Mobile marketing, as defined by Mobile Marketing Association, is a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network. In early 2000s, marketing on a mobile phone through SMS gained momentum and during the years that followed MMS and marketing through games, popularly known as mobile advergaming or Ad-funded mobile game, also joined the bandwagon. This popular mean of advertising stood ground even during the recession and in some cases even gave better profits.
Despite mobile marketing being an efficient and effective marketing tool, what is of more consequence is how customers respond to mobile marketing campaigns in India. There is good news on this front! Recent studies have shown a positive scenario by observing an impressive response rate for text message marketing in India. It has been observed that one in every three urban Indians has responded to such marketing campaigns. This is either done by forwarding the messages to friends or by calling the sender for more details.
Companies can continue to invest or even raise the budget allotted for mobile marketing as this medium not only has the potential to reach a wider client base at cost effective rates, but is also capable of generating the expected response from them. Indian customers have shown a liking for SMS-based value added services. Among the popular services that customers opt for are business/finance news, stock market tips, astrological advice, spiritual quotes, news alerts, job alerts, and sports updates.
A good number of urban Indians who have received promotional offers via SMS used the information given by the message to make a purchase. This shows customers have faith in these SMS services. It is surely an encouraging sign! It has also been observed that urban Indians enjoy participating in SMS-based contests too. All these facts go on to show that with a strong 300 million mobile subscriber base and almost over 100 million new additions every year in India, mobile advertising is here to stay.
There are various reasons for this promising trend among Indian mobile subscribers. For one, customers in India have the advantage of cheap data plans offered to them by mobile operators. This makes the customers more receptive to promotional offers via SMS. The rise in the number of mobile users is due to the fact that mobile operators are also becoming active in the rural areas of the country. This has boosted the number of mobile users in India and is increasingly going to add to the numbers for sure. A rise in the middle class section, who boost of better purchasing power, is another important factor. This is a result of the growing Indian economy, which has generated a section that has greater disposable income with them.
Many success stories with mobile marketing in India go on to show the scope of this medium of advertisement. Private banks, for instance, have changed the way we perceived banking. Their mobile banking services have made banking an anytime and anyplace thing. With targeted mobile marketing and responsive Indian customers, mobile marketing companies have a bright and enviable future in store.
0 comments:
Post a Comment