Posts Tagged ‘Mobile Commerce’

Top Mobile Advertising Predictions for 2010

June 28th, 2010 1 Comment

A recent article in Advertising Age magazine outlines the top 5 predictions for Mobile Advertising in 2010. This interesting predictions will effect every aspect of marketing a business, whether it’s a local auto shop or a fortune 500 big wig. Here are the top 5 predictions from Adage, along with ideas on how you can be proactive with your advertising plan to include mobile media.

Mobile Advertising will Revolutionize how local advertisers connect with customers- Location based advertising, which is offers/search results targeted to a customer’s actual location is on the rise. In fact, Google now offers a service to local businesses called Place Pages, where customers can scan a QR Code (a decal that looks much like a bar code placed on your establishment’s window) with their mobile phone and instantly gain access to coupons, reviews, and specials. They can also “star” your place, which saves you info in their phone so they can visit later.  Local businesses should be sure to have a fully optimized mobile website, that is listed in every mobile directory to ensure they are appearing in mobile searches. The potential that mobile advertising presents local businesses is huge.

Further adoption of in-store shopping applications- In store shopping applications are going to make mobile a significant part of the decision making process in retail stores. Here’s how: There are several price comparison apps that allow consumers to compare prices (other retail store prices and online prices) on items while they are literally looking at them on the shelves. There are also applications where consumers can see reviews of products and services. Lastly, mobile coupons are starting to really take off, meaning you can drive foot traffic to your store via mobile device. The best way to make mobile technology work well for you is to have a strong mobile presence, with not only an optimized website, but also an active mobile social media presence. Build a strong opt-in list and send valuable coupons to your customers regularly.

Outdoor Advertising will become Measurable- By driving consumers to text on outdoor ads like billboards or window signage, companies will be able to get a solid read on results almost immediately. With the capabilities of mobile advertising, tracking results is as easy as counting texts, computing conversion rates, and calculating cost per order. Plus, often texting is a more attractive option  than calling to the mobile consumer, as they are likely to be on-the-go and would rather have a quick, to the point interaction.  The next outdoor campaign you have, try driving texts instead of visits or calls. Consumers can text to receive a coupon from you or be admitted to a special event or sale.

Social Media will be more important than ever- With mobile media, consumers have the ability to voice their opinions in real time. People are using mobile versions of social media sites like Twitter to instantly voice their opinions on products and services as they encounter them. Again, it is extremely important to have a strong social media presence in the mobile sphere. Some companies are even creating platforms specifically for consumers to comment on. For example, a taxi company in New York City has an app that allows users to comment on taxi service in real time. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you are present and are interacting with your customers frequently via mobile device. A great way to keep your mobile media organized is with the Mowbi Platform. One of the neat features of the  free one page website is links to all of your social media networks all in one place. Your blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. are literally at your (and your customer’s) finger tips. For more information about Mowbi call 1-800-985-9277 or e-mail Bill@mowbi.com or Jordan@mowbi.com

Posted in Mobile Commerce Tags: , , , , ,

Mobile Marketing Tips for Restaurants

June 22nd, 2010 No Comments

If you own or manage a restaurant, you should strongly consider adding Mobile Marketing to you business plan. Not only can you generate more traffic to your venue, but you can build a strong, loyal customer base. Here are some mobile marketing tips for restaurants:

Build a solid opt-in list- The first step in your mobile marketing campaign should be building a strong opt-in list, made of customers who agree to receive promotional messages from you on their phones. Building your opt-in list doesn’t have to be hard. You can use print efforts to gain interest in your mobile marketing program. For example, you can use table tents or on table displays with contests or special deals to drive texts. Your customers can then be asked to join your list in order to be informed of the outcome of the contest, or to receive the special discount at hand and promotional messages in the future. You can also use radio advertising to drive texts and build your opt-in list. The next time you advertise a contest or promotion, just drive listeners to text instead of calling or filling out a card. Whatever you choose to do, remember that it is imperative that you are working with a list of opted-in customers for all mobile marketing efforts.

