You know you've arrived when...

When we started SellPhone Marketing less than one year ago, we heard a lot of questions that we don't hear anymore. Just a few short months ago, people were asking "What IS Text Message Marketing?" Flash forward to today...more and more people understand SMS and Mobile Advertising, and a growing number of companies are starting to USE it! We're seeing smaller companies getting involved than ever before...the first true sign we noticed that told us text was becoming relevant. As mobile marketing continues to gain traction there are some important trends we can watch to see mobile marketing begin to settle in to the mainstream.

1. Mobile Integrated Events
Imagine...hundreds or thousands of people all in one place with a common purpose or interest. What better place to use Mobile Marketing? The fact that more & more events are being integrated with mobile is important because everyone in the audience becomes one more person who's been exposed to mobile marketing & will then be more likely to participate in future Text campaigns. It helps it become normal.

Were you watching the Democratic National Convention? Did you notice the interactive text screen? Delegates could use their cell phones to send comments via text that would show up on a big screen for everyone to read. Dianne Sawyer was PRICELESS on Good Morning America talking about how this would happen. She sounded like she was reporting that we'd landed on the moon! By the next convention cycle in four years this technology will be so ingrained in our culture it won’t even be worth a mention. Rock bands are using the same sort of technology at concerts, NBC used it during their coverage of the Olympics, and there are more & more examples popping up every day! That brings us to trend #2...

2. Major Companies Jumping into Mobile Marketing
There is nothing like Fortune 500 companies jumping into something to prove it's part of everyday life. Every time another major brand uses mobile marketing the closer we are to having mobile marketing become a household word. Some of the latest big brands jumping into mobile include Chase Bank and Visa, the New Orleans Saints, Armani & Ashley Furniture.

3. Rules and Regulations
Another way to know that something is here to stay is when rules and regulations are written out and defined. What’s that old saying? It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. So that’s when an authority figure or the players themselves decide on rules to keep everyone happy and safe because they know the game is going to continue being played.

The Mobile Marketing Association has long had a set of Best Practices but they are now branching out and have a Code of Conduct as well. They are working up some best practices and guidelines for wi-fi, Near-Field Communications (NFC) and location-based services next.

What other trends do you see in mobile marketing?

New Mobile Marketing Stats...for what they're worth!

Twenty-three percent (58 million) of all U.S. mobile subscribers say they have been exposed to advertising on their phones in the past 30 days, according to a recent report from The Nielsen Company. Half (51% or 28 million) of all data users who recall seeing mobile advertising in the previous 30 days say they responded to a mobile ad in some way.

A few notes from the study:

• The number of data users who recalled seeing mobile advertising between the 2nd and 4th quarters of 2007 increased 38% (from 42 to 58 million subscribers)
• Teens (ages 13-17) were the most likely age segment to recall seeing mobile advertising (46% recalled seeing some type of mobile advertisement, compared to 29% of all users)
• Asian-Americans & African-Americans are more likely to recall mobile advertising (42% & 40% respectively) than all data users
• And my PERSONAL FAVORITE STATISTIC from this study...26% of those who saw an ad responded at least once by sending an SMS text message, the most popular ad response! 9% say they have used click-to-call to respond to a mobile ad, where users follow a link on their phone to call a specific number.

These are some pretty impressive numbers for a medium that is so new to the US. We're learning that there are as many different uses and options within the Mobile Advertising world, that it's difficult to keep up. In just 6 short months, the number of people who recalled seeing Mobile Ads went up by 16 MILLION!

"Increasing levels of consumer recall, interaction and receptivity to mobile advertising reinforce
the validity of the mobile marketing medium," said Jeff Herrmann, VP of Mobile Media at Nielsen Mobile. "Nielsen's Mobile Advertising Report helps marketers and media companies better understand consumer interaction and the available response mechanisms to drive conversion."

What this study DOESN'T talk about is what SellPhone Marketing is actually doing. Neilsen talks about CONTENT-supported ads...where an advertisement pops up inside a text message you weren't expected an ad to appear in. For example, I've been getting Text Message Updates from Yahoo for years every time the Arizona Diamondbacks play. They allow me to keep up with the game every 3 innings, even though I'm hundreds of miles away from the nearest televised game. Lately, Marriott Hotels has started to purchase ad space inside these text messages, telling me that I can get High Speed Internet at all Courtyard Hotels...even though I never asked (and don't really care)!

We're doing things a bit differently. We're not piggy-backing on someone else's content, and we CERTAINLY don't spam! What we do is insert a specific text offer inside an advertisers' current ad campaigns. In other words, if ABC Nissan is my client...the only place you'll see an offer to view a Mobile Ad for ABC Nissan is in an ABC Nissan radio commercial, TV ad, newspaper ad, etc. And, the only way you'll actually get to see the actual mobile message is to OPT-IN by responding to the original, traditional advertisement.

Think about the response rate when someone receives a text message THEY ASKED TO RECEIVE!

That may not be what cell phone marketing is doing, but that's what SellPhone Marketing is all about!

Clearly Confusing...

You never know until you ask!

As part of my ongoing search for new ideas and new revenue streams for Mobile Advertising...and for my own company, SellPhone Marketing...I posted a question on LinkedIn. I simply asked for suggestions on how people in different industries thought they might be able to use Text Message Marketing. My intent was to find some cool new ways to introduce Mobile to businesses I hadn't thought much about yet. What I got was an education.

At first I was offended by the person who sent a scathing response, basically saying how offended he was that yet another part of our lives was being taken over, abused, and ultimately destroyed by marketers insistent upon slapping a logo on every square inch of the globe. I couldn't understand why HE couldn't understand the concept of opt-in marketing...why we was so upset about something that he could control by simply electing NOT to participate. I took exception to the language he used. And, though I'm not proud to admit it, I responded to him in a less-than-professional email.

Then came the next response. And another. And another.

I got a few responses to the question I asked, although none of them answered the actual question I'd typed. Nobody had even one suggestion for new revenue streams in uncharted industries. And yet, I feel I've learned a lot from this experience.

I've learned to ask questions.

Even when I THINK I know the answers, I have to ask questions.

Sure, the Mobile Marketing Association has some great Best Practices in place. And it feels good to know that I'm insisting on following those and not spamming consumers. I take pride in knowing that I will never sell a list of names or cel l phone numbers. But that's not enough. My prospects need to know it as well. That's not something I've been focusing on in my sales presentations...but it will be now!

My takeaway...and one I hope you'll take away from this as well...is to ask more questions. You may just find something you weren't looking for!

My Very First Blog Posting

WOW!

Creating a blog was easy...up to this point. Now I have to find things to say that you may want to read. I no longer can be accountable only to myself for keeping up with all the reading and research I do...you'll be looking for new content!

I suppose I should start with an explanation of what I hope this blog will represent and become over time. My goal is to be a resource to my readers. I hope to share with you the passion I have for the growing field of Mobile Marketing. I intend to bring you stories and updates and innovative ideas that you can use in your business today. And, as the title of my blog states, I intend to bring this to you in just minutes each day.

I'm sure I'll digress into things outside the scope of Mobile Marketing on occasion as those of you who know me well are aware I can do! But even then, I hope it's to bring you something of value.


My personal mission statement is stolen from Zig Ziglar, but it's mine now and he can't take it from me! "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

I hope I can help you!