If you don’t know it yet, smartphones are no longer just about making phone calls, smartphones and the variety of mobile applications that they are host to are all about about being connected in a variety of ways. Email, sms, mobile applications, Facebook, and Twitter are just a few of the ways. This trend is rapidly changing the face of marketing and advertising and if you aren’t at least researching how you can leverage the power of mobile applications, you are in danger of being left behind your competition.
One of the key reasons we promote iPhone applications, iPad applications, Android applications and native applications for other mobile systems are the superior response rates mobile marketing campaigns achieve. This gives you superior ROIs on your advertising dollars. Mobile marketing/advertising is far superior to that of traditional online campaigns with response rates that are often twice to 10 times higher according to an Opus Research report. In terms of ROI, that’s truly a staggering number that should not be ignored.
On top of the response rate one should consider the incredible growth in this market. Smartphones and mobile applications have a large and rapidly growing audience. According to a recent study by CTIA, there are more than 300 million mobile phones in the U.S., which is almost equal with our current population. Worldwide, there are more than 5 billion mobile subscribers and the rate of adoption for mobile is incredible, especially when compared to the current rate of growth for personal computers. Establishing your brand with quality build mobile applications now can pay off huge dividends for years to come as you can gain some serious leverage over your competition.
Smart phones are the one device that gives you constant access to your clients and potential consumers. Mobile phones are constant companions to modern consumers and provide an almost unlimited amount of ongoing content. Regardless of location or time of day, you can be available to your consumer base with an effective mobile application. In fact, 75% of people polled never leave home without their mobile phone (CNBC). You don’t see anywhere near those kinds of numbers with laptops or any other form of media.
Another big plus for content delivered via mobile device is that unlike with traditional methods of marketing/advertising, such as direct mail, online banners and e-mail, mobile campaigns are based on an opt-in or expressed user actions like browsing or downloading an application. As a result, consumers are significantly more likely to be engaged and responsive to your message. This is not something you find with other forms of media, as emails are regularly quickly deleted and ads in magazines or on tv are simply ignored.
Finally, smartphones give users the wonderful ability to personalize their device. This creates a real sense of attachment and ownership. Mobile phone numbers are tied to a person, where an internet connection is not. Demographic, geographic and device-type information tied to a mobile number gives you the ability to create highly personalized campaigns that will achieve remarkable results.
Massive online retailer Amazon is taking a bold step with its new Android-powered tablet that massively undercuts the majority of competing tablets with an introductory price of $199. This bold step could dramatically impact the tablet market and further push the importance of applications for Android tablets.
On top of a dramatic pricing move, the Kindle Fire will offer an “incredible selection of digital content” that includes:
Amazon looks to soon be a major player in this market and could make a major contribution to pushing the already meteoric growth of the Android powered devices and the market for custom Android applications.
Yesterday traditional hardware manufacturer Samsung announced its new proprietary Bada mobile operating system. Samsung is rolling out three new smartphone models that will run the Bada operating system. According to Reuters, the move is an indication of Samsung’s desire to expand its market share “in the low-end segment” of smartphones while expanding its lineup’s heavy focus on Google’s Android software.
The new smartphones are scheduled to be available right about the time Apple’s iPhone 5 is expected to be released. These devices include the Wave 3, with a 4-inch AMOLED screen and 5 MP camera. Samsung is also releasing lower-end, more the cost-effective Wave M and Wave Y. “The Wave M,” Reuters reports, “will have Samsung’s first instant messaging tool chatON installed and entry-level Wave Y with 3.2-inch display.”
Samsung is the world’s second largest smartphone manufacturer as of the second quarter of 2011 and if this move is any indication, we are likely to see this market only getting hotter and hotter over time. Will the Bada operating system have any effect on the mobile application market? Only time will tell.