Although marketers have been sluggish to embrace the use of mobile tactics, the rapid growth of the mobile landscape has proven that it’s essential for marketers to take heed. As marketers become attuned, they will find there are several ways to reach target audiences, including SMS, search ads, mobile app display ads, push notifications, videos, and rich media.
1. Text Messaging/SMS
SMS has been verified as being the most widely used and cost-effective methods of communication in the U.S. According to a report from comScore, in May 2010, the number of U.S. mobile subscribers utilized SMS on their devices increased 1.4 percentage points to 65%. SMS outpaced other mobile activities such as accessing the internet, playing games, downloading apps, and listening to music. SinglePoint’s June 2010 study confirmed that SMS is one of the best methods. Their data revealed that 90% of all sent text messages are read within the first 3 minutes of being received, while 99% of text messages are read by the recipient.
2. Rich Media
As developers and manufacturers continue pushing the envelope with the creation of mobile devices and various applications, there is a continued need to keep mobile users engaged. Rich media ads encourage in-app interactivity through use of sound, gaming, and video, amongst other things.
Eric Litman, CEO of Medialets, explained that he has seen engagement rates as high as 33% on rich media ads, with rates consistently hitting above 20%.
3. Mobile apps vs. Mobile WebsitesWith the growing battle between mobile apps and mobile websites, marketers will have to choose which platform to target. This entails various factors including target audiences, the different types of mobile devices, operating systems…..
4. Location, Location, Location—Geo-Location
With the advent of such applications as FourSquare, Gowalla, and BrightKite, marketers are beginning to take interest, although studies have shown that not too many participate in the “check-in” game. The Forrester Research firm found that 4% of the adult internet-using population have used location-based services, while only 1% of all adults check into a location at least once a week. Advertising within these applications could prove to be advantageous for marketers. For instance, the BrightKite app allows marketers to target consumers by precise geography, behavior, and within a particular timeframe.
5. Mobile Video
Though video advertising is not very huge for marketers currently, Internet video has exploded over the years. eMarketer currently forecasts a 30% growth in mobile video viewers during 2010, which represents a 7.7% reach of the total U.S. population. A predicted increase is expected through 2014, giving ample time for marketers to jump on the bandwagon.