I find more and more people browsing and updating Facebook and Twitter in the train on my way to the office in the morning. Everyone with a mobile phone turns into a mobile reporter, updating friends about their status and what they experience.

Mobile interaction is on the rise, and consumers are always looking for new things to do with their new mobile toys. Are you ready, marketers? Check out the four initiatives you can make for 2010.

1. Get Your Websites Mobile Ready

More than 2.5 billion consumers will subscribe to 3G worldwide by 2013, according to a Parks Associates report. Parks Associates predicts more than 1 billion of those subscribers will be in Asia alone. The spread of 3G means continued expansion of smartphones and mobile capabilities.

The question will be no longer whether people have one smartphone but how smart the phone is. According to eMarketer, the most commonly used smartphone functions, on average, were the Internet (80% of respondents), camera (74%) and e-mail (73%). Mobile applications especially iphone apps have recently received a lot of attentions. However, for many marketers, preparing a mobile friendly website is a higher priority.

The growth in smartphone ownership means more mobile users will use them to surf the web. Your website should render cleanly on a mobile browser and be easy for mobile users to navigate; having a separate mobile website is another option.

2. Experiment & Integrate SMS Marketing

GfK NOP and Limbo (now Brightkite) estimated that 83% of 18-to-24-year-olds and 85% of 25-to-34-year-olds were sending text messages at the end of 2008. An eROI poll found in 2008 that text messages were the preferred method of communication of high school and college students—topping e-mail, social networking communications and instant messaging.

SMS popularity and consumers’ willingness to interact with brands via SMS indicates an opportunity for marketers. You can start by building a mobile subscriber list, promoting and integrating through other channels such as search engine, online display, eDM (email), social media and/or in-store.

SMS can have an immediate impact on foot traffic and a well-timed SMS promotion can drive traffic in a matter of minutes, allowing you to quickly respond to events.

This is an SMS promotion message I received during Christmas and many friends of mine who subscribed to Singapore Tourism Board also received this message.Free things often come in a hard way; when we arrived at the museum, the queue was very very very long and we had to change our plan.

3. Prepare for More Mobile Sharing

Mobile social networks are not separate marketing channel but an extension of the social networking sites. Make your content (event, promotions, new product launch,…) sharable among consumers and it helps spread your message to other types of users through mobile social networks.

4. Test Mobile Display Advertising

Mobile display advertising has shown the most impact on unaided brand awareness among mobile display, SMS, and mobile video and it’s second to SMS in aided brand awareness and purchase intent.

If mobile display advertising is new to you, start testing with Google AdWords.

Also read:An Introduction to Mobile Marketing

Are Twitter and mobile a good match?

Happy couples share something in common; what does Twitter and mobile share in common? Real time. Mobile marketing delivers quick and immediate real-time “what’s happening”; Twitter is all about real time micro-blogging where each Twitter user delivers real time information to its followers.

Mobile ad subscribers  want similar thing as Twitter users – real time information.

What can you do?

Deploy an SMS campaign to ask the subscribers to follow you on Twitter. The key is to show the benefit of following you. I’m not against giving away prizes for gaining followers; but, how long are they going to remain following you if what you tweet is of no interest to them?

Include your twitter account URL in the SMS so that mobile users can click and open it in the mobile internet browser. Maybe one day you can enable your mobile users to follow you on Twitter by directly replying SMS, which has actually been tested.

4INFO, a mobile ad network and text alert service, conducted a test last month to see if they could use mobile advertising to get consumers to start following brands on Twitter. Based on the results, released by the company this week, the trial is being considered a success.

Also read:How the Number of Twitter Follows Impact Leads Generation

Big Opportunities in Mobile

Cisco forecasts mobile data traffic globally will double every year through 2013, increasing 66 times between 2008 and 2013. Mobile data traffic will grow at a CAGR of 131% between 2008 and 2013, reaching over 2 exabytes per month by 2013.

In the 7 years from 2005 to 2012, mobile data traffic will have increased a thousand-fold. Almost 64 percent of the world’s mobile traffic will be video by 2013.

