
Mobile Marketing Text
It’s
amazing to think that just a little over two decades ago, consumers
had only two options to communicate across long distances:
telephone and mail. In today’s mobile, post-PC world, consumers
have countless ways to communicate with each other.
They have similar options when it comes to communicating with brands. The question is, how do consumers determine the proper channel for their communication needs? The decision appears to boil down to six factors:
CONTENT: Is this a marketing message?
As we document throughout the Channel Preference Survey, consumers are
much more selective about the...
When Seth Godin introduced the concept of permission marketing in 1999, it was a big idea: ask customers to accept marketing messages from you. Looking at the best uses of mobile, I believe we are at a new crossroads; one where customers request marketing messages.
Never forget that digital messages rendered on mobile devices are personal and intrusive. On the Advertising Aggravation Continuum (shown below), they are most comparable to telemarketing. We all know what happened to that traditional marketing channel and the impact on brands that abused it.

In the middle of the continuum, people...
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There’s no
doubt that today’s consumers are mobile. They’re constantly
on-the-go, sending and receiving communications of all types, and
they’ve come to expect that information be (literally) in-hand at
all times. Consumers in the UK and around the globe are no longer
sitting at their computers searching for information—instead, they
expect information to be available all around them. At the same
time, they expect that information to be relevant to their
lives.
The hyper-connected consumer expects brands of all sizes and industries to start meeting them where they are. It also provides new...
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It was
no suprise to us that Australians are leading the world in their
adoption of technology, and in partiular how they connect with
brands on mobile devices. The unparalleled adoption of smartphones
in Australia (49% of us own one!) means that today’s always-on,
hyper-connected consumer is placing demands on marketers that can
often seem bewildering. What was once seen as the "multi-channel
opportunity" is now a "cross-channel imperative" as our audiences
continue to adopt technology that opens up an increasing array of
brand engagement mechanisms.
SMS is just another way to adapt to the...
Read More »
There’s
no doubt that today’s consumers are mobile. They’re constantly
on-the-go, sending and receiving communications of all types, and
they’ve come to expect that information be (literally) in-hand at
all times. Consumers are no longer sitting at their computers
searching for information—instead, they expect information to be
available all around them. At the same time, they expect that
information to be relevant to their lives.
It was no suprise to us that Australians are leading the world in their adoption of technology and in partiular how they connect with brands on mobile devices. The...
Read More »It’s safe to assume that technology, devices, and user behavior will continue to evolve over time. Whatever happens, marketers need to deliver a positive experience for every user.
With that in mind, let’s consider two solid approaches to design optimization:
- Mobile Aware
- Responsive Design
Mobile Aware: Simple Design Improvements
This approach uses design-only tactics, making simple improvements to enhance both the desktop and mobile experience. The goal is to create a single, mobile-friendly visual framework that works in all viewing environments. Here are few tips to create mobile-aware layouts:
- Fo...
The mobile inbox is a powerful tool if used the right way. We know that smart phone penetration in the US has reached 55% and mobile email open rates are over 40%. Almost half of your database is opening email via their mobile phone. Are you designing your emails to display correctly?
You could be leaving money on the table by not designing effective mobile email. Actually, you ARE leaving money on the table. Here are four design tips to help you design for the mobile inbox. Need more tips? Check out our Designing for the Mobile Inbox white paper.
1. Design for Your Audience
Know your...
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Each Thursday
at 11am EST, marketers from around the world join the ExactTarget
user community on Twitter for a conversation about trends and
campaign ideas across the interactive marketing industry. We
call the virtual coffee chat the ExactTarget Café. How do we manage to drive more interaction for email through the mobile device? For email marketers, the key is to deliver content that’s easy to consume on any device, remembering the mobile experience is part of the path to conversion. In other words, marketers should approach mobile optimization by focusing on the overall experience, respecting all inbox environments.
Breaking Down the Mobile Experience
The mobile experience is highly interactive, and every email is viewed in stages. Whether they realize it or not, readers decide to continue or exit at each stage, so it’s important to know...
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Permission-based
email has become the foundation of successful one-to-one marketing,
and a company's database of email subscribers is one of its most
valuable assets.
And with good reason! As our 2012 Channel Preference Survey revealed, 66% of US online consumers report making at least one purchase that was triggered by an offer received via email. And for BtoB marketing, nothing tops email for aiding the customer’s buying decision. In a 2012 article, BtoB Magazine reported that 59% of BtoB marketers say email is their most effective channel for generating revenue.
At the recent 2013 MarketingShe...
