Author Archives: susan

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Warning to All Local Businesses: Mobile IS Mandatory!

Posted on December 29, 2011 in Mobile Marketing by susan

mobile marketing

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mobile marketing

Warning to All Local Businesses: Mobile IS Mandatory!

Local businesses need to get into mobile marketing.  Your customer expects to find you (and be able to read about you!) on their mobile phones. Don’t miss out on all that mobile marketing has to offer.

Check out the following findings from Google:

“Google notes through its research that:

  • 79% of smartphone consumers use their phones to help with shopping, from comparing prices, to finding more product info, to locating a retailer.
  • 70% use their smartphones while in a store.
  • 77% have contacted a business via mobile, with 61% calling and 59% visiting the local business.

Google says that users are now expecting to engage with local businesses though their mobile devices. Think about it: did you go to a local businesses mobile website this year? Did that business have an app or a website optimized for mobile? People on the go rely on their smartphones for information and nothing is more fundamental to consumers then how they spend their money. Brands and retailers have to come to understand that the way users interact with their digital fronts is now being done from smart devices.

In turn, mobile search is changing the user experience. Apple realized this and is one of the reasons that it baked Siri into the iPhone 4S as a way to easily search on the go. Search functions include looking up a local restaurant to see what is on the menu or find directions.

The way ads are delivered via mobile underwent dramatic shifts in 2011. Google calls these the “pipes” of mobile advertising. That includes work on standards like ORMMA or MRAID or how ads are delivered through real-time engagement, real-time-bidding platforms or improvements in HTML5 that have made mobile advertising more seamless and ubiquitous.

Tablets have joined smartphones as an important factors in mobile advertising. Google notes that tablets are now a third screen that marketers have to deal with and that the company saw a 440% spike in tablet traffic in November 2011 from its December 2010 levels on the AdMob network. That number may be partly skewed by the fact that Google consolidated AdMob to mobile devices while keeping AdSense Web only, hence driving traffic numbers to the network.”

Make sure that your local business can be found on mobile phones and that it is easy to navigate.  Mobile marketing is the best invention to come around in a long time for the local business.  Are you ready?

For the full original article on mobile marketing.

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4 Mobile Marketing Mistakes To Avoid

Posted on December 29, 2011 in Mobile Marketing by susan

Mobile Marketing

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Mobile Marketing

4 Mobile Marketing Mistakes To Avoid

Mobile marketing. Everyone wants to get in on it.  But while the interest and curiosity about mobile marketing is vast, many are very unconfident about how to put the right food forward.

This article outlines some classic rookie mobile marketing mistakes:

“1. Using Mobile to Share Non-Mobile Content

You’ve read all about how to use text messages and quick response (QR) codes to target customers while they’re out in the wild or even just sitting on their couch at home. And that’s great–until you use these techniques to send users to content that is anything but mobile friendly. Perhaps it’s a video their phone can’t download or the desktop version of your website, which takes too long to load and far too much scrolling to use on their device. These types of mistakes leave customers feeling frustrated and almost ensure they never again try to load your website from a mobile device. They’re also a waste of time and resources on your part if you’re creating campaigns that don’t work, let alone convert.

If you’re going to use text message marketing to offer a discount or present a call to action for someone to visit your site, make sure the page you’re sending them to is mobile friendly. Ensure it will load on their device and present them with the proper experience. Otherwise, you’re just spinning your wheels and their data plan.

2. Using QR Codes to Direct Customers Back to Your Site

For many of us, when we think “mobile marketing” we really think “QR codes.” A QR code is that barcode-like symbol that a user can scan with their smartphone to be taken to a page of your choosing. QR codes are great for sending users to mobile-friendly landing pages, informing them about specials and promotions, or providing an exclusive experience via their phone. When QR codes don’t work is when you use them to direct people back to your home page. Or, worse, when you try to put them in an email. (How do you scan a barcode while using your phone for email?)

If you’re going to invest in creating a QR code, don’t simply use the code to drive people back to your website. They could have gotten there on their own. Instead, pack that code with something valuable and unique. It could be an exclusive discount or special offer, time-sensitive information, an image they couldn’t get otherwise, a free download, etc. There has to be a “why” to make the experience worthwhile. Otherwise, you’re going to have a frustrated customer when they take the time to scan your QR code only to be given the same experience they receive every day.

