Over 2/3rds of Small Business owners surveyed by web.com agreed or strongly agreed that "Mobile Marketing is key to my business growth in the next 5 years."
They've put together a large infographic covering some other findings. You can check it out here.
Is your Small Business doing Mobile Marketing yet? If not check out our eBook SMS Marketing for Small Businesses or see what Ez Texting can do for your Small Business.
Entry By Angela Stringfellow
There are skeptics around every corner in every industry and segment of life. Mobile marketing is no exception and the biggest victim: Quick Response (QR) Codes. Naysayers are quick to say they are a passing fad or will never amount to a resourceful marketing tool, but if they are done consistently and correctly, they have a shot at becoming one of the most widely used, interactive components in a mobile marketing strategy.
With the increasing domination of smartphones, mobile marketing is here to stay. Smartphones already own 44 percent of the mobile phone market share, according to a Nielsen report. And, the actual usage of these little black boxes increased by more than 4,000 percent since 2010, but account for only a little more than 6 percent adoption within the smartphone marketplace.
According to ScanLife, the largest demographic that has adopted the use of QR Codes are 25- to 34-year-olds, with 35- to 44-year-olds close behind. In addition 35 percent make between $50,000 and $100,000 per year.
But a very precise and important demographic is missing. Young adults, in particular college students, are not using the QR codes. The use of smartphones among students is an astonishing 80 percent. However, only 21 percent have admitted to scanning a QR code and 75 percent of those report they were not likely to scan a code again.
Since college students usually adopt new technology more quickly than others, marketers are left to wonder why this technology is not catching on. Perhaps because the information provided with QR codes simply isn't appealing to that demographic.
So why have the QR codes been slow to adapt in some markets? The answer isn’t clear, but there are some industries, both big and small, that could easily take advantage of such an easy and ever-increasing technology. The problem is that the consumers need to know what they are, why they are there and how to use them and statistics show, this isn't happening. As the QR codes gain in public use and acceptance this will more than likely happen naturally.
But if QR codes do gain in popularity, there are a few industries that can take advantage of this mobile strategy by easily incorporating them into their existing campaigns and making them more relevant.
Real Estate: By placing QR codes on “For Sale” or "For Rent" signs or mailbox fliers, potential buyers scouting out neighborhoods can quickly and easily get a glimpse behind the door of a home that piques their interest. New home buyers or college grads moving out on their own for the first time can quickly and easily weed out apartments and houses that don't fit their needs with virtual tours.
Car Dealers: The same method can be used with new and used cars. Many shoppers take advantage of the dealerships’ Sunday hours to peruse vehicles without fear of being badgered by salesmen. With a quick scan of a QR code placed on a window sticker, the buyer can see performance information, details on amenities. The QR code could also link to a payment calculator.
Event Industry: For large and small venues, local and national performers or even for community events, QR Codes can be used to provide details about a coming event. A brief preview of a performance or behind-the-scenes peek at the show, ticket availability and show times or links to ticket sales and arena seating charts, can easily provide to consumers the information that can lead to direct sales and sold-out shows.
Home Improvement/Housewares: Have you ever wandered into a home improvement store and been confused about the difference between a reciprocating saw and a miter saw? Product packaging or display QR codes can provide tips and tricks on how the tools are used or instructional videos on how to unclog drains or install a light fixture. This would be a wonderful tool for first-time homeowners or for young adults living on their own for the first time.
The opportunities are endless. A little “out of the box” thinking and the QR code can be used for virtually every industry. As the codes become more recognized and more readily used, they will be an inexpensive way to elaborate on what used to be a stagnant form of advertising. They can take a black and white newspaper ad and make it a living, breathing experience or virtually open the doors to the home of your dreams.
Have you considered incorporating QR codes into your marketing mix? How are you working to incorporate the younger demographics into your strategy? What has your experience been?
Chantel Tode at Mobile Marketer looks at the question - Will Google, Motorola deal disrupt the OEM landscape?
While Google executives said this week that Android handset manufacturers will be treated equally even though the company is acquiring Motorola, the possibility remains that OEMs will take a closer look at other operating systems.
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While offering Android as an open system at little or no cost to license has been an important factor in its growth, the deal withMotorola points to the success of the Apple formula of owning the entire mobile experience.
“The most successful players in the smartphone market have been those who control the entire experience – from platform, to hardware to services,” said Kevin Burden, vice president and practice director for mobile devices at ABI Research, New York.
“Only Microsoft remains as the only mobile platform provider without direct ownership of a hardware arm that designs and produces mobile phones,” he said.
Buying a handset manufacturer gives Google a similar degree of control over Android that Apple has with iOS.
Conceivably, the deal with Motorola means that Android will now go into smartphones that bear Google’s own seal of approval and can be marketed as the gold standard for Android, per Mr. Burden.
While Google says it will continue to treat other handset manufacturers equally despite having acquired Motorola, there are advantages to be gained from Google and Motorola working together in some areas.
Head over to Mobile Marketer for the full analysis.