Read More »The arena experience is changing; ticket prices are rising and attendance is dropping. While technology is increasing rapidly, the in-arena experience at sporting events remains relatively static. Yes, Jumbotrons are getting even more jumbo and teams are becoming smarter with their social media marketing but for the most part, the experience is not improving fast enough to entice fans away from their couch and 75-inch HD television... until now.
It should be no surprise that the brand new Barclays Center is stepping years into the future with their social media and mobile marketing strategies....
Read More »You've
launched your mobile program, and fine-tuned to increase customer
engagement. Your mobile program is finally in full swing, and
you’re looking to create highly personalized messages that are
consistent across all areas of your business. Since you know your
customer lifecycle well, why not seize the opportunity to
streamline interactions using mobile?
Here are some ideas to create a truly engaging mobile experience in months 7-9.
Empower customers to interact with your brand in real-time. Mobile doesn’t have to be a one way conversation—a simple text response allows subscribers to tell...
Read More »Once
you've got your mobile program up and running, you want customers
to feel engaged and have an opportunity to interact with your brand
on the spot. And as your mobile efforts mature, it’s critical to
provide relevant and dynamic information that keeps subscribers
wanting more.
Here are some ideas to help spark real-time customer engagement in your second three months.
Increase real-time mobile interactions. Mobile isn’t just about gaining email opt-ins anymore, so it’s important to continue growing your program in other ways. Consider creating a mobile voting campaign or text-in survey to...
Read More »When
you’re just starting to put your mobile strategy into action, email
is probably your bread and butter for reaching customers. At this
stage, using mobile to beef up your email list is a good first
step—but there’s plenty more you can do to get your mobile program
off the ground!
Here are some ideas to help jump-start your mobile efforts during the first few months.
Grow your email opt-in list via mobile. If gaining email opt-ins is your goal, then create plenty of opt-in opportunities via text message—like, “Text JOIN and youremail@address.com to 12345 to subscribe to our program”—or add an...
Read More »
Convenience,
ease-of-use, and efficiency are no longer wants, but necessities in
our fast-paced society. Auto bill pay, GPS, and other developments
in technology continue to automate our lives. Marketers are working
to stay at the forefront of their customers’ interactions across
channels—including mobile.
Mobile SMS and push messaging are some of the easiest ways to cut through the clutter and get directly in front of customers. Yet, to have a robust mobile presence, it’s the magic behind the display that makes it possible.
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) arm marketers with the...
Read More »It’s that time of year. Football has passed, our Sundays are free, and basketball emerges in the limelight. For the NBA, there are few times when the light shines brighter than during @NBAAllStar weekend.
It
should be no surprise that the NBA is going to deliver on their
social media strategy this weekend. After fans were able to
vote via Facebook and Twitter this year, the
NBA will continue to engage with fans throughout the weekend. For
the already interactive league, the events will be much more than a
couple of competitions and a game—it is a chance to reach their
audience in new and...
For the past three years, ExactTarget's SUBSCRIBERS, FANS & FOLLOWERS research series has taken an in-depth look at consumer preferences and behaviors as they relate to email, mobile, and social channels. In Marketers From Mars, the 20th report in that series, we turn the tables and look at ourselves: marketers.
As marketers, it’s our job to be on the cutting edge. We were most likely the first among our friends to have smartphones. We were the first to tweet, pin, like, follow, and have a business page on Facebook. We Skype, not Keek. We Google Hangout, not FaceTime. We are the early adopters...
Read More »STRATEGY OVERVIEW
Regardless of whether you decide to implement SMS into your
cross-channel marketing mix, mobile adoption affects other elements
of your campaigns—especially email. And, there’s a lot to consider
when building mobile-friendly email campaigns:
- Knowing your audience. Sure, more and more people are using mobile. But are your subscribers?
- Optimizing content and design for context. It’s best to think about the environment your email is being viewed in, not the specific device being used or email client sending the message. For example, mobile users are more likely to be...
There's something new happening in the world of stand-up comedy,
and it has nothing to do with the material that the "by-night"
performers are delivering to audiences. Take Indianapolis-based
comedy joint Crackers, for instance. On any given night, groups
hungry for a laugh can grab a table, maybe an appetizer and a few
beverages, and enjoy a lineup of amateur performers before the
big-name headliner takes the stage for an hour-long set. But before
the comedy starts, audience members are encouraged to subsribe to
Crackers' "Mobile Text Club."
Essentially, venues like Crackers invite their loyal...









