Voice Keywords from Go800 - A Mobile-Centric Approach to Direct Response Marketing

Go800, a subsidiary of mobile media services and solutions provider GoIP, has launched an innovative, patent-pending mobile direct response service called Voice Keywords. This service intends to bring vendors and their target customers closer and make the process of direct response marketing simpler.

Voice Keywords is basically a text-to-action version of direct response marketing. Vendors can use certain keywords related to their business in their ads and customers can respond to those ads by texting the keyword to Go800. When they do, a representative from the vendors’ response team immediately gets in touch with them and offers more information about the product.

For example, a mortgage lender can lease the keyword ‘mortgage’ and use it in his marketing campaign. Customers, on seeing the ad, can simply text the word ‘mortgage’ to 46800 (Go800). Immediately, Go800 will call the customers on their mobile phone and connect them to a representative of the mortgage lender. All this happens within a few seconds.

Vendors can lease keywords that they want to use in their marketing campaigns. Go800 says that a lot of keywords, both generic and brand-specific, have been already taken by a number of advertising agencies and businesses.

I think it is a good idea which could become popular with vendors if pitched the right way. There are two reasons why I think this idea will click.

1. It makes it easier for a potential customer to respond to an advert. As a vendor, you cannot expect someone to see your ad, call the toll free number, wait patiently to get in touch with your representative, and get the information. It takes time, which could make some people lose their interest halfway. With Voice Keywords, all a customer needs to do is text a keyword to get a call from a representative instantly.

2. A lot of people do not have smartphones or high end phones with mobile web facility. They will not be able to visit your website immediately and get the information they want. Text messaging, on the other hand, is a facility that is available in almost all types of mobile phones. So, a potential customer can easily text a keyword and get the information he wants in a matter of few seconds.

Go800 plans to make it a global service and is currently building case studies to show potential vendors how they can benefit from such a service.

The idea of a company calling back a customer is certainly new for a lot of people in the industry. So, it might be difficult to convince them to come out of the ‘customer-calling-toll-free-number’ mindset and give this new idea a try. I, however, strongly feel that new ideas like this will become popular in the near future as businesses start looking for ways to become more and more customer friendly.

Categories: All things mobile phones.

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AT&T Orders 8 Million Windows Phone 7 Devices - What Does It Mean for the Future of Microsoft and AT&T?

The mobile industry is abuzz with the news about AT&T placing an order for 8 million Windows Phone 7 devices. The news comes from Michael Gartenberg, who is a well known name in the mobile industry. This news has surprised many for two reasons.

1. AT&T still remains the exclusive iPhone carrier in the U.S. The unprecedented success of the iPhone has helped AT&T increase its subscriber base significantly. In such a case, a shift towards Microsoft is seen by many as a shift away from Apple.

2. Microsoft is not a very big name in the mobile phone domain today, which is ruled by two of its greatest rivals – Google and Apple. So, many believe that AT&T will not gain much from a partnership with Microsoft.

On the surface, it looks like AT&T is taking a big risk by ordering such a huge number of Windows Mobile 7 devices. However, if you take a closer look, you will realize that it is not as risky as it seems.

First, there are rumors that the exclusive deal between AT&T and Apple might end soon. Industry insiders say that a Verizon version and a T-Mobile version of the iPhone might be in the offing, which would effectively end AT&T’s stint as the exclusive iPhone carrier in the country. If these rumors are indeed true, it makes sense for AT&T to look for an alternative since the iPhone will be no longer unique to its network.

Microsoft, due to various reasons, is still struggling to compete with Apple and Google and is desperately trying to become a dominant force in the mobile phone domain for ages. It is betting big on Windows Phone 7, which is expected to be loaded with highly advanced features. If Windows Phone 7 becomes a success, AT&T will be able to retain its position as a prominent carrier in the country and Microsoft will be able to gain a much needed foothold in the mobile phone market. So, whichever way you look at it, it is certainly an interesting move by AT&T. Will it pay off? Let us wait and watch.

Categories: All things mobile phones, Microsoft.

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US Mobile Display Ad Spending Likely to Exceed $1 Billion in 2015

ABI Research’s recent report says that mobile advertising spending on display ads in the United States is likely to quadruple in the next few years. The amount spent on mobile display ads, which stands at just over $300 million now, is expected to exceed $1.2 billion in 2015.

Neil Strother of ABI Research says that a survey conducted by the firm in February revealed that 28% of mobile users use the mobile internet facility regularly. He says that the percentage of mobile internet users has increased phenomenally in the last 14 months, which is a great sign for the mobile advertising market.

