Mobile Marketing Ideas: Opportunities and Possibilities

We carry mobile phones with us at all times. We do business, stay in touch with friends and even use mobiles for entertainment. The basic nature of mobile turns it into a new communication channel that increases response rates to marketing campaigns.

Mobile marketing may soon emerge as the most potent tool of communication. It can be used in acquiring visibility, generating awareness, increasing engagement and nurturing brand loyalty. Mobile marketing has potential to spread across communication spectrum and compliment them.

Mobile marketing has definitely matured over last few years but the majority of marketers are not yet using it. It is mostly because of the low mobile marketing education. In my view this is the time to include mobile advertising in the communication mix but at the same time it is also important to educate marketers, brand and agency.

The mobile marketing has moved out of the experimental stages, and has becoming an integral part of the communication mix. In recent times, innovative brands are leveraging mobile marketing, but the majority of the followers have not yet integrated mobile marketing

In year 2012 and beyond we shall witness many more mobile communication ideas getting executed and the brand managers embracing mobile marketing into their communication strategy. The mobile marketing ideas which come to my mind are:

1. User Registration: Mobile campaigns can be designed to build a clean database of users in support of brand, cause, or any other campaign.
2. Transaction Authorization: In the era of internet and mobile commerce it is important to have clean and authorized database of the customers. The transaction authorization is one of the key elements of online transactions. The transaction authorization API offers secure service.
3. Lead Verification: It is critical for any online transaction to ensure accuracy of mobile numbers to streamline sales closure. The mobile lead verification process offers the same.
4. Mobile Customer Support: The mobile customer support system manages customer support requests and patches the call with the respective representative and eliminates time on hold for customers.
5. Customer Feedback: The customer feedback number is a virtual number which is included in all communication collateral. The customer feedback number increase responses up to 10 times.
6. Coupon Delivery: The emergence of ecommerce and mobile commerce has increased the importance of the mobile coupons. It deliver special offers and coupon codes through your SMS response.
7. Cash on Delivery Verification: Cash on Delivery is one of the potent payment tool for ecommerce transaction. It is experienced that having a verified mobile number for all cash on delivery transactions helps decrease return orders.
8. IVR-Based Engagement: IVR based campaigns are engaging in nature and it sustains the brand engagement process.
9. Rural Activation: Indian rural landscape is media dark but has good mobile connectivity. Mobile campaigns with a simple missed call response creates viral in the rural India.
10. Pledge Campaign: Mobile has been used in India to create viral pledge campaigns with a simple missed call response.
11. Peer Referrals: The mobile referral campaigns allow customers to become brand ambassadors by referring friends. It is also used to generate awareness and opt-in database.
12. Managed SMS Groups:  The managed SMS groups are theme based groups which has opted-in subscribers. Promotional message can be sent to the opt-in number also include DND.
13. Contests: Mobile can be effectively used to run and manage contests that allow all supporters to participate. Moreover, mobile offers to personalize the contest and increase level of engagement.
14. Games based Contests: Mobile based games can run and manage contests that allow all supporters to participate. These contest are high on engagement value.
15. Live Event Voting: Live events needs to increase the engagement quotient and are progressively using mobile for voting, quizzing, etc. Live event voting deliver special offers and coupon codes through your SMS response.
16. Quiz Contests: Mobile quiz contest are progressively used by the brands for awareness and engagement campaigns.
17. Opinion Polls: Mobile opinion polls manage customer support requests and eliminate time on hold for customers.
18. Ratings: Mobile rating services evaluate performance of brand, services, or business and can be used as process review tool.
19. Lead Generation: Mobile lead generation campaigns can have various formats with a number in all your ads and increase responses up to 10 times.
20. Process Improvement: Mobile can effectively be used for the process improvement of any business function.

These are a few of the mobile marketing ideas. The mobile marketing ideas and the implementation scope can be many. The mobile marketing offers very intimate way for businesses to engage with customers. The various mobile campaign can offers vouchers, coupons, alerts, updates, voting, polling, payments, auctions, etc. Mobile marketing also offers bluetooth proximity marketing, mobile phone applications, mobile game advertising, mobile loyalty programs, and may more such marketing programs.

Disclaimer: The views represented in the presentation have nothing to do with the companies I have personal, professional, or academic interest. It is absolutely my view which is based on the years of experience in the business.