Coda Research Consultancy forecasts mobile broadband search and display ad revenues in the US to grow to $4.2 billion in 2015, up from $1 billion in 2010 (70%: search advertising). eMarketer’s conclusions estimates that mobile ad spending, including messaging-based formats, will reach $416 million in 2009 and $1.56 billion by 2013.

Mobile User Behaviors

According to Flurry, consumers are more loyal to mobile applications that provide news or reference services over the longest periods of time and they are most suited for subscription-based and ad-supported models.

Categories such as Books and Games are the two largest categories in both the Apple App Store and Android Market. Social Networking apps remain on a consumer’s handset for a long period of time, but get used only occasionally. Applications in the news, weather, reference and books categories have the highest frequency of use per week, the study found.

Yankee Group’s report early this year evaluated 27 mobile sites and reveals:

• For news, Google and Yahoo show how it’s done. Both companies earn passing grades of 73, striking an impressive balance in delivering enough information to mobile users without overwhelming them. Other news sites, however, still struggle with leveraging mobile context and site discoverability.
• For sports, MLB.com hits it out of the park. Major League Baseball’s site scores an impressive 71 for its device detection and ability to tailor content to fit mobile screens. Competitors Rivals.com (58) and ESPN.com (57) score a close second and third.
• For search, Google is tops, but Yahoo’s a close second. Google’s mobile search site, with its minimalist interface, format-specific device detection and location- awareness, earns an 81, the highest mark given to any mobile Web site so far. Yahoo also earns a passing grade of 76, hindered only by small factors like extraneous content and HTML validation errors.
• For mobile carriers, all need improvement.

And, comScore finding shows that light PC Internet users are 30% more likely than heavy PC Internet users to use their mobile devices to access Internet content.

Publishers Pushing Mobile

Audit Bureau of Circulations recently surveyed its U.S. and Canadian newspaper, magazine and business membership to learn more about publishers’ current mobile initiatives:

• 42% of consumer magazines are being formatted for mobile
• 44% of business publications are mobile-formatted
• 57% of newspapers are being formatted for mobile readers
• 44% of those already in the mobile marketplace report a 10% increase in website traffic

iPhone, BlackBerry, Android

A key finding of the “Smartphone Satisfaction Study 2009” is that the most satisfying smartphones are the ones that offer the best consumer functionality.

The iPhone continues to top all other smartphones in measures of consumer satisfaction, brand loyalty, and content usage (source: Crowd Science).

The Android was closest to the iPhone in several measures of satisfaction, but trailed when it came to hardware issues. 77% of Android users downloaded apps at least weekly, compared with 71% of iPhone owners.

Surprisingly, BlackBerry is leading the mobile market ahead of Apple’s iPhone in Indonesia, one of the world’s fastest growing mobile consumer markets, according to InMobi‘s released data last month.

Mobile Marketing Opportunities

The rise of mobile marketing impacts almost all online marketers.

Mobile display advertising needs its own formats; several fit all  situation on the Internet is no longer the case. Different formats are required for different devices.

Search marketers need to better understand mobile searchers’ behavior, which won’t be the same on the Internet.

1 in 10 consumers access their primary personal email accounts on mobile devices, according to Forrester Research. For that reason, optimizing emails for cross-platform performance is the challenge email marketers have to face.

When it comes to integrated digital marketing strategies, mobile is definitely one of the most important channels you should consider.

Also read:4 Mobile Marketing Initiatives for 2010

Besides Internet marketing (or online marketing), mobile is another digital marketing media to target the right customers. This post serves as an introduction to mobile marketing for marketers who are interested.

Mobile Marketing Channels

When launching a mobile campaign, it’s important to remember there are multiple mobile channels to reach mobile users. They include:

• Mobile websites
• Downloadable applications
• Mobile messaging
• Mobile video

Like other marketing campaigns, mobile campaigns can have different campaign goals, either brand building or driving some kind of direct response. Let’s take a look at different mobile inventory options that work best for different campaign goals.

Mobile Inventory Types

Display. Just like what happens on the Internet, this kind of graphic or text banners inventory is purchased based on impressions or direct response (like cost per click). Keep in mind (when you buy impression based banners; e.g. CPM) that a mobile user is less likely to see a banner ad at the bottom of the page. The recommended aspect ratios for mobile web banner
ads are 6:1 (default) and 4:1 (extended).

