"Mobile. Simplified. Understanding Mobile Marketing Strategies That Work" They are in our pocket, purse, on our nightstand and never more than an arm’s reach away. While you can use them to make phone calls, most of us use them for text messages, checking e-mail, reading news articles and by 2013 Gartner predicts it will be the most common device used for browsing the web. Yes, we’re talking about the mobile device (aka “smart phone”) and how it’s changing the way we communicate with each other and providing businesses new and effective ways of connecting with our customers and prospects. But for many, developing a strategy of how to best utilize these devices remains a mystery.

2. Mobile. Simplified.
Understanding Mobile Marketing Strategies That Work
About the Author
Eric Cook is a “recovering banker” of 15 years and has been working in
the digital space doing web development and online marketing since
the mid 1990s. A Consultant with WSI since 2007, Eric works with
businesses and organizations to help them “better understand and
leverage the power of the Internet,” with a primary focus on the
financial services sector.
An accomplished public speaker, Eric was accepted into the National
Speakers Association in 2011 and presents at conferences and
conventions around the United States on topics such as social
technology, online marketing, digital communication, website strategy
and mobile trends.
In his spare time Eric competes in triathlons and has been an avid cyclists and outdoor enthusiast for
many years. Together with his wife, Alicia, they operate their WSI business from Michigan where they
reside with their two (very spoiled) golden retrievers.
About WSI – we simplify the Internet:
WSI is the world’s leading Internet franchise offering digital marketing services to suit the needs of
multiple industries. The company has the world’s largest Digital Marketing Consultants’ network with its
head office in Toronto, Canada. WSI Digital Marketing Consultants have helped thousands of small and
medium-sized businesses realize their online marketing potential. By using innovative Internet
technologies and advanced digital marketing strategies, businesses can have a WSI Digital Marketing
System tailored to their individual needs to elevate their Internet presence and profitability to new levels.
In 2011, WSI was the proud recipient of 7 Standard of Excellence Awards at the Annual WebAwards
Competition organized by the Web Marketing Association (WMA). With the support and cooperation of
its customers, franchise network, employees, suppliers and charitable organizations, WSI aims to help
make child poverty history through its global outreach program www.makechildpovertyhistory.org.
For more information about WSI’s offerings and business opportunities, please visit our website at
www.wsiworld.com. For digital marketing tips, strategies and ideas, visit our blog at:
http://blog.wsidigitalmarketing.com/. Please follow us online at: http://twitter.com/wsiworld,
http://facebook.com/wsiworld, http://www.linkedin.com/company/wsi-internet-consulting,
http://youtube.com/wsiworld.
Whitepaper: Mobile. Simplified.
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3. Mobile. Simplified.
Understanding Mobile Marketing Strategies That Work
Table of Contents
Introduction..................................................................................................................................................... 4
The Evolution of the “Third Screen”................................................................................................................ 4
Your Website’s Alter Ego ............................................................................................................................. 5
Apps and Alternatives ................................................................................................................................. 6
Turning Your Phone into a Payment Device................................................................................................ 7
Text Messaging – It’s Not Just for Teenagers .............................................................................................. 8
More Terms – Short Code and Keyword ................................................................................................. 9
Some Common Functions...................................................................................................................... 10
Industry Examples ................................................................................................................................. 10
Getting Started .............................................................................................................................................. 11
More Resources from WSI... ......................................................................................................................... 12
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4. Mobile. Simplified.
Understanding Mobile Marketing Strategies That Work
Introduction
They are in our pocket, purse, on our nightstand and never more than an arm’s reach away. While you can
use them to make phone calls, most of us use them for text messages, checking e-mail, reading news
articles and by 2013 Gartner predicts it will be the most common device used for browsing the web. Yes,
we’re talking about the mobile device (aka “smart phone”) and how it’s changing the way we
communicate with each other and providing businesses new and effective ways of connecting with our
customers and prospects. But for many, developing a strategy of how to best utilize these devices remains
a mystery.
