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Common-sense do's and don'ts of mobile marketing

From the noise generated by the myriad mobile conferences, blogs and publications, most brands, agencies and publishers just want to know a couple of things: What's working and what's not working in mobile marketing. Here's a stab at that.

First, it's important to dispel the myth that marketers don't get mobile. They do -- ask Colgate-Palmolive, Unilever, Gap, adidas, M&M/Mars, NBC, Kodak, Heineken, ESPN, McDonald's, American Airlines, Sherwin-Williams, Microsoft, AOL, MGM Grand, Johnson & Johnson, Diary Queen, Jaguar, Skyy Vodka, Ford Motor, The Weather Channel, Discover Card, Procter & Gamble's Gillette, Brita, Jim Beam and Chase.

These aforementioned brands have run mobile campaigns, sites and applications or launched mobile commerce operations in the past couple of weeks, as we have reported in this publication.

No doubt mobile will have to work harder to get a larger chunk of marketing budgets. But marketers surely are getting the message that mobile is where they need to be -- this year, and most definitely, next year. Consumers -- their customers -- wouldn't expect any less, not with their newer phone models and better data plans.

Know your audience
Which yields to the first observation about what's working in mobile marketing: Understanding the audience and targeting with appropriate mobile banner and video ads, sites, applications or SMS campaigns -- all opted-in, not once but twice by the consumer.

This rule is not exclusive to mobile. A targeted mailer sent to a household has proven to generate sales online, in-store or via telephone. Online banners or emails that sync with the site's audience interests inevitably generate click-throughs and responses to calls to action.

So mobile's not any different. A relevant movie trailer banner ad on an entertainment mobile site will serve both the advertiser and consumer well. So will requesting existing customers to opt-in to the marketer's mobile alert programs work to great advantage. Ask casino giants such as Harrah's and MGM Grand.

Not surprisingly, it is critical to research the targeted audience's mobile habits. What is it that they consume on the mobile phone? How much time do they spend on mobile? What is it that they would like to initiate elsewhere but complete on mobile or vice versa?

Visiting a well-thought out mobile site is such a pleasure. Consider The New York Times' mobile site at http://mobile.nytimes.com. It is hard to admit this, but the mobile site beats the wired Web site simply because the scroll-down interface is easy to navigate and the articles easy to read.

The only casualty about the mobile New York Times experience is the advertising. While the banner ad units are quite visible, the Times needs to work harder on convincing some of its current online advertisers to add mobile to their mix.

It seems almost strange to see a mobile site without ads -- not ones that interrupt the experience, but ones that enhance the overall reading experience by offering a window into commercial applications.

At the risk of sounding audacious, perhaps the Times should offer sampling opportunities to key advertisers such as Tiffany, Macy, Cartier and local auto dealers. And if these advertisers don't have a mobile presence, then the Times should work with mobile firms to mobilize their client base. Imagine the brownie points scored.

Knowing the audience also includes knowledge of their propensity or willingness to receive permission-based communications on their phone. Mobile may not be for everyone, just like the wired Internet isn't.

But it seems quite obvious that marketers offering value through the mobile site, application, banner ad, coupon or text message will find a welcome reception. Training the customer base to expect quality in mobile marketing communications is a corollary to knowing what makes the marketer's target customer tick.

While many industry observers are waiting for a flash of light to let them know mobile is the new tableau for marketing, those already with toes in the water know where the fish are.

Mobile works for database and loyalty marketing -- absolutely
One of the most astute uses of mobile -- besides employing mobile advertising for branding -- is the channel's ability to expand a marketer's loyalty program. And the humble foot soldier of loyalty marketing is SMS text messaging.

Yes, text messaging is to mobile what email is to the Internet -- the choice tool for communicating one-on-one with the customer.

Marketing need not get too complicated if the goal is to convince the targeted consumer to consume the advertiser's product or service over the competitor's. SMS is the easiest way to communicate that message.

Yes, it takes some legwork to get fully SMS-enabled. The tools required are a common short code, keywords, approval of mobile campaign from wireless carriers -- patient, patient -- and another channel to get the consumer to text in to opt into a program.

