Earlier this year country pop sensation Taylor Swift teamed up with Mobile Roadie and Brightcore to design and create an interactive mobile application for Android and iPhones. Big Machine, Taylor Swift’s record label, launched the app in March 2010 for Taylor’s so-called “super fans.” They saw an opening in the market whereby fans want to be able to interact with the artist and enhance their experience when downloading music, buying concert tickets or merchandise and watching music videos via mobile web.

The application is highly interactive and sends notifications directly to fans whenever Taylor tweets, update her status on Facebook or updates the application, or pages linked to it, in any way. It contains tour information and allows fans to upload photos of themselves at Taylor’s concerts and share it with fellow fans. It is available in 10 different languages, features video streaming and even gives you the option to choose between various downloadable ringtones. Convenience is the name of the game when you are able to stay informed while on-the-go!

The main target group for this app is mobile-savvy super fans whose favourite form of communication is via mobile devices. Big Machine Records focused mainly on word-of-mouth advertising for the app, believing that the app is a “marketing tactic within itself”. They wanted to give artists the option of packaging and delivering their music to fans in new ways. The app gets updated regularly, which keeps fans interested.

The app seems to be a huge success with a positive impact on Taylor Swift’s career. Interaction on her website increased, past albums are still experiencing growth in sales because of the application, her fan base increased and she is now, with the help of her fans and Big Machine Records, the best selling digital artist of all time!

One of the fastest growing activities on the mobile web today is search. “The growth of mobile search has exploded,” says mobiThinking, who did a study on mobile Web trends in 2010. Yesterday, on day 2 of the Google South Africa conference it was mentioned that YouTube gets 150 million daily playbacks on mobile, up 180% from last year (2009) which confirms that the use of the mobile Internet is growing rapidly.

Taking in consideration Internet penetration issues in South Africa versus the number of Internet enables phones available, mobile browsing seems to be the future of the Web. Thanks to increasingly available technology like smartphones, people now have access to the Internet at their fingertips.

How does this affect you, the business owner? There is always someone offering the same services or products as you on the Web. If you’re not catering for the mobile user, your competitors most likely are and losing customers to competitors ranking better on mobile search results can be a devastating blow to your business. Taking all of the above in consideration, mobile marketing is becoming an increasingly important marketing medium for business owners.

In budding markets, mobile devices are the main method of access to the Web for various customers and in developed countries many people have a mobile device which they use as a secondary method for accessing the Web. The truth is that all users are in a hurry, especially online users. They want to find the information they are looking for instantly therefore you should make an effort to have a fast, effective mobile website that has minimum loading time.

Mobile friendly sites are convenient for users and offer companies new opportunities to maintain contact with clients. Check your current website in your phone’s browser to see if it renders correctly and if not, consider investing in a mobile website. This will allow you to reach customers who are in need of your products or services, even when they’re on the go.

Pizza Hut has had great success with their mobile applications. Last year their app for iPhones and the iPod Touch generated $1 million in sales through orders placed via the app.

In short, the app allows Pizza Hut customers to easily order their favourite Pizza Hut meals on-the-go. As an incentive, app users are rewarded by receiving 20% off their order when they place their order via the app. The interactive app allows users among others to build their own pizzas by dragging and dropping toppings onto the base of the user’s choice. In addition, the app has a built-in game called Pizza Hut Racer that customer’s can play while they wait for their order to be delivered. Earlier this year Pizza Hut launched an augmented reality app for the iPhone. The video below demonstrates their augmented reality app.

Pizza Hut is a great example of a brand that successfully integrated mobile in their overall marketing strategy. Not only does the app add a personal touch to a customer’s brand experience but it allows Pizza Hut to effectively promote special offers or new products.