Pre/Post Service Perks- Offer special perks for your mobile customers. Allow them to make reservations from their mobile phone and send reminders as their visit date nears. Is it a busy Friday night? Send your mobile regulars texts as your waiting list fills up- let them know wait times. Better yet- allow them to place their name on your waiting list via mobile phone, so that when they arrive, they move to the front of the line. If your establishment offers entertainment, send early alerts to your customers and allow them to purchase tickets at a discount. Post visit, you can send customer surveys so they can rate their visit. Send a survey specifically on service, or food quality. Let customers know that your value their opinion, and want to exceed their expectations with every visit.

Mobile Promotions- Once you get a strong opt-in list, you can offer even more services to your customers in order to increase sales and loyalty. Have a mobile customer’s only signature drink at the bar. Send texts with links to your special drink, and name the drink something unique, that only your mobile customers will know. Hold a mobile customer reception or exclusive mobile customer’s special night. Own a bar or grill? Why not have a game of trivia for your mobile customer’s via their mobile devices? The possibilities for cool restaurant promotions using mobile marketing are endless.

Call us to discuss more great mobile marketing tips for your restaurant. 800-985-9277 or E-mail Bill@mowbi.com or Jordan@mowbi.com

Posted in Mobile Commerce Tags: , , ,

Top 3 Mobile Marketing Ideas for Local Businesses

June 14th, 2010 No Comments

It was recently revealed that over 1/3 of mobile searches on Google are for items relevant to the users current environment.  Search engines Google and Yahoo are both working to make their advertising reach as local as possible. If your company is locally based (pizza shop, salon, record store, etc) it is crucial for you to have a strong mobile presence. Here are some mobile marketing tips for local businesses.

Make sure your website and social media sites are mobile-friendly- You MUST have an optimized mobile website in order to appear in organic searches. This is especially true for locally based businesses because mobile search engines display pages that are the most relevant to mobile users. So if you want your barber shop to appear in the top ten mobile Google search results, you need to make sure your mobile site is optimized, with fresh, relevant content for mobile users. Another tip- be sure that your social media outlets are mobile friendly. Twitter and Facebook have mobile versions of their websites- make sure the website that hosts your company blog does as well. If you use WordPress, be sure to install the MobilePress plugin.

Utilize SMS/Text Message Marketing- Build customer loyalty and a solid opt-in list by sending interesting, relevant texts to your customers. Studies show that text messaging has a 70% response rate (compared to the 30% average response that e-mail marketing draws). A great way to build your opt-in list and ensure customers are willing to receive texts is to use other media in conjunction with your initial texting campaigns.  You could display fliers or posters in your store that use text as the call to action for a special sale, promotion, or contest. In exchange for the special deal or chance to win a great prize, your customers allow you to send promotional texts. This can start your opt-in list, and informative, useful texts from you can build your opt-in list. Whatever the case, if you have a locally based business, you definitely should be using SMS- just be sure you’re sending to a customer base that has opted-in.

Mobile Commerce- If it makes sense for your locally based business to allow consumers to purchase goods/services via mobile device, then create a full scale mobile commerce website. Pizza parlors, hotels, salons; any business where consumers can order or pay ahead could benefit from allowing users to place orders, make reservations, set/pay for salon appointments all via mobile phone. Think about how mobile commerce could fit into your business plan and have experienced developers help you make your mobile site ready for commerce.

If you own a business with a local customer base, and you’re ready to start your mobile marketing initiatives, call us at 985-9277 or e-mail Bill@mowbi.com or Jordan@mowbi.com

Posted in Mobile Commerce Tags: , , ,

Mobile Commerce Presents Opportunity for Hotel Industry

June 10th, 2010 No Comments

Mobile commerce and mobile marketing offer spectacular opportunities across the spectrum of businesses. From Fortune 500 Companies to your local antique shop, Mobile Commerce and Mobile Marketing, can bring any business into the 21st century, quickly.

The hotel and travel industry can use mobile commerce to drive reservations, to promote events, and to increase general awareness of their venue or destination. This industry is enjoying the perks of Mobile Commerce, just by the nature of their business. Consumers who travel on business are now looking for lodging on the way, via their Smartphones. In fact, one hotel chain (Omni Hotels) has seen their mobile traffic grow 85% in the past 6 months. And 1 in 4 visitors books a room- this is a 25% conversion rate in an industry that typically expects 7% on an e-commerce site.

