Mobile marketing seems to be the topic of 2011. More people than ever are discussing this topic in lectures, blogs and presentations. The mobile phone ensures that we are constantly connected with friends and family in real time. Ninety percent of the time spent on the mobile phone is social. In addition, that goes beyond “calling.” In 2010, Twitter had a 347% growth in mobile consumers, and now more than 200 million people are using Facebook mobile. We literally carry our “social graph” in our pockets.

Yet there is a general lack of knowledge and too much advertisement without planning. It was initially rumored that mobile use was going to be widespread. According to the statistics:

Four billion people now have access to a mobile phone. That is more than half of the world’s population. By comparison, there are “only” 1.9 billion Internet connections. According to the Mobile Marketing Association, 85% of all phones sold in 2011 were smart phones that have much broader capabilities than previous generations of mobile phones.

In 2013, mobile PCs were the most used device for Internet access. In 2014, there will be a 90% penetration of mobile Internet. When Eric Schmidt was CEO of Google, the adoption of mobile web was eight times faster than the first wave of PC Internet adoption.

We will soon switch to a market of smart phones where mobile Internet is spreading quickly. This evolution has a great effect on our behavior. We are almost permanently online. I use my mobile to send regular tweets from the car, check email while in line at the supermarket, and check the latest Face-book news when I eat out. It is a habit and an addiction. It has changed the way I live and work.

Besides our keys and wallet, the mobile phone has become our partner. There is no communication closer to us. This offers special marketing opportunities. Moreover, we are only at the very beginning. The new mobile technology is faster and offers more features than ever. For example, 4G users spend twice as much time on the web via their phone than 3G surfers do. The emergence of new technologies such as visual search will have a big impact.

Convenience:

We are using our mobiles to look up information. If we have to find a good restaurant, or the price of a product, we use our mobile phone. It has been predicted that mobile commerce, which currently accounts for US$15 billion will reach US$215 billion in 2015. It brings several other devices together as a multifunctional whole. It is our video player, our alarm clock, our daily planner. The technology is becoming more versatile. Think of augmented reality applications (which until recently seemed like a gimmick).

Entertainment:

Anyone who ever played Angry Birds knows that mobile gaming is hot. The game has already been downloaded 100 million times and has raised more than US$70 million. In addition to gaming, listening to music, and sharing videos are particularly popular. In 2013, 64% of all mobile traffic will be video. The mobile phone ensures that we are never bored.

A. We do nothing!

Many marketers are busy with the integration of social media. This means that the possibilities for mobile marketing are not at issue. Society is changing so fast that we will always have to integrate social media. Although there are not many users of certain channels (egg Foursquare) or certain equipment (egg tablets), marketers and organizations must prepare for the possible implications and opportunities.

B. We should make an app!

Marketers who are open to new possibilities and see the relevance of mobile marketing think about only one thing: an application built around their brand. That is not the right approach. It is important to design mobile marketing so that it actually can have an impact. Here, is a guide to:

1- Get a Smart phone:

It seems obvious, but too often, we make statements about things that we do not understand. Many people judge tweets without ever having read them. It is important to experience what is possible in order to think about opportunities for your brand or organization.

2- Build internal knowledge:

Appoint someone to monitor developments and experiment with mobile marketing. Choose someone from who knows about mobile marketing.

3- Investigation of the mobility of your target audience:

Researching your target market is important. Determine what are our daily needs. How big is the penetration of smart phones in your target audience, what type of devices are most often used (phone, Android, Blackberry) which applications are downloaded, what does the target user expect of your brand?

4- Make sure the base is good:

If you know that more people consume mobile content, it is important that the user be also offered on mobile devices. Think of a mobile website, a mobile shop and the design of your communication on the mobile.

5- Set clear objectives:

It is important to know in advance what you want to achieve with a mobile strategy. Do you want to create brand awareness, your image design, sales and generate customer loyalty? Make clear choices that are the foundation of your mobile strategy.

6- Be relevant and think of the three pillars:

How you think from your brand values and target appropriate to respond to the three pillars contact, convenience and entertainment. Use them as a guide to your objectives translate into a relevant mobile proposition.

7- Measure and report:

It is extremely important to pilot testing products and obtain feedback. Measure the right elements. Research shows that 26% of apps are only used once. Simply counting the number of downloads is not enough. The way most organizations, mobile marketing approach, is similar to the way we treated social media 3 to 4 years ago, or the Internet 15 years ago. There is no knowledge built, and although there is usually inspiration, there is no clear strategy or objective.