3. Missing a Chance for Better Targeting

You can bet that not all of your customers are going to feel comfortable giving you access to their phone and opting into a mobile marketing campaign. And you know what? That’s OK, because it means you’ll be able to target your marketing to the type of user who is OK with a more personal interaction. To really leverage mobile marketing, find out more about the demographics of the people who do opt into this service and adapt your campaigns to specifically address them. This may including knowing what kind of offers they’re most interested in, the products they buy most, the price point they stay within, the types of deals they respond to, etc. If you don’t know offhand (and why would you?), your analytics will be able to give you this information.

As with anything, if you want customers to do something, you need to give them a reason. People will be more likely to sign up if you send them special discounts and offers that have been hand-crafted for them.

4. Not Optimizing Your Mobile Website

The mobile version of your website should be more than just a shrunken version of what your site looks like on a desktop computer. It should be optimized for a different experience and for a customer coming to you a different intent. We know that desktop users and users pulling you up via a mobile phone are coming for different purposes. They’re not just browsing on their phone; they’re on the hunt for specific information or content. For best performance, use your analytics to understand what your mobile users are after, the pages they request most often, and the mission they land on your site with. This will help you to optimize an experience that is relevant to their needs and that helps them achieve their goals faster. Give your mobile searchers what they want and very little noise.”

For the full, original article on mobile marketing.

Do you make any of these mobile marketing mistakes?  Or do you simply have questions about how to begin your mobile marketing program?  We have some resources for you.  Click here to sign up for our exclusive video on mobile marketing.

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Mobile Shopping Is One Simple Tap Away

Posted on December 28, 2011 in Mobile Shopping by susan

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mobile shopping

Mobile Shopping Is One Simple Tap Away

One of the issues of mobile shopping is that it can often be a bit clumsy (not to mention impossible!) to tap in the digits of your credit card.  A simple tap would be much preferable!

This has been solved by TapBuy which is a new technology that lets the consumer fill in his information with a few simple taps:

Here is more about TapBuy and how it will contribute to mobile shopping and mobile commerce.

“Available now to retailers, developers, and shopping aggregators, TapBuy facilitates quick and easy sales conversion by storing shopper’s billing and shipping information. TapBuy technology can be integrated into retailer’s mobile apps, which then allows shoppers to make purchases from a series of supported apps and merchants with just a few taps.

Mobile commerce conversions are often prevented due to the inconvenience for shoppers to input all of their information. Typing out usernames, passwords, billing and skipping addresses and credit card information on small mobile devices is meticulous and time consuming. This is a major factor in poor m-commerce conversion rates in comparison to desktop ecommerce. In trials TapBuy’s quick-checkout technology has increased sales conversions for retailers up to 15 times. Conversion rates are increased due to the convenient platform TapBuy provides. Shoppers only have to enter their personal information one time and it is then saved by TapBuy. Once information is stored, mobile shoppers can checkout from any TapBuy-enabled app/merchant by typing their PIN.

TapBuy is a great tool to ensure mobile commerce thrives in 2012. M-commerce is swiftly gaining popularity, which is seen by the 516% increase in global mobile payments this Black Friday in comparison to Black Friday 2010. In addition, more shoppers than ever are browsing ecommerce solutions on mobile devices.

TapBuy also works behind the scenes to group consumers’ items in order to save shipping costs. This technology also helps consumers save money by tracking coupon codes and automatically adding them to customer orders.”

For the full complete article on mobile shopping.

Mobile shopping just got a whole lot easier!  Your consumer (and a sale!) are just a few taps away.  Are you ready for all the mobile shoppers who want to buy from you?

Click here to learn more about the Secrets to Successful Mobile Marketing!

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Are You Ready For Mobile Commerce?

Posted on December 28, 2011 in M-Commerce by susan

Mobile Commerce

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Mobile Commerce

Are You Ready For Mobile Commerce?

