Now that you have launched your new mobile destination, how can you drive traffic to the site?
After receiving sign off on your business case for investing in your new mobile destination and launching the site to the congratulations of your colleagues, you now have to hit the numbers you originally put up to your boss. There are many ways to drive traffic to your mobile site. Following are some examples on how to use other media to supersize your results.
Print campaigns
Often the simplest way will be to integrate mobile into your traditional print advertisement. While asking people to enter www.m.yoursite.com into a non-smart phone can be a barrier, asking people to text "yoursite" to 191919 is a lot easier. The returned SMS contains the link and all modern phones allow users to click this link which opens the phone browser at the mobile destination. QR Codes are an alternative way of achieving the same outcome and we are starting to see the increased use of QR codes in many Asia Pacific markets.
Outdoor campaigns
Bus stops and billboard calls to action can be used in a similar manner as a print campaign. In an outdoor scenario another oft-touted option is a bluetooth campaign, particularly in markets where data charges can be prohibitive. Be aware however that the bluetooth technology rarely works smoothly for the uninitiated. The best advice is to stick to the approaches used in print.
TV and radio campaigns
TV and radio campaigns can be very effective particularly when associated with a prize promotion. Here short codes rather than long codes are important, particularly in radio when it is often difficult to remember the number to text without seeing it. Some of the most successful mobile marketing campaigns have been executed through TV.
Integration into your website
Leverage the investment you have already made in your website by using house inventory, or a dedicated mobile tab. Here you can provide your customers with an overview of the mobile service and prompt them to enter their phone number. Again they are sent a text message with a link to your mobile site. This is also a great place to ask customers to opt-in to receive more great offers to their phone.
Mobile search campaigns
The principles of SEM and SEO apply equally to mobile. Although users of mobile search are much smaller than traditional online search the numbers are growing very quickly. All the usual suspects (i.e. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft) have opportunities for you, but also consider Jumptap Medio, find.mobi and Seek4wap and Taptu.
Mobile banner advertisements
Allocate some of your display ad budget to mobile. The best channel here is the carrier whose demographic best matches that of your customers. Click through rates are traditionally much higher than in online, partly because the banner takes a proportionally higher share of the real estate.
Peer to peer
Make sure that your site incorporates SMS send to a friend technology to help drive traffic through the peer network. You can also promote the mobile URL through a mobile social network, but in particular consider Twitter.
Opt-in push campaigns
Every country has different rules when it comes to sending messages to an opt-in database. In many countries these rules can be quite lax but in the US and Australia for example there a many traps for new players.
Overall remember that the beauty of mobile is that it is truly a cross media platform. Mobile is most powerful when it is incorporated into your broader marketing campaign. Don't hesitate to talk to an expert.
Horden Wiltshire is CEO of m.Net.