The Evolution of the “Third Screen”
Delivering your message visually became a reality in 1929 with the
introduction of the television. This “First Screen” started off with
only a handful of channels and provided a fuzzy black and white
picture, but we now had the ability to display video across great
distances and it changed the way businesses marketed
themselves. Then, in 1992 we were introduced to the wonderful
“World Wide Web” and the advent of the browser thanks to the
folks at Netscape. This created opportunities for businesses to
form websites and deliver information directly to your personal
computer via the Internet and the “Second Screen” was born.
Fast-forward to 2008 and we are now in the midst of the booming
popularity of the “Third Screen”. Thanks in large part to devices like
Apple’s iPhone and others that feature their own interactive screens with customizable icons and full
Internet connectivity, we now have a variety of ways to engage and interact with others with these
addictive devices that never seem to leave our side.
When we talk about the third screen, we’ll cover the following four main areas and what they mean for
businesses and consumers.
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5. Mobile. Simplified.
Understanding Mobile Marketing Strategies That Work
• Website: Does your website have a mobile version that makes it easy to read your information
without having to pinch, zoom, etc?
• Apps: Are you participating in Apple’s iTunes App Store or the Android Play Market with
downloadable programs people can install directly on their phones?
• Transactions: Consumers are using their phones more today than ever for common banking
functions and want to turn them into electronic wallets.
• Messages: Learn the difference between SMS and MMS and how do you leverage a mobile
communication strategy to keep connected with customers and prospects.
So let’s jump in and cover these four areas in a bit more detail.
Your Website’s Alter Ego
Here’s an exercise every business owner should be sure to do – visit your website on a mobile device and
observe the type of experience you are providing for your visitors. We said it at the very beginning of this
paper; the mobile device is going to be the preferred method of browsing the web by 2013. But when
visiting your website, does your it display the same as it would if they were using a full-sized monitor and
it’s “squished” into the smaller resolution and default portrait layout of a smart phone? If so, chances are
the text is too small, links are not easy to navigate, content may be hard to see (unless you swipe your
finger to scroll right-left or up-down), and you need to tilt or “pinch-zoom” to be able to effectively
interact with your site.
Now, visit a site like Delta.com. The airline presents a completely different version of their website when
you are visiting on a mobile device. The text is larger, links are prioritized for what a typical mobile visitor
would want to find out when using a mobile device vs. someone sitting at home or in their office browsing
the website on a regular-sized computer or laptop. Navigation buttons are larger, making the site easy to
use with one hand (because chances are the other is pulling a piece of luggage). Are you starting to get
the idea?
Technology makes it very easy and cost-effective for you to have a mobile version of your website, but
that’s just one piece of the puzzle. You need to get inside a typical visitor’s head to understand why they
are coming to your site via a mobile device and what type of information they want to access. Continuing
with the Delta.com example, you’ll see they make it very easy to view your saved trips and check-in, get
flight status updates and schedules, book a flight or contact a travel agent for assistance. No fancy
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6. Mobile. Simplified.
Understanding Mobile Marketing Strategies That Work
graphics, promotion banners or other elements you get when you visit their “regular” website – you’re
only presented with the options that you’d likely need to complete while “on the go”.
One of the other important reasons to give strong consideration to having a
mobile version of your website is that Google indicates that 1 out of every 7
searches are performed on a mobile device. Plus, it’s starting to be the case
that if your website has a mobile version you’ll begin to rank higher in mobile
searches because the search engines recognize that you’re providing a better
browsing experience for visitors. So as the mobile device becomes our “go-to”
device for all things web related, being found for the products you offer and
the services you provide is enhanced by ensuring that you’re ready for the mobile revolution.
Apps and Alternatives
With now over 500,000 apps in Apple’s App Store and almost as many in the Android Play Market, many
businesses are producing these applications that customers can download and install on their mobile
phones. A visit to either marketplace reveals a variety of options in categories such as business tools,
finance, health and fitness, medical, music, productivity, social networking,
sports, travel, weather and of course… we cannot forget games!
