“ a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network.” ¹

As this definition suggests, there are many ways in which a small business can engage in mobile marketing.  The 1^st Annual Fanminder Small Business Mobile Marketing Survey ² listed six popular mobile marketing programs, asking respondents to rank their interest in them.

As with the mobile marketing benefits, all six mobile marketing programs presented in the survey garnered high interest from respondents—the lowest rated program was still very or extremely interesting to more than 40% of respondents.

Respondents were most interested in a mobile website—a business website optimized for mobile devices.  A recent study by Pew Research Center in Washington showed that 40% of “American adults use their cell phones to surf the Web, e-mail, or use instant messaging,”³ so these business owners are definitely onto something!

Complete results for the 6 programs in the survey are:

What other uses do you think mobile marketing can be used for?

¹ Mobile Marketing Association website.

² 1st annual Fanminder Small Business Mobile Marketing Survey analysis based on 42 responses to an online survey.

³ Smartphone Use on the Web Goes ‘Mainstream’

The 1^st Annual Fanminder Small Business Mobile Marketing Survey¹ validates compelling benefits of mobile marketing programs to small businesses:

More than 50% of respondents were “very” or “extremely” interested in four out of the five benefits listed.

Letting customers send referrals to their friends came out on top, showing the social power of mobile marketing when customers can reach out to their contacts instantly, from anywhere. Right behind referrals were sending promotions (coupons, offers and specials) and sharing news and information.

Complete results for the five benefits in the survey are:

How do you think mobile marketing can best deliver benefits to small businesses?

¹ 1st annual Fanminder Small Business Mobile Marketing Survey analysis based on 42 responses to an online survey.

We’re pleased to share the results of our first-ever survey to small businesses about their beliefs and attitudes regarding mobile marketing. We conducted the survey in June and July 2010.

Mobile Marketing is here to stay.

Google, Apple, Facebook. The biggest names in consumer technology, along with an army of ad agencies, big brands, and venture capital firms are pouring billions of dollars into mobile marketing. Why?  Because every day there’s more evidence that mobile marketing widely outperforms traditional marketing. Yet even as investment in mobile marketing grows overall, small businesses have not embraced mobile marketing.

So what’s holding small businesses back?

Results from the 1^st Annual Fanminder Small Business Mobile Marketing Survey¹ provide some insight as to why. It’s not for lack of awareness, as 81% say they have heard of mobile marketing. But fully 70% of those who are aware haven’t tried it. So why? Well, some ‘mobile marketing myths’ appear to be holding them back.

What are these myths?

Of those aware of mobile marketing, but who haven’t tried it:

• 44% think that they ‘don’t have time to figure out a new technology.’ This suggests that owners think mobile marketing will be ‘hard’ to do—a time-consuming process and/or difficult to figure out. As small businesses discover simple-to-use solutions like Fanminder, this perception should decrease.
• 30% think that mobile marketing ‘sounds expensive.’ It’s true that text message campaigns can be $50-$100 per campaign or per month. However, when the focus shifts from cost to results, the power of mobile marketing becomes clear. The business results that small business owners experience with the unmatched response rates of mobile more than justify the cost. And services such as Fanminder start at just $25/month, so getting started with mobile marketing can be affordable for even the smallest businesses.
• 30% simply ‘don’t know how to get started.’ Answering this question requires knowledge of mobile marketing providers, different program options, and the value of mobile marketing.  As this knowledge reaches small business owners, adoption of mobile marketing among small businesses will increase.

The survey also dispelled some commonly-held beliefs as myths:

• Satisfaction with current marketing programs is not a barrier to trying mobile marketing. Less than 20% of respondents cited ‘my current marketing programs are working’ as a reason for not trying mobile marketing.
• Only 13% worry ‘my customers won’t like it.’ Since owners know their customers, concerns about customer acceptance seem overblown.

What other mobile marketing myths do YOU think need dispelling?

¹ 1st annual Fanminder Small Business Mobile Marketing Survey analysis based on 42 responses to an online survey.

² Nielsen, “Flying Fingers.” Nielsen website

Check out my comments.

• The frequency with which teens text has overtaken every other form of interaction, including instant messaging and talking face-to-face
• Three-quarters of teens now own cell phones, up from 45 percent in 2004.
• Of those who own cell phones, 88 percent text, up from just over half in 2006.
• Many parents limit cell phone use and 48 percent said they use it to monitor their kids’ whereabouts — either by using GPS technology or calling the child to check in.