The report, based on the inputs from a number of mobile marketers, technology vendors, mobile network operators, and advertising agency executives, says that there has been a steady increase in the amount allocated for mobile ad campaigns by companies. Industry insiders say that they have been seeing year-over-year increases of 25%-30%, which is unprecedented when you consider the fact that the industry is still in its infant stage.

Marketers use different types of ads like mobile display ads, text message ads, in-app ads, search ads, and video ads to reach their target audience. They rely on simple text message ads to reach people with low end phones that lack advanced features like mobile TV, internet, audio, and video. On the other hand, they use a variety of rich, multimedia ads to reach people with smartphones that come loaded with advanced features. Statistics show that smartphone penetration in the US is just about 20% now. As this number increases, we can expect a huge surge in the number of mobile ads served across the country.

One of the important signs that indicate a bright future for the industry is the entry of big players like Apple and Google. So far, the industry has been dominated by independent ad networks like Millennial Media, Jumptap, and Greystripe. Google’s acquisition of AdMob and Apple’s acquisition of Quattro Wireless, however, has changed the scenario completely. It shows that the idea of using the mobile phone as an advertising medium is slowly getting mainstream acceptance, which is great news for anyone is related to the mobile advertising industry.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising.

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Steve Madden’s Plan to Enter the Mobile World

Optimistic predictions about mobile advertising are not new at all. You can find a whole bunch of experts claiming that the mobile phone will become the most sought-after advertising platform in the future. However, when something that validates these claims happens, it surely is exciting.

Steve Madden, a San Francisco based retail shoe brand, has been bitten by the mobile bug and is considering shifting its focus on mobile phone advertising. Jared Horowitz, who is in charge of the business development section of Steve Madden, has stated that it has become an integral part of their digital business.

As of now, only 0.5% of Steve Madden’s revenue is generated by mobile users. The company, however, is hopeful that the revenue will increase significantly in the coming years if they develop a mobile optimized site and drive traffic to it by running innovative mobile advertising campaigns. So, to prepare themselves for the mobile juggernaut, they have come up with a long list of plans. They include

• Developing a mobile optimized WAP site which is easy to navigate.

• Adding lots of interactive features to the site like click-to-call functionality (to help people get in touch with sales persons directly) and mobile social networking functionality (to help people share their favorite stuff with their friends via email, Twitter, or Facebook).

• Adding a Store Locator feature to help people find the nearest Steve Madden store.

• Developing an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch to make it easier for iPhone users to reach the site.

• Setting up multiple revenue streams with mobile web display ads, mobile search ads, and in-app display ads.

• Introducing SMS offers and mobile coupons to engage potential customers.

• Devising innovative mobile marketing strategies to target potential customers.

According to the numbers revealed by the company, the non-optimized site of Steve Madden got more than 55,000 visitors via mobile devices in the month of February. There were more than 300,000 page views and 450 purchases. If they go ahead with the plan and implement the ideas they have come up with, they will be able to get a lot more visitors in a short span of time. More traffic, needless to add, will result in more revenue, which is always good news for any company. It should be interesting to see where Steve Madden goes from here.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising.

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Google’s Holiday Gift To You - Mobile Coupons

The holiday season has started. People are gearing up to buy lots of stuff. Businesses are preparing to increase their sales by offering plenty of offers, discounts, and more. In this situation, what can a company like Google do to help a customer like you? Very simple – they can help you find the best offers in town. And how do they plan to do that? The answer, again, is very simple – mobile coupons.

That’s right folks. Finding the best deals in town this holiday season has become a lot simpler. Holiday season sales, discounts, deals, and offers – you can find it all on your mobile phone in the form of mobile coupons. You can simply show these coupons to the retailer (or wholesaler depending on who offers the discounts) and redeem the offer.

So, what actually happens is

1. A local business, an electronics showroom for example, adds a mobile coupon to Google Local Business Center listing.

2. You go to google.com on your mobile phone and search for some good deals on DVD players.

3. The Place Page shows that a showroom nearby offers a 10% discount on Blu-ray players and gives three Blu-ray discs for free.

4. You get a message which says that you should show the coupon on your phone at the participating business to redeem the offer.

5. You go to the showroom, show the mobile coupon, and buy the DVD player at a discount and get all the free stuff.

6. You walk away with a big smile on your face.

Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? What this means to you, and millions of other mobile users, is that you do not have to go through newspapers, magazines, and billboards looking for the best deals this holiday season. You can get all the information you want on the go right on your mobile phone. It is a lot more convenient and saves a lot of time as well. So, get ready to shop till you drop.

Categories: Google, All things mobile phones.

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