January Luncheon Recap: How To Hit A Moving Target - Secrets of Marketing in the Mobile Age

“Our digital lives are mobile and mobile is driving social media forward,” explained Det Ansinn, Vice President of Mobile Technology for Mobile Tag Company and President of BrickSimple LLC, the software development arm of Mobile Tag, at the January 20, 2010 networking & lunch meeting of the Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association.

During his presentation, “How to Hit a Moving Target: Secrets of Marketing in the Mobile Age,” Ansinn established the case for integrating mobile into a multi-channel marketing strategy.  “Our digital lives are mobile – 56% of adult Americans accessed the Internet via wireless in 2009.  More than 150 million adults use social media on their phones.  People carry the Internet with them and use social media in ways that are immediate and accessible.  Marketers need to know how to hit the moving target so as not to miss out on a tremendous opportunity.” 

Ansinn offered that successful mobile efforts:

- engage the user wherever they are;
- extend the brand into the everyday, everywhere experience of the consumer;
- provide a timely level of engagement; and
- can be applications or Web sites.

“People share information in a more public and transparent way now.  People crave a deeper level of connectivity and it is the marketer’s job to provide content that is both timely and relevant.” 

 Ansinn also explained the importance of maintaining a Web site that mobile visitors can access.  “There are so many platforms and competing technologies and marketers must be careful to know and design to various specifications.  The worst thing is to have an effective Web site that mobile users can’t see.”

Ansinn shared these useful principles for engaging in mobile marketing:

- Accept that mobile is not appropriate for everything.
- Understand your target community.
- Know the devices (strengths and limitations) that are being deployed within your community.
- Determine goals for type and level of engagement up front. 

“Mobile marketing is here to stay.  Successful apps require successful marketing strategies.  Use and understand mobile devices.  Don’t reinvent the wheel – integrate other social media experiences into your engagement with consumers.  Learn as much as you can about this exploding new channel to benefit from it.”

Thank you to this month's meeting sponsor: ThinkInk