Messaging. Users can reply to your text message with specific format or click on an included URL to open the mobile site.With MMS, interactive ads are also possible.

Paid Search. Paid search on mobile is just another keywords driven digital marketing tactic on mobile devices with less characters allowed in the ad. The landing page must be mobile friendly; otherwise, the bounce rate could be very high and it’s bad for usability. One key difference in mobile search from PC based searches is,  the users are more likely to seek actionable results than reference information.

Other not so common mobile inventory types include mobile video, voice, in-application ads (e.g. in-game), and location based mobile ads.

Mobile Landing Page

As mentioned just now, the landing page you create for mobile campaigns must be mobile friendly (don’t use the same one for your PC internet campaigns). The page should also be designed to reduce the amount of scrolling needed and should be formatted to the specific phone experience. You may want to develop multiple versions of the landing page for different phones. A good mobile landing page should have the following qualities:

• Compatible with different handsets
• Clear call to action
• Not too wordy
• Visually appealing
• Quick loading

Mobile Campaign Metrics

Like other forms of digital media, you can measure:

• Impressions
• Click-through Rate (CTR)
• Conversions
• Conversion rate
• Branding
  • Brand recall
  • Message association
  • Brand favorability
  • Purchase intent

Read also: 5 Mobile Analytics to Track Your Mobile Sites

Mobile Campaign Integration with Traditional Media

Common Short Codes (CSCs) and 2D bar codes are two excellent ways to help integrate your traditional media campaigns with mobile ones.

CSCs are a string of five or six digits that a mobile user can send a text message to and receive information or content in return. It offers brands and companies an efficient and easy way to take advantage of text messaging as a way to connect with consumers.

With a 2D barcode application on the phone, users can scan the barcode to automatically complete an action like linking to a mobile website, or open a mobile application. Coca Cola’s recent campaign in Singapore (the image on top) is a good example.

Also read:Have You Tried Mobile Advertising/Marketing?

Due to the technology differences between normal Internet and mobile Internet, it’s hard to keep tracking mobile sites with normal web analytics. Here are five mobile analytics you can choose to track your mobile sites.

1. PercentMobile Mobile Analytics. PercentMobile provides a very decent looking mobile analytics interface. You can check out the demo here. It tells percentage of mobile traffic as well as percentages of access by:
   • Wi-fi
   • mobile phone models
   • mobile brands
   • Screen Dimensions
   • Service Providers
   • Service Provider Countries
2. admob Mobile Analytics. The design is similar to normal web analytics tracking visitors, content, traffic sources and goals (defined as “events”). Watch the video for introduction:
   
3. Mobilytics™ provides accurate visitor statistics, and detailed information about the phones they use and their capabilities. This mobile analytics dashboard is configured by you, to show the information you need at a single glance.  Check out the screen capture tour here.
4. Bango Mobile Analytics. Bango Mobile Analytics also helps you with your mobile SEO by letting you track the individual keywords across multiple search networks and adjust accordingly. You can map the results you get to by country, operator and handset and see important trends, such as what keywords are best in different geographic regions. You can sign up for a 30 day trial.
5. Flurry. Another mobile analytics for free.

Update (July 27 2009): Distimo Monitor is one central place to monitor your mobile apps in all app stores. Access all your app statistics from all app stores. Our analytics page contains all the information you need, updated every day.
Additionally, see how competition is doing. Which channels work for them? How did their price decrease influence their download numbers?

Also read:Marketers’ SEM Guide 3: Measurement with Web Analytics

I posted a few questions last month in LinkedIn as a simple survey for online marketing managers. The survey wasn’t conducted in a scientific way at all; but, I know you are interested to see the results. Here they are.

Options for Questions:

a. search marketing (paid search)
b. affiliate marketing
c. social media marketing
d. display advertising
e. search engine optimization (SEO)
f. mobile marketing
g. online PR

1. In 2007, which was your preferred digital marketing channel?

2. Which one do you have least understanding?

3. Which one are you most interested in?

Social media, online PR, and mobile marketing seem the most interesting channels to online marketing managers. Me? I’m personally mostly interested in search and social media.

