SMS/Mobile Marketing Updates

• by Dan Bailey

I attended the Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association (www.atlantaima.org) meeting last night, covering Mobile Marketing. For those curious about usage in this medium, there are some interesting plusses. For example, a pizza shop can promote outdoor signage or ads with an SMS (single-message send, or texting) request promotion. When viewers text to the pizza shop, the shop automatically then has their mobile number, and can text promotions/discounts as desired. Such SMS marketing averages an 8% – 14% response rate. In fact 20% – 25% of Papa John’s revenue alone is driven from mobile, and mobile advertising.

Indicative of the times, Yamaha Watersports has moved all traditional print-based promotions to Web and mobile; consequently growing their boat and waverunner products to first and second place in market. But of course the big growth in mobile right now is apps. Top apps include Facebook and Weather.com. The point is for the app to be usefull; not a gimic or game (those see immediate usage drop-off after download). The utilitarian buyer behavior seems to reign supreme. In fact, this new mobile era sees a shift from the old promotional marketing AAU approach, to a model of Need-Search-Retention (or engagement).

Of course the seminar itself featured texted audience questions and survey responses, with 5-character mobile short codes for send. Fun stuff! – jake aull