Mobile Marketing

The shift from traditional PC's and laptops to mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets has had numerous implications. One that has been particularly under scrutiny lately is that of marketing. Not too long ago, internet marketing was something new and the world of marketing was severely shaken up. Marketing strategies were forced to embrace the internet and to find ways to reach customers without aggravating them by slowing down their browsing. 

The old traditional marketing in pre-internet days saw ads transmitted to a very passive audience on TV or in the print media. On the internet, however, the audience is far from passive - one click and they're gone. So marketing had to be less intrusive, quicker and more instantly engaging. It also had to combine internet and non-internet marketing in a way that the two complemented each other. Marketing has fully adapted to this scenario. The advent of social media and the consequent social marketing has extended that paradigm.

Now users are moving in large numbers to mobile devices, and their tolerance for advertising and interruptions is even more limited. Mobile users are often on the run, and want to do things very fast. For example, they may be on the street and want to find a particular restaurant and make a reservation. The last thing they want is to wait through an advertisement on a clothing store sale.

It presents a real dilemma for advertisers.Just how quick can they make their advertisements and still get their message across. One answer, of course, is to shorten the message. Make it not more than 5 or 6 words. For example, "Hillside Buick sells buicks and pontiacs" or "Big sale at Hillside Buick"

Those may not be the best examples, but the point should be clear. Even flash ads may come into vogue - where Hillside Buick is flashed on the screen for a half second, creating a subliminal impression. 

With people using Facebook more now on mobile units than on computers, that company now faces these problems in spades. Read about it in this article.