July 12, 2011
This article was originally published on The Daily Blogma (www.dailyblogma.com).
Got Mobile?”
By David J Dunworth
There are a heck of a lot of reasons to go mobile; the most important of them is to not miss the boat, while the world sails at full speed. More than 225 million mobile phone users in the U.S. have set the stage for expanded growth in the use of technology. These mobile device users (you just can’t call them cell phones anymore) have pushed the computer screen out of the office, the television out of the house and the movie theater, well, let’s just say, is fully dependent on first run hits only. These screens are now in the consumer’s hands, and their eyes are fixed on the screens. The eyes have it and there’s no turning back.
Mobile not only enhances the search function, it creates an environment of more intelligent shopping, quicker response time in relation to customer interaction, instant customer feedback and provides information when the customer wants it. They simply opt-in, or opt-out when the mood strikes them. In order to maintain your digital customer base, the use of mobile takes some knowledge of how today’s customers think about mobile.
Mobile offers a plethora of information share options that make the transactions between buyer and seller instantaneous. With mobile apps designed to reach customers who may be interested in a particular product or service merely need to opt in to a text marketing campaign, receive coupons or discounts, or even highlight features and benefits at the click of a button. Customers no longer need to sit at their desktops and print out a coupon, rebate form or other form of offering, nor are they susceptible to the clip to save that print coupons require. Time is money, and the fastest way to reach customers and potentials is through mobile.
Mobile offers brand extension opportunities and interaction with customers through packaging QR codes. By simply scanning the code with your mobile device camera, an app reads the symbol and voila – additional offers, product information, supplemental products that coordinate well with the aforementioned one, and much, much more.
Mobile payment services is growing by leaps and bounds, with instant transactions handled from the palm of your hands. First Data reports that the use of mobile payments is on the rise, and will become an integral part of their overall finance industry offerings.
Mobile services offer unique ways to interact by opt-in information share concepts.
Mobile has the means to develop a customer loyalty program or VIP group, and thereby provides a means for more frequent communication between customer and supplier.
Mobile has so many uses in addition to information share, discounting and couponing, chatting and so forth. Mobile can be used as an emergency notification tool, a student reminder notification, or a service reminder for any business that bills for their time, like a dentist, lawyer, accountant and so on.
If you are in business, there is room for mobile within it. Not only can mobile increase productivity and revenues, it can make lives richer, more informed and connectivity improved.
You need only review your existing operations to find reasons for adding mobile, whether it be mobile marketing or mobile communications. With U.S. business marketplace feverishly working toward incorporating mobile into their marketing and communications mix, it is estimated that by the end of 2012, 30% of all business will have mobile technology as part of their routine operating plan.
David J Dunworth is an internationally acclaimed author and presenter on the subjects of business, focusing on the entrepreneurs and emerging enterprise arenas. He is the CEO of TeXT-Icon Mobile Marketing Communications (www.text-icon.com), an international text and video communications firm offering affordable and bleeding edge technologies for marketing.
You can read his blog by visiting:
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