Here are a few quick Mobile Commerce tips for anyone in the Travel/Hotel Industry:

Create a Mobile Website- This seems like the most obvious step, however, some businesses may not understand that simply making your existing website available via the mobile web is not enough to drive mobile traffic. Mobile Search Engines look for and display the most relevant mobile content when a mobile user engages in a search- so making sure that your hotel’s mobile commerce site is fully optimized is crucial for getting organic traffic. Aside from mobile bots, there is also the issue of load time to consider (note that google bots also now consider site speed in ranking). Mobile consumers are consumers on-the-move and impatient. Your traditional e-commerce website is likely to take too long to load onto a smartphone, which will result in users abandoning your page before they formally get there. With location based services (search engines that provide suggestions to consumers based on their current location) growing in popularity, if you own a hotel, you can not afford to pass on having an optimized mobile presence.

Keep Info Short & Relevant- While your mobile commerce site should be an enriching experience for your audience, keep in mind that if someone is searching for your hotel via their mobile phone, they are likely not browsing around looking at what’s offered in the continental breakfast at each hotel. They most likely need to book a room for the night, and need to know your location, rates and vacancies immediately. Be sure to place this information on your landing page. Make the content on your mobile commerce site relevant for mobile commerce users. Links to your room rates, vacancies, booking tools, and credit card payment all should be prominently featured on your mobile landing page. There can also be links or icons that demonstrate amenities such as a hotel gym, or restaurant service. The unique questions and concerns that you know your customers have, should all be clearly and easily accessible on your mobile commerce website.

Make it Fully Functional- Don’t just have rates, directions, and contact info on your mobile commerce site. Take full advantage of mobile technology and allow consumers the ability to reserve their room or conference center via their smartphone. It is crucial that you have the ability to accept credit cards via mobile phone. A good mobile shopping cart can help you do this in a simple, secure manner. Customers should be able to reserve their room or conference center, and even complete their check in/check out paperwork via their mobile phone. If you have a hotel lounge or restaurant, let consumers make reservations. You could set up a strategic alliance with local restaurants in your area, and allow guests to make reservations their via your mobile site. The opportunities are endless.

SMS Marketing- Hotels can and should be using text messaging as part of their marketing plan. It is important to make sure guests are opted-in. The way to do this is by offering services to them that are truly valuable. Reservation Reminders/Confirmation texts are services that guests are likely to find useful. Pre-Arrival texts that have final check in reminders, info about special events or shows going on at/near your hotel are likely to be welcomed and appreciated. Text Alerts on inclement weather, traffic or air delays, anything that might impact your guest getting to your hotel, are all texts that many consumers would welcome. Post Stay texts, that have a short survey on overall guest experience are useful for consumers and also for your own knowledge. When you use SMS messaging to send truly useful information to your guests, you can build a quality list to send promotional texts to like special room rates, or special services (spa, massage, etc) being offered. Mobile Commerce and Mobile Marketing are all about building relationships with your customers. Use the unique position of the hotel industry to create loyal guests.

If you are in the hotel industry, and you’d like to start your m-commerce initiatives, give us a call to talk about Mowbi; the powerful new platform that is an all in one mobile commerce business tool . 800-985-9277. Or E-Mail Bill@mowbi.com or Jordan@mowbi.com

Posted in Mobile Commerce Tags: , , ,

Create Mobile Store with Tips from Japan

June 3rd, 2010 No Comments

Mobile commerce may be just starting to pick up speed in the United States, but companies are already making millions of dollars in mobile commerce revenue in Japan. In fact, the Japanese have been profiting from mobile commerce for years. Did you know that Japan reports $400 million dollars of revenue from mobile commerce each year?  Here are a few key tips from the Japanese to consider when you set out to create a mobile store.

Make it convenient & FUN- Takeshi Natsuno, a key mobile web developer in Japan has been quoted saying that mobile commerce is so popular in Japan, because it is a convenient and fun experience for consumers. When you create a mobile store,  make your content  convenient for mobile shoppers.  For instance, don’t set up create a mobile store that requires users to scroll in more than one direction to view the content on your site. Don’t use font sizes that are so small, that users have to strain to read your content. Make it as convenient for consumers to browse and shop from your mobile website as it is to shop on your e-commerce site.  Your mobile store should also have a “fun” element. Keep your content fresh, relevant, and interesting. The colors and graphics should be engaging. Have links to your blog and social media sites available on your landing page.

