Part 2 – What are some of the marketing options for each of the device categories
Part 3 – A look at some of the data available to help us decide on which mobile category to target
Part 4 – Taking a look at some mobile experiences
Part 5 - Some Considerations For Small Business Budgets And Mobile
Part 6 - What Options Do Mobile Users Really Need and Want
As a small business it can be over whelming to have and keep up with so many options for marketing. I hate to say it, but I am going to cover a very popular and fairly new platform for marketing, mobile.
We almost all carry a cellphone and most of us carry a smartphone. Mobile phones have become as prevalent as wallets or purses for most people. In fact, I find myself asking whether I have my keys, wallet and phone every time I leave a restaurant, friends house or anywhere else I go.
An important aspect of marketing to mobile users is understanding what the various mobile devices are. In this VERY introductory post, I will explain what each type of device is. This will provide the foundation for our marketing options with regard to mobile devices.
Dumb phones are commonly defined as not Smartphones, but that's not very helpful. The best way to think of dumb phones is to think of just a calling device. They are like a cordless phone at your house that you can carry anywhere. They are also the most inexpensive mobile phone you can buy. Here's a list of what they do and do not do:
Do:
Do Not:
Feature Phones are a category of mobile devices that support much more functionality beyond just making calls and checking voicemail. They are certainly not to the level of smartphones but they offer much more than a dumbphone.
Feature phones are a bit pricier than dumb phones, but they offer commonly used features for most mobile users.
Here's a list:
Do:
Do Not:
Apps are really a huge differentiator between smart phones and feature phones.
Smartphones can do it all, from video and photo editing to remotely working on your office computer. These are the powerhouses of the bunch. They cost more than any other phones, but they are more technically advanced than my first laptop back in 2001.
Smartphones can do everything that the other phones can do PLUS the list of items that Feature Phones do not do.
As I mentioned at the end of the Do Not list under feature phones, Apps are a real defining factor with smartphones. Some other characteristics of smartphones include:
While tablets are most certainly not a new technology, the new array of tablets are the first to truly catch on and become popular. Starting with the launch of Apple's iPad last year, tablets have become all the rage. For smartphone manufacturers and operating system providers (listed above), the leap from a smartphone with a touch screen is very small. Yes, there are battery challenges with bigger screens and the technical specs need boosted, but tablets are really just smartphones with big screens and no calling capabilities (for now). Tablets range in screen size from 5-13 inches which includes various resolutions.
Tablets have app stores and many of the app stores are mirrors of the smartphone versions.
Now that we have a baseline understanding of what the various types of mobile devices are, I would like to take these same categories and talk about their implications for small business mobile marketing. Check back later in the week for the next post in this series, and as always, contact us to explore options for small business marketing strategy!