08/10/10 by Brian Bauer | Blog, Industry Blog | No Comments »
I tell people I text message for a living, and they laugh uncomfortably – not sure whether I’m joking or being serious. However, it’s true: I spend all day thinking about the way people interact with their phones, and how marketers can enhance their consumer’s experience by engaging this ‘new’ medium. Then I go home, and spend the night sending messages to my friends to make social plans, my co-workers to check in on any last minute/late night projects, and yes – even my mom to find out how her flower garden is going (this week: tackling the weeds around the bed of peonies). I compare the iPhone to the Evo; how the iPad impacts the mobile landscape; whether a $5 gift certificate is enough to drive participation in a particular promotion; if a client should offer a buy-one-get-one free offer or a percent off offer – and the list goes on and on.
I’ve recently noticed a rise in opinion pieces about mobile. These articles or blog postings often start with “I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about mobile lately,” and then proceed to make some valid, but well documented and rehashed points about the industry. It’s great that marketers of all stripes, sizes and interests are looking at it and contributing to the growing field of published documents, thought-leadership pieces and best practice manuals. While I really appreciate all the interest and focus on mobile, there seems to be a race to produce and contribute. As a result quite a bit of useless chatter has been created.
Last week I twice read how mobile was at an inflection point, with each author offering differing reasons as to how mobile has reached such point. I believe inflection point is a very specific term, and was shocked to have read about it multiple times. Articles like this, written by someone professing to be an expert, lure decision makers into believing that having any mobile campaign, even if it doesn’t work, is better than nothing at all.
To read about unrealistic expectations and disillusions of such a very promising and powerful medium is especially frustrating. Marketers are spending serious portions of budgets on mobile programs, and in some cases their mobile campaigns are designed to fail from the start.
In an emerging industry like mobile, where nobody has extensive experience, the rules are being defined as we go. However, while people are mentioning that adopting mobile is at an inflection point, the same can be said for the industry from a leadership perspective. It is time that opinion leaders truly emerge into the collective forefront, and distance themselves from the chatter. It is time that organizations bless and condone speakers, and help the uneducated sift through the many individuals, organizations and groups offering their perspectives.
Such a system should encompass three main components:
- Speakers Bureau Certification Program: A semi-informal process that ensures members of the database are qualified to speak on designated subjects (each speaker will list their areas of expertise, ranging from marketing to applications, mobile ad networks, SMS, mobile web, etc), are proficient public speakers and are educated on best practices and industry rules.
- Speakers Bureau Database: An online repository of contact information for endorsed speakers sorted by areas of expertise and specialty. This resource will allow organizations either based in the Midwest, or holding meetings in the Midwest, to quickly and easily identify local speakers to participate on panels, lead sessions and educate their attendees.
- Speakers Bureau Events Listings: Any event featuring a member of the Speakers Bureau Database speaking on the subject of mobile marketing will have their appearance listed on an online calendar.
I have a proposal in front of the Heartland Mobile Council for such a bureau. I spent some time today with Michael Becker from the MMA, and he assures me that the association is working on a certification program to help designate those people with the credentials to speak effectively on the subject. It’s an effort that Cellit takes seriously, as the work doubles when we have to re-educate a client who’s been given misinformation in the past.
I text message for a living, and I know there are others out there in the same situation. You want people like us talking to you, writing articles, and contributing – not the mobile hobbyist or lobbyist.
07/30/10 by David Wachs | Blog, Marketing Blog | 2 Comments »
The end goal of a successful campaign should be attracting and retaining the most amount of users with an engaging mobile experience. Let’s quickly contrast the three types of “text vs barcode” options: texting a barcode to a phone number, downloading an app and standard texting.
1) “Texting a barcode to a phone number”. First of all, this only works on AT&T and Verizon according to Jagtag’s own website. Anyone not on AT&T or Verizon’s networks must take the picture and email it to an email address, such as “swimsuit@jagtag.com”. Some users will send the email via MMS, and others will use their Blackberry mail (or Gmail, etc) to send the photo. This means you’ll end up with a database of SOME phone numbers, SOME phone-emails (5555551212@att.com) and some pure emails (jsmith@blackberry.com). So, if you’re looking to enter into an engaging conversation with the user, is it possible to reply via text to the blackberry/other smart phone users that sent the message in via email? Yes, smartphones make up a big (and growing!) portion of the market, but how should we communicate with these users? An email campaign?? EMAIL! That is so, so sexy. We could send the picture (via email, or via mms), but the uploading process is slow. There goes that speed benefit. And what happens if the picture is blurry? Do they have to start all over again?
