Sep 15, 2010 Posted in Marketing Ideas

Is this the Future of the Internet?

There has been a lot of buzz lately about the potential of mobile marketing.  Essentially, this refers to reaching cell phone users with marketing messages while they’re using their devices.  With the proliferation of iPhones and smart phones… and the insurgence of iPads things become very interesting.

The stats are a little bit scary.  There are currently approximately 1.5 billion users connected to the Internet around the world yet there are about 5 billion users with cell phones – whether or not all of those cell phones are Internet enabled is highly unlikely.  However, I couldn’t find a definitive answer.

Regardless, think about the potential.  People never go anywhere these days without their mobile devices.  Most of us are totally reliant on our cell phones (contacts, addresses, important dates, etc.) so that is not going to change.  What that means is that we can be reached 24/7 whereas typical online marketing messages only reached prospective customers when they are sitting at their computers.

Going way back in time marketing messages only reached consumers when they were sitting in front of their TVs, reading newspapers or sorting through their mail.  Considering that we’re all so connected now, it isn’t too surprising that we’re getting bombarded with marketing messages day in and day out.

But mobile marketing is different.  I don’t think it will work for every type of business (at least not immediately) but I do see it being the wave of the future.  You can now place an ad on a mobile network for your 24 hour pizza joint in Vancouver and allow visitors to simply click to call you to order some za.  As an advertiser you can target consumers geographically and you only pay when they call you.  AND since mobile marketing is still in its infancy, it is much, much cheaper than advertising on other pay per performance networks like Adwords.

How cool is that?  This is only one example and the possibilities are literally endless.  I don’t know how mobile marketing will evolve but I am pretty sure that anyone not adapting their website now to be viewable on mobile devices will be left behind.

I find this fascinating – especially when there are still some businesses that don’t even have a website yet.  Ironically, many of them are doing just fine.  Isn’t business amazing?