General
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Mobile Marketing

Lesson 2

Mobile marketing refers to advertising through a mobile device. In many cases, mobile marketing does not involve the internet and so it is not necessarily an online money making method. It capitalizes on the fact that people constantly use their mobile devices. Thus, there is a greater chance of ensuring that one’s advertisement is seen with a mobile device than there would be through email or traditional print journalism.

There are a few different mobile marketing methods that are popular, including SMS (Short Message Service), MMS (Multimedia Message Service), in- game mobile marketing, and mobile web marketing. These different methods target the different ways in which people use their mobile devices.

SMS marketing involves marketing via a cell phones short message service, such as text messaging. It has been shown to be a highly effective method for making money because there is a strong probability that the message will be read. Cell phones typically do not have the spam filter that email has, and so a company has a good chance of reaching their potential customer. SMS remains a safe advertising method because the cell phone carriers are comprehensive in policing the network. However, there is still a stigma that remains with SMS marketing, as many people view it disparagingly as another form of spam advertising.

There are a number of different methods for SMS marketing. One is for companies to send text messages to an email address, although this does not ensure that it will reach someone’s mobile device. The most popular method involves short codes, which are five or six digit numbers that are assigned by the mobile operator and programmed to send messages at a predetermined rate. This method is popular because it is safe, reliable, and ensures that people will receive the message. However, at a price of $500-$1000 a month, it is prohibitively expensive for many companies. Nevertheless, SMS marketing is remarkably effective and has the greatest possibility for being read, as the majority of messages are read within several minutes of being sent.

 Multimedia Message Service (MMS) is less popular than SMS marketing but still a viable option for those looking to make money through mobile marketing. MMS involves a timed slideshow of images, text messages, or other electronic material. The slideshows can be alluring as they are more image-based than the text messages characterizing SMS marketing. However, the slideshows are also greater in scope and can be an irritant to potential customers.

Another method for mobile marketing is in-game mobile marketing, which capitalizes on the large amount of people who use their mobile device for playing games. There are many different types of games that are played using mobile devices, including social networking games and more casual games, both of which are quite popular. Many companies have begun to realize the immense potential for advertising through these games and choose either to promote their product via the game or sponsor the game.

Mobile web marketing is characterized by advertising on websites that are intended for use in mobile devices. It is not drastically different from advertising through a computer, except that the web sites that are targeted usually involve those that people visit on their cell phone rather than their computer. This includes advertising through search engines, and there are also a number of mobile advertisers as well.

Each of the mobile marketing methods is useful and reflects the many different ways in which people interact with their mobile devices. In many ways, the mobile device has supplanted the computer with regard to how people consume information and communicate with one another. Mobile marketing capitalizes on the growing popularity of mobile devices as instruments of information acquisition and communication.

Pen