I recently had the opportunity to attend a presentation by SpeakFeel, a Mobile Marketing company that specializes in reviewing and analyzing traditional marketing campaigns, including your current web-related strategies and in leveraging those with mobile-specific experiences.

Mobile marketing can include mobile web, mobile applications (iPhone, Blackberry, Android or Windows), Short Message Service (SMS) campaigns and other innovative marketing tools such as QR Codes or custom products. Mobile marketing can play a role in any area of your campaign, such as print, events, web, email marketing, radio or television. Mobile marketing separates itself from a website by simplifying content.

Studies have shown that mobile clients are searching for quick information and do not want to browse a website to find it. Mobile sites are relevant, simple and to the point with no jargon. They provide immediate information, FAQ’s, how to’s and product information with limited graphics and no flash. It is more of a “Twitter mentality” in that it is fast with immediate information.

I wanted to learn more so I went to the SpeakFeel office and sat down with them to discuss Mobile Marketing. We discussed what it is, what sectors have adopted it, how do clients get started, opportunities within Ag marketing and “watch outs” for companies considering mobile marketing. Incidentally the interview video was taken with an Apple iPhone. Watch the interview on You Tube or go to the SpeakFeel blog to read what SpeakFeel had to say

QR codes and the future of Mobile

QR codes (short for quick response codes) are 2 dimensional bar codes that are similar to standard bar codes but can hold much more information (up to 7000 alpha-numeric characters). QR codes are being increasingly used in marketing campaigns and news/magazine releases to enable users access to supplementary information via their mobile device. Examples of this include products that have QR codes that are translated into coupons, mobile web-sites and even mobile video.

These are simple but extremely powerful tools in that the content that they can deliver is only limited to what can be imagined. Video, Audio, Data Sheets, Mobile Web, application downloads can all be delivered to a users mobile device via QR codes.

Beyond marketing campaigns, QR codes have been traditionally used for inventory tracking and management systems. New developments in QR code scanning allows a user with a mobile device such as a blackberry to translate a QR code rather than the requisite of having a proprietary scanner.

QR codes leverage the ability for organizations to manage inventory through their mobile device. Tracking livestock, crop development, consumer facing push campaigns and contact information can all be transferred via QR codes.

I have included a sample QR code that you can “scan” using your smart phone. If you need the software for scanning you can grab it here (for both BBerry and iPhone).

The future for mobile marketing is limitless. Studies have shown that more and more people are dependant on their smart phone as opposed to their computer. When I last checked, smart phone sales were up 29%. New 4G data streams and band widths equal the speed on your computer making mobile use much faster when browsing. There will be an integration of mobile marketing and tangible interaction such as QR codes, augmented reality and geo locations. Imagine standing in a crop field wondering what insect has invaded your crop and what to do about it. You pull out your mobile and snap a picture, the photo is then sent to your crop science professional, they determine your location, the insect and offer an immediate solution.

Will you do an analytics test on your current web site to determine if Mobile Marketing is for you?