What is Mobile Marketing?

Mobile marketing is a multi-channel marketing technique used to reach a designated audience through mobile phones, tablets or mobile applications such as websites, social media and so on.

Mobile marketing first began with the integration of mobility with traditional marketing channels. It has become a tool used to facilitate customer interaction in such campaigns. It serves consumers by utilizing mobile devices to fulfill customer purchasing desires, as well as mobility applications. The problems that have arisen due to the increase in the number of promotional tools and the increase in their costs as a result of technological developments from past to present have also affected the marketing and promotion activities of the companies in this direction.

Looking back to the past, when television was a single-channel medium, the impact of advertising was evident in the next day's sales. Today, with televisions featuring different systems and multiple channels, business operations can vary. Therefore, businesses are investing less in effective marketing methods. This is precisely where the internet and mobile phones come into play. They have become important marketing and communication tools that deliver messages and notifications at lower costs than traditional channels. Examples include Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and television advertising.

The opportunities offered by mobile marketing may differ from those offered by other marketing tools. Mobile devices offer constant customer reach and, in addition, provide companies with the fastest response times. This gives them a distinct advantage over other marketing tools.

Features of Mobile Marketing

The features of mobile marketing are as follows;

Having a one-to-one marketing approach: Direct communication with consumers is established through the media. This communication utilizes direct marketing channels.

Use of permission marketing: The messages consumers expect are delivered. Examples of these messages include advertising promotions, product launches, discounts, and special offers. These messages are delivered with the permission of the target audience.

Measurable: The effectiveness of this marketing activity can be measured. Mobile marketing provides insights into the effectiveness of businesses' campaigns and product usage habits.

Having a low cost: This type of marketing is also low in costs because it is one of the direct marketing practices.

High awareness of the brand: These marketing practices have a high level of uptake. Customers are reached directly through personal channels.

Single or double sided: This type of marketing also has an interactive structure. Therefore, customers can become active members of these applications.

Fast: Thanks to infrastructure technologies, messages sent reach consumers within seconds. This allows feedback to be received within seconds..

Objectives of Mobile Marketing

The primary goal of mobile marketing is to communicate directly with consumers through media. This communication utilizes direct marketing channels.

The primary goal of mobile marketing for consumers is to provide them with the ability to view product or service specifications, place orders, make payments, and simply shop—not just from their computers or laptops, but from anywhere and anytime using devices like smartphones. This simplifies their work and saves them significant time and energy.

For businesses, mobile marketing is a low-cost, interactive, and highly influential personal marketing tool. This provides businesses with opportunities to build brand awareness, transform their brand image, and increase brand loyalty.

Advantages of Mobile Marketing for Businesses

Mobile marketing offers two fundamental advantages based on the features of mobile devices. These are: the ability to be always on and the user to carry them with them at all times. In this case, the main advantage for marketers is that their target audience is always reachable thanks to their mobile devices.

In Japan, sending messages from mobile devices is less costly than other traditional means, making mobile phones an important marketing tool for businesses.

Mobile marketing makes it easier for businesses to effectively implement campaigns and gather information about user habits. The advantages of mobile marketing over traditional marketing techniques are as follows:

• The reaction to the product and the advertisement can be measured more easily.
• It becomes easier to segment and reach the targeted customer.
• It was observed that the return rate was higher.
• Less cost is used than traditional marketing techniques.
• Interaction with the customer is higher.
• Communication is individual.
• Campaigns suitable for different targets or audiences can be developed.
• It is dynamic.
• It is a channel that can take into account the behavior and desires of the consumer audience.

Mobile marketing, thanks to mobile technology, eliminates the limitations of fixed devices like PCs and televisions. This potential marketing method is believed to completely change shopping habits for goods and services.

Mobile Marketing in the World and in Türkiye

The world's first mobile marketing campaign was launched in 1998. It was developed for Ericsson by a Swiss mobile application agency called MINICK.

Mobile marketing method gained momentum at the beginning of the year (2000) when it became very popular in most parts of Europe and Asia and companies collected mobile phone numbers from these people and sent messages.

According to Morgan Stanley, mobile internet is growing faster than desktop internet. Mark Meeker stated that within five years, the number of people connecting to the internet via mobile technology will surpass those connecting via desktop computers. Kevin Nakao emphasized that companies' virtual presence is more important than their growth.

In Turkey, Tolga Alıcı of Mobilera pioneered the idea of ​​a mobile marketing campaign. Tolga Alıcı initially presented his own proposal to Lipton, which Mobilera implemented with a campaign called "Lipton Iced Tea Evo." MPD's establishment of its Turkey office in November 2009 was a significant step in the development of this marketing style.

The state of mobile marketing in Turkey was discussed at the Mobile Marketing Talks held in 2011. It was stated that mobile marketing in Turkey would triple within three years.