Part 2: Web Trends 2010 – Marketing The Mobile Boom

As promised, I’ve followed Part 1 of Web Trends 2010, by making sense of it all in the marketing world. With the changing technology and the growth of the online industry, marketers can enhance their target market reach by capitalizing on:

1. The Mobile Boom;
2. The Evolution of the Online Advertisement;
3. New Developments on the Search Engine Front; and (of course)
4. Trends in Social Media.

The Mobile Boom

2010 is the year of the mobile boom and as people continue to familiarize themselves with the new technology marketers should continue to integrate this form of media into their mix.

How to Capitalize on this Trend

1. Launch a mobile version of your websiteHave your developer/designer create an alternative site for mobile viewing. With some coding and content trimming your website can be optimized for your handheld loving customer.

   If you’re not totally convinced that a mobile site should be a priority you should at the very least keep an eye on your web stats. I can almost guarantee that you will see your mobile visitors number climb substantially over the the year. You can then implement the mobile site when you deem necessary.

2. Mobile ApplicationsDepending how interactive you are with your online visitors a mobile application could be an alternative touch point for your brand. Read my article on how to create an effective Facebook application for your business. While the article outlines the characteristics of an effective Facebook application these same characteristics are applicable to most mobile applications.
3. Text-Messaging and Mobile e-MarketingPaul Rosenfeld, CEO and Co-Founder of Fanminder, a subscription-based, marketing service that helps small businesses send text messages to their fans, has some pretty convincing text-messaging stats.
   Rosenfeld claims that, on average, texting gets seven times the response rate vs. traditional email and reaches 25 times the number of users as does Twitter.

   I’ll admit that I’m not 100% convinced that I should be promoting this particular avenue of promotion to small businesses. While large corporations have been using text-messaging campaigns for a few years now, I think that there is a fine line that divides the results of this technique into effective promotions or plain old spam.

   To avoid the the latter, it’s important that a mobile campaign have some relevance and benefit to the consumer. In the past, campaigns have also had a specific call to action and provided some type of entertainment value.

Examples of Mobile Campaigns of Past and Present

Dove ‘Campaign for Real Beauty.’ – Texting and Online Voting
Dove erected a large billboard of a happy, fresh-looking older woman with a text-to-vote number so that pedestrians could choose between ‘wrinkled’ and ‘wonderful.’ The billboard’s live ticker showed the combined results from both text and online voting.

Virgin Atlantic – iPhone application
The application presents a “Flying without fear course” aimed at anxious flyers that features a video explanation of the flight process, frequently asked questions, relaxation exercises and a fear attack button for emergencies with breathing exercises.

7-Eleven – Mobile Coupons
200 7-Eleven stores in San Diego are testing scannable bar codes on consumers’ phones to get up to one free drink per day. Indeed, in the next two years Juniper Research projects three billion mobile coupons will be issued to phones.

Starbucks – Mobile Payment
Starbucks is testing Starbucks Card Mobile, which allows customers to pay for coffee in the shop with their phone. Initial tests saw a 60% redemption rate of the coupon component.

Various – Profiles in Applications that focus on Geographic Locations
Gap Outlet, Sports Authority, and REI are experimenting with the new crop of local smartphone apps, such as Yowza, FourSquare and Gowalla.

Axe - Application GiveAway
The company’s ‘little black book’ application was a a ringtone giveaway. Guys could choose tunes that they like, and then associate the tones with particular contacts (presumably, women) in their address books.

NBC ’s Deal or No Deal – Texting Prize Game
The Lucky Case Game integrates mobile into the TV show experience. Viewers can text in lucky case numbers and win cash prizes if there’s a match. NBC has also had some success with its model wallpaper for mobile.

Next, Part 3: Web Trends – The Evolution of Online Advertising