Mobile commerce is a force to be reckoned with. Christmas is over.  But the lessons is brought are not.  One of the biggest lessons for retailers in 2011 was that mobile is hot, hot, hot!  The question you must ask yourself as a retailer is ARE YOU READY?

Here are the three things you need to do:

“1. Create a mobile opt-in database
Encouraging customers to register their mobile numbers is an important starting point. The easiest way to do this is to buy a keyword and shortcode through a mobile services provider. This creates an automated system where customers can text the keyword to the shortened mobile number (e.g. text CARD to 19954536) to register to your database.

To encourage registrations, it’s important to show an immediate benefit (e.g. 10% discount in store today) and to display the keyword and shortcode prominently in store, online, and in your existing marketing channels.

By creating a database, retailers can instantly begin targeting customers through SMS, a simple and cost effective way to begin mobile marketing. Research shows that 90% of SMS messages are opened within three minutes of being received, and 99% are opened overall.

These text messages can be used to deliver timely and relevant offers, encourage foot traffic and repeat customers. If used as part of a wider mobile strategy, they can also link through to dedicated mobile content such as store finder tools, exclusive offers, and/or mobile coupons.

2. Create a mobile website
Given the wide variety of mobile devices on the market, a mobile website can offer a much wider reach than a device specific app and can also be used effectively as part of a wider mobile strategy, for example as a landing page for an SMS campaign, allowing you to track clickthrough rates.

Thought should also be given to what content is more appealing to someone browsing via a mobile device rather than on a PC. Helping people check store locations or opening hours, promoting that day’s best buys, or encouraging opt-ins to an SMS service can all be more effective on mobile than your usual web content.

3. Create or enhance loyalty programs
Mobile communication delivers a higher response rate and therefore a significantly increased ROI from loyalty programs. It also allows retailers to accurately time the moment messages are read and which customers receive them, allowing offers to be highly targeted, interactive, and compelling. As a consumer, if I get a special offer for a complementary item to something I’ve already purchased, say insurance for a TV or boots to go with my jeans, I am going to be much more likely to convert on that purchase.

Mobile can be used to distribute coupons and loyalty cards, with unique codes that can be scanned at the point of purchase and their use tracked and evaluated. This can eliminate altogether the need for consumers to carry all those plastic loyalty cards. Also, by eliminating the need for expensive print and distribution, mobile loyalty campaigns can be much more cost effective and friendly to the environment.”

For the complete original article on mobile commerce.

I think that mobile commerce is a place where retailers can literally turbocharge their businesses if they know what they are doing.  Do you have any questions about how to make mobile commerce work for you?

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Mobile Marketing Leads a New Marketing Reality for 2012

Posted on December 27, 2011 in Mobile Marketing by susan

Mobile Marketing

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Mobile Marketing

Mobile Marketing Leads a New Marketing Reality for 2012

Sometimes it is good at the beginning of a New Year to re-assess our beliefs about everything.  Marketing is the same.

Here is a list from Leo Burnett Chicago which asks us to re-write some of our marketing ‘givens’.  Of course the importance of social and mobile marketing is on the list too:

Here are six trends outlined in the Burnett report, entitled “Humankind 2012: The Transformation of Aspiration”:

“1. Sense of fairness in decline; happiness inequality on the rise. Americans, who as a population traditionally have been“optimistic and happy…regardless of social class,” are now by and large unhappy – and not surprisingly, those with lower incomes are least happy, according to the report. With the bottom 40% of households having less than 1% of the country’s wealth, “The deck is stacked, and people are suspicious,” the report concludes. “Feelings of inequality and unfairness are rampant.”

Brand implications: The winning brands will be those that “consistently deliver acts of fairness and behave with morality,” according to Burnett. Companies that treat all customers fairly “will earn Americans’ trust and patronage.”

2. The end of the “average” American family and the decline of the traditional “Big Plan.” Getting educated, marrying, having kids and climbing the corporate ladder is a plan that “still exists, but only for some,” sums up Burnett, noting that 40% of American children are now born to unmarried mothers, and that more couples are having children out of wedlock. In short, “People define their own family situations and shape their lives according to their own needs,”rather than trying to conform to peer-group behaviors or lifestyles.

