Are You An "Inbox Wimp"?

I just read a cool direct response marketing study about an Aquarium that was promoting it's new aquatic show to the public, and what they did was the ultimate split test from their TV commercials.

1. They asked half the viewers to go to a website to enter a contest for free VIP tickets

2. They asked the other half to text the word "fox" (the TV channel) to their mobile short code (ex: 12345)

The TV ad with the SMS Text call-to-action generated 325% more contest entries than the website call-to-action.

One word: Wow

In a world where business owners and marketers are still trying to stuff as many Email messages into someone's inbox, the truly smart business owners are swiftly shifting to a more "one-to-one" connection with their prospects and customers - SMS Text.

It's lazy and wimpy to use Email alone as a communication channel. Don't be a wimp. Anyone can send a free Email. Plus, Email deliverability rates and open rates have fallen off a cliff in the past 12-months. It's a nightmare actually. Most are too ignorant to look at the real numbers.

How about you? Are you only communicating by Email? Have you started building YOUR mobile list yet? If not, watcha waitin' for?

Here's a quick video on how to get a 50% to 100% response rate (or higher, like the Aquarium) from your marketing while the rest of the world battles for a wimpy 10% (or less) response rate. Watch It HERE 

Cheers!

P.S. There is GREAT risk in thinking that SMS Text Marketing and Mobile List Building does not apply to your business. Just look around.

Tip on How to Prepare Your Website for Mobile Marketing

Effective Tips for Getting Your Site Prepared for Mobile Marketing:

With the growing use of mobile devices by consumers, businesses have had to realize that their websites are not always compatible with the smaller screens. It took a while for businesses to recognize that the small mobile screen on a smart phone or tablet has limited valuable real estate to generate greater profits for the company. Although the screen is much smaller than a traditional monitor on a computer or laptop, it still contains enough area to display important messages. The screen is even large enough that the message can be fully displayed without the need of zooming or scrolling on a small hand-held mobile device.

Remove any un-needed  extras or large files:

Preparing your site for your mobile marketing strategy campaign requires the need to remove any huge file, or extra, undesired copy. If your online visitors need to wait very long for a page to load, or if they are not able to locate the information they are seeking quickly, they will often leave the site, without ever viewing the mobile marketing message.

The easiest way any business can get ready and prepared for their mobile marketing strategy is to redesign their website to handle a mobile screen. The newly developed mobile-friendly version works better when designed solely around the latest HTML code. This might require the need to hire a developer that is highly fluent in the programming language. However, Google Mobile Optimizer is effective software that can help the company quickly transform their original website into a simple mobile version.

A Mobile Friendly Site Needs to Be Concise.

Adding text that is designed specifically for mobile technology is essential. You will need to write mobile-friendly content that will be included in your mobile version. Keep this highly valuable content very short, and consider delivering the message using scan-able bullet points instead of large paragraphs. Reading paragraphs on a mobile screen tends to be extremely challenging, and visitors often miss viewing the mobile marketing message altogether.

Make sure that any graphics displayed is small enough in design that it can quickly load. Mobile technology typically loads pages at a much slower pace than the traditional laptop or desktop computer. Anytime the viewer needs to wait for a significant amount of time for the page to load, he or she will likely just leave the site, and never view the marketing message.

It's a Good Idea To Give Your Users a Choice.

Instead of just abandoning your full version website to the mobile user, consider offering the user the ability to choose between the mobile version, and the full version as soon as they arrive at the site. This provides the opportunity where every visitor can quickly become familiar with the site that they enjoy, to obtain only essential information they are seeking. Realize that much of the valuable information was likely cut when creating the mobile version and the user could become quickly frustrated in the process, when they are not able to locate the data they want.

It is important to use all of the effective bells and whistles to the mobile site. However, it does not mean to overload the page. Anytime the visitor needs to page and zoom, or scroll just to get to the call to action, they might avoid it altogether.

Businesses and Mobile Marketing

How Mobile Marketing Benefits A Business!

People love to use their mobile devices, and businesses are taking note of this. Consumers are finding it easier and quicker to use apps on their mobile devices and a greater number of individuals are making the decision to shop and communicate via a mobile device such as smartphone or tablets. For the business owner, this opens up a world of possibilities to market their brands and grow their businesses. By understanding the current trends in mobile marketing and knowing how they can benefit your business, you can help your profits to grow.

Mobile marketing benefits a business in many ways. 

First, by utilizing text messages you can get your products and brands in front of customers quickly and on a regular basis. Most individuals check text messages several times a day, and this means they have almost immediate access to updated brand information and product specials, helping to attract them to your business.

In addition to utilizing text messages, many businesses are taking advantage of the simplicity that email provides. Emailing specials, in store events and product information helps to keep your company's name front and center, and this can lead to increased business. Emails that are short and easy to read work best, and they are the ones that consumers often want to see in their in box. While email is a great way to attract business, it is important that you remember to never over do it. A consumer does not want to be bombarded with emails from one company, and if they are, it can often lead to a spam like appearance for your company and a decrease in business.

A mobile friendly website is necessary.

In addition to utilizing email and text messages, it is important for you to always make sure your business has a mobile friendly website. Many consumers will search the Internet for products and services while they are out and about. With the increased usage of smart phones and tablets comes an increased need for mobile friendly websites. By making sure yours is among the most mobile friendly of sites to be found, you will help to ensure that your business tops the list when consumers are looking for a specific product or service on the go, and this can help to drive up profits and demand for your brand.

