Mobile marketing is well on its way of becoming a central part of every successful marketing and visibility strategy.

However, the integration of mobile marketing into existing marketing strategies on a large scale will not happen spontaneously. Instead, it will come about through a concerted effort to educate companies and other organizations about the benefits and unique qualities of mobile outreach.

Teach reach

Enterprises across the nation and the world are already realizing the tremendous reach and penetrating power of leveraging the mobile device for marketing purposes, and they are coming to this realization by discerning the trends and facts on the ground.

Hundreds of millions of Americans use their mobile devices every day, and a solid majority of them express a desire to receive pushed announcements, special offers, coupons, marketing message of some sort through their mobile.

In fact redemption rates for mobile initiatives dwarf those of traditional marketing programs. What's more, the cost per impression of a mobile campaign is often far lower than that of a mainstream media advertising campaign.

It is where your customers are

Mobile phone saturation is nearly complete in the developed world, and the use of mobile devices is on the rise just about everywhere.

This makes the mobile landscape the place of residence for most – not many, most – of the world’s consumers. Engaging in a mobile strategy opens up this vast market to any business that wants to participate in it.

It is targeted, relevant and actionable

Much as email and Internet marketing redefined direct marketing, the mobile space is further expanding businesses ability to engage customers in ways that they find appropriate and attractive.

Importantly, the mobile medium reaches purchase-ready consumers directly at the point of sale.

Now, with the maturity of mobile commerce and the flourishing of the mobile Internet, it means that customers can conduct the entire transaction cycle on their mobile device, from marketing to purchasing to consumption.

It is cost-effective

Mobile marketing features some of the lowest cost per touch and cost per impression of any marketing medium.

It is brand-friendly

The ability of mobile marketing messages to be well-branded – a goal for every mobile marketing initiative – along with the high levels of brand interaction associated with mobile applications, and mobile marketing becomes a panacea for companies trying to define or strengthen their brand.

It is versatile

MOBILE MARKETING IS not the next big thing, waiting for the next next big thing to come along and unseat it. It is the big thing, the game-changer.

In technological terms, mobile is the next evolution in communications, one that is redefining how, where and why people connect with one another.

 

 

This year has opened consumers’ minds to using mobile for doing research, gathering opinions and sharing them with peers via social media, as well as making purchases.

Because of these consumer trends, this year it is more important than ever to have a mobile presence, especially for the 2010 holiday season. Retailers are realizing this and have made mobile a priority for 2010.

The main point is that this year the sheer number of smartphone users has more than doubled, and industry experts predict at least 65 million more to be enabled by year’s end.

Opportunity

It is not just about smartphones either. IPod touches and tablets are big now too.

For the first time there are more smartphones than desktop computers being sold, according to market researcher IDC.com. The desktop is dying and smartphones are the way of the future. More people are going to carry them around and that is a powerful opportunity for retailers.

The demographic of smartphone users is attractive to retailers. The average mobile subscriber is age 25-34 and nearly twice as likely to make more than $100,000, according to NielsenWire. The demographic is great for retailers in terms of the customer base they want to reach.

Experience

Consumers expect a great mobile experience. A good mobile experience reflects positively on a brand and a bad one reflects negatively on a brand. 

Mobile represents an additional or incremental revenue opportunity because people can buy anytime and anywhere. It also lets them buy immediately, playing on the impulse purchase.  

Driving in-store purchase

1800Flowers said that mobile consumers search and evaluate products on their devices.

One consumer walked into a store with her mobile phone and said she wanted to buy what she had found on her mobile device. She picked the item she wanted using her mobile phone but came into the store to actually complete the transaction.

This example illustrates a great way to take advantage of mobile and drive people into stores.

Social media is becoming a big component of the mobile Web strategies of retailers. Consumers post stuff on their Facebook and have friends and relatives evaluate products.

If the response is positive, then consumers go and purchase the product or the service. Social via mobile is a great way to generate response and also useful for instant feedback.

The ratings and reviews around products help consumers make that decision, which is great during the holidays.

Best practices

For mobile Web sites, the experience should be unique for mobile. It should not be the desk top Web site revamped for mobile. Think in terms of better fitting the mobile consumer.

During the holidays that may mean highlighting special offers and special promotions right up front. 

There is a lot of activity from retailers that want to enable for the 2010 holiday season. It is a major priority this year for retailers.

Mobile coupons, social media, customer service, location and iAd are the top mobile commerce trends that retailers are focusing on in 2010 and will likely be part of the holiday mix.

 

Trend #1 – Mobile Couponing

A recent Exposure2 report found that mobile coupon redemption rates can often exceed 50 percent, while paper coupons typically have a redemption rate of only 0.2 percent to 2 percent.

Trend #2 – Location

The biggest trend for now is Foursquare, which allows people to “check-in” through their phones and reveal geographic locations they go to. Both large retailers and brick and mortar stores are taking advantage of this by providing coupons and freebies to those who check-in often or first.

Trend #3 – Social

Using mobile for sharing is a huge component of mobile commerce initiatives in 2010 and the same will hold true for the holiday season.

Trend #4 – Analytics

In mobile, analytics play an important role when trying to figure out what works and what does not, especially in a platform-specific setting. There is a difference between a mobile-friendly site and a mobile-optimized site. A best practice is start building your mobile site by optimizing the top 10 used features on your Web site. For example, increase the size of the search field to take up a larger percent of the page than it does on a regular Web site, as search is such an important part of the mobile experience.

Trend #5 – Investment

Investments are changing drastically this year and major retailers are expected to invest an average of $170,000 on their mobile sites this year.