Brand implications: Popular media have been slow to catch up with the changing family makeup and lifestyles. Employing diverse images of family “ring true with consumers and can be a great way to show how your brand fits into today’s reality.”

3. The traditional masculine archetype is over. The old rules that defined a man’s role in the home and at work “do not apply in today’s world” – at least in part because men account for two-thirds of recessionary job losses, says the report. In fact, it observes, 77% of all men report that they are comfortable with their wives earning more than them, and 72% report that they are okay with staying home to take care of the children.

Brand implications: Speak with caution when referring to traditional views of masculinity. Instead of focusing on a specific gender, focus on “shaping identities and transforming individuals.”

4. “Healthy” is in the eye of the beholder. Despite growing awareness of the obesity crisis, food tends to be viewed as an affordable luxury – a way to treat oneself when being forced to cut back in other ways. While 47% of Americans say they would like restaurants to offer healthier items, just 23% actually order those items.

Brand implications: Regardless of whether brands are in the food industry, they should think about how to satisfy consumers’ desire for smaller, bite-sized luxuries. “A small amount of satisfaction can go a long way.”

5. Collective bargaining is a survival weapon. Daily-deal giants such as Groupon and LivingSocial have paved the way for Americans to score deals on everything and anything. “People don’t expect or want to pay full price ever again, and collectively demand better deals and offerings in the palms of their hands, each morning.” Fully 73% of U.S. consumers report having used a digital coupon, and 58% report following brands for deals.

Brand implications: Integrate daily deals with customer loyalty programs. To compensate for downward pressure on margins, daily-deal technology needs to segment customers who are already bargaining and offer more personalized deals to heavy users.

6. Social/mobile technology: Consumers want value, not novelty. There will be 20 million new smartphone users in 2012. These users want to leverage social platforms and mobile within their shopping and buying repertoires, but they need these to add value, not noise.

Brand implications: To activate shoppers through social and mobile, marketers need to identify the problems that shoppers are trying to solve and provide informed solutions. Brands that don’t provide practical experiences will be ignored.”

For the complete article on mobile marketing.

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Are You Mobile Email Ready?

Posted on December 27, 2011 in Mobile Email by susan

Mobile Emai

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Mobile Emai

Are You Mobile Email Ready?

A lot of people mistakenly believe that ‘email’ is for computers, not for mobiles.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Over 30% of all emails are opened on a mobile device now.  Take a look at this checklist to ensure that you are optimizing your emails for your mobile consumer:

“1. Your ‘From:’ Line Is More Important Than Ever

Many ecommerce merchants don’t think much about their “From:” lines. They agonize over the subject lines as being the most important element. However, when viewing on a mobile device, it is the “From:” line that gets the most attention. Making sure the From line is a basic representation of your company — and that your recipient will recognize it — is vital to your message getting read or simply being scrolled by. Never repeat what is in the From line again in the subject line. Many ecommerce merchants do this and it is a waste of precious subject-line characters. The recipient knows the email is from you; there’s no need to repeat it.

Also, consider different From lines for different types of messaging. For example, if you have transactional emails related to an actual order the customer placed, the From line should reflect that to differentiate it from normal promotional messages that the recipients may be receiving from you. In addition, using a recipient’s name as the From line always helps to increase the open rate and the ultimate response rate.

2. Design For Mobile

A few years ago, using beautiful images with Adobe Flash was popular for websites and email. Many large retailers wanted graphically appealing websites. However, in reality heavy graphics are not functional for consumers who want to just fill their shopping carts and check out. In terms of converting visitors, having a functional website that conveys information and is easy to use is the most important goal.

In short, web and email design is trending back to the original basics. This includes a balance of images-to-text and ensuring the most important messaging in the email is still visible with images turned off. In fact, when viewing on a mobile device, most email recipients will display only text-based elements, preferring the avoid the extra steps of downloading graphics.

3. Make the Email Appealing

More consumers are using their mobile devices to preview emails and delete those that are not valuable to them. They may then look at the remaining emails later, perhaps on their desktop computers. What does this mean? Bringing value to a consumer is more important than ever. Great offers, good products or a call to action that is time sensitive are all effective content strategies that will increase the chances your email makes it past the first-round cuts.

