing and the step-by-step tactics are appropriate for a global marketplace.

    Marketing Professionals

    Whether you work at an agency or at a company, you need to know how mobile fits into the marketing mix. This book will show you all the details of mobile and how to integrate it into your current marketing plan, a process that will make your current marketing more effective. Dive in—you’re going to love mobile marketing!

    Businesses With a Business-to-Consumer Focus

    Mobile marketing is certainly a great tool for big businesses, but it is not just for Fortune 500 companies and household brand names. In fact, small- and medium-sized businesses are ideal matches for mobile marketing, especially local marketing. Because location-specific information is the No. 1 search function that people use on their mobile devices, local businesses can use mobile as a powerful marketing tool. Fortunately, just as tools and vendors are matched for the needs of Corporate America, there are also resources that work for small- and medium-sized businesses. This book will offer ways to choose which marketing tools are the best ones to integrate first, based on your customers and your needs. Almost any business that markets to consumers can find a way to market with mobile.

    Businesses With a Business-to-Business Focus

    In most situations, using mobile effectively in a business-to-business (B2B) environment will be more difficult than business-to-consumer (B2C). However, mobile will also work well for certain B2B marketing. For example, any event setting, such as a trade show or conference, can be a good opportunity to work with mobile to reach your audience, especially if your mobile campaigns are specifically tied to the events. Launching a mobile marketing campaign first at such a setting will also help you launch mobile initiatives at other times as well.

    Entrepreneurs

    If you are thinking about launching a mobile-based business, this book can show you the right ways to get started. The book was not written with that exact premise in mind, but if you read it with that mindset, you will see what to do. One bit of advice though: If you want to be ahead of the pack in mobile, don’t wait. Take action now. While the market may not be saturated with mobile marketing consultants yet, it soon will be. So stake your claim quickly and don’t miss this opportunity.

    How This Book Is Organized

    Smart marketing always starts with a strategy and then moves into tactics and tools. This book provides the steps needed to develop a sound mobile marketing strategy first, and then it will discuss the details necessary in implementing your strategy. Part 1, Mobile Marketing Strategy and Implementation, is a solid introduction to mobile marketing, concentrating on what it is and whether it will work for your business. This section will help you create a smart strategy for your mobile campaign. It includes the Mobile Marketing Checklist, which is an essential tool for prioritizing and planning your mobile strategy. Part 2, Mobile Marketing Toolbox: Tactics, Campaign Ideas, and Resources, discusses the strategies and tools available via mobile. You’ll learn which tools to use first when mobile is still new for consumers and what you can implement later when they get used to the intricacies of mobile marketing. Each chapter will cover what the marketing tool is and when and how to use it, including resources and working examples. Part 3, Marketing and Tracking Mobile Campaigns, closes the loop and gives real-life examples of mobile marketing campaigns and how to integrate mobile with other marketing tools. Plus, you’ll see how tracking methods can help you achieve the maximum ROI from mobile marketing.

    Since mobile marketing can be used by anyone who has marketing needs, this book is written for all types and sizes of businesses, companies, nonprofits, groups, and entrepreneurs. I use the words business and company interchangeably to mean any of these entities. I often use the word you when I am speaking about the business involved in mobile marketing, which comes from my entrepreneurial roots where the line between business and owner is often blurred. Similarly, I will talk about customers, clients, and target markets to describe the end user who will be interacting with your business. Likewise, instead of using mobile phone, I will often use the term mobile device, which includes all types of cell phones, from basic phones to smartphones to gaming devices. But there are certain instances where I use the term cell phone, which applies specifically to cell phones and to no other type of mobile device. As mobile technology forges ahead, the fact that it is implemented on a phone will become much less important than the fact that it is mobile.

    Throughout the book, I use 12345 as an example of short code (the number used in text messaging). This is the equivalent of using a 555 phone number, because 12345 is not a valid short code. Lastly, you will find that my writing style is more casual in tone than most business books. I’m not going to use corporate-ese when plain English works well. This will be helpful since the other information in the mobile industry is technical enough.

    Since mobile is relatively new to many people, I have included a Glossary that may come in handy to clarify any unfamiliar terms. Additionally, there is an Online Resource Guide (www.mobilemarketinghandbook.com), which includes updated content, audio, videos, and mobile marketing vendor recommendations. Another added value for this latest edition is the mobile interactive opportunities. Read the Interact With This Book section for more details.

    Throughout this edition, I have showcased companies involved in mobile marketing campaigns. I certainly appreciate these mobile marketing pioneers forging the path for us to follow. You’ll learn from their stories (successes and failures) and my how-to advice, but you’ll find that you learn the most as you dive into your own campaigns after you finish reading the book. Be sure to let me know about your success story after you launch your own mobile marketing campaign.

    1

    PART

    Mobile Marketing Strategy and Implementation

    When people talk about mobile marketing, they often focus on its technology, such as what a certain handset can do, how cell phone carriers are implementing a service, the specific behind-the-scenes details of mobile web design, what a certain mobile operating system can accomplish, or how certain mobile tools work. Of course, these are all important factors in mobile, but the truth is that a mobile marketer is better off developing an effective strategy to first achieve the end result and explore the technology later. The chapters in Part 1 focus on the strategic development and implementation of mobile marketing campaigns.

