Sunday, April 14, 2013

Mobile Marketing Leads For Innovative Business Leaders


MOBILE MARKETING LEADS FOR INNOVATIVE BUSINESS AND THEIR ADVENTUOUS LEADERS


Mobile platform for marketing and retail for all types of businesses is a requirement for those who want to run a successful business in 2013.  I know the importance of this to the success of my nightclub and restaurant. My target audience grew up with technology and rely on their peers recommendations about where they should shop, what they should wear, and what restaurants and clubs they should go to get the best service and entertainment for the money.  Despite all the research that is out there on mobile usage by “Reach”, why is it that less than 2% of U.S. marketing spending, or just 2.6 billion currently goes toward mobile advertising (eMarketer)?

To be painfully truthful, mobile is still a very much-undiscovered territory in the digital marketing arena.  Businesses and entrepreneurs who are adventurous and innovative are using it very sparingly. In fact, the Chief Marketing Council says that it is only being used by 16% of companies even though it has been proven to establish and foster customer engagement that theoretically leads to more sales. This is a huge land of opportunity to increase sales but most businesses don’t get it.

Here are some statistics to shed light on the opportunity:

The Reach
·      In 2012, the U.S. saw a 55% increase in smartphone subscriptions to reach 98 million smartphone subscribers, representing 42% of all U.S. mobile users (comscore).
·      According to Mobile Marketing Association, more people in the world own a mobile device (835 million) than a toothbrush.
·      According to a Morgan and Stanley report, smartphones will be the number one way people will access the internet in 2013 and beyond
·      According to eMarketer, the amount of time US consumers spent using mobile devices in 2012- excluding talk time- will grow 51% to an average 82 minutes per day, up from 34 minutes a day in 2010.


 SoLoMo! The number of Social, Location-based Mobile campaigns successfully deployed is still small but they are gaining traction and compelling action. Examples include Chili’s driving location-based foot traffic to their restaurants and surrounding businesses (yes, other stores) via an offer for free chips and cheese dip and GranataPet’s “Check In! Snack Out!” campaign facilitates hundreds of instant gratification dog food trials via a Foursquare check-ins at high-traffic billboards





The Relevancy

   According to eMarketer, 1 in 10 people currently redeem mobile coupons – 10 times the redemption rate of many traditional coupon channels
   According to MobileMarketer.com, 70% of mobile search users complete their tasks after one hour as compared to only 30% using a PC
   According to a BIA / Kelsey Group study, once searchers on a smartphone find a local business, 61% call the business and 59% visit the location
   According to comScore, nearly 86 million Americans now shop on their smartphonesthis pronounced shift in consumer behavior and shortening of the awareness-action paradigm is simply too significant for retailers to ignore
   Google reports that 71% of users search on their smartphones because of an ad they saw, whether from traditional media, online ads or mobile ads and 82% of users notice mobile ads, 42% of those who notice mobile ads click on the ad, 27% contact the business, 35% visit the website and 49% purchase.

The Discount


   According to the Wall Street Journal (see info graphic below), the cost and market for mobile ads in 2012 remains relatively small compared to other outlets like television (10x cheaper) and the Web (50% cheaper)
   Among all interactive marketing platforms, mobile marketing is expected to grow 38% over the next five years with an estimated $8.2 billion being allocated to it by the year 2016
    

http://digitalbarandgrill.com/5-reasons-why-mobile-must-matter-in-2013/


Summary


As the statistics show, mobile platform for marketing is a gold mine for innovative businesses and adventurous entrepreneurs. I plan to use this in my nightclub and restaurant to drive sales and traffic.  Some ideas include:

·      Having a professional looking website that contains menus, location, and hours.  A blog with links to Facebook page, Twitter and YouTube.
·      A Facebook business page that is updated constantly with events and specials etc.
·      An optimized Google place listing
·      Foursquare listing where offers for specials and discounts for Foursquare customers who check in repeatedly
·      Offer coupons to people who visit social coupon sites Livingsocial or Groupon.
·       
·      Have brand kiosks with 19 inch digital screens that entertain the customers with brand specific content including trivia games and club promotions
·      Hold an American idol type contest where people can text in their vote
·      Do a raffle for tablets and TVs
·      Let subscribed customers know which bands are playing and when