What actually is Mobile Marketing?

“Mobile Marketing” is nothing but using mobile as the medium for marketing communication purposes. It can also be described as the distribution of messages through wireless networks. The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) defines Mobile Marketing as, “the use of wireless media in a cross-media marketing communications program as an integrated content delivery and direct responsive vehicle.” This implies that, mobile marketing includes channels with more number of media outlets and not a single marketing channel.

With a mobile marketing practice, an organization could communicate and get hold of their clients in a relevant manner by means of a mobile device or network. An interactive wireless media provides customers with time and location sensitive, which thereby generates value for all its stakeholders. The most significant and primary factor for the success of mobile marketing, lies in the proper integration of mobile portion with digital media elements and other traditional elements.

Mobile Marketing is achieved by anyone of the following five means: Mobile marketing via SMS, mobile marketing via MMS, mobile marketing through infrared, mobile marketing via Bluetooth, in-game mobile marketing and mobile web marketing. With a Short Message Service (SMS), an organization could get connected to its audience. Here they promote their business through SMS, on enabling the user to send short codes, thereby giving a response. MMS mobile marketing practice includes image slideshows, text, audio and video options. Color screened model mobiles, which are commonly available now-a-days has this feature of sending and receiving MMS messages.

With a mobile web marketing practice, a brand can advertise its web pages, which could also be used as the means for customer engagement. The mobile marketing association has put forward certain guidelines and standards, which brings out the format for presentations and ads that a brand uses for promoting their web pages. As per those guidelines mobile content providers are supposed to sell their advertising placements via web pages.

Next is in-game mobile marketing, where mobile games are used for engaging customers. This can also be referred as “adver gaming”. In addition to casual games, it also includes richer games like interactive real-time 3D games, massive multi-player games and social networking games.

Mobile Marketing via Bluetooth offers a content management system with Bluetooth distribution function. Though Bluetooth technology enables wireless transmission for a specific distance, it has higher transfer speeds and radio-based technology which is free of cost. Another special advantage of using this Bluetooth facility is that it offers a permission based system. The last type of mobile marketing is via infrared, which is the oldest form of mobile marketing. It includes the transfer of only a limited form of data by means of infrared.