Are You Mobile Ready?
ISSN 1649-8127
Publication Date 21 July 2008
Have you found yourself out and about and using your phone or PDA to access information on website’s from locations of your favourite restaurant to perhaps the phone number of the potential client you are due to meet with?
Or perhaps, like me, you might receive text reminders on your mobile phone from the health club to let you know of special offers they have for early bird registration of next terms swimming lessons for the children?
Mobile marketing is here, and here to stay but are you ready?
One of the key things to remember when considering mobile marketing is that some of the rules of the game have stayed the same and some have changed.
Let’s take for example when someone accesses your website from a mobile phone or hand held device. Consider how small the viewing window they have to your website – it’s only a fraction of the size of looking at your website from their PC.
Or perhaps consider how easy it is to navigate your website using a mouse on the PC – that certainly is not so easy when you are viewing from a portable device.
And especially if roaming, the cost of downloading information to a mobile phone especially if calling plans charge per megabyte can be very expensive.
So consider what are the key elements people will be looking for when visiting your site from a handheld device be that a mobile phone or PDA?
Most of us are not in the same business as ‘Downloadmusic.ie’ who I interviewed on this week’s PodCamp Ireland podcast (details later in the newsletter in terms of how to access the recording), who allow you to pay for music tracks using your mobile phone account.
For the majority of businesses in professional services, the key data people will be looking for when accessing your mobile website are your phone number, your email address, your location and your opening hours.
Mobile marketing and the mobile web are still in the early stages of development, but it is definitely worth considering your mobile website the next time you have an overhaul of your website. And active mobile marketing is definitely a strategy to consider as part of your marketing plan in the year ahead.
Some 20 percent of Irish consumers regularly access the Internet from their mobile phone, according to research earlier this year from ‘Return2Sender’.
And a recent report by ‘Comreg’ shows that not only are there 5.4 million mobile phone subscriptions in Ireland but the number of text messages sent by mobile phone users between the period of January – March 2008 totaled 2.32 billion, a 12% increase on the same period last year and an 86% increase from 2006. this means average users are sending on average 156 text messages per month.
Did you know: An SMS is typically read within an average of 15 minutes after receipt and responded to within 60 minutes of opening?
Can you guess what one thing people said they would retrieve if their home was burning down in a recent study? Not their passport; not event their photographs of their family – but their mobile phone!
THIS WEEK’S ‘BIZ GROWTH’ ACTION STEPS
If you are considering mobile marketing as part of your strategy here are five actions you can take today:
1. Register your .mobi domain before someone else does. Yes this is an immature industry however the .mobi domain is fast becoming recognised amongst consumers and businesses alike. Even if you are not ready to develop a mobile website, be sure you protect your brand name.
2. Check if your current website is mobile ready. Take a look at your own website from your mobile phone or hand held device. You can also check out your current website at Ready.mobi and can access a f*ree report on how well your website will perform on a mobile device.
3. Make your blog mobile ready. If you use ‘Wordpress.org’ for your blog platform you can find a number of plugins that you can use that will automatically register that someone is looking at your site from a mobile device.
4. Start collecting mobile numbers of your prospects and clients. Just as with email marketing, you need to ensure that you are compliant with mobile marketing best practice and therefore you should always have someone opt in to receive text messages. If you are starting to consider mobile marketing, it’s never to early to seek out the service providers that can help you deliver mobile campaigns.
5. Develop your understanding of mobile marketing. If you are considering mobile marketing, why not join associations such as the Mobile Marketing Forum, a global non-profit association. They hold conferences where you can learn about mobile marketing and have resources available on their website.
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©Krishna De, 2008. All rights reserved. Reprinted from ‘BIZ GROWTH EXPRESS’, a Oneocean Ltd publication. If you would like to receive more articles just like this and enjoy access to free Masterclasses where you will discover how to bring your brand to life through traditional and social media platforms, then subscribe today at http://www.bizgrowthnews.com
