Mobile Marketing is Growing at Break-Neck Speed.
By 2015, mobile marketing is predicted to be the dominant mode of online advertising. Worldwide, almost two-thirds of the population have access to mobile phones. A reported 82 percent of Americans never leave home without their mobile devices. People now feel lost when they forget their cellphones at home or work. The mobile phone has become the most personal technological device we own.
Data from comScore MobiLens, which tracked key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry for the three-month period ending December 2010, shows that 234 million Americans ages 13 and older are now using mobile devices. That makes mobile phones pretty ubiquitous, since the total U.S. population totals just over 308 million. Meanwhile 63.2 million Americans owned smartphones as of the end of December 2010, an increase of 60 percent over the previous year.
The adoption of smart phones and pad devices (tablets) are further fueling the growth, which is projected to double every year for the next five years. Worldwide, the smartphone market is growing in spite of economic challenges. For instance, according to the latest projections by the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, the global smartphone market was expected to grow 49.2% in 2011. That growth projects the smartphone market growing more than four times faster than the overall mobile phone market.
Text Message Advertising is the Heavy Hitter for Now
Text messaging, also called SMS, for short message service, has exploded in the United States. According to CTIA, the wireless industry trade group, the 3.5 billion text messages sent and received every day now exceeds the number of cell phone calls per day.
Your prospects and customers text. They are comfortable with it. They respond to mobile promotions. And it isn’t just the kids who text now. The demographics are changing, driven by the adoption of smartphones and pad devices by consumers across a widening array of demographics.
The early adopters of text message advertising in many industries are already reaping measurable rewards yeilded by engaging consumers, inspiring them to take action and building customer loyalty.
QR Codes, Largely Undiscovered but Gaining in Popularity as Major Businesses and Brands Adopt Put Them to the Test
QR codes are those barcode-like images that can be scanned by smartphones. They are showing up in print ads, on products, packaging, billboards, business cards, brochures and a growing number of other solid surfaces that can be easily scanned by smartphones.
Scanning a QR code is easy. Consumers just download a free QR code reader app for their smartphones, and can snap pictures of the codes.
According to researcher comScore, only 6% of mobile phone consumers actually use QR Codes, leaving 94% out of marketers’ reach…for the moment. Marketers who test this inexpensive tool early will uncover the biggest benefits and gain competitive advantages.
Mobile Websites are Becoming a Business Necessity
Once again smartphones and tablets are driving changes in the way online marketing is being done…when it is done well. Traditional websites are generally not cellphone friendly. Users have to scroll horizontally across web pages to read tiny type. Mobile websites, are extensions of primary websites, with content that fits the small screens on mobile devices. It also loads quickly, and delivers key information that users on the run will find valuable.
Savvy marketers fish in pools where prospects and customers already are. Today, many are found in the mobile pool and their numbers are growing. Now is the time to launch your own mobile marketing program and start connecting with prospects and customers on their cell phones.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you improve your mobile marketing campaigns.