This also impacts your frequency strategy. Depending on how often your recipients are previewing their emails on their devices, you don’t want a large grouping of emails from you with no differentiator between them. Emails that look the same will likely get deleted.

4. Get Realistic about Measurement

Many ecommerce professionals have seen a decline in the overall open rate of some of their email programs. Remember, an “open” only registers with an image load. Therefore, with more people previewing on mobile, the likelihood of the images actually being loaded decreases. The reality is many more people have actually viewed that email than is actually stated on an open report.

So how do you judge success? As open rates have declined, conversion rates have conversely increased. This means the recipients that are opening and clicking are truly interested in your product and service and, oftentimes, follow through with an ultimate conversion. Open and click rates, therefore, are becoming less important in the overall measurement of the success of an email campaign as the use of mobile becomes more widespread.”

For the complete original article on mobile email.

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2012 Promises to Be the Year of Mobile Marketing

Posted on December 27, 2011 in Mobile Marketing by susan

Mobile Marketing

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Mobile Marketing

2012 Promises to Be the Year of Mobile Marketing

Even though people talked a lot about mobile in 2011, I don’t think we have seen anything yet.  We will start to see even more growth in mobile marketing in the coming months.

Here are eight trends to watch for:

“Mobile Trend # 1 – Smartphones to Overtake Other Mobile by 2012

Of course, more and more users will become initiated into mobile handsets.  Not only will their number of users increase sharply; more types of new smartphones with more user-friendly capabilities will emerge.

Smartphone units sold worldwide in 2009 will grow 14.5% from 2008 levels, according to a forecast by Infonetics. READ MORE

Internet marketers, therefore, should do their best to keep these customers, mostly young people, on their radar.  The same goes for tablets.

Mobile Trend # 2 - Text Messaging Will Rise

Text messaging will rise to a projected 8 trillion SMS in 2012. This is a rise of about a billion from the 6.9 billion SMS sent in 2011.

This indicates that as long as there are mobile phones, SMS will always be in demand, along with MMS and instant messaging through the mobile phone.  That means more fertile ground for marketers to experiment with catchy text messages and enticing graphics.

Mobile Trend # 3 – Social Networking Site Access

Social networking sites will get more exposure on mobile phones.  Social networking reaches far beyond the conventional computer: because our mobile devices are always with us, it is expected that more than half of social networking will be done on mobile phones – at any time and any place we want.

That means more opportunities for marketers to reach audiences on the social networking sites when they are using them.  Facebook’s official page sites, there are currently 350 million active users that access Facebook on their mobile phones.

Facebook use is expected to spread to other parts of the developing countries that currently have low mobile penetration.

Mobile Trend # 4 – Rise in Social Games

More social games in mobile devices will be developed.  They can be played anytime, anywhere, as long as you have a mobile device with you. Which means that companies smart enough to market with mobile games can achieve prominence in the mobile community.

Mobile Trend # 5 – Location-Based Marketing

Location-based marketing will develop – that is, dishing out content based on where the recipients precisely are.   Think of entering a restaurant and then receiving a SMS offering you some freebies once you order something from them.

Sounds surprising, right? That novel technology can be achieved by Wi-Fi, RFID, and mobile phone tracking.

Mobile Trend # 6 – Increased Mobile Spending

There will be a large increase in spending by SMBs on mobile advertising.  The $1.6 billion figure garnered last 2010 more than doubled to $3.3 billion in 2011, and 2012 is predicted to double that enormous figure again.

Mobile Trend # 7 – More Video on Smartphones

Videos will become a greater trend in mobile marketing.  With so many smartphones already capable of capturing video, it is time for businesses to look at the bounds of video marketing beyond YouTube or similar.  Videos can now be viewed anywhere, anytime, at convenience, and companies should poise themselves for it in the following years.

Mobile Trend # 8 - Mobile Money Transfers

More currency will exchange through mobile phones. 2011 saw $86.1 billion move around the world in about 141 million exchanges. Thus, it is expected that companies who offer mobile payment will enhance its capabilities.  Mobile banking will also be rising in developing countries where banks are scarce.

To sum up, the prosperity of 2011 for mobile marketing will carry over to 2012, with possibly more frontiers to open up.”

