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Founders Note: Mobile Marketing Success Hinged on UX |
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As someone who has been helping global technology firms implement their mobile strategies for nearly 10 years, I consider it my duty to educate companies on what truly works, and what does not. Mobile is not as new as you might think; it is now picking up steam in the United States. The reason for this is because it took longer for US carriers to reach market saturation. Thus, until recent years, there were less pressures to promote more data services (high margin) over their networks. Now that we're reaching new subscriber saturation, you're seeing competition amongst carriers to poach subscribers and now the incentive to promote data services to increase the ARPU (average revenue per user), a key indicator on Wall Street. This is evident in the "unlimited" plans you see from Sprint that spawned competitive offerings from AT&T, Verizon and now Boost Mobile's aggressive "un Wrong" push.
Europe and other countries got there much sooner so we can take a few pages from the books of others and not make the same mistakes, or at least minimize them as much as possible. For example, in 2001 I was working in Helsinki Finland and I could send a text message to a short code of the soda vending machine in my office - out came the soda and it would just show up on my mobile bill that month. We still aren't there in the US (8 years later) but are catching up now in leaps and bounds; you'll see similar with parking meters sprouting up in some markets.
One thing that readers must consider is the buyer experience (or user experience [UX]) before considering any solution. Many solutions will suffer in consumer (buyer) adoption not because they aren't cool, but because of how consumers interact with their mobile device and their surroundings. Otherssimply do not reach critical mass for a consumer-focused solution because they are too platform-specific. Ask yourself if that solution will show up when voting on American Idol or The Apprentice and you'll have your answer - no. To reach the masses the answer is obvious: it has to work on the most devices, users, and networks. Walk a mile in their shoes is what I tell people, and of course, Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS).
Many mobile solutions make the mistake of trying to duplicate the interactive web experience of browsing and searching on the device. This is why uptake and ROI is painfully low for consumer-based marketing campaigns. Instead, keep it simple and take a UX approach to solution design. Buyers are often walking down a sidewalk, at a stoplight, or pulled up to a curb when a sign, billboard, or banner catches their eye. Buyers in these instances are not "surfing" their mobile device; they desire information instantly - we call this point-of-interest marketing.
For over 5 years now, top VC firms in Silicon Valley, Boston, Europe, and Israel have tried to find that killer "mobile search" startup and they're still floundering. Contrarily, SMS (text) messaging has nearly saturated the global market because it gives consumers what they want - quick, instant results. M:Metrics, the leading provider of global mobile metrics, reported that 13.2% of subscribers used mobile web and of them 6% used mobile search (2008). These numbers continue to creep up. Compare this to a staggering 72% using SMS (text), which has grown exponentially. Do you ignore 85% of potential buyers and only seek out 13-15%?
Location-based tools will flourish in time; they are still years out from reaching enough critical mass to add value to sellers. GPS may solve common issue with search: not knowing the address of where you are standing, stopping or parked, or the time required to browse through various pages of listings on a 2-inch screen. Europe has faced this for years and there are cost, device, and consumer privacy issues that slow adoption considerably. Popular social network tools will smooth over privacy issues, but it will still take considerable time before the market is ready. The key here is to see metrics on the application download rates in a market for such tools, and compare with those that already have built-in apps like SMS (staggering gaps yet again).
I hope at least my insights give "food for thought", and I'm happy to answer anyone's questions over the mobile landscape. For many, we'll see you at the various shows this year. For others, we're a blog post, tweet, text, email, or call away. The bottom line when considering mobile is User Experience (UX) so walk a mile in their shoes and ask what experience is ideal. ;-)
Here's to a prosperous 2009 everyone!
Mike
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Mike Sparr, CEO
http://www.GoomZee.com
"Connecting buyers and sellers" |
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Goomzee and Rapattoni Introduce Security Standards First for Mobile Solutions |
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Simi Valley, Calif., February 17, 2009 – Rapattoni Corporation announced today that they have successfully completed the Web Single Sign-On (SSO) security standard with text message marketing solution provider, Goomzee Corporation.
With the SSO feature in place, members can log on to the Rapattoni MLS system once and access Goomzee's marketing and lead generation platform without requiring separate logons. Goomzee is recognized as the first mobile solutions provider to implement Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) integration with their MLS system.
SSO allows the customer to establish "trust" relationships between third-party vendor websites. Rapattoni's SSO program creates and sends an attached SAML "file" along with a link that is received by Goomzee's website. This process allows the user to avoid repeat logons. Once the user gains access to Goomzee's compliant remote site, they can move freely between the websites.
Nick Rapattoni, president said, "We are committed to developing technology solutions that simplify the user experience. This achievement is another example of how Rapattoni continues to innovate data security solutions that set the standard in the real estate industry."
Mike Sparr, CEO of Goomzee said, "Goomzee takes great pride in developing enterprise-grade technology solutions that are easy to use and result in increased efficiency and opportunity for real estate professionals. Our integration with Rapattoni is a perfect example of how simple we make it for sales professionals to add the mobile channel into their traditional marketing and sales activities."
About Goomzee
Goomzee Corporation provides a mobile marketing technology platform that connects buyers and sellers at the point-of-interest. Goomzee's flagship product, Realty Connect, and now Mobile Virtual Tours, specifically assists real estate professionals to win more listings, acquire more leads and close more sales. The Company was established in 2003 offering hosted online storefronts to small businesses as well as consulting for some of the world's largest companies and brands. Goomzee is an industry leader in text message marketing and continues to innovate from a client first perspective. We connect buyers and sellers at the point-of-interest. To learn more, visit us online at http://www.goomzee.com or contact us at 877.324.1796.
About Rapattoni
Rapattoni Corporation has been serving the real estate industry under the same name and management for 38 years. The company provides an array of integrated products and services for real estate associations and MLS organizations, including Internet MLS systems, association management software, and Secure Logon with Single Sign-On identity portals for online security and convenience. The company's MLS products are serving over 300,000 agents nationally and its association management customers represent more than 85% of the nation's Realtors®. Rapattoni's headquarters are located in Simi Valley, California. For more information, contact Public Relations at (800) 722-7338, or visit the company's website at http://www.rapattoni.com/. |
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Vann's Selects Goomzee To Reach Consumers On The Go |
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Missoula, February 3, 2009 – Vann’s Corporation, a national electronics and multi-channel retailer, today announced a partnership to utilize Goomzee’s text-message marketing platform, Goomzee Connect. Vann’s, with over $100,000,000 in annualized sales, is among the growing number of partners nationwide to adopt this interactive marketing and advertising platform. |
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Missoulian Selects Goomzee To Launch Innovative Mobile Marketing Solution |
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MISSOULA, MT January 29, 2008 –The Missoulian announced it will partner with Goomzee to provide nationwide text-message marketing and lead generation to advertising customers. According to the company, advertisers incorporate text message codes into their online, print and outdoor ads. Buyers then have the option to send a text message to a unique code and receive instant information on their mobile phones, including optional delivery of photos and files for a rich, interactive experience. |
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Windermere Office Launches Goomzee For 400 Property Listings |
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Even a few of the Windermere sales professionals braved the cold weather for our picture request! Missoula, January 22, 2008 – Montana home shoppers no longer have to brave cold weather to gather information on for-sale properties, at least the ones listed by Windermere agents. Windermere Real Estate, of Missoula Montana, today announced it will launch Goomzee's text-message marketing solution, Realty Connect, to reach consumers on the go for up to 400 of its property listings. Prospective home buyers can now interact, at the point-of-interest, right on their mobile phones. |
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