The indispensible Mobile Marketer recently published their outlook for 2011:
The outlook for mobile advertising, marketing and media is dynamite, backed by firepower from Apple, Google, Microsoft, Research In Motion and an array of retailers and brands that get it.
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As editors and reporters Giselle Tsirulnik, Dan Butcher and Rimma Kats so ably demonstrate in Mobile Marketer’s Mobile Outlook 2011, all facets of mobile marketing are gaining currency with brands, ad agencies, publishers and retailers. Thank-you to them for this Classic Guide that should be read cover to cover.
Americans send over 1.5 trillion texts per year - up from less than one hundred billion only a few years ago. If you look at the entire world you come up with this staggering prediction:
A study by ABI Research finds that consumers worldwide will send more than 7 trillion SMS messages in 2011, indicating a huge opportunity for marketers.
The study found that messaging is more prevalent among younger subscribers, and as they replace older subscribers, messaging will get a further boost.
The upshot for businesses looking to reach their customers?
With the expected growth in SMS for 2011, more brands will likely jump on the SMS marketing bandwagon.
"In 2011, marketers will continue to use SMS along with other mobile channels,” Mr. Strother said. “Not everyone has a smartphone, and communicating with those that do not via SMS is the best way to reach a wide audience.”
Mobile Marketer recently released the third edition of their Classic Guide To Mobile Advertising. Be sure to grab the free 88 page PDF. Here's what you can expect:
Readers will find 44 articles across 88 pages in a document rich with how-to advice, best-practice tips, research, case studies and practical ideas on mobile advertising – the fastest-growing area within digital advertising.
Advertising follows eyeballs and consumers are looking at their small screens and computers for everything from content to commerce and marketing to communications. The mobile device, be it a phone or tablet, is becoming the central hub that coordinates the daily lives of consumers.
What makes mobile advertising different from other mediums is size and location. A smaller screen demands different treatment and expects more from creative calls to action via SMS, MMS, rich media ads, video or banner units. Engagement is key, or else the ad has failed to live up to its potential.
Download the PDF @ Mobile Marketer...and don't miss the article on page 17 by our own CEO :)
Only days removed from the wildly successful launch of the iPad, and on the eve of the launch of the iAd network, Dan Butcher at Mobile marketer asks, Is Apple’s iAd a threat to competing mobile ad networks?
“With the introduction of both iTunes and the App Store, Apple has repeatedly shown that they want to control the consumer experience of their brand, so I think this latest announcement is just the latest incarnation of that strategy,” said David Gill, Austin, TX-based senior director mobile media at the Nielsen Co.
“Given the hype surrounding the iPad launch, this news should be good for mobile advertising, as it forces advertisers to think about mobile advertising as more than just a ‘mobile phone’ strategy,” he said. “It’s really about connected devices.”
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“I think it’s safe to say that it will draw attention to the ecosystem and probably stoke interest in mobile advertising, particularly if Apple is able to deliver some compelling new ad formats, which is part of the idea here,” said Andrew Frank, New York-based research vice president at Gartner.
Read more (and there is a lot more) @ Mobile Marketer.
At this weeks Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Google CEO Eric Schmidt laid out what he thinks the future will look like:
Google is now shipping 60,000 Android phones per day, Mr. Schmidt said. He said cloud computing was going to be key Google’s future.
Mr. Schmidt also announced that Google is working on new technology to improve security and enhance authentication to better protect data. He concluded his session by saying, “Mobile is pretty much the answer on everything,” announcing a major shift in strategy.
Read more at Mobile Marketer.
Mobile Marketer just released their Mobile Outlook for 2010, and while we're still reading through it, one article has already stood out - Giselle Tsirulnik's Nothing compares to ubiquity of SMS marketing:
SMS is becoming more recognized and accepted, as evidenced by increased brand adoption and budgets.
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Some industry experts argue that SMS will become irrelevant with the growth of the mobile Web, which is expected to reach nearly 100 million unique users per month in 2010, according to Millennial Media.
But nothing will beat the ubiquity and reach of SMS.
Discount retailer Target taps SMS on an ongoing basis to connect with consumers. Target has used text messaging in select advertising and marketing campaigns to be fresh and innovative, connecting with consumers to reflect their wants and needs.
“Text messaging is layered into a campaign if we believe it aligns with our overall strategy or adds an element of interest or surprise for our guests,” said Sara Boehle, spokeswoman at Target, Minneapolis."
Read the entire article (page 40) and download the entire report (PDF)
JP Morgan is out with their 2010 Internet Industry Outlook. If they're right, the mobile world is set to keep on growing:
JP Morgan’s leading industry analyst Imran Kahn released the 328-page Interest Industry outlook which notes that total U.S. mobile advertising for 2009 is estimated at $2.6 billion, up 62 percent, with $2.3 billion of that from text messaging. Just 178 million was mobile search, and $140 million was display. Both of these were up 80 percent last year.
Turn to 2010, and mobile advertising is, according to Kahn, forecast to grow 45 percent to $3.8 billion ($3.2 billion SMS advertising, $253 million mobile display, and $31 million mobile search.)
Read more:
Mobile Marketing Watch
OnlineMediaDaily
