If 2009 is the year of mobile then planning and running an effective campaign should be one of your New Year’s resolutions. Here are some tips to get you started.

1). Be aware of invasiveness

Users generally keep their mobile phones on hand. This presents both an opportunity for marketers because it allows for an immediate response to marketing campaigns, but also a need for caution. You wouldn’t want a sales person following you around 24/7 (“I know you’re trying to sleep but helllllooooo, have you checked out what brand x is offering for a limited time only?”). In the same way, you don’t want midnight text messages telling you about the 2for1 special at your favourite sushi joint. This is information that users probably want, but in order for them to respond positively to it and not feel invaded, they need to receive it at the right time. Intrusion is about more than just timing - other things to take into consideration include the frequency of the messages that you send and their relevance to the user. Being aware of all of these things will ensure a higher ROI for your mobile campaign.

2). Build your database the right way - opt in and opt out

With the era of Mobile Marketing, privacy is even more important that it was before, because on a mobile phone, it is that much more difficult for users to avoid unwanted spam. So, to avoid being a filthy spammer, it is important that you go about gathering a database in an ethical, yet still effective manner. While you can collect numbers in a variety of ways, a ‘double opt-in’ method is recommended to ensure that your marketing efforts are not met with resentment or complaint. Of course, it is also important to give users an ‘opt out’ alternative.

3). Good copy is essential

Don’t underestimate the importance of good copy when it comes to marketing, particularly when it’s short copy. Much of Mobile Marketing comes down to the communication between the marketer and the market. In a short text message, for example, you have 160 characters or less to get your message across. Not exactly a lot. Thus it is imperative that your copy is succinct, punchy and contains a strong call to action. Because of this, you can be more lenient with grammar and spelling than you would otherwise be – abbreviations and text lingo are acceptable in this context. For more on how to get with text message lingo, check out www.transl8it.com.

4). Don’t ignore the mobile Web

Admittedly, the focus of this post has so far been on how to optimise the efficacy of your one-on-one communication with your market, but there is more to Mobile Marketing than this. With more and more people using mobile phones (3.2 billion worldwide in 2007) and the increasing sophistication of hand held devices, the natural trend is toward Web access via the mobile phone. Marketers thus need to ensure that their websites can be adapted to meet the unique specifications necessary for mobile browsing. This means taking into account your users’ intentions when browsing on a mobile device as well as being geographically aware and sensitive to their time limitations.

5). Take a holistic approach to your campaign

At Quirk, we’re all about taking a holistic approach to your marketing efforts. Mobile Marketing is hip and happening, but in isolation, it is limited. As part of a well rounded eMarketing campaign however, it can be a powerful tool to help you take the market by storm.

If you want to know more about Mobile Marketing and making the mobile Web work for you, be sure to check out the fabulous new chapter in the soon-to-be-released second edition of the Quirk eMarketing textbook. 

Image - "M&M Space Invaders" via Flickr, by Simon Green under CC