Creative Destruction - Mobile Marketing part 2

Mobile marketing to some may be just text or short codes.

Most phones today work with Java, and therefore it is possible and becoming more possible to read and send more complex information easily to a broad set of people.

For instance completing surveys on phones and sending results to a csv or data file has been possible for a while, but now has more uses as more people can use java on their phones.

Mobile tagging has been introduced to a wide scale audience and is being used on billboards and could be accepted on a wider scale as a way of grabbing information quickly. (Perhaps if you have a shopping account you could scan and shop with your phone) As with any technology there seem to be more than one standard. 

The above image is in qr code and the one below is microsoft's effort! 

So in theory you could go to an exhibition and take home all your information on the phone. The only problem as ever seems to be standards. How many people will try and read a code with the wrong reader? 

You will be able to go straight from a tag to a survey - this could mean no filling out forms at the end of training sessions - just do it quickly on the phone via a tag. All results can be automatically calculated and deposited for the F-Controller to read at their leisure.

If this could be an end to filling in feedback forms - or not leaving them on the floor to be recycled - then that has to be a good thing! (Example of creative destruction? - would it be a meaningful impact on our lives?)

Grants and Subsidy for Small Businesses in Wiltshire

You might find this information useful.

www.survivaltoolkit.co.uk

Gives even the smallest business (employing 1-50) in Wiltshire access to group workshops and support. For £135 you can attend 4 workshops (worth £1000) and claim an NVQ 3 or 4 Unit or an ILM unit at level 3. More importantly you can focus on an improvement that you think will help survival or growth in 2009. The project is funded by the European Social fund and being run by GWE Business West, Train to Gain and delivered by the University fo Bath in Chippenham, Salisbury and Swindon.

LMAS

This is for Leadership and Management development. This could include developing strategies in marketing or operations, a business plan, mainly something useful that offers some new tools to use, and a plan that may help in 2009. The grant is £500 for free, then a further £500 that has matched funding. It is available for businesses with 5 to 250 Full time employees or equivalent. PRD Partnership are on the register to deliver this. We would be happy to help you claim this award and develop what would suit you best.

Creative Destruction - Mobile Marketing

The mobile phone provides a communication channel for business to business and business to consumer marketing.

There are many different phones available, and so overcoming the different standards provided, so that you can reach any phone often limits the activity to either:

A phone call
A text
A simple wap site
A call to action from a short code

More complex activities such as customer relationship management (CRM), surveys, competitions, authentication of delivery, or payment can be done with Java, but the systems that do this have been “new” or emerging.

We worked with Bluetrail to identify opportunities in the field marketing market for standard mobile phones to undertake surveys and CRM activities a couple of years ago. Results show that using a mobile phone is cheaper than a bespoke solution, and more effective than using paper or IVR solutions. Data is captured easily and accurately and doesn't have to be typed in twice. Error rates are therefore very low. Because the Java application is “on the phone”, only small amounts of data need to be transferred, and therefore the user experience is a good one as they can freely enter in information without worrying about their signal on the move.

CRM solutions are still with your employees, even if many may be temporary. There is therefore the opportunity for training to overcome any difficulties. Solutions for consumers to receive a survey on their phone has been possible, but only recently seen as reliable, and therefore effective.

PRD Partnership is working with Alien Minds to identify groups of people that would most benefit from mobile content, whether it is a survey, competition, or even selecting what you want to purchase.

Most people have a mobile phone, and they very rarely let it get more than a few feet from them. Unlike e-mail, it is a less abused medium at the moment, and therefore a higher response rate is possible if the recipient is given a good experience.

During a recession some companies may be considering cutting their marketing budgets. Others may be considering how to be more targeted, to give a better customer experience, and therefore to be more effective with their budgets. We think that mobile marketing may replace a lot of paper and electronic marketing as it gets right to the customer.

For more information or a demonstration get in touch through the PRD enquiry page, or mail me.