Mobile marketing. A success in B2C and according to a lot of people B2B cannot do without it too. The main reason given is the explosive growth rates in mobile usage. In 2013 the number of smartphones and browser-equipped enhanced phones is expected to exceed the number of PC’s.
Is it really that big
Last week I had to spend some time again on an airport. While waiting for my flight, I like to watch what other passengers do. A lot of them are busy with their mobile phone or their laptop. Communicating with others and surfing the net.
However, my idea is that it is still mainly smartphones for communication and laptops for surfing the net.
- Mobile phones are mainly used for simple communication
Mobile phones are used to connect with other people. Calling them or connecting through sms, e-mail, Twitter and other simple communication channels.
- Smartphones are used for simple local searching
Mobile surfing with smartphones is limited to simple search actions. The size of the display is simply too small to do extensive search or to explore large websites . So people use their smartphone for relatively simple and mainly local search actions. People are looking for local shops, concert information, the weather, transportation and similar information.
- Future smartphone mobile internet is more information
New developments for mobile internet, like augmented reality, improve the usage of smartphones. But we are still talking about relatively simple search activities. New applications simply do not change the biggest restriction of smartphones; the small display.
- People use their laptop for serious mobile surfing
The business professional on the move carries his laptop with him. Although I am sure most of them also carry a smartphone, they will use their laptop to do serious surfing.
It will not change
Apple has recently introduced the iPad. The iPad is the smaller alternative for a laptop. That means the iPad will make mobile surfing easier.
I am sure the first iPad users will be the young business professionals. That’s good for you, because now your standard website can also be viewed on a real mobile device.
Therefore I think the explosive growth of smartphone based mobile usage will have no or almost no effect on B2B marketing.
Congratulations. You are our number 1.000.000 visitor. Music! Flowers! Presents! And a big kiss from our attractive assistant!
Wrong
Any idea why we give you, because you accidentally happens to be our number 1.000.000 visitor, a special treatment? It is not because we particularly like you or because we think you are special. We give you a special treatment because we want to use you. We want to use you to get some extra attention to our weblog. In the newspapers, on internet or on local tv (sorry, it is not enough for one of the big television networks).
This is wrong. Not only because we use you, but also because there are 999.999 other visitors that made it possible for us to reach this milestone. They deserve a special treatment too.
Celebrate them all
It should not make a difference whether somebody is your first visitor (or customer/client) or number 1.000.000. Or any other number in between. They all contribute to your success. And therefore they should all be celebrated.
So also make numbers 82, 349, 6.213, 48.752 or 999.992 feel like they are number 1.000.000. Celebrate each time people come by your weblog, your website, your office or your store. And make them all feel special.
Sorry
Sorry, you are not really number 1.000.000 (that will not be before 2018 or so). So no music, flowers or presents. But you can keep the kiss.
What did Alexander Graham Bell do after he invented the telephone? I don’t know what he did, but I know for sure what he did not do. Call somebody. Because besides himself, nobody owned a phone and there was no telephone system.
Connect
There are people that give you a call. There are people that send you an email. And there are people that prefer to send you a fax. There are even people that write you a letter.
Some people subscribe to your e-newsletter. Some prefer your RSS feeds. Some people love Facebook or Linkedin. And some people prefer to use Twitter to interact with others.
Whether you like it or not.
Not reject
B2B surveys show us it is still only a minority of people that is using Twitter or other social channels. And they will probably add ‘in a sensible way’. Reason for a lot of people in B2B marketing to tell you to ignore it.
They are wrong.
Don’t make a mistake and think it is you or some survey that decides whether Twitter or any other channel is useful for B2B marketing. Or whether it will grow or not. It is the users that make the decision.
It is not up to you to decide how our customers should behave. It is your customers that tell you what to do and what not to do.
And if they like it, you like it.
Call Bell
The first companies that bought themselves a Bell telephone saw the great potential of this new invention. Although they had to wait for some time before they were able to connect to all their customers.
But they could have started by giving Bell a call.
Be brave and embrace social media. For reaching Bell you are too late, but there is a big chance there are some customers out there waiting to hear from you.
Did you know that
- people are afraid of change
- people don’t like the idea they are not up-to-date
- people are afraid to make the wrong decisions
- people don’t like to be told by others what to do
- people tend to think ‘it works, so it’s fine’
- people don’t want to look a fool in front of their colleagues
- people often think you are only after their money
- people don’t like to worry
- people love security
- people don’t like to come out of their comfort zone
- people are afraid of what others will think of them
- people don’t want to admit they are wrong
So how do you think you are going to convince these people to use your product in stead of the one they are using now.
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