With the rapid increase in the use of mobile phones to browse, shop and entertain, it is only natural that marketers would think of creative ways to design and implement a mobile search marketing campaign that can help them connect with their audience.

The right audience

Before brainstorming and designing any type of search marketing strategy, the first step is to define the target market to ensure the campaign’s success. Mobile marketing is all about connecting the business’ brand with the user.  Mobile users want their information quickly, and if marketers give it to them, they can convert these users into customers. 

Engaging the audience

Once the target market is identified, the next step is keeping them engaged with the right mobile marketing campaign. Generally, mobile phone users enjoy playing games, browse the internet and using messaging services. In order to market effectively, businesses must create a campaign that is measurable, offers interaction and keeps the audience engaged.

The right apps

Among the most important elements of a mobile marketing campaign is the selection of the right apps for mobile usage type. Consider whether you plan to target mobile video users, mobile web users or the text users, as the demographics and viewership for these varies. Based on the type of usage, target your market appropriately. Invariably, you may need to create more than one campaign so that these support each other. For example, the mobile marketing campaign could be part of an online or offline marketing strategy. An offer made through social media marketing can be combined with mobile marketing, encouraging your market to use their mobile phones to participate and earn the chance to win a grand prize.  Set up a mobile version of the landing page that can include the following:

• A direct and clear call to action
• A click to call option
• Share page via mobile email
• Share options via SMS

Mobile marketing campaigns have good success rate, because mobile users are ready to respond. Also, they have the phone with them at all times, and by providing them with a call to action, they can be converted into a lead, as in the case of click to call campaigns. With branding campaigns, mobile search gets millions of views on a daily basis, and presents a great opportunity for branding campaigns.  This can result in a large number of impressions, increasing your brand name’s visibility and brand confidence.

Coupons and incentive-based campaigns are very effective in engaging mobile users. The mobile user can use the coupons online or in-store and qualify for a gift for taking action. Yet another mobile marketing campaign type is the data collection drive via mobile phones. Although any messages to the mobile user must be direct and to the point, but be sure to steer them in the direction you want.

Mobile marketing is gaining momentum, especially since current trends indicate that mobile internet usage is on the increase. Businesses can leverage mobile as a marketing platform to achieve their business and marketing goals. ComScore’s study on mobile social networking usage, from January 2009 to January 2010, showed an increase of 112% in mobile Facebook users, and an increase of 347% in mobile Twitter users.

An interesting point to note, is that most social networks have a mobile component use API that can extract important information from users’ profiles, sending updates across various networks. For example, Twitter tweets can be published on Facebook, and Twitter friends can be added to Foursquare. Consequently, users don’t need to build full profiles on all the social networks on their mobile, saving them a lot of typing. This is also a big plus for brands who want to take advantage of social networking in their mobile marketing campaign.

Social networking is a popular activity for users with internet-enabled phones and many businesses have succeeded in utilising social networking build awareness and loyalty for their brands.  How to go about it?  Start by creating, optimising and linking all your branded business social accounts. Here are some pointers for Facebook Twitter and Foursquare, which are the most popular social networks in use.

Facebook

It is easy to aggregate all your social networking activities on Facebook, which can be done by integrating it with your blog, Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube and Flickr accounts. This is especially useful for your mobile and non-mobile fans.  Even if your website is currently not optimised for mobile phones, focus on your Facebook fan page, which is easily accessible on mobile browsers.

Facebook fan pages are basically mini-websites for those brands that show high engagement, and fan pages are accessible via the web interface as well. These pages rank well in search results and the more fans who “like” your profile, engage with your brand, post on your wall and link to your Facebook notes, the better. These users can also view photos on your brand’s fan page.  Coupons that can be redeemed in-store or mobile downloads can all be featured on your fan page with images and links.

Twitter

Most Twitter users access Twitter via their mobile phones, and this makes it necessary for all brands to have a mobile strategy for Twitter. Your brand can keep Twitter “followers” engaged with interesting 140-character messages. The idea is to keep your users engaged through an enjoyable user experience. Twitter offers automation tools that brands can leverage to keep their audience engaged.

Foursquare

As a location-based social networking service, focused on mobile devices and accessible via mobile websites or apps, Foursquare can help brands get an insight into their visitors. This social network can be a good starting point for mobile-based contests and other activities such as a new product launch. Brands can easily use the mobile phone to keep their audience engaged and inspire them to interact through innovative campaigns and reward them for the effort.  You can award custom badges to your users or offer discounts to those who check in at their locations.  Through your Foursquare page, you can keep your fans engaged.

Fortunately, you don’t need a big budget invested in mobile technology to reach your brand’s mobile user market, since these popular social networks have made it easy for you. Your success is in the way you leverage – know what motivates your audience and be creative.

The mobile phone has become the communication device of choice for most, overtaking the almost omnipresent computer. Mobile phone users prefer to interact with their friends via their cellphones (think MXit, BBM and Facebook), browse, shop, be entertained and best of all, they carry it with them at all times.

This naturally opens up a massive opportunity for marketers to reach their target market. To discuss this opportunity, the first ever Mobile Entertainment World Conference was held in Cape Town last month.  The mentioned opportunity is particularly relevant to Africa, where the mobile phone has quickly grown as the primary means for communication since the development of fixed line telecommunication in most areas in Africa is slow. The conference explored the potential of mobile technology and how it could be monetised based on what consumers used it for.

The conference mainly focused on mobile entertainment related to gaming, football, music, publishing, film and TV broadcast along with the possibility of an online content and services sector in Africa. Several business models with mobile technology as the platform were discussed.

Yet another point of discussion was paid IVR radio where the phone owner can access musical genres via a short code. Considering that a majority of phones have a built-in radio, this present an opportunity for radio stations to leverage to gain listenership.

With the existing opportunities that mobile usage in Africa has brought, how can marketers leverage these opportunities to provide their consumers value, while growing their business? Mobile operators have their job cut out for them to ensure that they create and maintain a network that does not crash as users increase.

One of the reasons why the pricing for online content is still high is the complex chain of providers involved in sharing the revenue. If mobile operators want their content to sell, they must rethink their strategies as their future revenue lies in the content. Africa may be ready to pay for mobile entertainment, but are the mobile operators ready to meet their demands? What do you think?