The Executive Suite: How to Advertise on Mobile Phones

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

How to Advertise on Mobile Phones

Mobile advertising provides companies with another way to reach consumers on a personal level, through their mobile phones. As cell phones become more advanced, so does the technology available to send advertising messages to consumers. Companies can use mobile marketing campaigns to increase traffic. Mobile advertising can have many forms, including text messages, mobile websites, and banner and video advertising.

ISuggestions

Set up a form on your website to capture customer cell phone numbers. Mobile marketing is permission-based because the Mobile Marketing Associated wants to avoid the pitfalls of email marketing, such as spam. One way to entice customers to sign up is by offering special announcements, insider news or discounts to mobile club members.
Welcome your new readers. When customers sign up to receive updates from your company, they should receive a message that describes the service, such as "Welcome to My Company's mobile updates." The welcome message should also include how often they will receive updates and a number they can text to opt out of future updates.
Include your company name in all mobile advertisements. When sending text messages, it is important your customers know who the advertisement is coming from. Shorten or simplify any links in the ad, as text messages are limited to 156 characters; use those characters to convey your message, not a URL. Optimize the content at that link to be viewed with a mobile phone by setting up a mobile site or designing the pages with mobile viewing in mind.
Plan your campaign's long-term success. Integrate the campaign with your other marketing efforts to drive traffic to your website, encourage readers to visit a point of sale or take a specific action.
Hire an agency that specializes in mobile marketing. It should assist you in designing banner or interactive messages. An agency can also help fine-tune your campaign to yield the best results, help you collect mobile numbers and master complicated technology.