The pros and cons of marketing to cell phone users

[mandy]

Mobile marketing is a viable new way to create customer loyalty, boost sales and increase awareness about your e-commerce business. But a mobile marketing campaign can be expensive — and if handled improperly — it can backfire.

There are several forms of mobile marketing, according to Neil Strother, analyst for Jupiter Research. Opt-in SMS (Short Message Service) campaigns, in which a consumer provides a business with his or her cell phone number in exchange for special offers or alerts delivered via text message, is one option. For example, a cosmetics retailer on eBay may send SMS alerts to customers, reminding them when it's time to reorder and offering a 15 percent discount coupon if they buy now.

Ads designed specifically for mobile Web pages are another form of mobile marketing and can be used to drive traffic to your brick-and-mortar business. In a mobile Web campaign, a consumer using Google on a cell phone to locate athletic equipment may find among the search results an ad for a nearby sporting goods store. The consumer could click on the ad for more information or to call the store...

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