4. Which one haven’t you tried yet? why?

Is mobile marketing truly expensive? I believe blasting out to a huge crowd is; but, as this emerging channel matures, the system may be more flexible like AdWords.

5. Which one do you think is the most cost effective?

But, don’t take it the wrong way; no one said SEO is free because it is not.

6. which one has most share of your 2008 digital marketing budget?

Of course it depends on the industry and purpose of the campaign; but, generally I would put half my budget into search, 40% into social media, and the other 10% testing out other channels. And, I’ll keep doing affiliate marketing.

It’s a brief survey so let’s not draw any conclusions here. But, I definitely hope you learned something from this survey. Have you?

Also read:Digital Marketing: Must Read for Week July-28

Social Media Marketing

• Seven Virtual World Marketing Tactics and Metrics to Follow [ClickZ]
  The best practices in terms of marketing tactics for your virtual world implementation
• PR Secrets for Startups [TechCrunch]
  Guest author of TechCrunch Brian Solis, explains how public relations has changed and offers up 12 secrets of PR for startups.
• 7 Easy Ways to Make a Blog Unique, SEO friendly, and Work for You [Marketing Pilgrim]
  7 ideas that are non-blogs, but take advantage of all the blogging benefits.
• How 50 Cent Uses Online Video to Build Brand Loyalty [ClickZ]
  Graf sees 50 Cent taking a leadership role in the music industry by trying to keep ahead of the digital curve and utilizing tools that work for both his fans and him.

Mobile Marketing

• State of the Mobile Web: First Quarter, 2008 [Opera]
  Almost 40% of traffic worldwide is to social networks. Full Web surfing comprises more than 77% of all traffic. Content on WAP and .mobi sites accounted for 23% of mobile Web traffic.
• Should mobile Internet services be the next big growth gamble? [IBM]
  With hardware sales slowing as a result of market saturation, mobile device makers may have the opportunity to use mobile Internet services as a new catalyst for growth.
• Mobile Advertising Key to Reaching Consumers in Economic Downturn [MarketingCharts]
  Despite rising fuel and food prices, over one-third of consumers say the economy will not affect their spending habits – so most say it will – and one way for advertisers to grab consumers’ attention in such times may be via their mobile devices, according to a new study.
• 5 ways to increase mobile marketing ROI [iMedia]
  To get a return on investment, marketers must strike a good balance between a creative idea and its technical execution.

Marketing Research

• 2008 Prime Access/PlanetOutGay and Lesbian Consumer Study [Warning: PDF download]
  The 2008 Prime Access / Planet Out Gay and Lesbian Consumer Study shows that the gay and lesbian community are fiercely loyal consumers and prefer to purchase products and services from companies they perceive to be “gay-friendly”.
• Site Seen: URLs Prove Valuable In Print Ads [MediaPost]
  The analysis of 833 print ads in seven magazines, performed by VISTA’s print effectiveness rating service, showed that ads with Web addresses were up to three times as likely to drive readers to a Web site, depending on the magazine category.

Also read:Digital Marketing Resources for Week Jun-2

• JupiterResearch: Why you should go mobile now – Mobile Marketing
  Jupiter suggests starting with text messaging ads because text messaging currently has a 51% adoption rate among consumers. Next, they suggest trying mobile banner ads, coupons and mobile video.
  (tags: mobile marketing research)
• Nielsen: Experience pushes consumers to post online
  28% of those who posted said they did so because they had a good or a bad experience using the product; about 27% said they posted in response to another post about the same product.
  (tags: nielsen experience consumers research)

Also read:links for 2008-05-07

Guy Kawasaki introduced Merrill Lynch report from his broker friend at his blog, “Top Internet Themes for 1H’08″, here is a summary:

