Mobile phone marketing, otherwise known as digital marketing, is the modern evolution of direct promotion. Direct promotion has always been favored by businesses as a personalized and focused way of reaching potential customers and, with the popularity of mobiles, SMS marketing has risen in usage. Mobile marketing is perhaps best defined as the practice of promoting products and services using digital distribution channels to reach consumers in a quick, focused, personal and economic way.
The most prevalent form of mobile marketing is SMS marketing, which has expanded very quickly in Europe and Asia. It is predicted that several hundred million marketing messages are sent through SMS every month in Europe alone. SMS stands for ’short message service’ and is a communication form specific to mobiles where a short message can be easily sent to any mobile owner. As well as sending information to consumers, marketers can often encourage consumers to join in marketing and brand publicity campaigns by encouraging consumers to SMS a specific number at an event in order to enter a competition, to receive a prize or to have their message displayed on a multimedia wall at an event. All of these techniques engages the consumer through the medium of SMS and creates brand awareness.
There are a variety of other types of mobile marketing. One example is sending texts via MMS, which is a multimedia version of SMS, allowing consumers to receive messages with color, pictures and video. There is also mobile web marketing, where businesses advertise marketing goals through websites accessed by mobiles. Marketers often make innovative use of SMS marketing such as location-based services where consumers are offered tailored promotions and other network-related information and marketing information based on their whereabouts. With the range of techniques and choices available to marketers, it is no wonder that a recent marketing survey found that 89% of major brands planned to advertise their products through mobile marketing by the end of 2008.
Mobile marketing is an example of what is known within the industry as “push” marketing. The idea behind push marketing is that that the business has to send (push) the information to the subscriber in order for the message to be received. This is different to “pull” marketing, a passive form of promotion, where it is users who seek out the information from sources such as websites or blogs.
There are several advantages to SMS marketing. Primarily, the attraction is that this form of promotion can be personalized to the user. This is the ideal in marketing as it means getting the material specifically to the people it’s focused on, instead of wasting dollars on an unfocussed campaign. The specialization allowed by this type of promotions, which results in a more cost-effective campaign, is one example why a high return on investment is possible with SMS marketing. Another advantage of SMS marketing is the detailed tracking and reporting of users it allows. Through this medium, marketers can track how many customers received their message and also access detailed information about each consumer such as their name, their age, their demographic and where they’re located. This allows a promoter to raise profiles of their users; information which then guides future promotional campaigns and, ideally, their success.
It is noted in the industry that push marketing, of which SMS marketing is a type, can help build new cash flows and brand exposure if it is implemented correctly and appropriately. This is because it makes users aware of new events that they may not know to find already and the way the information is written, and even the fact that the message is being sent by a contemporary, cool medium such as SMS, can say a great deal about a brand and a corporation.
There are, however, some negatives to SMS marketing. By its very nature, it needs a mechanism - the mobile - to be able to deliver information. The business, as well, must make use of specific hardware and software in order to send the content to subscribers, which can mean substantial outgoings. Another negative is the fact that SMS marketing is heavily regulated by the telecommunications industry in response to consumer worries about what information and marketing they get exposed to. Most Western countries have laws in place that request marketers to get the approval of subscribers before promotional information is sent to them and must clearly provide them with an ‘opt out’ clause if they want to stop receiving content. If companies are found to be in contravention of these laws, network providers can block marketing material by marketers.
As mobile technology improves, SMS marketing will certainly continue to gather in relevance.
September 9th, 2008
Posted by
hroberts
Business, Phones
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In most companies, the boardroom is a technology-free island. Most conference rooms consist of a table, some chairs, overhead lights, and possibly a whiteboard. But meeting rooms are changing as technology evolves… and no area of business will be left behind.
