Consumers Awareness is Key for Avoiding Spammy QR Codes

I suppose it was only a matter of time before spammers figured out a way to use QR codes for their own purposes. Some savvy researchers at Websense have found spam that contains links to a site featuring QR codes.

QR codes can be thought of as a variation on the barcode. The benefit to companies using them is that they can store much more information than a standard barcode can, which makes them very useful for marketing purposes. A customer can use his or her smart phone to scan the QR code and be taken immediately to a website, a Facebook page, coupon, or a video.

This is a great way to engage with buyers and offer them more information about products that might interest them. It also encourages them to buy more products from the same company. The problem that I see with QR codes is that the person scanning them has no idea what information the client received until after they have completed the process.

Consumers also need to be aware that security consultants are pointing out that QR codes have the potential to be used for malware, and that this is already happening. As always, with matters to do with using computer technology, consumers need to be very careful about what they are scanning and looking at. Most QR codes are perfectly legitimate, but we can expect to see more instances involving spam over time.

The Importance of a Mobile Strategy for Agencies

Here at 3Seventy, we live and breathe CRM mobile engagement. It’s what we do - it’s all we do. Whether you are a mom and pop shop, a monster brand, a global agency or a boutique, it makes sense to consult with a mobile leader and expert when considering the mobile space. After all, it’s still relatively new and moving quickly. There are plenty of “experts” out there, but how many are experts with longevity under their belt too? This is all assuming of course, that you want to dive into mobile for your brand or for your client.  But how could you not?  

Based on this infographic, it is clear the world is going mobile and loving every second of it.  Yet, we still have major brands sticking their customers with poor mobile web experiences.  We still have business to consumer companies that haven’t thought about reaching their customers through the medium they clearly prefer—their phones.  And we still have marketing, PR and advertising agencies without a plan, without a strategy for mobile engagement solutions and their client’s needs.

So let’s talk about the agency and mobile in particular.  I think it is academic to say that all agencies need to have a basic mobile strategy an absolute minimum.   Of course, all strategy depends on client base, client demand and a host of other details, but the least the agency can do is have a strategy in place and/or partner relationship in place and be ready.  I would recommend most, if not all agencies find a mobile partner that is right for them philosophically and right for their particular base of clients.  I would also recommend the agency avoid the many “fly by night” mobile strategists out there, and look for a partner that from a strategy and technology standpoint, can handle every aspect of the mobile ecosystem.   Agencies need a mobile partner that will be an expert extension of their team; a partner that will strategize based on a history of past successes, and have the ability to draw from an arsenal of possible technology solutions.  In short, agencies need mobile partners who try to fit the client goals to the technology, not the technology to the client goals.  

Obviously, the addition of mobile CRM to the suite of solutions an agency must (or should) offer is just another strain on bandwidth and resources. How many agencies were worrying about social media marketing and social media reputation management 4 years ago?  How many were concerned about SEO/SEM a little beyond that?  Having an effective mobile marketing strategy is one more thing to be concerned with, but that is of course putting it pretty mildly.  This time around that new thing, mobile is a “biggie,” a game changer.  Are you ready?

Why Banks Should Adopt Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing strategies are not just for retailers and other types of consumer product businesses. If banks want to remain competitive, I think they should be seriously considering adopting them as well. 

By now, most banks have an iPhone app. The next step in the plan is to make sure that the bank's website is mobile device friendly. Consumers want to be able to get information and advice on the go, and they are not going to wait until they can sit down at a desktop unit to check out the bank's website.

I think that the iPhone app is more likely to be used by existing customers. While this is an important feature that the banks definitely need to be offering, they also need to be mindful of the needs of new customers. Someone who may be thinking of changing banks is going to consider several factors, including whether they can get information about products and services that they need without waiting.

In this age where instant access to information is something that consumers prize, all service industries, including banks, need to be ready to meet their customers' needs. Not only does the banks website need to be mobile friendly, but it also must be easy to navigate when using a portable device. The banks that will continue to do well in the customer service arena will be the ones who anticipate their customers’ needs and take steps to meet them.

