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What is the difference between Mobile Marketing and Social Media?
by Robert Kraai 10/03/2011
I was asked this question in the context of a marketing discussion. I can see where it might get confusing, because Social Media may be accessed from a Mobile device, but a Mobile Device is not by itself Social Media. What is Mobile Marketing? I am talking about marketing on mobile devices, and not a moving advertisement (although you might be moving with your mobile device... stick with me and don't get confused... yet). From the perspective of AceCP, I will talk about the content of the marketing campaign, and where it might be used. That is the best way to describe it in context. There are several ways that a company can market itself through the mobile platforms, and I will explain how Social Media might tie into it.
- The most basic form of mobile marketing is to format your organizations web site content for easy viewing on the mobile web devices. Again, you might have Social media elements on your page, and these may be accessible through your mobile web site, but the mobile device is simply enabling the use of it through its lower resolution browser window.
- You might subscribe to advertising services that place your company ad content via a pay-per-click or pay-per-view model inside applications that the mobile user might download. The ad is formatted in the target dimensions with a link that send it back through the pay network and to your site. Thus you are delivering your content to the Ad network, and then consequentially to the mobile device. This is the same concept as advertising on other people web page, and not typically thought of as Social Media.
- SMS or MMS marketing is where an organization gathers a list of cell phone numbers and sends out text or multimedia content to that list (depending on the capabilities of the receiving set). This is very much like email marketing, which technically can also go out to the mobile phone email client. This is like tweeting directly to the mobile number of everyone subscribed to the tweet, and perhaps might be exactly that process (meaning sending your tweets automatically to mobile subscribers). It's a popular thing in some areas.
- Creating an App is another way to tout your company or simply to enable customers to have easier access to functions and content that your company provides. Of course, once you create the app, if it is not virally spreading, you will need to advertise it on its own. Finding an App idea that promotes your company may or may not fit what your company does, and may or may not be adopted for use. However, tying that app into your social media campaign might give your organizations social network a boost or at least make it easier for your community to post and retrieve.
- Another form of marketing tie in to mobile smart devices is the QR (Quick Response) code. This is a special bar code that smart phones can read through the use of an app. This might be a code that displays on the device (like an airplane ticket for check in) or a code that brings up information (like cable company's specials for the month on your printed bill). Compressing a marketing message or URL into a QR code allows mobile devices to lead the consumer to something useful, such as your social media site.
- Going the other way, your organization might receive text or multimedia information from a fan mobile device. For instance, engaging your fans through the posting of the content that they send to your organization (maybe during a specific event). This is directly related to Social Media, in that it is pulling content from the community for use by the greater community. It is marketing the idea of connecting with your community through their mobile device. This could directly tie into the Social Media campaign, allowing the input device to be as simple as a picture or text upload from a phone (enabling your social media site with SMS or MMS receiving capabilities)
---Bob