Finally, never forget the importance of utilizing Facebook and Twitter. These sites are popular with consumers on the go, and they often check them regularly from their mobile devices. By making sure to keep your products on the top of their feeds, you can attract business and really get your name out there. Make sure to update your social network business site daily to optimize the advantages of Facebook and Twitter, and always keep your posts relevant too.

Mobile marketing has many benefits to business owners. By making sure your utilize social networking sites, email options and text messaging too, you can get your brand out there and help people recognize the great products or services you have to offer. In addition, having a mobile friendly website will make it easier for consumers on the go to find you when searching the Internet. Take advantage of these things to see how much mobile marketing can benefit you.

Do you want more information on how to become a mobile marketer? Then click here.



 

How You Can Use Mobile Marketing

How I Use Mobile Marketing:

People have turned to marketing and Internet marketing for the variety of opportunities that they can lead to. Learning Internet marketing has especially turned plenty of people into and opportunist, for it can be tricky in attracting the right traffic and market. Some have successfully succeeded while others easily became fed up and felt they were misled. It is easy to become distracted by all of the possible dollars that a successful campaign can raise.

The Growing Mobile Marketing Opportunity:

If there is one thing this field has taught me, it is how to look for opportunities that are worthy of the time and investment, and will ultimate earn a return. It is good to always survey the landscape for sound money making opportunities to pounce on. One area that I was pretty much first in is mobile marketing. Mobile marketing is now all the rave and everyone is offering some sort of mobile marketing product or service.

Most of the guys who are in the mobile marketing sphere run SEO companies and they are added it as a package to their clients. This is smart and beneficial to their clients but I do it differently. I use mobile marketing mostly for find leads for service based companies.

As an opportunistic marketing warrior, I saw a need that was waiting to be filled. There are dozens of industries who could benefit from mobile marketing. I don't sell it or use it like the SEO guys but I use it as a means to do direct sales.

The Power of Mobile Marketing:

Instead of sending canvassers door to door, my guys pinpoint zip and area codes and send out offers to customers. We have found that this is not only easier that stomping the pavement, it is also more lucrative. What would take a crew 3 months to do, we can do within a week. We are able to contact thousands of people at one time and allow the law of averages to work in our favor. If we target enough people we will make sales. Our sales come faster and with less work than they use to.

The true power of our system is that we have a killer mobile marketing list. We have a database that allows us to market based on a hard set list of criteria. We can pinpoint ages, sex and location. We can pinpoint the time at which the customer base will be most receptive to us.

This way of mobile marketing is far superior to anything else that is out there. Not only are we doing lead generation for small businesses, we are also sending out affiliate offers to our list.

With mobile marketing, our open rate is much higher than with email marketing. Our click through rate, impressions and conversion rate are also hire. People are always on their cellphone and that makes it easier to contact them.

As you can see, mobile marketing has a lot of possibilities. To make the most money from this arena, you should think outside the box. Create your own unique marketing strategies around mobile, and do not blindly follow the crowd. Instead of jumping in when the waters are crowded, work on creating your own specific niche within the mobile marketing sphere. That is what we have done to great benefit.

Should You Try Mobile Marketing?

A Billion Reasons Why You Should Try Mobile Marketing:

If you have a business online, no doubt you have tried article marketing, banner advertising, emailing marketing and blog guest posting.  However, if you really want to scale your business then it is time you invested some time to understand why mobile marketing might be the way to go for your future promotional needs.

What Is Mobile Marketing?

In a nutshell, it is the ability to market ads to people using mobile devices.  For instance, when searching the web you may come across a website.  At the bottom of the page is a small ad.  If you click the small banner ad, it will take you to the landing page of the advertiser.

This type of marketing enables advertisers to communicate and engage with their target audience in an intuitive, interactive and highly relevant manner.  One of the key benefits of mobile marketing is the targeting in my opinion.  You can choose to only target men, in Canada, age 30 to 50.  Upload your ad and that population is immediately made aware of what you have to offer.

There is nothing better than being able to get in front of your crowd with a clear message.  Normally, in advertising you are chasing customers.  With this new school of advertising you no longer have to hope to get the ideal customer.

Before moving on I would like to point out one other thing: Mobile marketing is done on mobile or smart phones and wireless handheld devices.  What are wireless handheld devices?  Typically, you would think of Samsung tablets, iPad or net books. However, just keep in mind, the focus of mobile marketing is on the mobile phone and smart phone.

Why Market To Mobile Users?

Well, there are about seven million people worldwide.  The mobile phone is more important than a toilet to some people.  Only four and a half billion people have access to a toilet, but six billion people have access to mobile device.

Is Mobile Marketing A Good Business Decision?

I would say yes.  As I already mentioned there are billions of potential customers waiting for you to sale them your products and services.  Also, if your competitors have not tried mobile marketing it is just a matter of time.  So, why not beat them to it and gain a large market share.

We live in a 'right now' society.  With this type of marketing campaigns are simple to create. Your messages are delivered to recipients within seconds.  You can reach out to people globally.

People keep their cell phones with them all of the time.  When they go to bed at night most people check their phone one last time before placing it on their bed stand. Your message is always within arms length of your customers.

Whether we like it or not mobile is the future and, for a limited time, has the least amount of competition for users online. However, this is not going to last. According to recent surveys, it is expected that money spent on mobile marketing is going to double every year for the next few years.