Mobile marketing 101: Mobile marketing is not ad placement.

Mobile marketing is NOT ad placement in a content provider platform. This is considered passive and not making full use of the strengths of a mobile device, a not matured usage of the mobile platform. 

 

There are 3 advantages that we should take note of, of the platform - a mobile device. 

•                It is an immediate reach to the customers. Dannie suggests that mobile be made the primary vehicle to reward and interact with customers. 

•                It is a personalized platform whereby services can be provided to the customers. 

•                And therefore, it is a tool to create an ongoing relationship with the community.

 

This, compared to streaming ads like on a one-way street, is a far cry. 

 

Some of the strategies mentioned are: 

1.             Push messaging – e.g. push notifications from an app.

2.             SMS marketing – text messages.

3.             M-coupons – mobile coupons pretty much like a banner add in the design of a coupon on an app or on mobile sites.

4.             QR Code – quick response code, squarish matrix code that can be read with a QR code app, e.g. loyalty and rewards for customers, scans from magazines.

5.             NFC – near field communication, 2 devices communicating by touching them together or being close e.g. mobile payments, share files by bumping phones.

6.             Geo-fencing and Location-based targeting – gen-fencing is a predefined set of virtual boundaries on a physical location, such that when a user using with location-aware device like foursquare, enters the “zone”, he is being “location-based targeted”. You get the idea.

 

Question: Do the strategies mentioned above require an app to begin with? E.g. mobile app, ipad app.

 

Yes and no.

 

Browser-based mobile advertising is only limited to the traditional web online advertising methods such as SEO and SEM. In other words, it is the same as full browser advertising. Whereas an app would give greater control and creativity when it comes to mobile advertising can do activites like Push messaging, m-coupons, QR Code, NFC, Geo-fencing, Location-based targeting.

 

However, some techniques like SMS marketing and QR code do not need an app to carry out. Some techniques like NFC and location-based targeting can be carried out using already existing popular apps such as Foursquare, m-coupons can be inserted into popular mobile websites etc.

 

In response to Dannie Francis's blog post, Mobile Marketing Isn't Mobile Advertising, http://www.thecellcity.com/mobile-marketing-isnt-mobile-advertising/