After a digital projector, the next step in board room technology is the electronic whiteboard. The customary dry erase board has been a board room standard for years. But it has limitations which really can be seen when compared to some of the technology existing today. For one, everything written on a white board is temporary, and must be erased to leave room to write more. This means that, if the discussion notes will have to be referred to later, an attendee will have to be assigned to take notes from the board. But this old-fashioned system is a thing of the past. Electronic whiteboards take away the need to take notes by hand, as all that is noted on their surface can be printed (as with Copyboards), kept as digital information (as with Peripheral boards), or even be arranged, grouped, and interacted with (Interactive Whiteboards).
A new edition of the electronic white board is the PDP, or Plasma Display Panel. A plasma display panel is basically a huge, but much slimmer, flat-screen T.V. or computer monitor. PDPs are normally 42″ to 50″, and have a very clear, vivid screen, making them great for video conferencing. Because PDPs are a relatively new addition to the audio visual systems market, they’re also very expensive, ranging from about $8,000 to $20,000. For around $4,000 extra, companies can invest in an interactive overlay for the PDP. This is a relatively small investment when compared to the price of the PDP and when bearing in mind the many practical uses of a PDP with an interactive overlay. An interactive overlay will include touch sensibility and annotation abilities, allowing you to use your PDP just like an interactive whiteboard.
www.edgevision.co.uk
January 19th, 2008
Posted by
hroberts
Phones, Major Companies, Tech Help
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We tend to forget how amazing it is that you can now telephone long distance to anywhere in the world. International direct dial (IDD), enabling effective person-to-person calling, is now available in almost all countries. A small minority still require an operator to you connect you, but these are rare. This service is generally available from almost any public payphone, resident phone, mobile phone or hotel phone in the world. It is worth bearing in mind however, if you use IDD to telephone long distance, that it could be an expensive option, and may not always be available.
Read more about Telephone Long Distance
September 12th, 2007
Posted by
tomagogame
General, Phones
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Since its invention more than a hundred years ago, the telephone has gone through a lot of changes, each marking a new step in the development of voice telecommunications. First, there was the automated switchboard, then there was digital telephony, then mobile telephony, and now there is VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol), also known as Internet telephony. Yet VoIP is something completely different from conventional telephony, in that it relies on the transmission of packets over the Internet instead of establishing a circuit between two phones. You can use either VoIP phones, which are actually Internet devices with their own IP address, or regular telephones connected to VoIP converters.
Though the advent of VoIP was met with a certain dose of scepticism, recent years have seen a surge in the number of new subscribers, both individuals and companies. There are a few characteristics that make VoIP extremely attractive. One such characteristic is the increased speed of VoIP networks, which use less bandwidth than other applications and allow seamless service integration. This ultimately leads to increased productivity and efficiency…
Read more in A New Kind Of Telephone
June 2nd, 2007
Posted by
announcer
General, Internet, Misc, Phones
no comments
Before you decide to go wireless or not, there are many points to consider. You may be asking yourself if wireless is for you. Well, today, many people are asking themselves the same question. If you watch the headline news, you are bound to see stories involving mergers, federal regulations, and new tax rules. This all points to the fact that VoIP has made a definite impression on American citizens and is here to stay. It may be difficult for some people to remove the telephone cords from their homes; we have depended on them for over 100 years. But once many people take the time to weigh the pros and the cons, most choose to go wireless. Here are some reasons, why you should make the switch to wireless.
1. Wireless Creates a Faster Network
Wireless networks are fast. With VoIP, you can create a network that incorporates data, audio, video, and computer web features. You can easily monitor your network for problems and troubleshooting is much simpler with web based applications rather than hardware applications. VoIP uses less bandwidth than other applications and this in the long run saves money. This is of special value to businesses. Businesses can also provide better customer service with integrated programs. Not only does this increase productivity, but also it saves time and money in the long run…
Read more in 5 Things to Know Before Going Wireless With VOIP
May 26th, 2007
Posted by
announcer
Computers, Internet, Phones, Software, Tech Help
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