Which of these trends interest you the most?   I am interested in trend number 8.  I believe that mobile money transfer will change the name of the game altogether as people begin to use their mobile phones as a their very own personalized bank window.  What do you think is the most important?

For the complete article on mobile marketing trends.

Click here to learn more about the Secrets to Successful Mobile Marketing!

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Three Major Mobile Marketing Predictions for 2012

Posted on December 27, 2011 in Mobile Marketing by susan

Mobile Marketing

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Mobile Marketing

Three Major Mobile Marketing Predictions for 2012

What will the New Year bring for mobile marketing? Of course, predicting the year ahead is one of the most popular sports this time of year. But it is possibly one of the more risky activities too!

Having said that, I believe the following three predictions are fairly ‘safe’ and infinitely accurate about where the world of mobile marketing will go in 2012.

“Mega-Trend #1: Mobile Ecommerce Will Reach a Tipping Point
It was a quiet explosion and it’s not over yet.  Purchases made on mobile devices will jump significantly in 2012. If you’ve never bought anything on your phone, watch yourself in 2012. You may personally contribute to this trend.

In 2010, e-commerce sales from mobile devices on Black Friday was 3.2%; in 2011, this number jumped to 9.8%. This year will be the tipping point for the ecommerce portion of the mobile mega-trend.

Retail spaces will still be stores, but more than ever, will become showrooms for their websites. Big retailers will make it easier to order online from the store on your phone. For small brick-and-mortar retailers, “buy it where you try it” will be the rally cry.  Either way, in 2012 shoppers will realize they can scan, price shop and order any product in front of them then have it delivered tomorrow.

Mega-Trend #2: The Decline of Apps
Well, not an actual decline, but a decline relative to the growth of mobile sites. 2012 will be the year when people who say “I want to build an app” also say “…unless the same thing is possible with a mobile site.”

Potential mobile application builders are starting to figure out that building an app really means building two apps (one for iPhones and one for Android) or else leaving out a big chunk of the audience. Mobile websites don’t have that problem.  A properly built mobile site will display on any mobile device.

When something is purchased through an app, there’s a middle man who usually takes a cut (Apple takes 30% of purchases made through iPhone apps, for example). But when you sell something through a mobile site, you don’t have to worry about this. Sales are handled through the company.

App development is expensive and time consuming and usually has no advantages over mobile sites. They have to be downloaded and installed: This isn’t my preferred way to access things, is it yours? Plus, apps can’t be linked to easily, so they’re harder to promote.

In 2012, marketers will begin to realize that mobile sites can do virtually everything an app can do, easier, faster and cheaper.

Mega-Trend #3: Enter Inbound Marketing
This is the year that millions of companies, large and small, realize that inbound marketing, rather than outbound advertising, is the way to go. By inbound marketing (a/k/a content marketing), we mean writing and promoting content using search marketing, social media, blogging, email marketing and PR.

As we start year four of the recession/recovery, marketers are still cost-conscious.  They’ll find that inbound marketing takes time, but the out-of-pocket expenses are low. Business-to-business companies seem to be leading the charge, but everyone will be on board soon. Year 2012 is the year of content marketing.

Inbound isn’t a fad or the next “shiny object,” it’s a long-term commitment of real time and energy. But as word gets out about the clever ways to combine search marketing with blogging, social media with PR, hoards of marketing departments will jump in.”

Mobile marketing will be the news of 2012 and will change millions of marketing plans around the globe as businesses of all sizes jump on the mobile marketing bandwagon.  What are YOUR plans for integrating mobile marketing into your communications?

For the full original article on mobile marketing

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Mobile Video Comes of Age

Posted on December 23, 2011 in Mobile Video by susan

Mobile Video

Mobile Video

Mobile Video Comes of Age

A lot of people I talk to seem to dismiss mobile video as a non-viable aspect of the mobile revolution.  They assume that mobile videos is too ‘heavy’ for the mobile environment and really doesn’t have a place.

