With the who’s who of the technology world hitting Barcelona last month for the infamous Mobile World Congress, when I was asked to write a guest blog for eCircle, the power of mobile marketing seemed to have a nice ring to it (surely I’m allowed at least one pun?).
2011 has been much heralded as the year of mobile. Marketers are already feeling the same pressure as they did with social media to recognise and relish the opportunities created as internet users leave their desktops behind and take to the mobile internet in their droves to access social media, email and ecommerce.
But is mobile just our next hot topic? As marketers, we are all too often accused of only being interested in the next big thing!
But in the case of mobile, it simply cannot be denied that it is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of transformation and understanding how this incredibly powerful ecosystem affects businesses has never been more important. It’s a big moment for mobile, as smarter handsets, faster connections, and a seemingly endless supply of innovative applications hit us on a daily basis.
From apps to optimising emails for mobile, investing in mobile marketing can simply not be regarded as a ‘gimmick’ any longer. As an example of a business recognising how audiences now wish to access content and the importance of continued investment, we’ve recently worked closely with The Telegraph to gain a comprehensive understanding of how an increasingly sophisticated audience interacts with its iPad app. This understanding, when combined with a series of focus groups run by the Telegraph, has been fundamental in the development of v2 of its app which is currently in the pipeline for a 2011 launch.
All too often, however, the confusion is not how to continue mobile marketing investment but where to start. In 2010, we saw a strong shift from online strategies to social media strategies and, I believe, we will follow a similar pattern between social media strategies and mobile device marketing. As a result, it is important to start now and put the budget behind the basics rather than push through a mobile marketing strategy because those all too frequently words of ‘everybody else is doing it’ are uttered.
Mobile offers massive opportunities for acquiring customers, delivering services and selling products, so don’t leave anything to chance and cover all the bases. It’s not a time to be overawed by the technology, now is the time to embrace another new and flourishing way to interact and communicate with our customers.
[This article was originally posted on the ecircle blog March 3, 2011. Webtrends is a Gold Sponsor at eCircle’s ConnectEurope2011 held on 3/17. Colette Wade is the Marketing Director, Webtrends EMEA and Australasia. -- Ed]
Ringing The Change
With the who’s who of the technology world hitting Barcelona last month for the infamous Mobile World Congress, when I was asked to write a guest blog for eCircle, the power of mobile marketing seemed to have a nice ring to it (surely I’m allowed at least one pun?).
2011 has been much heralded as the year of mobile. Marketers are already feeling the same pressure as they did with social media to recognise and relish the opportunities created as internet users leave their desktops behind and take to the mobile internet in their droves to access social media, email and ecommerce.
But is mobile just our next hot topic? As marketers, we are all too often accused of only being interested in the next big thing!
But in the case of mobile, it simply cannot be denied that it is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of transformation and understanding how this incredibly powerful ecosystem affects businesses has never been more important. It’s a big moment for mobile, as smarter handsets, faster connections, and a seemingly endless supply of innovative applications hit us on a daily basis.
From apps to optimising emails for mobile, investing in mobile marketing can simply not be regarded as a ‘gimmick’ any longer. As an example of a business recognising how audiences now wish to access content and the importance of continued investment, we’ve recently worked closely with The Telegraph to gain a comprehensive understanding of how an increasingly sophisticated audience interacts with its iPad app. This understanding, when combined with a series of focus groups run by the Telegraph, has been fundamental in the development of v2 of its app which is currently in the pipeline for a 2011 launch.
All too often, however, the confusion is not how to continue mobile marketing investment but where to start. In 2010, we saw a strong shift from online strategies to social media strategies and, I believe, we will follow a similar pattern between social media strategies and mobile device marketing. As a result, it is important to start now and put the budget behind the basics rather than push through a mobile marketing strategy because those all too frequently words of ‘everybody else is doing it’ are uttered.
Mobile offers massive opportunities for acquiring customers, delivering services and selling products, so don’t leave anything to chance and cover all the bases. It’s not a time to be overawed by the technology, now is the time to embrace another new and flourishing way to interact and communicate with our customers.
[This article was originally posted on the ecircle blog March 3, 2011. Webtrends is a Gold Sponsor at eCircle’s ConnectEurope2011 held on 3/17. Colette Wade is the Marketing Director, Webtrends EMEA and Australasia. -- Ed]