2) Let’s talk about downloading an app. I’ll start by sharing a story. I’m standing in a Target checking out vacuum cleaners. On the side of one of the boxes was a Scanlife barcode. (Question: who are we promoting?? The BRAND or Scanlife??? If I’m the brand, I’ll be damned if I’m paying to advertise some barcode company!) The Scanlife barcode says “to get info on this product, use the Scanlife app to view more information.” So I launched the app store…..(hang on… it’s loading….) finally got in… searched for barcode scanners…. Bee tag… no, that’s not it… Microsoft tag…nope… and finally, here it is… the Scanlife app. Time to download this new exciting app. I’ll just enter my password in iTunes…. ok, done! It’s downloading. Ok, and now it’s installed. Let me scan the code, hang on, I must get it to focus… hmmm…didn’t work…. let me try again…. THERE! DONE! Ok, now it’s loading a mobile website! (That’s it? Really?) But you’re right… it was fast! After I downloaded one of the MANY non-standard barcode apps (I’ll keep the 10 “most standard” on my phone…. something tells me the average Joe won’t go through this) and focused and re-focused the app 4 times! Worst of all, there’s no tracking back to the phone number. Opportunity lost for the brand!!
3) Now let’s talk about texting. It works on 98%+ of all phones. It’s fast (Cellit’s platform can turn around a message in 3 seconds), you don’t need an app, you don’t need a CAMERA, and you can keep the conversation going via text afterward (we provide 100% trackability). Best of all, EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW TO DO IT! I admit, texting isn’t very sexy, but neither are barcodes. Even if barcodes or text codes were sexy…the public quickly fatigues of gimmicks! It’s not about the barcode or text code. It’s about what can be done AFTER they receive the message. All things being equal, I want more people participating than less. Texting provides the ability to build robust, engaging conversations, while the best case for a barcode campaign is just a link to a mobile site.
At Cellit we refer barcodes as “marketing to marketers.” Marketers eat up the idea, the public not so much. It’s time to take off your “geek” or “marketer” hat and put on that hat you should always have on in the first place: your “consumer” hat!
07/15/10 by Kyle Bicking | Blog, Marketing Blog | No Comments »
Thanks to astounding advances in technology, mobile phones are capable of just about every function a laptop or personal computer exists for. From checking email, getting directions, shopping, accessing the internet, listening to music and taking pictures, mobile phones are bringing all forms of entertainment to wherever your destination may be.
A recent PEW survey reported that now eight in ten adult Americans own a mobile phone. Those who own a phone aren’t just making calls either. They’re taking advantage of their device’s features, software and capabilities.
Mobile phones are replacing digital cameras. PEW reports that 76% of mobile phone owners use their device to take pictures, up from 66% in 2009. The quality of photographs taken from a mobile phone is remarkable. No longer are phones equipped with just a dismal 1 megapixel lens. Most phones feature at a minimum of a five megapixels lens, with some models featuring eight megapixel lens and higher.
Camera phones have become video camera phones. Over one third of mobile phone owners record video from their devices, and feast on downloaded software to share their videos, watch others and play music and games on their phones.
Mobile internet browsing is becoming as functional as using standard web browser. Accessing the internet on cell phones increased from 25% in 2009 to 38% in 2010. Checking email also increased, from 25% to 34%.
If you’re still using a clamshell or candy bar phone, you may feel like you’re missing out. There’s no better time than now to join the movement and switch to a smart phone.
07/05/10 by Brian Bauer | Blog, Marketing Blog | No Comments »
If you’re reading this blog, you’re either a smart young professional or a budding business owner. Time is of the essence, and you’ve got lots of things to do, mountains to climb, and success to accumulate. Sad, but true – 60% of the public (read, people like you) still have either a flip phone or a feature phone (those smart-phone wannabe’s with full keyboards). And it’s time that number changed dramatically.
Here are my five reasons why you should run out right now, regardless of when your contract comes up for renewal, and purchase a new smart phone:
1) 40% of people already have. While that’s not quite half, the rate at which people are purchasing smart phones is only increasing.
2) There are amazing productivity gains to be had from a smart phone. In addition to checking email and quickly looking at mobile websites – things like integrated calendaring, a complete address book and syncing with your desktop will help you move the ball forward. It was only recently that I stopped writing down addresses, relying on my calendar and mapping software to instantly look up my next destination.
3)Apps, Apps, and more Apps. More and more companies are finding innovative ways to integrate with a smart phone. Whether its games, Facebook, Twitter or a more substantive business application – your phone becomes a one-device connection to your personal and work life.
4) Because my mom has one. Well, not really … but certainly there are plenty of people around you that squirm when you pull the old clunker out.
5) Mobile is passing you by. The mobile world is evolving quickly, and those not participating in it will be left behind. Whether you like it or not, your customers, employees and friends are purchasing a smart phone – and being able to anticipate how they could use it will only help you grow your business.
I purchased a Blackberry Curve two years ago, and am now finding myself feeling outdated and left behind. Like you, it’s time for me to upgrade. The big question for me is Android vs. iPhone, which seems to be a personal decision for most people. So join me this holiday weekend in jumping in fully.
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