Each application is created and submitted to the markets and once approved
has to be downloaded by visitors for use on their mobile device. One primary
advantage of an app is the convenience of having an icon placed directly on your screen for one-touch
access. Plus, many of these applications can be run even when the wireless service is turned off on your
device, such as when you are on a plane or in an area where you don’t get good cell reception.
While apps certainly are a popular way to share information, one alternative that is starting to take hold is
creating mobile-formatted websites (like mentioned previously) that in many ways look just like an “app”.
But, rather than have to open up the mobile browser on your device and type in the website address, they
are starting to use “launcher” programs that will place an icon on your screen (so it looks like an app) for
one-touch convenience, but now your ability to update and change content can take place instantly. You
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7. Mobile. Simplified.
Understanding Mobile Marketing Strategies That Work
see, if you have an app and need to make a change it has to be re-submitted for approval and then users
have to download the updated version to get access to the new content. With a mobile site (using a
launcher) it maintains the one-touch convenience, but pulls new content each time it’s accessed – without
relying on Apple or Android approvals.
Another popular way to engage mobile users is with Quick Response (QR) codes
or Microsoft’s Tags. These bar-code-like squares help to bring an offline
experience online and into the mobile device in a variety of different ways.
Businesses can place these codes on brochures, in posters, on the back of
business cards and any other location where it would be advantageous to
present the reader with an opportunity to “learn more”. The reader uses their smart phone to scan the
code and it can perform variety of functions such as creating a text message for more information, re-
directing you to a website (hopefully it’s mobile formatted), and delivering contact information.
Turning Your Phone into a Payment Device
While we’re not to the point where we can leave our wallets at home and rely entirely on our mobile
device as a cash-alternative, the day likely will come when transactions are an accepted function for
everything from getting a bottle of water out of a vending machine to traditional retail shopping
excursions. Even the banking industry is recognizing that consumers want to get their financial
information on their mobile device; Forrester predicts that by 2015, over 50 million consumers will be
using mobile banking in the US alone and Deloitte’s Future of Mobile Payment Survey finds that close to
40% of Gen Y consumers prefer mobile banking over traditional channels, a demographic already actively
engaged in mobile communication and social networking activities.
Even from a purely economic perspective,
delivering information via a mobile device is much
more cost-effective for businesses. Continuing on
with the banking theme, you can see from this
graphic from TowerGroup and Fiserv/M-Com that
it costs a financial institution an average of $0.08
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8. Mobile. Simplified.
Understanding Mobile Marketing Strategies That Work
to fulfill a transaction on a mobile device compared to $4.00 if a customer visits a branch office. Taking
this information and extrapolating it to your business, are there ways that you can connect (and more
efficiently deliver value) via a mobile device and help reduce costs and increase your profit margins?
Text Messaging – It’s Not Just for Teenagers
According to a recent Pew Research Study, some 83% of American adults own cell phones and almost
three quarters of them (73%) send and receive text messages. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 24
exchange an average of 110 messages per day, which is over 3,200 per month!
But before we get into text messaging too much further, let’s define a few
terms so that we’re on the same page. First we need to know the difference
between SMS and MMS, with the former meaning “simple message service” or
more of the traditional text-only messages that most everyone has received at
one time or another. MMS on the other hand stands for “multimedia message
service” and is when someone sends you a photo or video attached to their
text message. While they can be more entertaining that a text-only SMS, MMS
messages require more bandwidth, take a bit longer to process and sometimes
present compatibility issues as older phones may not be able to support the
video format being sent.
For the purposes of business use, it’s recommended to use SMS (plain text) messages if you want to
communicate to your customers via mobile. But why would a business want to do this at all? Well for
starters, 95% of all text messages are opened and read according to CITA – The Wireless Association.