As you can tell, this article explains why so many are dead wrong about the potential of mobile video and three innovative ways that mobile video can be used:

“Click to purchase product placement
A click to purchase product placement within mobile video solves both user experience and data challenges simultaneously. By meta-tagging each frame of the video, a viewer has a simple one-click experience to purchase any product in the scene. For example, music videos overwhelmingly feature product placements to finance the cost of production. A fan watching her favorite pop star’s new video can simply click to purchase a product. For example, a consumer could buy the high heels worn by Beyoncé in her latest music video on the spot, learn more about the shoes, enter a contest to meet Beyoncé, or any number of other actionable marketing activities. This is a fully integrated experience where the consumer is empowered with the choice. In turn, this saves data and cost for both the user and the brand by saving on wasted clicks and video delivery to an uninterested audience.

Click to video
The ability to click on a banner that directly launches a mobile video is a low friction ad unit. Since there aren’t any intermediate pages and clicks required, consumers see a banner promoting the latest movie and they can choose to click to either watch the movie trailer, watch images from the movie, purchase tickets, or do nothing. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million, but the idea here is to provide as rich an experience as the consumer wants rather than forcing a rich media ad down the consumer’s throat. This ad unit gets the message out in the most efficient manner with stronger integration and a solid user experience that doesn’t waste data.

Video alert
Take for instance fans and loyal brand users — whether it’s a music fan, a Food Network junkie, or anywhere in between. We’ll keep in theme with our music fans, and choose a tween devoted to Justin Bieber. A Bieber fan could sign up at Justin’s fansite for any new videos, and an alert is sent when a new video is available. It’s a targeted term and an extremely defined target market, so advertisers know the demographic they are getting and can accordingly pitch their products in a pre-roll, post-roll, or interstitial delivery approach. It’s a win-win because the fans get the content they really want and are therefore more open to using part of their data cap on this.

These ad units are technically feasible today, with current development underway. In fact, the click-to-video ads as well as the video alert ad units are already in use by some of our advertising partners worldwide, and the click-to-purchase product placement ad unit is currently limited only by the meta-tagging of individual frames of the video. This meta-tagging is underway at many of the top media houses, and there are outsourcing stops that do it.”

What is the most interesting about mobile video is its ability to go viral.  When your mobile video DOES go viral, you have just been given the keys to the kingdom- a huge audience at a fraction of the cost of ‘traditional medium’

Maybe it’s time for all of us to set aside our prejudices regarding mobile video and examine it as an exciting new marketing tool. What do you think?

For the complete original article  on Mobile Video.

Want to know more mobile marketing? Why don’t you check out this great resource.

If you liked this article, please share this to your friends or colleagues who might be interested in creating a mobile website.

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Facebook Will Enter the Mobile Ad Game In 2012

Posted on December 23, 2011 in Mobile Advertising by susan

mobile advertising

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mobile advertising

Facebook Will Enter the Mobile Ad Game In 2012

Facebook is already a major mobile player; almost 50% of all Facebook users access the site through their mobile phones.  It is therefore absolutely no surprise that Facebook is now going to enter the mobile advertising fray, taking advantage of its ‘natural’ mobile connection.

“Facebook, the world’s most popular social-networking service, would be playing catch-up in mobile advertising to Google Inc., Apple Inc. and Millennial Media Inc. Facebook’s potential advantage is that by gathering so much information about a person’s interests and associates, it can help advertisers target potential customers more directly than mobile Web browsers or applications.

Facebook, which boasts more than 800 million users, is increasing its focus on mobile technology, aiming to take advantage of the shift to smartphones and tablets. The company expects its next 1 billion users to come mainly from mobile devices, rather than desktop computers. More than 350 million users already access Facebook through their mobile devices, according to the site.

Later Than Expected?

The company had originally expected to roll out the new advertising service on mobile devices earlier this year, and the plan could be delayed again, one of the people said.

Brandon McCormick, a spokesman for Facebook, declined to comment. Facebook announced a mobile deals service last year that lets companies reach out to potential customers with discounts based on location.”

For the full original article on mobile advertising.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Facebook’s mobile advertising platform differs from its main competitor Google.  It is clear that Facebook is a natural fit with ‘all things mobile’ in general and mobile advertising specifically.  Will you want to run mobile advertising on Facebook when it is available?

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