Mobile Internet Users to Outnumber Desktop Counterparts by 2014

Based on this marketing forecast, businesses simply cannot afford to sit back and take a "wait-and-see” approach to adopting a mobile marketingstrategy. I know that as technology advances, and devices continue to get smaller and more portable, consumers' expectations of mobile technology is only going to continue to rise.

Now is the time for businesses of all sizes to devote a specific portion of their advertising budget to their mobile website and analyze how this will attract new business for them. Using iPhones, iPads, and tablets to access the internet and look for information will increasingly become part of the buying decision. I know that many people make a point of checking Google before they decide to purchase a product or service, and this method of gathering information and comparing prices is not going to go away.

Companies interested in mobile marketing should make a point of not ignoring the power of Facebook and other social media websites. If they want to be successful in attracting new business and retaining the current customer base, I think they need to invest a certain amount of new advertising budget and efforts into reaching out to individual customers through these sites.

Consumers are less likely to believe the corporate advertising brand or message then what another person has posted about that company online. Managing the online reputation has to be part of the overall mobile marketing strategy for it to be successful.

Choose Keywords Carefully for Mobile Marketing Success

I know that I have discussed mobile marketing strategies at length recently, and that's because this is the advertising wave of the future. Part of developing a mobile marketing strategy is choosing the right keywords. What works for desktop internet searches does not translate well to the mobile marketing sphere.

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 Whereas an internet user working from a desktop computer may not necessarily be looking for local results in a search, consumers using smart phones or tablets to search for information are looking for businesses that are close by.  When choosing keywords for mobile devices, I would suggest including the name of the city or town in the keyword phrase to make it easier for consumers to find your business.

Long-tail keywords, which worked very well for desktop internet users, are probably not the best choice if you want to target the mobile market. People using handheld devices or tablets to look for information want to find what they need quickly and efficiently, with as few words as possible. You will need to come up with some phrases that can direct consumers to your business without being overly wordy.

Make sure you include some common misspellings your keyword phrase. When someone is using a device with a smaller keyboard than the standard desktop model, the potential for making errors increases dramatically.

Report Finds Majority of Cell Phone Owners Using SMS

We here at 3Seventy know how effective SMS marketing can be, as it reaches 100% of all mobile phones in the United States, unlike any other advertising medium today. Pew Research recently released a study which serves to confirm that fact. 

 

The results indicate that 75 percent of mobile phone owners said that they text. The survey also indicated that 50% of respondents said that they use their mobile phones to take pictures and video. Less than one quarter of respondents (23 percent) use their cell phones to browse the internet.

As always, when I read the results of surveys like this, I think about what it means for mobile marketers. Since texting is already a popular activity worldwide, marketers should be planning to step up their SMS campaigns. 

This strategy can be a very effective tool to build a customer database that marketers can use to ensure that the offers they are making are going to be ones that their target market finds appealing. While mobile messaging is an effective way to reach out to a customer base, marketers need to take care not to overwhelm customers with messages. Doing so will only add to the level of "noise” that modern-day consumers are bombarded with on a daily basis.

The report found that texting is a global phenomenon, with respondents in 19 of the 21 countries surveyed doing so on a regular basis. The under-30 age group is most likely to use their mobile phones for texting and other purposes other than making calls.

US Online Holiday Spending Up 15 Percent Over 2010

If there was any doubt about the popularity of online shopping during the holiday season, the figures released by comScore confirms that consumers are embracing mobile commerce like never before. I knew that online shopping was very popular, but I didn't realize that it accounts for $35.3 billion. This number is a full 15 percent above the figures released for 2010.

Approximately $1.25 billion in spending took place after on November 28, which is referred to as "Cyber Monday.” I can understand why consumers are interested in shopping this way. Online buying has become much easier with e-readers, tablets, and even smart phones. These items are very popular as gifts, and it makes sense that recipients will use them for shopping and other purposes.

During the 2011 holiday shopping season (November 1-December 26), digital content and subscriptions made up 2.8 percent of retail e-commerce sales. On Christmas Day, this category jumped to 20 percent of sales.

Given these figures, I can see that mobile technology being used for shopping is here to stay. As consumers become more comfortable shopping electronically and they realize the benefits of doing so, online store sales will continue to grow. I can't predict whether online shopping will overtake visiting a store in person, but I do know that consumers like to have a choice about what buying methods will work best for them.