According to recently completed study done by Internet consultancy Sterling Market Intelligence, many companies are beginning to explore the viability of a simple text message as part of their mobile marketing campaigns. The idea, these companies explain, is to simply “keep themselves on the radar”, with some companies also adding an interactive element to the text message, the report adds.
While the market for mobile advertising is still in its infancy, and very few consumers are actually making purchases off of their mobile devices, the trends is worth keeping an eye on as the base of mobile devices with Internet access in the U.S. is enjoying a swift and steady climb.
The report claims the gist if what some companies are doing with their mobile marketing plans is to simply segment a portion of their customer lists (those who have opted in to receive e-mail messages) and send out text messages asking those interested to send a message back, perhaps to receive loyalty program points as a reward for responding. The content may vary from simple branding messages to Q&A’s designed to be fun and unique.
With most cell phone service carriers now offering unlimited texting plans, text message marketing is a far less expensive effort than it was a couple of years ago. The report adds that of the roughly 230 million Americans with cell phones today, about half have used them to send or receive text messages, while only about 32 million use them to browse the Web.
Many observers of the mobile marketing arena are interested in seeing what effect the recently released iPhone will have on this market. The device’s screen displays Internet pages in a far different (and more effective) manner than previous handhelds and could create some very new consumer behavior patterns as a result. Other similar devices will surely follow in the years ahead making mobile Internet surfing a much more common pastime.
One thing is certain, whether it is from e-commerce companies or traditional marketers, consumers should expect more ads on their cell phones in the coming year, the report adds
“This is going to ramp up much faster than the Internet did,” the report concludes. “It took 10 years and the proliferation of broadband for marketers to do things online that were predicted early on. This will take half the time or less.”
