Optism™

As the first article in this week’s roundup makes abundantly clear, the success of a mobile marketing campaign is highly dependent on the relevance of the message for the recipient. Nurturing trust is also essential if you want to keep growing the relationship with your audience.

In a series on emerging mobile marketing trends, TalentZoo’s Ted Curtin warns marketers that “Relevancy Isn’t Optional Anymore.” Curtin notes, “As a brand, you no longer own the media or the channel and you barely control the message.” Furthermore, because mobile devices are so personal, you could easily be perceived as intrusive. You can combat this, Curtin advises, “By complete channel integrity, an open and transparent Statement of Intent, a firm security commitment, and a clear, concise declaration of data-sharing policies” and by making sure your message is relevant to the consumer. In return, mobile “opens up new possibilities to drive sales, provide assistance, engage customers, obtain feedback, and drive repeat business.”

This is a solid article and includes some interesting stats that demonstrate the growing importance of the mobile channel. We particularly like Curtin’s argument that permission-based preferences should be seen “not as a potential barrier, but as a tremendous opportunity to engage and interact with clients more deeply and successfully than ever before.”

As a great follow-up to Curtin’s arguments, check out the infographic on “The Path to Building Online Trust” from Mark Smiciklas of IntersectionConsulting.com. Smiciklas is believes that “building and sustaining trust with your audience is a key success factor in the growth or erosion of your business.” He outlines how you can build that trust by being honest with people, respecting their privacy and keeping your promises. Your interactions should demonstrate integrity and transparency — no hiding behind company policies. Trust, Smiciklas, notes “is created through the repetition of positive interactions over time.” Well said.

Changing gears a bit, we have a thoughtful article from The Wall Street Journal that looks at the pluses – and potential minuses – of mobile banking: “Mobile Banking Gets Riskier.” Mobile wallets are likely to play an important role in mobile marketing campaigns in the not too distant future, so it’s a good idea to keep your eye on how this technology is developing. (Check out the great infographic from Penn Olson for its take on the Future of the Mobile Payments Market.)

WSJ writer Miriam Gottfried explores the privacy concerns with mobile banking. There’s the potential for a lot of personal information to be collected through a mobile wallet service – not only where you bank but where you spend, on what, and how much. As with mobile marketing, those providing a mobile wallet service should be transparent about what they are tracking and they should rely on opt-in from consumers on all aspects of the service. At the same time, consumers should also assume some responsibility for safeguarding their information. Chetan Sharma, an independent wireless analyst based in Issaquah, Washington notes, “Consumers concerned with how their information is used should look carefully at the default privacy settings on their devices and on apps they install, and customize them to their needs.”

There’s also a concern that people could lose track of their personal finances because it is so easy to just flash your phone to make a purchase. However, the ease with which information can be collected and organized also creates an opportunity for money management tools and applications that will enable people to tightly manage their spending – it could go either way.

We continue to watch the development of the permission mobile marketing in India with great interest. As we’ve explored in a previous blog, India is struggling to reign in the abundance of spam on mobile devices. However, there are great signs of advancement as well. Since launching its permission-based service with Indian mobile operator Aircel in November 2010, Blyk has been able to attract over one million opted-in users. MobileGroove’s Peggy Anne Salz talked to Blyk country manager Shubhodip Pal about how they are capturing the interest and imagination of their youthful audience. The Blyk on Aircel service, focused on the 16 to 29 age bracket, has achieved an average response rate for campaigns of 27 percent.

For another example of innovation in mobile marketing, consider the recent move by Taco Bell to provide in-store WiFi™ connectivity. StorefrontBacktalk author Evan Schuman thinks Taco Bell could have taken their mobile campaign even further, but we’d like to give them kudos for getting started. According to the Taco Bell press release, “Guests will be able to interact with the network by downloading music seen on our show, receiving opt-in text messages, engaging in social media campaigns and accessing free Wi-Fi.”

What are your thoughts on permission marketing? You can reach us on Twitter @Optism or join the conversation on our Facebook page.