Marketers and retailers can use stores, direct mail, television, radio, print, online and billboards to get the consumer to opt-in -- not once, but twice -- to receiving coupons or alerts from the company.

Once the consumer is signed up, moderate the communications to anywhere from two messages to four messages. And be upfront with the opted-in consumer about the frequency of messages, company privacy policy and option to opt out at any time.

Remember, it's a land grab right now. At some point, the consumer will not agree to sign up for any more mobile loyalty programs or alerts. So it is best to start work on incorporating mobile into the company's overall loyalty program.

Legs to other channels
And that leads to another fact to remember: mobile's place in the multichannel context. Mobile is not an island unto itself and inasmuch as its most ardent fans would like to believe, the channel's best use is in giving legs to others.

Mobile has the potential to drive traffic to retail stores, as has been amply proved with campaigns from restaurant chains such as Papa John's, McDonald's, Burger King, Starbucks, Jiffy Lube and countless others with a physical footprint.

The "American Idol" show on television is proof that text messaging can elect winners simply by action of keyword and short code.

Shows such as American Idol and "Deal or No Deal" are said to generate as much revenues for the programmers from texting as they do from advertising. Maybe it's exaggerating it a bit, but the point is that mobile brings interactivity to TV.

Now here's something that agencies don't want to hear: actual tracking of brand commercials. Image a keyword and short code on spots -- not just at the end of the 30-second spot, but in every frame -- that invites the consumer to text in.

No, it need not turn into a direct response TV ad, but the texts could give the advertiser an idea of the consumer's engagement with the brand's TV advertising.

Ditto with radio. And it's proved to have worked. Oil change giant Jiffy Lube has gone on the record to acknowledge SMS marketing's role in driving traffic to its locations. In most cases, the SMS call to action was run first on radio spots targeted to drivers in certain areas.

What about direct mail and inserts? How about placing targeted keywords and short code on mail and inserts sent to consumers' homes and offices? Ask them to respond via text for prompt fulfillment of the desired call to action.

The examples can go on and on. Keep an open mind and a sharp eye on the consumer's needs and market trends.

What not to do in any circumstances?
It's mostly a bunch of common sense. Don't abuse the privilege. When mobile consumers opt into receiving communications from brands, they are giving access to their most personal medium.

Err on the side of caution when sending text messages -- twice a month, instead of four, for example -- or make sure that the banner ad doesn't disrupt the viewing experience on mobile.

It's been said before, and bears repeating here: familiarity breeds contempt. Don't inundate the consumer with messages. Space them out and make sure each message is targeted.

Sensitivity is the watchword here. And privacy. In fact, privacy threatens to snowball into one of the biggest issues threatening online and mobile advertising in the next 24 months.

Privacy advocacy groups and consumer watchdogs are chomping at the bit to restrain marketers from crossing a fine line. They are doing their best to convince the Federal Trade Commission of the need to regulate behavioral and location-based advertising online and on mobile.

These groups' worries, while legitimate, will affect marketing based on data and knowledge of consumer actions, even on an aggregate basis.

So give no excuse to these groups or to the FTC or to the various attorneys general nationwide who want to make their name on marketing's back.

Finally, be realistic. Mobile's not a cure for what ails other channels.

While it's not even realistic to call it a channel -- it's a phone, TV, radio, MP3 player, video player, gaming instrument, camera, computer, email tool, SMS enabler and pathway to the Internet -- mobile still works best when matched with other channels.

Mobile thankfully does not enjoy the same degree of hype as the Internet did in the late 1990s. Yes, every agency, conference organizer or publisher has tacked on mobile as the new accessory to their offerings, but the venture-capital money inflow has been measured and realistic.

Those in the field know that mobile victories come hard-fought. It is their job now to communicate that mobile has its advantages and its limitations.

One of the truths is that mobile will not replace other channels, but complement them in a manner that no other channel has.

But mobile requires time to show results and consumers need time to work out their relationship with the mobile device -- phone, entertainment channel, business tool, news source, advertising vehicle or shop? All six, as time and smart mobile marketing campaigns will prove.