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One of the newest promotional tools used by today’s business owners is mobile advertising. Millions of people are using mobile phones or PDA’s each day. People spend more times using the mobile phones each day than they spend watching television. So why not take advantage of this new market for potential customers.
There are several types of mobile advertising. Some markets use a mobile web banner at the top of the page or a mobile web poster that is at the bottom of the page. Other markets favor using text messaging, SMS or multimedia messaging, MMS. Mobile advertising can also be seen during the receipt of mobile TV programs, while mobile web pages are loading or even in jingles before voicemail messages.
A lot of the mobile advertising is related to mobile phone plans and accessories. Mobile phone companies are finding that it is very effective to send as SMS to inform customers that they are using a lot of text messages, at the same time they may offer a free month of a higher priced text messaging plan. The customer is able to place an order for the new plan as soon as they receive the message by simply responding to the advertisement. Other promotions could include free downloads for music or games. Customers are far more likely to purchase the product advertised while the information is on the screen than if they have to take extra steps to complete the purchase.
Mobile phone companies also send mobile advertising for new phone handsets and rate plans. And there are special promotions for loyal customers. For instance, a customer may get a month’s free service for simply responding to a mobile advertisement. Mobile advertising campaigns have proven to be very effective. So effective that other companies are beginning to purchase space for mobile advertising. Grocery stores and department stores are finding that customers are much more likely to make a purchase if they are already in the store. And some companies are sending recipes to the mobile phone along with a grocery list for the ingredients.
Some of the mobile advertising is interactive, requiring the consumer to respond. While there may be limited space for mobile advertising, the customer may be given basic information and in order for the customer to get all information for special promotions, he may need to visit the advertiser’s website. Because information on the mobile phones is accessible twenty- four hours a day seven days a week, the customer can recover the information for special promotions or sales anytime they want without having to print out anything or go to any extra trouble. The easier it is for the customer, the better the response will be. Customers can easily pass information on to other customers by simply forwarding the information.
Mobile advertising is a marketing tool that has nowhere to go but up. The possibilities are endless for this particular medium because handsets and PDA’s are constantly evolving, and the advertising world will evolve with them.