So, how many of you don’t own a cell-phone today? Well, we know it’s a weird question, eh. Most people in India own at least one cell phone starting from their college days. So, isn’t it a medium that is good enough to reach humungous population if we want to communicate with them?

Well, according to available statistics on internet, over 91% of people surviving on earth have a mobile phone and almost 60% of them own a smart phone with the numbers increasing each day. And believe it or not, the average age of the first mobile owner has now gone down to 13-15 years. So, it is only wise to try and make use of a huge marketing opportunity through mobile platform where most people today are found glued to their mobile screens almost all the time. Also, almost 80% of mobile time is spent on different apps.

The best part of mobile marketing is that it can be customised for the user on the basis of his location and preferences by having a look at the consumer behaviour, thereby, allowing proper segmentation and targeting. For example: If a user of the game app Angry Birds reaches a certain level (say level 10) and leaves the game, maybe after trying 4-5 times and is likely to switch to another game; consumer retention can be done by providing him with a ‘mighty eagle’ free for two levels to keep up his interest. Result: both marketer and consumer end up being happy.

Having said the above, it requires constant monitoring and dedicated attention to mobile platform to make it a successful marketing tool.

Few of the most important aspects that need to be kept in mind are listed below:

• A mobile optimised website: When most of the users today are looking for information on their mobile sets, it is of high importance to have a website that is optimised for mobile experience. Else, you will lose your business to competition and there is no coming back from here.
• Benchmark against competition. Check how they are performing on this platform. Optimise accordingly based on consumer usage.
• It should be kept in mind that one should set a different strategy specific to mobile and define the KPIs for mobile platforms.
• The integration of the mobile platforms for social participation is a must to maximise engagement.
• Measure the response and use rich creative content to keep people engaged. Build apps for targeted audience once the mobile strategy is in place.
• Update constantly.