Mobile marketing v. mobile advertising: Is their a difference?

Answers to common questions when planning mobile

How the hell do we plan for mobile?

How do you measure the success?

Development schedules for mobile-enabled sites, branded applications or mobile games can take a few weeks or many months.

Dedicated SMS shorts codes take 8 weeks minimum to get ready. Shared SMS codes have shorter lifecycles, but still require time.

The method of obtaining short-codes varies from country to country.

Researching solutions, providers, agencies takes time.

Dedicated short-code can cost $15-30k, per year. Shared short codes are significantly cheaper . Research prices & compare.

Vanity codes cost about $1,000/month, random codes about half that.

Per message SMS Prices

0 – 99,999 $0.035

100,000 - 249,999 $0.030

250,000 - 499,999 $0.025

500,000 - 999,999 $0.020

1,000,000 - 4,999,999 $0.015

Inexpensive services to help you build

Build from the ground up $5-20k, depends on depth of site.

Applications, downloadable programs that run on your phone, designed for the specific platform iPhone, Palm Pre, Google Android, Blackberry & all Windows phones.

Require knowledge of developer kit.

Think about your touch points. Where will the mobile effort be promoted? How much will it cost to execute the collateral?

The mobile program should be tied to the organization’s overarching marketing strategy.

Front load the budget. Cost decreases once you’ve made the initial effort to acquire those first customers.

Mobile marketing efforts shouldn’t be thought of as campaigns. Commit to a long-term, lifecycle-type of conversation.

Successful mobile campaigns find a way to create conversations with their customers.

Waiters/waitresses

Less costly than direct mail, slightly more expensive than email, but “worth the effort given the response rate.”

Television commercials with graphics at the bottom inviting viewers to learn more about the Hooters Mobile Club.