Google in Your Car

At Ballyhoo, we talk a lot about technology. Most often we’re speaking about mobile, as in the mobile phone and all of its abilities. But mobile also means portable and part of marketing nowadays means ensuring your messages is portable to reach people on the go.

As one example of why marketers need to begin thinking way outside the box, see the picture below. What luxury automobiles start, all automobiles follow…and quickly.

So if Ballyhoo Mobile deals with cell phones, why do we care about the internet in a vehicle? The answer is that a marketer will need to pursue this screen the same way they need to view mobile search (mobile search specifically in regards to the smartphone screen).

When planning mobile search, marketers need to understand how people search. At home, on the wired web, a consumer may search for a broad business category such as “car repair.” They may be willing to read company history, view staff photos, and check accreditation. However, on the go, they are much more likely to search “car repair flat tire Phillips highway, 32256.” And they want pointed information: location, hours, phone number, price. Period.

So, the search from a cell phone and in-auto screen will be done under the same mindset. Mobile was the third screen…auto may now be considered the fourth screen. As screen presence continues to increase, marketers will continue to hone their approach to search and further separate the early adopters from the laggards.


At Ballyhoo Mobile, we’re experts in mobile search. Want to appear in the palm of your customer’s hand while they are out and about with wallet in pocket? Email us! We will give you the same free evaluation of your business category and quote for getting started that has already helped countless Ballyhoo clients generate revenue and increase sales leads.

iAd is here! And Ballyhoo Mobile is serving it up.

Pretty much everyone involved with mobile marketing is excited about iAd, including us. I say "pretty much everyone" because there are a few companies who sell in-app ads that may take a hit from this. But we serve the marketer. And for the marketer, this is a good thing.

In-app ads are proven to have a strong click-though-rate and that's with having to leave the app and visit a website for most banner ads. Now, the end user can click on a banner ad published through iAds, experience a full advertising experience, and stay inside the app. When they are finshed with the advertisement, they simply click an "X" to close it and they are right where they left off in the ad. Spectacular. Friendly. Engaging. Easy. Four things effective advertising is meant to be.

That said, if you have more questions about getting an ad launched in iAd, feel free to write us. We're working on ideas already!

To see the keynote address on iAds, click here and begin at the one hour and 18 minute mark.

Mobile app or Mobile website?

Ballyhoo Mobile still believes SMS is king! It works on almost all handsets, is easy, compliments traditional marketing, makes all of your marketing more social, and is tremendously affordable.

In addition, for some clients it does make sense to step deeper into the mobile space. This is traditionally when we hear the question "Should I build a mobile website or a mobile application (i.e. iPhone app)?"

To answer that, we analyze their marketing strategy, available budget, target consumers, etc. We find an answer that is uniquely right for each Ballyhoo Mobile partner.

For those we do not sit down with, below is an interesting comparison. I did not design this (credit is given below the chart) but I do think it is a great piece to reference. If you have questions about whether a mobile website or a mobile app is right for you, just email us and ask!

SMS Coupons Rock!

I had a very cool personal experience this week; it was especially cool for me since I work in mobile marketing. I am moving houses in a few weeks and am beginning to pack. As I organize my things, I am finding I need more packing solutions, i.e. Rubbermaid containers. I suddenly remembered encountering some great, potentially helpful coupons recently.

As I searched, I instinctively recalled that my Staples coupons were physical and therefore placed somewhere...could be anywhere. However, my Ace Hardware coupon was a text coupon; I was instantly thrilled that it was at my disposable and I didn't have to do anything extra to remember to bring it with. Then I realized that's what I do for a living! This of course all happened in a matter of seconds, but it was a neat, surreal experience with why I love my job.

Everyday we help more businesses experience the benefits of mobile marketing and it was exciting to appreciate it from the other side of the desk. So get out there! Create exciting mobile marketing campaigns and have fun with it!

Visit us at Ballyhoo Mobile and read some more great stories!

