The Power of Mobile Marketing
https://admateacademy.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-power-of-mobile-marketing.html
The number of mobile phone users will reach 5 billion worldwide by the end of 2020, and that makes up about 62.9% of total Internet traffic. What this means is that every single one of these mobile phones users can inter-connect with every single person that uses a mobile devices. There could not be a better global platform for small business owners to market their products and services.
With just a single click of a button, you can have an open access to billions of people all over the world, most of whom are complete strangers who are surfing the net and looking for one thing or the other online.
Your mobile device gives you access to the rest of the world and social media is the doorway the Internet that presently numbers over 4.5 billion users. The mobile market is the fastest growing sector in the technology industry, with a penetration rate of over 3 billion users according to Statista.
In 2018 alone, over 1,54 billion smartphones were sold and that amounted to about $478.7 billion.50 two out of three persons in the world have a mobile device. This is the type of access mobile devices avail us, including that phone, which you have in your pocket.
In this chapter, you will discover some of the tools and features that can help you harness the power of your mobile device. One of the most important thing about mobile marketing is that, any smart mobile device functions as well as a desktop computer, regardless of the size or value in term of cost. What is key, is the functionality of the device, such as the apps loaded on the device.
There are numerous ways to use a mobile device to market a product and service, and some of these methods are not new to us, because we use them every day, especially by those who own small businesses that are operated such as lock up shop owners in the neighbouring street or those individuals who run their business from home. These are people like you, whose messages you receive on your mobile phone every day. Dozens of messages hit your phone daily and they come either as SMS, WhatsApp messages, pop ups from advertisers.
In whatever form these messages come, the objective is to market a product to you; so, what is preventing you from doing the same and starting to market your business to them likewise. Often, people hesitate to engage in mobile marketing because they do not understand how it works. Some shy away because they assume it is too complex and expensive, while for many others, it is just a tech myth, which they feel is beyond comprehension.
1. Bulk SMS
2. Private Messages
3. Facebook Messenger
4. WhatsApp
5. Twitter Ads
6. LinkedIn
7. Instagram
1. Bulk SMS:
Bulk SMS is one of the most effective tools used by small business owners to market products and services. Bulk SMS services are contractible to SMS service providers or can be through DIY methods. For you to get the best out of bulk SMS you must pick a target audience not exceeding a radius of 1,000 meters. It is also possible to target a neighbourhood or a locality with a high concentration of potential customers.
Bulk SMS is one of the least expensive advertising methods and does not require Internet access. You can do it yourself, and if you choose to use a service provider, the rates are also quite reasonable; nothing a startup cannot afford.
2. Private Messaging (PMS)
This method, though not quite popular, is certainly one of the most effective. Often, the use of PMS is to target individuals, mostly on a one-on-one basis, it is effective and produces an unusually high return. The use of PMS method of marketing cuts across platforms; it can be on social media messaging platforms, such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
3. Facebook
Facebook is the leading social media platform used for marketing and advertising purposes by digital marketers and content curators; and it has shown persistent growth in the social media arena, positioning itself is one of the favourite digital marketing platforms. In the last couple of years, there have been improvements in the features of both Facebook and Facebook messenger, which has made it possible to leave audio and video messages in the inbox of your contacts. This method has proven to be quite effective, but you must be careful to ensure that you provide quality content, failing which you may not achieve the much-anticipated positive results.
4. WhatsApp
Broadcasting messages through various WhatsApp groups is one of the ways business owner’s market their products and services. You can also perform targeted PMS marketing to contacts believed to be prospects or to people you have their mobile numbers, who are either listed on your phone contact or those whose numbers you have but are not on your phone. It does not matter whether they are local or international.
5. Twitter
Twitter is a great marketing tool for startups, and it is better used for sensitization purposes, either targeting a specific list of individuals with unique interest groups or the public. It is one of the most powerful marketing tool and often used by digital marketers, bloggers and social media managers because it produces a high rate of click-throughs. Twitter ads are quite affordable and the target audience per dollar that they company offers is one of the best in the industry.
6. LinkedIn
LinkedIn provides the most effective Business-to-Business (B2B) network for professionals seeking new jobs, partnership or companies that are marketing their brands. The PMS feature of LinkedIn is great for private messaging and marketing as well.
7. Instagram
Evidently, Instagram is growing in popularity for B2B users around the world and especially in Nigeria. This photograph-centric social media platform has become the digital photobook for small business owners, where they display their products and share them with friends and those in their social networks.
Conclusion
Mobile marketing can help create that edge over your competition, which most small business owners seek. Apart from these, there are numerous other methods used by digital marketers and business owners to promote products and services.
