I believe the mobile marketing channel is the most exciting segment in today's marketing arena. With more than 200 million mobile subscribers in the U.S., the rapidly increasing use by consumers of mobile technology presents a tremendous marketing opportunity for well-known brands and other companies to take advantage of this new business channel.
I talk to CEOs and executives of big brands almost daily about critical success factors related to winning in the mobile content business. In a nutshell, while Motricity can fully provide an "end-to-end" solution, our experience shows that the best execution and success starts with working directly with each customer to get mobile market insight by working through three stages.
Identify the goal
What do you want to achieve through mobile? The mobile channel can serve many and multiple purposes including brand building, customer acquisition, commerce and customer relationship management. Mobile can serve as a great complement to other marketing channels, providing the opportunity to drive real-time direct response from billboards, radio, print ads, television shows and more. In addition, it serves as a powerful stand-alone marketing vehicle as well. Like any channel, the goals and expectations must be clear in order to assure the appropriate programs and metrics. As you develop your mobile strategy, carefully consider how mobile will fit into your existing marketing mix. Above all, you need to experiment. Mobile is a relatively new marketing channel. Don't be afraid to try out different programs to see how your consumers respond. Based on consumer response, you can adapt the mobile program, incorporate new elements and launch into more advanced areas of mobile marketing.
Develop the product
How will you have to change your content or user interface to maximize the mobile experience? You can't simply re-purpose existing content from other channels for mobile marketing programs. Consumers utilize content and information very differently on mobile phones, and existing services don't always map well to mobile, which is why I strongly suggest developing original content for the mobile channel.
Our customer, BET, is a great example of this. While watching a music video on television, fans are encouraged to check out their favorite artist's WAP site on their phone, where they can download games and graphics designed specifically for mobile, or just learn more about the singer/band. These compelling experiences foster brand loyalty, higher conversion rates and greater customer retention.
Think of the consumer
Understanding your consumer and his behavior in the mobile market is essential to any campaign. Purchase habits on the mobile device are very different from those of the internet. You can monitor consumer behavior with focus groups that give you the opportunity to observe how your consumers interact with the mobile device and what types of promotions they will respond best to. A key element that influences consumer behavior is user interface design. When you're dealing with a two inch screen on a mobile device, placement, layout and design of all elements are critical. A trusted partner can help optimize the interface to ensure that you have a successful campaign.
The mobile marketplace is very complex and still somewhat fragmented. There are many companies in the space, all bringing different capabilities and experiences. Some bring marketing expertise, some technology, some business processes. Focus on what aspects you consider the greatest contributors to your success and find a partner that can bring these.
Ryan Wuerch founded Motricity in 2001 and has since served as chairman and chief executive officer of the company. Motricity is a leading provider of mobile content services and solutions that enable consumers to receive the right content at the right time, every time.