SMS a Phenomenal Tool in Aiding App Downloads

Apps are more frequently being mentioned as a necessary piece of a brand's overall marketing strategy. However, when we talk with marketers about their strategy, they often suffer from "if you build it, they will come" syndrome. Building an app is important; getting your desired customers to download and reuse it is critical.

To aid in app downloads, we like the use of SMS. SMS still reigns supreme and works on almost every handset on the market. Some companies will run an advertisement inviting the targeted consumer to "download our app today" or "find us in the iTunes store." Thus far, the iTunes store is still a mess when it comes to finding specific apps, unless you type in the name perfectly. Odds are that if the consumer saw the advertisement on a billboard or heard it on the radio, they do not remember the name verbatim.

The approach we recommend is simplistically logical. In the advertisement inviting app download, the marketer can invite the consumer to text in and receive a direct link. This accomplishes two goals in one fell swoop. First, the marketer ensures the consumer gets to their app correctly (meanwhile keeping it top of mind). Second, the marketer is building a database of people they know are interested in a deeper relationship.

As marketers gravitate to the fun world of creating apps and mobile websites, it pays them to remember SMS is the perfect lead-in tool. Tie SMS to an app download and watch numbers climb!

Let SMS Lead Customers to Your FB Page

I saw a fantastic promotional drive by a company who is not a client of ours, but just a company I love: Sierra Snowboard. Sierra does a daily snowboard giveaway, Monday through Friday. It is a random drawing of every member logged in at 3pm PST. The first time I saw it, I was ecstatic and thought it made for genius marketing.

First, it got people to log onto the site and then have time to buzz around and shop while they wait on the giveaway.

Second, the giveaway is done live via webcam so viewers that are logged in are all staring at and listening to the same person (aka any messages that are delivered).

Third, the audience is captive and all watching in real time (no DVR here)!

So, what it you had a database of SMS members from previous promotions and you wanted to get them to view something or visit your FB page at a certain time? Say you're a radio station and you're holding a contest in the studio during the morning show (and you want to add more FB fans, as well). You could send your database a push SMS message saying "Log onto xyz.com right now and watch Band X Live, during which we will give one logged in person tix to the upcoming show!"

That web link can be a tiny url for your station's fan page, within which the video is being shown. Now, perhaps start and end the video with a sponsor ad?

Another example: say you own a bicycle shop. Follow the same methodology, have the video be for an exclusive video showing something about the upcoming Tour de France. Then have the video begin and end with a sales offer or event invitation. Captive audience pleased and business served!

As always, Ballyhoo provides much more than SMS service and mobile products. We work behind the scenes to ensure you generate quantifiable revenue from your mobile investment.

SMS and the Mobile Web - A dynamite 1-2 Marketing Punch!

I’ve been reading it and saying it for a while and now the data is starting to show it! The mobile web is here in a big way, as noted by AT&T's recent pairing down of their unlimited data plan. No longer are unlimited data plans available through AT&T; now you pay for consumption.

As I mentioned in an earlier writing, the businesses getting on board now are the ones profiting. Say a consumer searches for "Auto Repair Madison WI" on their mobile device. Since they are searching on their mobile, they are most likely not home and most likely need help asap. Three businesses pop up, they choose one with the easiest site to browse that also has pertinent info, such as prices, phone number, address, value proposition...NOT staff photos, "family owned since blah blah," etc. If you're car is broken down you really don't care that great Grandpa Jones started the company in 1905, even if the current grandson owner does.

Since a mobile search is slightly more laborious than a wired web search, the odds of that consumer redoing that search are slim. Thus, the businesses building mobile sites now are the ones profiting and the ones that will continue to profit.

These are some numbers published from last year! We're looking forward to some fresh new numbers soon and we're certain to see even more growth. If you know a business owner, tell them to build a mobile site now!

- 71 percent of current mobile users are using data services connected to the internet
- among non-users, 49 percent anticipate using mobile internet services in the future