Mobile Marketing – It works and the time is now

Mobile marketing powerhouses just took the state at IMS11.  And they’ve frankly changed my mind about mobile marketing.  Now, in all honesty, I’m a bit of a crank when it comes to marketing messages and my cell phone.  I appreciate a well designed mobile site and have made plenty of buying decisions from my phone.   But I really don’t have the vocabulary to adequately express my hatred of promotional text messages.

The panelists included:

• Rich Miner (@richminer) Partner, Google Ventures (he founded Android)
• Tim Hayden, (@TheTimHayden) CMO 44Doors
• John Puterbaugh, (@JDPuterbaugh) Founder & CEO of Nellymoser Inc.
•  Matt Cutler, (@MCutler)CEO Kibits Labs

My personal feelings aside, the stats are dang compelling. Here are a few gleaned from the discussion:

• 70% of mobile searches result in action within an hour.
• 39% of restaurant searches are done via mobile phones.
•  Embedding short codes, QR codes or other types of “action codes” within print advertising can generate significant lift in campaign results – a 15% to 20% lift, in fact.
• Mobile specific ad campaigns – 10% higher response rates.

Some things to keep in mind:

Mobile users respond to and use content differently.  You need to have click-to-call numbers, content that renders on the 4” screen, use action codes in prints, signs, etc. People will readily use the codes to enter contests, get samples, etc.

The opportunity to convert on mobile devices is fleeting.  You need more than a “like.”  Users need directional data – a map, a coupon.  Example:  Kendall Jackson wine.  Necktags have QR codes, SMS and a URL.  If someone inBostonscans the code, they get a regionally appropriate pairing & recipe (chowder & chardonnay) vs what someone inHoustonwould see (bbq).

Some other good advice from the panel:

• Don’t do mobile, QR codes haphazardly – putting QR codes on billboards next to a highway, for example, is a terrible idea.  The codes don’t scan well from a fast moving car.  And, of course, in many states, drivers are legally prohibited from scanning those codes.
• The panel encouraged us to experiment with free services – such as appending free QR codes to online content – and tracking the results.
• SMS works best within 2 or 3 exchanges max.  People are going places, they have better things to do than trade text with your brand.