Your Mobile Store should be intuitive- When you create a mobile store, keep in mind that users are expecting a positive, user friendly experience. Your  mobile store should be easy to navigate. Popular links should be easy to find, sales and promotions should be prominent, checking out should be a clear and simple task.

Graphics & Images should be sized for the mobile web- This is a great reason to not simply make your e-commerce site available on the mobile web. Images that are not sized and optimized for the mobile web will either cause your store to load much too slowly or display the graphics on your mobile website in a low quality manner (i.e pixelated images). Even in Japan, where mobile technology is on the cutting edge, consumers complain about low resolution colors and images. When you create a mobile store, it is extremely important to follow the proper guidelines for content and graphics.

A great way to create your mobile store that follows some of Japan’s model for mobile commerce success is to call in the help of professionals. Call us at Mowbi to get the ball rolling on your mobile store. 800-985-9277 Or e-mail Bill@mowbi.com or Jordan@mowbi.com

Posted in Mobile Commerce Tags: , , ,

Mobile Money On It’s Way

May 26th, 2010 No Comments

In a recent survey of 250 Smartphone users done by Marconi Pacific, it was found that mobile phone users are eager for mobile money. That is, they are ready and willing to use their mobile devices as second wallets. Here are some interesting stats from the study- note that these statistics reflect opinions of the 185 respondents who also have a data plan.

96% use their mobile device more for data services (ex. e-mail, social media, texting) than for talking.

50% have used mobile banking. Many banks now offer services via mobile web. This has allowed banks to increase interactions with the customers who rely on their services the most.

43% either currently use, or would use the “tap & go” function. This function allows consumers to save their credit card information into their Smartphone, and then pay for goods and services by simply “tapping” or “bumping” their phone. This statistic is important to note because it reflects the growing trust consumers are developing around credit card security and their Smartphones.

50% would strongly support mobile phone based payment taking place of credit card payment.

The above statistics prove that U.S. consumers are ready to shop, communicate, and do business via mobile phone. Is your business ready to accommodate the mobile consumer by allowing payment through mobile device? Give us a call and ask about the tools we can give you to accept payment through Smart phones. Call 800-985-9277 OR E-mail Bill@mowbi.com or Jordan@mowbi.com

Posted in Mobile Commerce Tags: , ,

5 Key Mobile SEO Tips

May 20th, 2010 No Comments

An important aspect of your Mobile Commerce site is that it must be optimized for the mobile web.

Here are a few key tips for Mobile Website SEO

1. When creating your title tags and meta descriptions, make sure to add the word “mobile” to your copy. This will ensure that Google bots read your mobile website as pages created specifically for the mobile web.

2. Submit your Mobile Commerce Website to every directory, just as you would do for a traditional e-commerce website. Be sure to include your local directories as well- especially if your business is based locally.

3. Create a Mobile Sitemap. Google developed specific bots to crawl mobile websites. To make sure your mobile commerce site doesn’t get mistaken for your PC website, it is extremely important to create a mobile sitemap. Google will display mobile pages that it decides are the most relevant to any particular mobile search. This makes it crucial for most businesses to have a mobile sitemap (along with a fully optimized mobile site) with their Mobile commerce site. Failure to do this can result in your mobile site not appearing in organic searches- making it impossible for your customers to find you.

4. Submit your site to all major mobile search engines. This is a must if you want your mobile website to be crawled at all. Here is a list of mobile search engines you should definitely consider:

Google XHTML http://www.google.com/xhtml

Google Mobile http://www.google.com/mobile/

Yahoo Mobile http://mobile.yahoo.com/search

MSN/Bing http://home.mobile.live.com/Home.mvc

AOL Mobile http://mobile.aolsearch.com

ABPHONE http://www.abphone.com

5. Speed is important. Google has announced that site speed will now be taken into consideration for Google ranking. For now, it is safe to assume that mobile users are on a slow connection, so be sure to follow the appropriate guidelines for creating your mobile site, to ensure you are up to speed (no pun intended). Another way to be sure you are getting a fast mobile commerce site is to leave it to professionals who are well versed in mobile internet. Give us a call for a FREE DEMO and let us help you create an effective, optimized mobile site. Call 800-985-9277 or e-mail bill@mowbi.com or Jordan@mowbi.com

