3Cinteractive Blog

Most brands are familiar with the potential for mobile, but they still ask the same question, “What do we do with this?” Explaining how to build a mobile marketing campaign won’t cut it anymore. There is another “How to” feature: mobile advertising.
I was reviewing the MMA Global Mobile Advertising Guidelines and came across a great reference piece that I thought would be a great starting point for those entering the mobile advertising space. I’ve included the original list as well as my thoughts on each.

1. Click-To-Call – Users place an outgoing call to the content provider or advertiser.

I like this approach because it is fairly easy to implement on SMS, as well as WAP. Most handsets can recognize an embedded phone number, making this a great starting block. In a recent mobile advertising study by Neilson Reports, 9% of those that were exposed to a mobile advertisement responded with a call.

2. Click-To-Locate – Users find the nearest outlet, or car dealer, or movie theatre, enabled by location based services.

As mobile technology develops, this will be a very powerful tool. Right now, there are too few handsets for this technology to reach its true potential. Instead, I would recommend an SMS directory solution that would allow a user to text in their zip code and receive the closest location.

3. Click to order brochure – Users receive marketing materials by supplying their postal addresses.

If used correctly, this advertising method can help push your products to the market. The areas that have built the unprecedented conversion rates have involved “consumption” on the mobile device, or internet. If the company shows a steady rate of growth based on the number of pre-qualified brochure orders, this advertising will benefit the user. I would recommend placing this type of advertisement as a follow-up marketing message once the user has opted in to an alerts campaign.

4. Click to Enter Competition – Users enter text or sweepstake to win prizes.

This is one of the highest conversion options in mobile advertising. In the study I referenced above, 26% of those who viewed a mobile advertisement responded with a text message. Allowing users to convert on their handset makes the task simple and ensures that even the busiest consumers will have an opportunity to join the list.

5. Click to Receive E-Mail – Users receive an e-mail and link to online site by supplying their e-mail address.

E-mail conversions are relatively low and end-users are wary to post their e-mail addresses for fear of additional SPAM messaging. If there is a large amount of content, an e-mail is the right choice; but this e-mail should not be used for follow-up marketing messages. Instead, leverage an SMS alerts program to push out appropriate alerts and enjoy high conversions.

6. Click to Receive Mobile Coupon – Users apply for mobile coupon that provides access to an event or restaurant.

As stated, encouraging and enabling consumption on the mobile device is the way to go. Users that consume mobile coupons will often opt-in to receive additional coupons from similar stores.

7. Click-to-Buy – Users download content, including logos, wallpapers, or ringtones onto their mobile phones.

Mobile content allows for continued brand exposure beyond the time the user interacts with the campaign. This same content is often shared with a user’s friends and family, adding a viral component. For growing artists and record labels, exclusive ringtone tracks can build a direct connection to loyal fans interested in purchasing their next album.

8. Click to Enter Mobile Website – Users click a banner to get connected to standing or campaign-specific mobile web site.

As the smartphone market continues to adapt to the internet standards of the iPhone, click-to-web advertising will be a very powerful conversion. Too few mobile phone users enjoy or understand WAP browsing, which can leave a bad brand impression on the user. With so many more powerful alternatives, mobile WAP browsing should be kept on the reserve list, unless it really fits the target demograhic.

9. Click to Forward Content – User forwards relevant content to friends, creating a viral campaign effect.

Every marketing department pushes for the viral campaign that lights up their target demographic. Viral Internet campaigns often require a link to be passed from user-to-user through instant messenger or e-mail. So many IMs and e-mails get lost in the shuffle that even the best marketing campaign can lose a significant number of otherwise interested consumers.

10. Click to Vote – Users are sampled and their responses to various questions delivered on mobile.

Everyone loves to be heard. Mobile voting benefits from this desire, and allows consumers to participate with very few steps. The best feature of mobile voting is its ability to populate additional groups of demographics based on the end-user’s choice. This builds a multi-tiered campaign that can incorporate additional advertisement techniques.