In the marketing industry mobile advertising has really exploded in popularity over the past several years. In fact, prior to just a few years ago, there was really no such thing as mobile advertising because most mobile devices did not have reliable internet connections or the ability to load web content. Today, however, virtually everyone is carrying a smart phone with them, and it has become an ideal way to advertise.
So, to answer the question of what is mobile advertising, it is simply any type of advertising that is done through the use of a mobile device. While this may seem quite specific at first, there are actually quite a few different types of mobile advertising that you should know about and consider when adding this strategy into your overall marketing game plan.
Mobile Display Advertising
One of the first types of mobile advertising was simply transitioning normal display ads from computers to mobile devices. This was largely just a reformatting of the existing ads so that they would load quickly on mobile devices, and be easier to read on the smaller screens. This type of ad has continued to evolve and now can include audio and video that is played right on the mobile device.
This option has many of the same advantages and disadvantages of display advertising on a normal PC. Follow this link to learn more about display advertising in general. When it comes to mobile display advertising, the most important thing to remember is that you will want to make sure your ads are targeted toward people who are likely to be interested in the products or services you are promoting. This is done by identifying keywords that are able to convert well into leads or sales.
Text Message Marketing
Another great form of mobile marketing is often called text message marketing or “SMS” marketing. SMS stands for short message service, and is the technology behind text messages. This can be an extremely effective option because of the fact that well over 95% of text messages are read within minutes of being received. When you send out a text message to your subscribers, you can be confident that they will see it and respond well.
In order to send out marketing texts, however, you need to get people to opt in to receiving your messages. This is often done by offering them an incentive. This could be a free service or a coupon or some other little perk that will draw them in. Once they have opted in to receive your texts, you can begin marketing to them using this medium.
Location-Based Marketing
Since most smart phones have a GPS unit built right in, you can often access that data to display your advertisements. One very effective way this has been used by some businesses is to trigger an ad to display whenever they get within a certain distance of their business. If, for example, you walk near a local restaurant, it can trigger an ad to display on your phone with a 10% off of any dish coupon. This can help lead to immediate sales for your business.
Of course, you will need permission to access the data on these potential customer’s phones. This is often done through the use of your own dedicated app (see below) or having your business be part of another marketing app that will display advertisements for a wide range of businesses.
App Marketing
More and more businesses are having their own custom apps developed. They can then encourage customers to download and install the app on their mobile phones. Once done, you can send them messages or offer them coupons or other benefits for shopping. You can even offer great perks just for app users. This helps to build brand loyalty with your customers, and can increase the total amount they are spending with your business.
QR Code Marketing
One of the latest mobile advertising options is to use QR codes. These are the codes you see that are typically a square shaped black and white box that has hundreds of small boxes within it. When you scan this code, it will instruct your mobile device to take a specific action. Typically this means loading up a web page, but there are other options as well. This can be a great way to provide customers with information about your business and attempt to increase sales.
As you can see, there are many different marketing opportunities within the scope of mobile advertising. When done properly, this can be one of the most effective forms of marketing your business in today’s digital world.