    The material in the first two chapters, The Basics and the Big Picture and Five Steps to Creating a Dynamic Mobile Marketing Campaign, provides insight into creating a solid foundation for your campaign. You’ll see how and why you need to integrate mobile into your overall marketing methods to create a successful campaign. In Chapter 3, information about legal issues and implications will help guide your mobile campaign smoothly through your legal department. Chapter 4 offers guidelines for implementing your campaign whether you are hiring an agency, working directly with vendors, or doing it yourself.

    As tempting as it may be to skip this part and jump right to the exciting tools in Part 2’s Mobile Marketing Toolbox, try to resist the urge. Without exploring the smart marketing strategies found in Part 1, you run the risk of launching an ineffective and/or noncompliant mobile marketing campaign, alienating your customers, wasting valuable time and money, or perhaps violating the law. So it’s worth learning the fundamentals first.

    1

    CHAPTER

    The Basics and the Big Picture

    No matter how mobile advertising messages are delivered, our research shows that consumers demand that if a company is going to invade their personal space with advertising, it better be for something of interest to them. Personalization is hyper-critical.

    —Judith Ricker, division president, Harris Interactive

    What Is Mobile Marketing?

    Businesses and their brands can reap big rewards from mobile marketing under the right circumstances. When mobile marketing is done right, you can reach your customers via mobile with a message they actually want to hear but might not even know it yet. And the real kicker is that your customers will reach out to you for the message.

    But perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself. First, I should rule out what mobile marketing is not. Contrary to what many consumers dread (and what shady opportunists fantasize about), mobile marketing is not a barrage of unwanted text messages sent via cell phone to someone who may not want, need, or have any connection with the business sending the messages. That’s just spam.

    The Mobile Marketing Association defines mobile marketing as: A set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network.

    My definition of mobile marketing is slightly different: "Mobile marketing is how businesses communicate with consumers on their mobile devices, with their explicit permission, at the right time, at the right place while providing relevant value."

    Based on either definition, smart mobile marketing isn’t randomly marketing to people who may or may not be interested in receiving a message. Instead, smart mobile marketing is all about reaching your customers or being reached by them in a way that adds value to their day. You’ve undoubtedly noticed that a core component of my definition involves permission. Mobile marketing will never work well as an invasive marketing method, and it shouldn’t be undertaken as such under any circumstances. It’s likely to backfire every time. When mobile is used as a marketing tool, the end user must provide explicit permission for the communication to happen or it will fail. Any mobile outreach that is sent without permission not only impacts the business that is doing it, but it also casts a negative light on the entire industry. (Clearly, this does not eliminate mobile web advertising because anyone who goes online, even with a mobile device, naturally assumes that advertising will be interwoven with content somewhere.)

    Mobile Devices Defined

    Mobile devices can be any type of cell phone, from basic feature phones to more elaborate smartphones such as iPhones, Android-powered phones, and BlackBerries. Other devices such as iPads or other tablets, ereaders (Kindle), or PDAs (personal digital assistants) are also options. Even gaming units such as Sony’s handheld game device PSPs (PlayStation Portables) can be considered mobile devices because they can access the internet through Wi-Fi and are often used remotely. For the most part in this book, we will be discussing marketing strategies to reach consumers through their cell phones, but remember, there are many ways to market to consumers via mobile. For your reference, when the phrase cell phone is used, I am referring specifically to cell phones and not mobile devices universally. When I use the term mobile devices, I’m referring to cell phones and other devices as well.

    With mobile, a business can interact with customers at any time but only if those customers agree to receive a message. Customers can pick up their cell phones to request a text message when they’re out or even at home watching TV or reading a magazine. Customers can also search on their mobile devices to find your business’s mobile website. They can also call your business spontaneously wherever they are. Customers can use their phones to track where they are and use that data to request information and coupons from nearby businesses. Under the right circumstances, mobile marketing is likely to be so deeply interwoven into people’s daily lives that they won’t be able to imagine life without it.

    While consumers have always been able to respond directly to advertising, the process has never been so fluid or so immediate as it is with mobile. The majority of those who use mobile devices have the device with them at all times, even while they’re driving, walking down the street, shopping, or even sleeping. Most people will even return home to pick up their device if they leave it there. While some people only have a mobile device for emergencies or one that they never turn on, most people have their phones with them and ready to use at all times. Because of mobile, your customers can and will choose to interact with you at any given moment. The key to a successful mobile marketing campaign is making your customers want to interact with you. That’s what this book is all about. If you can create a mobile marketing campaign that makes people want to interact with your business, then you will be well on the road to success.

    Many marketers mistakenly regard the mobile marketing environment as a smaller version of the internet or television, but that isn’t the case. Mobile is more than its own unique marketing channel; it is a unique mass medium. As with print, audio recording, radio, cinema, TV, and the internet that came before it, mobile has its own characteristics that make it part of mass media. Even as the newest service for consumers, it is the most widespread worldwide, it is the most personal (giving it the ability to closely target individuals and not

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