LESSON #83: Mobile Marketing

While there is a lot of traffic to be acquired from mobile marketing, there are also a lot of misconceptions about mobile marketing, and a lot of hype that’s been swirling around.

In this lesson I hope to dispel some of those myths, and clarify mobile marketing for you.

(Watch this video – it may take a minute to load after clicking it…)

Join my coaching club

Outline:

I’ll be focusing on four main areas of mobile marketing…

1) Paid Mobile Traffic
2) Mobile Applications
3) SMS Marketing
4) Mobile Optimization, Compatibility, and Targeting

  • Paid Mobile Traffic

    See lesson #75 for more info about paid traffic. You essentially need to become a paid traffic expert to be good at it, but there is a lot of money to be made.

    Some networks you may want to check out…

    Google Mobile Ads (Part of AdWords which I covered in lesson 73 and 74)
    Apple’s iAd Network
    inmobi
    Jumptap
    Millennial Media
    adfonic
    BuzzCity
    MobPartner
    Many more listed here…

  • Mobile Applications (iphone apps, Android apps)

    – Great way to make money
    – Great way to get web traffic
    – Give away the app for free to get traffic

    Places to outsource an app:

    vWorker
    Scriptlance
    Many other freelancer sites
    Fiverr (See video for example)

    Recommended web-based app builder:

    Seattle Clouds (iPhone and Android. Includes submission to marketplace)

    Marketplaces to list your app in addition to iTunes & Android Marketplace:

    GetJar
    Handster
    appslib (for Android tablets)
    Amazon Appstore (for Android)

    iPhone vs. Android? Do both!

  • SMS Marketing (Short Message Service aka Text messaging)

    As I explained in lesson #59, the money is in the list.

    – Ideal for brick and mortar businesses.
    – Also good for Internet marketers.
    – Effective for affiliate marketing.
    – Local marketing consultants should teach/sell it.

    (See video of how it works)

    Some popular SMS Marketing providers:

    Twilio (See also Twilio VBX WordPress Plugin)
    MobileStorm
    Boom Text
    Express Text
    DC Mobile Text
    Mobile SMS Marketing (has White Label)
    Textmarks (has White Label)
    Trumpia (has White Label)
    Avid Mobile (has White Label)
    CallFire (has White Label)

    MMS Marketing – Similar to SMS Marketing, the only real difference being that you’re embedding media in the text messages that you’re sending.

    Proximity Marketing – Messages are transmitted to mobile device users who are physically within a certain area. Bluetooth Marketing is a common variety of Proximity Marketing.

  • Mobile Optimization, Compatibility, and Targeting

    – Most online businesses can benefit from this.
    – Things have changed a lot since the WAP days.
    – Mobile devices are adapting to accomodate standard websites.
    – It’s still worth making sure your site is compatible and optimized for mobile.

    Three ways to accomplish this…

    1) Create a dedicated mobile version of your site (Most difficult. Was thought to be the best, but may eventually become obsolete).

    -Detect and redirect mobile users to your mobile site. Use a script to detect the User-Agent using .htaccess, PHP, ASP, or javascript.

    Possible locations of your mobile site:
    m.example.com (this is pretty much the industry standard)
    example.com/mobile
    example.mobi (potential SEO conflict)
    Redirect example.mobi to m.example.com

    Tips:
    – Keep the layout simple
    – Make sure it’s fast
    – Avoid flash
    – Avoid javascript and other unnecessary scripts
    – Avoid frames
    – Design for thumbs rather than mouse clicks
    – Prioritize your content
    – Easy navigation
    – Scroll vertical only
    – Focus on one action

    Mobile website building tools:

    http://sites.google.com/mobilize (Free!)
    yourmobisite
    mobdis
    mofuse
    dudamobile

    Do a Google search for “free mobile website templates” and you’ll find some.

    2) Use Responsive Web Design, which allows your site to look good on any size screen. (Somewhat difficult, but may be the best long-term solution)

    A tutorial: http://www.netmagazine.com/features/responsive-web-design

    A quote from Bing search engine:

    “At Bing, we want to keep things simple by proposing the “one URL per content item” strategy. For each website, instead of having different URLs per platform (one URL for desktop, another for mobile devices, etc.), our feedback is that producing fewer variations of URLs will benefit you by avoiding sub-optimal and underperforming results.” (ref)

    Responsive WP theme: http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/responsive

    3) Use a WordPress plugin, or mobile-ready theme (Easiest).

