Selecting Mobile Marketing Tactics

The number of people who use mobile phones is staggering. Statistics have shown that by the end of the year 2006, the number of cell-phone users was twice the number of people using the internet.
Mobile service makes it increasingly easier to reach consumers anytime and anywhere, opening up a communication channel with tremendous marketing potential. Defining your mobile marketing goals, selecting your mobile marketing tactics, and selecting the right mobile marketing partner can help you to better capitalize on this innovative marketing opportunity.
Define Your Mobile Marketing Goals
Defining your mobile marketing goals helps you stay focused. Some of the goals for mobile marketing should include increasing brand awareness, driving targeted traffic, enhancing customer loyalty, increasing revenues, and creating a customer opt-in database. Once these objectives are established, it's easier to determine which mobile marketing tactics will work best. Objectives also help determine which measurement criteria will be best for evaluating a mobile marketing campaign's success.
Select the Right Mobile Marketing Tactics
The most common mobile marketing tactics include picture messaging, sweepstakes, text- to-buy, text-to-screen, instant win, voting/polling, participation TV, alerts, trivia and mobile content promotions such as wallpapers, ringtones, and video.
Each of these options delivers a completely different user experience and value to your target customers. Depending on your target markets, you may have to customize content for each segment. Don't make the mistake of using a one size fits all marketing strategy.
Several factors you may want to take into consideration when selecting mobile marketing tactics include:
Campaigns should be designed and developed keeping in mind that mobile is a unique medium, which has its own distinct set of interactions and learned behaviors. The key is in leveraging these features in your campaign execution.
Experiences should be created that are mobile-specific, not just content that is repurposed from various other media.
The mobile medium is still emerging. Experiment and see what ideas will create a buzz and generate PR for your brand.
Keep the user in mind at all times.
Select the Right Mobile Marketing Partner
Now that you’ve defined your mobile marketing goals and selected the right mobile marketing tactics, you need to select a mobile marketing partner that complements and supports your ideas.
Your mobile marketing partner should be able to help you with the following:
Manage your database
Ensure your approach to the consumer is solid and sensible
Procure a short code, if required
Offer ongoing customer monitoring and support
Provide campaign analysis and reporting
Conduct testing
Ensure that your campaign adheres to industry rules in order to protect consumer privacy and consumer experience.

Written by: David C Skul - CEO

www.bluespotmedia.ning.com