Compared to traditional e-mail messages that can take up to 2 days to be seen, a text message is typically
viewed within four minutes. That means not only does your message have a much higher chance of
getting read, but it gets read quickly! But you may be wondering why this is the case?
One key factor to communicating via a mobile device through text messages is to get permission and
provide an opportunity for the recipient to “opt-in” of future messages (especially since some people still
have to pay for text messages). While spam and other types of e-mail clogs our Inboxes, the mobile device
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9. Mobile. Simplified.
Understanding Mobile Marketing Strategies That Work
and text messages services have largely been unaffected and when we get a text we know it’s coming
from someone we trust. It could be a friend, family member, colleague or a message from a business that
we’ve subscribed to. Text messages are very easy to “turn off” and a simple “stop” reply in most cases
(depending on the platform) can keep future messages from showing up in the future.
More Terms – Short Code and Keyword
When someone opts-in to your mobile marketing program they will need two
key elements, a short code and keyword. Think of the short code as the
“phone number,” typically six characters in length and go in the “to” field in
your text message program. These short codes are very expensive to buy on
your own, so you typically get this from your mobile marketing vendor.
In addition to the short code, you will send along a keyword that tells the
owner of the short code what to do with the message once received. Each
keyword can trigger a series of events (listed below) to interact and provide
information automatically directly to the sender’s mobile device, making it a
quick and easy way to communicate.
While each vendor is different, you can likely expect to pay a one-time setup fee to get a mobile
marketing account created plus an ongoing monthly fee for as long as you use the service. This monthly
fee will likely vary depending on then number of keywords you wish to use as part of your mobile
marketing efforts and how many messages you want to be able to send each month.
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10. Mobile. Simplified.
Understanding Mobile Marketing Strategies That Work
Some Common Functions
When you are ready to get started marketing your business online, here are just a few of the ways that
you can interact via text messages and mobile marketing. While certainly not an exhaustive list, these are
some of the more popular functions.
Text-based voting Scheduling and reservations Polls and questions
Social media syndication Mobile website linking Coupons and discount codes
Auto responder and information E-mail notification Appointment reminders
Industry Examples
We’ve talked about the travel and banking industry thus far, but mobile marketing can be used by virtually
any industry. Businesses need to be able to connect with their customers and prospects, which is at the
heart of a mobile strategy, so can you take some of the functions mentioned above and see how they
would fit with the following industries…
Real Estate Automotive Restaurants and Bars
Grocery Salon, Spa and Beauty “Mom and Pop”
Hospitality and Entertainment Local Government and Civic Schools and Non-Profit
Sports Financial Medical
Travel and Transportation Consumer Products And Many More…
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11. Mobile. Simplified.
Understanding Mobile Marketing Strategies That Work
Getting Started
Once you’ve decided to engage in a mobile marketing strategy it’s important that you take the time to
promote what you are offering to your target audience and get them to opt-in for future communication.
Resist the urge of uploading all the mobile numbers you may have for your customers and start sending
them text messages. Remember, some people still pay on a “per-text” basis and you certainly don’t want
to be responsible for costing the recipient a fee for an unexpected message (not a good way to enhance a
relationship).
While it will take more time to grow your list this way, eventually you’ll have a collection of people who
want to hear from you and value what you have to say. Offer helpful information that can make their lives
easier, engage them with mobile-formatted content on a mobile-version of your website.
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12. Mobile. Simplified.
Understanding Mobile Marketing Strategies That Work
More Resources from WSI...
WSI specializes in Internet marketing for businesses of all industries across the globe. To learn how you
can enhance your company’s online initiatives and grow your business online, contact your local WSI
Consultant now.
Visit http://www.wsiworld.com for more information.
To receive a complimentary recording of WSI’s webinar
“Mobile. Simplified – Understanding Mobile Marketing
Strategies That Work”
Get in touch with your local WSI Consultant now at
http://www.wsiworld.com/ContactUs.aspx
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