Posted in Mobile Commerce Tags: , , , ,

Mobile Commerce- Mobile Website Design Tips

May 18th, 2010 No Comments

As we’ve covered in past posts, Mobile Commerce is poised to explode in popularity. Whether your company is large or small, anyone who owns and/or operates a business needs to get a mobile website ready right away. Here are a few tips on setting up a successful Mobile Commerce website:

Do NOT include content deeper than three links- The mobile audience is on the go and does not have the time (or attention span) to browse in the same manner that desktop users do. Keep content fresh, relevant, to the point, and interesting.

Unless your primary target is in developing countries (where basic model cell phones still have popularity), use XHTML for your mark-up language.

Develop a mobile sitemap that makes it clear to Google that this is your Mobile Commerce website- not your E-Commerce site.

Don’t Forget the Phone- There are many mobile phone options available to consumers. When thinking about design for your mobile commerce site, don’t forget to consider the different screen sizes, resolutions, and overall phone shapes that your mobile site will appear on. There are high end, and low end phones- wide screens, small screens, and phones that are middle of the road. Designing for specific mobile devices can seem daunting, however, the simple marketing principle of knowing your target will help you out greatly. Who your audience is should tell you what kinds of mobile devices they are likely to carry, which will then dictate the specs for your mobile commerce site. Be sure to share this information with your mobile website developers.

Do NOT use Pop-Ups- they are likely to confuse your audience and cause their service to slow down.

Limit Scrolling- Keep the page scrolling to one-direction-only. Again, the mobile audience is time pressed, and impatient. Don’t make them scroll up-down-side-side.

Check out Amazon’s take on a mobile commerce website. Their mobile site has many features that you can and should consider when thinking about design for your own mobile commerce site.

Give us a call to discuss your company’s future in Mobile Commerce. We can help you design and develop a fully optimized, functioning mobile commerce site. Call us today and ask about how to get your FREE DEMO. Call 800-985-9277 or e-mail bill@mowbi.com or jordan@mowbi.com

Posted in Mobile Application Development, Mobile Commerce Tags: , , ,

Top 5 Text Marketing Tips

May 8th, 2010 No Comments

One of the many excellent options available via Mobile Marketing is Text Marketing, or SMS (short message service). According to the New York Times, 97% of all SMS messages sent to consumers were opened in 2009. 83% of these messages were opened within an hour of being received. Right now is a great time to begin a Text Marketing campaign because the mobile channel is virtually clutter-free and hasn’t be over-run with spammers. Here are the Top 5 tips for running a successful Text Marketing campaign:

1. Choose the right service provider- While Text Marketing is still getting it’s legs, there are industry standards that must be followed. For instance, automated dialers (that hack into national SMS structure and blast messages to thousands of consumers) are to be avoided. Hiring a service that employs this kind of tactic for your business can result in stiff penalties, and could cause you to be blacklisted in the mobile sphere. Text Marketing can be a powerful marketing tool. Put your best foot forward by hiring a reputable company to get your campaign off the ground. Give App Publishing a call at 800-985-9277 or e-mail  jordan@mowbi.com to discuss how we can help you launch a successful mobile marketing campaign.

2. Use Traditional Marketing- You can supplement your Text Marketing campaign using traditional channels such as print, or outdoor signage. Macy’s and drugstore giant CVS both have used print and display ads to drive mobile traffic. When using traditional media to drive texts, be sure to make the call to action extremely clear, with the text displayed prominently. The text number itself should be short, memorable, and one of your mobile keywords.

3. Build Relationships- Don’t use Text Marketing as a one-shot blast and disappear. You’ll miss out on the true opportunities that text marketing presents and you won’t grow your opt in list. Instead, use Text Marketing to build relationships with your customers. Send them valuable coupons, and notices. Armani , a large national retailer was able to effectively intergrate text marketing into their brand identity. Their SMS text information is displayed right next to their name and logo. They send valuable coupons to their opt in list, and they recently had an exclusive sale for their text message customers only. They are using text marketing to build a culture around their brand. This is the kind of relationship building you should be thinking of, when planning your Text Marketing campaign.

