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Every business owner dreams of being able to reach consumers anytime and anywhere. The ideal situation would be to engage consumers when they are already out and about. This would cause more consumers to act on impulse and, hopefully, spend a little more! Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Instead, most consumers don’t see commercials until they are at home and relaxing after a hefty dinner. Don’t get me wrong, television advertising works, but very few of us jump off of our couch to make an impulse buy. Well, the first scenario presented is quickly becoming a reality with the advent of wireless advertising.
More and more consumers are using wireless devices such as pagers, cell phones, and palmtop computers. Manufacturers are have begun producing devices that use Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), an open global specification for wireless data service. Let’s take a look at how business owners can take part in the new, upcoming wireless revolution.
As with any new method of doing business, the best way to enter is to develop partnerships with companies that are leaders in the field. If your resources are limited or if you are looking to quickly achieve a broad reach among wireless users, a good strategy is to become a partner in someone else’s campaign or service. Companies like these sometimes offer contests geared towards wireless users. You can volunteer your services and products as incentives for the contest. In this way, you get free exposure to consumers viewing wireless advertisements.
Another way to develop partnerships in the wireless arena is to look for companies that specialize in providing wireless services. Since this is a relatively new form of advertising, they will probably be looking for companies to help them develop case studies for their services. You will get an easy entry point into the wireless environment as well as beneficial research information on the effectiveness of wireless ads.
Once you have made the choice to try wireless advertising, the next thing you must do is engage and keep the customers. This is relevant to all forms of advertising but is especially true with wireless ads. Add value to your promotions! How can you do this? You must understand you customer. Create a survey to see what you customers want to see in a wireless ad. Determine what your best selling product or service is and develop an ad that promotes it. Give them something they need and they will reward you with interaction and more business!
To succeed in the wireless age, it is important that you interact with other businesses and people in the industry. In San Francisco, the S.F. Wireless Users Group was recently formed in order to share information among developers, coders, marketers, and entrepreneurs. Build learning and working relationships. Two industry groups, the Internet Advertising Bureau’s Wireless Ad Council and the just-formed Wireless Advertising Industry Association, just merged into the Wireless Advertising Association (WAA). The new entity will endeavor to educate consumers and businesses. Regardless of which group you join, your objective should be to discuss the latest trends in WAP, wireless services, and marketing to wireless customers.
Right now, the number of WAP servers in the world runs in the thousands. This reminds me of the early days of the Internet. It is a sign that there are still rules to be written. By taking advantage of this new opportunity, you can become part of a revolution. A Wireless Revolution!
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