    Themes:

    http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/ (Search for ‘mobile’)

    Plugins:

    http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/

    WordPress Mobile Pack
    WordPress Mobile Edition
    WP Mobile Detector
    WPtouch
    BAAP Mobile Version
    Onswipe (specifically for ipad and tablets)

    Mobile SEO?

    – Combine a traditional SEO approach (See lesson #76, 77, 78), with mobile best-practices.
    – Shorter keywords are usually better.
    – Mobile Sitemaps (see Google)

  • Additional Free Tools…

    Check your page speed and get specific optimization tips at:
    http://pagespeed.googlelabs.com

    Test your website on various mobile devices at:
    http://www.blaze.io/mobile/

    Another useful site that Google has provided is…
    http://www.howtogomo.com

    You can do a mobile search at:

    http://www.google.com/m/

  • Target mobile users with content that is especially applicable to mobile devices:

    – QR Codes
    – Social Media, like Facebook and twitter
    – Use video
    – Coupons
    – Ringtones
    – Travel information
    – Games and puzzles
    – Mobile ebooks
    – Restaurant and business reviews
    – Local business info
    – Weather

    Action steps:

    1) Decide whether mobile marketing should be a priority for your business.

    2) If it’s not a priority, consider implementing some of the easier steps, such as a WordPress plugin to make sure your site is easily visible for mobile users.

    3) If it is a priority, implement multiple mobile strategies to attract as much mobile traffic as possible.

    In the next lesson we’ll be looking at some more free web traffic sources and strategies.

    As always, you are welcome to post your questions and comments below 🙂

    Have a great day!

  • 49 comments on “LESSON #83: Mobile Marketing

    1. rob

      hi Eric.

      great content.one question.regarding Bluetooth Marketing. would i need software or is there a service you would recommend. thanks rob

      Reply
      1. ZAKARIYYAH (NIGERIA)

        Hello Eric the Great Mentor,
        This tutorial is a masterpiece for freshers and the so call GURUS on Mobile Marketing.Please keep it up.

        Reply
    2. stargaterich

      There is no doubt in my mind that mobile marketing is going to become critical to the success of most online business. Mobile traffic will surpass the rest moving forwards. Even Paypal has jumped into the mobile bandwagon by offering mobile Paypal payment facilities.

      Reply
    3. Simon

      Wow, I didn’t realize I can do that much more with mobile. I am going to get a mobile site done right away since watching this. Thank you Eric. I really appreciate it.

      Reply
    4. Ton Meeuwissen

      Hi Eric

      thank you very much for this excellent lesson. This is by far the best content about mobile marketing I have seen.
      Keep on the good work!
      Thanks 🙂

      Reply
    5. Andrew

      Yikes, this mobile web and marketing thing is a whole new ballgame, I hope we can keep up. I do notice in our sites Google Analytics that from what little traffic we get now, a small percentage comes from 1st the ipad & 2nd the iphone then a whole host of other phones & tablets.

      Well thanks Eric and crew for the lessons I look forward to the next lesson of free traffic strategies, free traffic FTW!

      .Andrew.

      Reply
    6. Emma

      Hi Eric,

      I do know abit about mobile markting and in particular mobile websites.

      You’ve done a good job here.Great stuff and content.Well done.

      Emma

      Reply
    7. Alvaro

      GREAT LESSON as always !! I think from this lesson alone, I’ve detected about 5 general mistakes I’ve been making for years with my website’s marketing strategy.

      Reply
    8. Carol Amato

      OH. MY. WORD.

      This is JUST what I’ve been needing. Such a thorough, excellent training. I had been misinformed and am so thankful for Eric’s Tips!

      Have a great day.
      🙂

      Reply
    9. joe davila

      god bless you.thank you for your help. i am a newbie.