1. Intensifying 3rd party seller competition (negative)
   As the industry giant ($57bn in TTM GMV) eBay’s anticipated listing fee changes could impact the 3rd party market. We think Amazon ($5bn in TTM GMV) might incorporate some of this uncertainty (and consumer uncertainty), into its ’08 outlook, potentially creating a buying opportunity as we expect little actual impact.
2. A bump Online media spending (positive)
   We see two events that could build enthusiasm on the Internet advertising market into the summer: elections and the TV writers strike. Direct dollars won’t be that material ($150mn possible direct benefit to Online adverting in ‘08), but extensive political spend could crowd non-political spending to Online display markets, which could be a catalyst for Yahoo or Google (YouTube).
3. Increasing focus on mobile market initiatives (both)
   CES and the spectrum auction will provide greater clarity on Google’s and Yahoo’s mobile strategies, we expect each company to be aggressive in 2008. Difficult to handicap the risk of Google winning the spectrum auction, but losing could be a stock catalyst. Also, we expect Yahoo’s to renegotiate its AT&T contract with a mobile partnership component, potentially clearing an overhang.
4. Improving display ad targeting technology (positive)
   Google/DCLK merger may highlight possibility for improved targeting technology to drive up the value of Online ad inventory. We think Online CPMs at around $2.50, which trail newspapers by 5-10x has room to grow, and targeting will make social networking sites more competitive, but also benefit Yahoo! in ’08.
5. Asset value unlock speculation (positive)
   The InterActive split into five entities expected in mid-2008 will be the catalyst and, in addition to potentially creating value for Interactive, the split could be an industry catalyst highlighting the underlying asset value for Yahoo ($10-11/share) and potentially even eBay (we value PayPal ~$10bn) or Expedia (TripAdvisor).
6. Social networking revenue model emergence (negative)
   Audiences are moving to social networking sites and the “interest targeting” ad sales initiative by MySpace is just a first step in competitive audience monetization. We expect more display/sponsorship/ad network initiatives, followed by peer-to-peer eCommerce and possibly personalized search in a few years. All large cap. Internet stocks (eBay, Google, Yahoo) have some degree of risk, although AOL, MSN and Yahoo! could have most in ’08.

You can find the report here (PDF).

Also read:Best Internet Brands In America

Synovate, a leading global market intelligence firm, today released results from its PAX media survey showing that four in ten affluent Asians are watching television on the move: be it via their personal computers, mobile phones, MP4 players, while outdoors, or even in their cars.

The result mentions something new called “third screen” which are screens on:

• mobile phones
• MP4s
• other personal portable devices

Since so many people are really enjoying watching video on third screen, it’s a big opportunity for marketers. I’ve spotted some early birds:

• vTap is a mobile search engine for video results, available on the iPhone and phones that support Microsoft Windows Mobile.
• MyWaves launched a free web-to-mobile and mobile-to-web video player.
• HooQs Launched Video Aggregator to Create Mobile Channels
• Verizon Wireless is the first wireless company to enable the recording of video and direct upload to YouTube.
• Transpera is a new mobile content and distribution network connecting users with online video publishers as well as advertisers.
• YouTube mobile is 7 months old already.

The least you can do is to make some short-length video and distribute across all major video sites. In addition, make them downloadable easily.

Also read:Microsoft’s New Domains In China

Maryam Kamvar and Shumeet Baluja from Google published a paper on trends in mobile search. These are the key findings:

• The average mobile query was 2.56 words and 16.8 characters.
• The average length of spoken queries to Google was 2.1 terms.
• It takes users a significant amount of time—an estimated 39.8 seconds—to enter these queries.
• The time to query was proportional to the query length and ease of input.
• The most popular was the adult category, which typically consists of pornographic queries.
  
• The top mobile query accounted for about 0.8 percent of all wireless queries, and the top 1,000 mobile queries accounted for about 17 percent of all cell-phone-based queries.
• Only 10.4 percent of queries had requests to display more than the initial set of 10 search results.
• More than 50 percent of queries led to a click on a search result. It took the average user 30 seconds to scan the search results before selecting one.
• The average number of queries per mobile session is 2.

They also compared the mobile search this year with 18 months ago in 2005 and find out that now:

• Users type faster
• More users are clicking
• More exploration within a session
• Less homogeneous queries
• More high-end devices
• More adult queries

Also read:An Introduction to Mobile Marketing