Digital Marketing in the Mobile Revolution

The innovative nature of internet marketing provides exciting opportunities for all sorts of businesses.While techniques such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Social Media Marketing (SMM) prove very effective, the most revolutionary approach is mobile advertising.This advanced form of advertising utilizes modern technology to its fullest extent.Mobile advertising enables companies to launch marketing campaigns that target much more specific and relevant audiences.One way to accomplish this is to target individuals based on proximity to a location, or to the business itself.This is an exceptionally powerful tool for very small businesses that serve only nearby clientele, yet this feature barely skims the surface of mobile marketing capabilities.Technology permits an increasing ability to target individuals based on their preferences, especially with the expansion of services such as Foursquare and Gowalla which help measure ones plans, preferences, and social associations.These capabilities will enable businesses to market only to the audience that is most likely to respond.Not only does the mobile marketing industry promise campaigns that target individuals, but it also helps companies reach out to a broader audience.It achieves this through the consolidation of mobile industry players.Consolidation involves the vertical integration of businesses including ad networks, technology providers, and publishers.Typically, companies target very fragmented bodies that are difficult to reach.Consolidation makes it easier to find and pursue these divided groups.As a result, businesses can increase their outreach.Thus, mobile marketing enables businesses to target the most relevant audiences in two ways.First, mobile devices increasingly measure attributes of the owner, permitting exposure to more tailored advertisements.Second, consolidation of major players in the mobile industry makes it easier for businesses to target all members of a fragmented audience.Mobile marketing revolutionizes the industry in other ways as well.For example, mobile devices can now interact with certain digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertisements.The marriage of these technologies gives rise to a new form of impressive and memorable publicity.Although such interaction does not seem to encourage direct response, it certainly helps with branding.Click-to-call advertisements are yet another unique capability of mobile devices.This technique is very promising for two reasons.First, the inclusion of a phone number in the text of an advertisement seems to give the company more credibility in the eyes of consumers.This generally leads to higher click through rates.Second, interaction with the advertisement results in direct conversation with salespeople, rather than a connection to a landing site.It is well understood that live contact of that nature is a more effective way to deal with potential clients or buyers than web based sales efforts.Lastly, mobile devices provide another way to receive feedback, making it easier for companies to measure return on investment for campaigns, as well as for products and services.As social networking services such as Twitter become more prevalent, companies can monitor traffic that comments on their advertisements and services.Also, many businesses have developed applications dedicated to gathering feedback.Yet again, the mobile age aids companies marketing goals.As technology improves, so do campaigns of businesses and experiences of consumers.Mobile devices have already revolutionized the marketing industry.Businesses can now target a more relevant and expansive audience than ever before with more effective and memorable advertisements.Consumers notice reduced clutter of uninteresting advertisements and enjoy those that suit their needs.Considering all this information, it seems the mobile revolution has benefits for all involved.