      Reply
    10. Eric Post author

      Generally you need hardware and software for bluetooth marketing. If you already have a bluetooth enabled computer (such as a laptop) you can run bluetooth marketing directly from your laptop, with the required software. However, your range will be limited by the power of your built-in bluetooth. For a broader proximity range, you would need a more powerful bluetooth device, such as a special server designed for bluetooth marketing. I do not have any specific recommendations, as I’ve not done it. But there are many companies offering the applicable hardware and software, including…
      http://www.bluemediaserver.com/
      http://www.bluemagnet.com/
      http://www.wifi-d.com/
      http://www.bluair.pl/
      http://www.bluetoothmarketing.com/

      Reply
    11. Eric Post author

      Thanks and you’re welcome!

      Reply
    12. Eric Post author

      Great, I’m glad to hear it 🙂

      Reply
    13. joseph semakula

      hi Eric regard you has my guider on the net you like farther to me you know i was new to this but through your help i am able to regard my self a marketer i really like your lessons now many years down the road i see success in future i wish you the best and may God keep you and your family

      Reply
    14. Shane Massingham

      Thanks Eric for a great in depth look at the future of mobile.

      There are many ways to go about getting started as you have shown, if people follow your lesson they will easily understand what they need to do.

      Reply
    15. Jason Marshall

      Hi Eric,

      Great video! For responsive wordpress themes I love to go to themeforest.net

      Click on the wordpress category and then do a search for “responsive”. There are pages of nice thems for $30-$40.

      Keep up the great work!

      Jason

      Reply
    16. Eric Post author

      Hi Jason, thanks for the tip 🙂

      Reply
    17. Peter Fry

      Great video Eric one problem though is most of it is directed at 55% of the population, those with smartphones!…and in relation to QR codes only half of those with smartphones have downloaded a QR reader app and know about QR codes.

      Things are different in the USA when it comes to mobile marketing. You are restricted to 160 characters and you pay a LOT for your keywords to SMS standard rate text number. In the UK and Ireland you can send long messages typically up to 450 characters and having a mobile database you can make a LOT of money sending out text messages by giving (say) 80 characters to a sponsor who’d like to get a message to your mobile database at the end of the text going out — and thus you don’t have to pay for them. On the other hand, if you send more than (say) 16 texts a year to your database they’ll ask to be removed, texting has to be done responsibly to be effective.

      In the UK and Ireland, you can also get keywords for just 100 a year….so when advertising with a QR code you put “Or text (KEYWORD) to 51500 standard rate text” ….and the reply contains a text message at the end of which is the MOBILE website URL that should be able to open on 90% of mobiles.

      I will leave with something I truely believe in, NOTHING works better than texting
      (keep your social media!)

      Reply
    18. Ray | Waipawa Clock Shop

      Great training as always. I’m wondering if you have a webpage or file listing what was covered in each lesson so we can reference back to it?

      Thanks
      Ray

      Reply
    19. Eric Post author

      I’ve thought about adding one, but decided not because it would make it too easy for people to just copy the list for their own site. As it is, I’ve seen quite a few info-products based on my lessons, LOL. However there IS a list of all the lessons on a page in my coaching club… so there’s a little perk for coaching members.

      Reply
    20. joseph semakula

      hi Eric i hope you are fine i would like to know more about the apps program an also is there a lesson you made for apps i am new to this i hope to hear from you i wish the best and may GOd keep you and your farmily

      Reply
    21. Dharmender Singh

      Thank you Eric. You are the best Online Business Teacher I have seen ever. Because of your teachings my website is ranking on the first page of some search engines. But I have not made a single penny out of it, no problem for that. I know I will make it one day in my click bank account. I don’t know how. Despite I am a Electronics Engineer, I am learning Affiliate marketing from 2010 for a full time living. But I never quit.

      Reply
    22. Carrie

      Hi Eric!
      😉
      I have enjoyed all your lessons and have found them *so* helpful. THANK YOU!
      I was wondering if this is the last lesson because I cannot seem to get to Lesson 84, 85, 86, etc. and have not received any more emails since March 2012 (which contained the link for Lesson#83).
      Please let me know as soon as you can. Thanks!

      Reply
    23. Micah

      Hello Carrie,

      It appears you’ve caught up to the latest lesson.

      The next lesson will be completed soon. You should receive an email, as soon as it’s ready.

      Reply
    24. Bill B.

      Hey Eric, I have been enjoying your lessons and am looking forward to #84. The last one arrived May 6, but no more lessons have appeared since then. Did I fall off of your mail list?

      Reply
    25. Micah

      Hello Bill,

      It looks like you’ve caught up to the latest lesson. Eric is hard at work on completing lesson 84.

