The Power of Mobile as a Channel

In the U.S. alone, there are over 280 million mobile phone subscribers.  The sheer number of devices makes mobile the biggest medium of its kind, greater than televisions and computers combined.  Television and radio only allowed you to participate passively by either watching or listening.  However, mobile devices have become somewhat of an electronic swiss army device.   They enable consumers to do these things and much more – text messaging, email, mapping/GPS, Internet, and oh yeah, make phone calls. They are also replacing other devices as people are using their mobile phone instead of grabbing their laptop to listen to music, download movies, access social media sites, etc.

I recently participated on a panel at the Mobile Marketing and Media 2010 Conference where we discussed mobile as a channel and some of the most popular uses.  Dan Butcher of Mobile Marketer wrote a great article that summarized the highlights of the panel: “Mobile Has a Channel for Every Publisher Objective: Panel”

Here’s my perspective on some of the most powerful mobile channels:

SMS

Short Message Service (SMS) is a text communication service component of mobile communication systems, and is by far the most ubiquitous among mobile marketers.  The reason for this mass adoption is that almost every phone has SMS capabilities and a whole ecosystem has been built around it.  Marketers are using SMS to notify consumers of special events and  promotions, deliver coupons, and drive loyalty programs.  We’re also seeing SMS as a gateway to other mediums.

Mobile Barcodes

Mobile barcodes are printed or digitally rendered symbols that link consumers with interactive mobile content.  Major retailers are beginning to use barcodes in their advertisements or in stores as a way to engage customers at the point of purchase.  Barcodes are easy to integrate as they do not have to be provisioned with a specific carrier.  Users just need a camera phone with a barcode reader application and access to the Internet to scan barcodes.

Mobile Web

Mobile web refers to the use of Internet-connected applications, or browser-based access to the Internet from a mobile device.  It is a close second to SMS in terms of its use and power.  Companies set up mobile websites so that they can be easily viewed and accessed from any device.  However, what we are finding today is that most people are developing a mobile website as an end product and using barcodes or SMS to drive people to that site.

Every year we hear that this is the year of mobile, yet I’m always amazed at how many marketers have not embraced mobile as a viable way to reach and engage their customers.  No matter which channel they select, marketers should integrate mobile as another potential touch point in their overall marketing strategy.