If you missed my first post, it set up the background for us to discuss the Mobile Web in detail. Today, I want to focus specifically on the Mobile Web from hand-held devices – mainly phones. This is a medium becoming known as the “third screen”. The first screen being the television, second screen the PC and the third is your cell phone. Imagine that. I suspect the fourth will be the visions from microwave beams into your head, but we can address that in a few years.
So how do companies leverage the third screen infrastructure to build a brand? I have some good solutions, but there are also an awful lot of barriers, so let’s address those first.
Barrier: Aren’t most mobile screens around 1.5” wide? How do brands do any decent advertising?
Response: Well, screens are getting larger every month. The most drastic example is the Apple iPhone. However, good marketing can be done even on smaller screens. Just think outside the box.
One of my favorite solutions is actually an SMS (text) solution. You start by texting a keyword to 4info (44636). The keyword can be a ticker symbol, college mascot or flight number. Moments later, you will receive a response with the stock’s current price, the team’s game score or the flight status (which is never good news anymore). Accompanying that information is often a short message from a sponsor. Think Chevy during March Madness.
The user receives quality, useful, requested information and the sponsor reaches a grateful consumer with a targeted message. Since you can target the user based on their query, the marketing value is very high.
Barrier: People hate pop-ups and a phone is much more personal than a PC. Won’t I turn the customer off if I send ads to their phone?
Response: My short answer is maybe. I believe this is the biggest issue facing Mobile Marketers over the next 2-3 years.
Ironically, I was at Buffalo Wild Wings last Wednesday when my roommate Jarrod received a text from sender 000000. He looked at me with confusion and then checked the message. It said something along the lines of: “For cheap MEDS, visit …….com for Valium, Viagra,…” Look familiar? Yeah, it’s like the general SPAM you receive daily in your e-mail.
I asked Jarrod what he thought about it and his first question was, “Did they do something to screw up my phone?” His concern was that his Motorola Razr had just received a virus. Luckily he was just the recipient of SPAM, not a virus, but you can see the implications of unsolicited ads on a cell phone: confusion, concern, frustration, disappointment and disgust.
One more thing to consider: some users pay per text message over a certain limit. If you send unsolicited text ads via SMS to my phone and it costs me money, you are definitely going to tick me off. However, if you are giving me quality info that I have requested, I will appreciate that. Even if an ad is included? Yeah. I understand the way the world works and so do most consumers.
What about banner ads on a mobile device? It’s fair game. Consumers know they are part of the web experience and that translates to the Mobile Web.
The key here is two fold: either walk on a well traveled path such as banner ads or stay with a strict policy of only delivering content that has been requested. Is a one-time opt-in enough? Probably not. Be sure they want the content they are receiving each time they receive it.
Barrier: Who owns the advertising medium or space: the phone manufacturer, the service provider or the website owner?
Response: This is another big issue and one that is still up in the air. Lucky for you, it’s not your responsibility to solve so don’t over-think it. If they have the ability and medium to distribute ads, then they have the right to do so.
The biggest issue is going to surface when phone manufacturers, service providers and websites are all driving ads to the same consumer, during the same session. We can only hope that it won’t get too overwhelming. The best news here is that it hasn’t happened yet, so you are safe for now.
Barrier: Is it easy to calculate an ROI?
Response: Billboards, TV ads, magazine ads, etc. make it difficult or impossible to calculate ROI. The Mobile Web, because of its electronic and decentralized nature, is much easier.
Being able to track a customer from a specific ad to the point of purchase or sign-up is ideal. If you are offering a contest, just check out the number of entries. If your campaign does not have a natural tracking method, create one. Set up a landing page with a hit counter, add a contest sign-up or create a text-to sweepstakes.
If you create a way to measure ROI on your first campaign, you won’t be facing the same questions about it next time around.
Next time we will move past the barriers and take a look at the best options for utilizing the “Third Screen” to build your brand.