      Reply
    26. David

      Hi Eric, Great to have here and I am waiting for the rest of all LESSON from 84 throw to 100 still waiting for them i can get this LESSON dun eric…

      Reply
    27. Shefiu

      Hi Eric,

      I’m from the UK and new here as a subscriber to your blog. But I’m not new to your video lessons. I’ve actually been watching your videos for about a week after stumbling unto your website via the search engines. I’ve not yet reached lesson 83…still playing catch up to everyone here.

      Having gone through some of your previous lessons, I have to say that your teaching is very impressive. I’m enjoying the lessons so much, I finally decided to subscribe to your newsletter today and be part of your community.

      By the way, did you notice that your blog’s copyright is not updated to 2012?

      Reply
    28. Brian and Heather

      Hi Eric, Can you recommend a good Hosting service- the cheapest but best, that can if needed Host ++ Traffic?
      Unable to find a ‘Tip’ re Hosting yet, Thanks

      Reply
    29. Brian and Heather

      We too have been working to get an online income since late 2010.
      If your website is ranking 1st page, then you must be getting visitors-
      Eric has Tips # 71,72,75,80,81,84 on Web traffic.
      Suggest you ask Eric re Adsense Ads, and CPA – to put one or the other onto a site, to add to your income.
      He has Tips # 73,74 re PPC related to CPA.
      Also suggest you could ask re adding related Amazon products to your site
      All the best.

      Reply
    30. Micah

      Hello Brian and Heather,

      Thank you for your suggestions! We actually did a promotion for a great Amazon product recently, providing a bonus to help in becoming an Amazon Superaffiliate. If you would like to contact our helpdesk, we can send you a link with the bonus details:
      http://www.ericsupport.com/

      Reply
    31. Rene

      Hello Eric,

      Thanks for your good info in your lessons. I need
      your opinion concerning a software I was going to purchase. I know you told us to stop buying software. Here is it eBizInOne.com by Jason Walker. I would really appreciate your feed back.
      I am tired of buying chunk with empty promises that leave me broke.

      Thanks again for open your knowledge to working
      people at a fair and affordable price.

      I plan to do the same when I finalllllly make it

      Rene
      Bermuda

      Reply
    32. Micah

      Hello Rene,

      Thanks for pointing out the product. We are unfamiliar with eBizInOne.com.

      If Eric feels that it would benefit his readers at this stage, he’ll be sure to do a review.

      Reply
    33. Tom

      Great post and wonderful resources ! Looking forward to more about mobile

      Reply
    34. charles

      I’m trying to locate the lesson that discusses places to sell info products, white pages ,etc. I remember Eric talking about , instead of ebook, break it down to articles and how to’s & place it on various sites for sell
      Thanks

      Reply
    35. Mark

      I sure didn’t know that this much could be done with a simple mobile phone. Another great lesson.

      Thanks,

      Mark

      Reply
    36. jenifer

      By 2014 , more online traffic is expected from mobile devices than from desktops and by 2020 almost none will be coming from the desktop.
      Create Mobile Website

      Reply
    37. Midhun

      Hi eric,

      you are giving this lessons for free, I appreciate it.

      but are they uptodate content?some is from 2012 and I have’nt gone through all lessons.

      will it work now in 2014?can I makey money from this course if I implement it?

      since there are lot of lessons I don’t want to waste my time implementing it , if it doesn’t work.

      Thank you

      Reply
      1. Micah

        Hello Midhun,

        Yes, Eric’s lessons and principles are “Evergreen,” and are working great in 2014.

        He also updates lessons as needed!

        Reply
    38. Howard Lee Harkness

      “- Avoid flash”

      So, why do you use Flash? It prevents me from viewing any of the videos in this series on my Android devices.

      Reply
      1. Eric Post author

        Hello Howard,

        Many of the early lessons were posted before the transition from flash video.

        Reply
    39. Keith

      Thanks for your time
      I’m just getting started and I would like to be able to make a site for visitors to watch videos. ( Membership site ) can I just use plug ins for this or do I have to use a platform for this like YouTube any advice would be great
      Thank you

      Reply
    40. David

      You have such nice resources. Keep going

      Reply

    Leave a Reply to David Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    The maximum upload file size: 50 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here