I admit it. I’m addicted to my wireless phone. Although, I probably use it less as a “telephone” and more as a data hub for all things “me.” It’s a gym buddy, a pocket computer, a jukebox, a social nucleus, an inbox, a game center and sometimes, it’s even a babysitter. By all accounts, my Smartphone is woven into the fabric of my life. And so is yours. According to a recent study published by the Huffington Post Tech Center, there are approximately 6 billion people in the world with cell phone subscriptions. That is a staggering number. Take into account a recent Morgan Stanley report that found 91% of cell phone users have them within arm’s reach 24/7, and we have a message delivery tool like never before.
So, I’m not the only one whose mobile devices play a prominent role in delivering information. And that’s exciting news for marketers. Because we can increasingly use the data that these personal devices are privy to (like recent purchases made or social interactions or even location) and we can now deliver tailored information to the user and reach them where ever we need to. That’s not just targeted marketing, that’s hyper-targeting!
And data is king. We now have the ability to analyze past and current user behaviors and activity to provide recommendations on where to go, what to do and what to buy. While this raises concerns of privacy and data ownership, for marketers, it’s a potential gold mine – with a trackable ROI.
I was recently asked if I see clients utilizing mobile marketing. I can say emphatically, yes. Brands are responding. Each quarter, we are seeing more client dollars being allocated for mobile impact, thus shifting the conversation from branding to an action-oriented message. After all, mobile is all about instant gratification and immediate fulfillment. It’s the linkage to our lives – our likes, our dislikes, our social graph, our preferences – and it represents our online DNA profiles. As marketers, this a great opportunity to harness the technology and deliver compelling communications to this hyper-targeted audience that traditional channels cannot always provide.
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