4. Always Remain Professional- With  new technology like text marketing and mobile commerce, it can be tempting to tailor messages to a youthful audience. Even if your company’s demo skews younger, do not make the mistake of using slang or teenage texting ”shorthand” (words like, gr8 , 4u, lol, etc). Business’s such as Adidas have found that consumers are wary of text messages that use this kind of language. Your text marketing campaign can be playful and fun (if that messaging works with your audience), but it should always present your company in a professional, legitimate light.

5. Make it Enticing- If you’re using traditional media to drive mobile traffic, or if you’re sending SMS messages out asking for clicks or click-to-calls, it is extremely important to give your audience a compelling reason to take action. The first thing your customer will think when they receive your WXYZ marketing text is WIIFM- What’s In it For Me? The best incentive for most consumers is a free offer. This is often the dance of a successful text marketing campaign- you give the consumer something for free and in exchange, they agree to receive text marketing messages from you (ie, they opt-in). Do not under estimate the power of a free offer. Yes,  joining the opt in list to your favorite local pizza place for sales updates is nice and maybe you’ll get around to doing it next time they text. But if that same pizza place is going to give you  free breadsticks if you opt in NOW and this offer expires at 3pm today- you’re likely to get around to that opt in list a lot more quickly. Just like with any traditional call to action, text marketing messages must have a strong offer. And what do consumers like better than free?

Call us at 800-985-9277 to give your Text Marketing initiatives a strong start. We’d love to discuss your mobile marketing ideas live. Ask how to get your Free Demo- We’ll show you exactly how mobile marketing can increase your company’s bottom line- The demo is absolutely free, so there’s nothing to lose. Call 1-800-985-9277 or e-mail bill@mowbi.com or jordan@mowbi.com.

Posted in Mobile Commerce Tags: , , , , ,

MCommerce-Mobile Marketing Lesson from Macy’s

May 5th, 2010 No Comments

As MCommerce becomes more mainstream, major businesses are taking notice-and taking part in the marketing opportunities. There was an interesting case study involving retail giant Macy’s that offers valuable lessons in Mobile Marketing. Here is are the highlights of the study and points you may want to take note of-

Background

Macy’s added mobile marketing to their marketing mix with hopes of increasing web traffic, retail traffic, mobile subscriptions (all in effort to increase sales) and to promote the overall Macy’s brand.

Promotion

Promotion using traditional media to drive consumers to text in order to win a shopping spree with a popular cable network celebrity.

Outcome

The creative was ineffective in driving texts, because the text instructions were in very small print in the call to action, and the vanity text (MACYS) was not a powerful keyword.

Rebound

Macy’s was able to make a strong comeback with their future mobile attempts, including clear ctas in traditional media, opt in lists, keywords and vanity texts incorporated into traditional media calls to action, and providing incentive for contacting Macy’s via mobile device (such as coupons, sweepstakes, etc).

Take-Aways

MCommerce & Mobile Marketing can be extremely effective as a part of your traditional marketing mix. It is important to keep the rules of Mcommerce in mind when using traditional media to drive traffic to your mobile campaign. Some ways that Macy was able to effectively blend traditional and mobile media (which you can think about and incorporate into your business plan) are:

Strong call to action- Be sure the requested action (texting via mobile device) is clear, and easy to understand when being expressed in traditional media. For example, a print ad or bill board should NOT have Text instructions in fine print at the bottom of the copy. This information is possibly the most crucial aspect of your message- you may want to put the CTA in a colorful star burst where consumer’s eyes are likely to be drawn in an ad.

Text Info Matters- Not only is calling attention to the text info important, but making it as easy as possible for the consumer to recall that number is equally imperative.  A great way to do this is by using a memorable vanity text. You can get even more bang for your buck if that vanity text also happens to be one of your keywords.

Make it Worth It- When you’re using traditional media to drive mobile traffic, you need to give the consumer  extra incentive- a reward for going out of their way to remember your text number, and then actually type it into their phone. Special discounts, coupons, and special sales events are effective in driving consumer interest. Contests and sweepstakes also offer excellent incentive for a mobile visit.

If you’re thinking about intergrating mobile incentives into your marketing mix, give us a call to discuss your options. 800-985-9277 or e-mail bill@mowbi.com or jordan@mowbi.com

Posted in Mobile Commerce Tags: , , ,
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