By: Abu Hena Ferdush

Mobile marketing is a type of marketing that is done throughout the world. It incorporates the use of the mobile phone to provide information, advertisements and other types of promotion. There is a great wealth of value in this type of product and service simply because of its ability to get right to the customer at the right time. By promoting in this manner, mobile marketing allows individuals to get just what they want when they need it. And, it allows businesses to reach their customers right on target.

Mobile (SMS) marketing is the act of sending spam-free, personalized marketing messages to receptive consumers through their mobile phones or handheld devices. It has been widely used in Asia and Europe for several years now, and is only now beginning to take hold in the U.S.
Mobile marketing is the next stage of customer intimacy, delivering marketing messages to the right individuals at the right time. Marketing to your prospects through a SMS marketing campaign will build your profile and will, in much the same way as email marketing, prompt a direct response from prospects that might otherwise have been hard to reach.
Mobile marketing allows for instant contact with your customers. The first step is to have a way to collect phone numbers. This can be as simple as adding a line to your sales receipts, putting a sign-up form on your counter, or adding a simple form to your website. If you give your clients an incentive to join, such as a special 'VIP' offer, before you know it you will have a database full of people interested in what you have to say and offer.
If you're advertising in the print medium at the moment, consider how background your ad is. Hardly anyone reads display advertising, and of those that do happen to be caught by your ad, only a fraction will be interested in what you have to offer. With Text marketing, on the other hand, you have direct access to the prospect, and their undivided attention for the few seconds they read your text. Provided the targeting is sharp and the content of the message effective, the response rates from a text marketing campaign are significant.
Once you have a subscriber list, you have the opportunity to send them any updates, company news, special offers, and more instantly. If you are sending a coupon, you may want to send them a slightly better deal than you do on your weekly ad or coupon. This makes them feel as if they are part of a more 'exclusive' club...and increases the chances they will eventually purchase from you.
The combination of the mobile phone and marketing techniques can lead to increased sales and promotion as well as convenience and affordability. It works so well because of just what it is. It is a tool for consumers to stay in touch with just what they need and for businesses to provide for that need. Mobile marketing works well because it allows for the right action at the right time, period. There is no limit to what this type of marketing can promote or in what format.
Statistics have shown that SMS messages are more likely to be read than other marketing media, and have a notably higher response rate across targeted marketing campaigns. Studies show that 95% of all text messages are read within minutes. Furthermore, with the technology increasingly more accessible and cost effective, more SMS marketing campaigns are preparing to hit the mainstream in the United Kingdom. Even the smallest of businesses can now afford to adopt this vastly underutilized, yet effective, resource.