Ballyhoo Mobile's Blog

CEO Jennifer McCoy named to Women to Watch 2012

BallyhooMobile — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:38:36 +0000

Mobile Marketer released it’s annual list of Women to Watch in the mobile industry, and Ballyhoo Mobile’s CEO Jennifer McCoy was among one of the 25 women chosen for the 2012 honor.

Read her thoughts on the mobile industry here:

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/opinion/classic-guides/11668.html

Congratulations Jennifer!

Making Mobile 360 Degrees

BallyhooMobile — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:09:00 +0000

A client of Ballyhoo Mobile just sent out a Cyber Monday reminder text and it inspired me to touch on a subject that I have been pushing to everyone over the last few months- the migration of SMS away from a customer list for coupons- and towards a communication channel.

A lot of times a business using SMS will see the numbers on their lists and worry about cost- especially if they pay for how many texts they utilize per month. A lot of smaller businesses see mobile apps being built left and right and worry about never being able to compete in that arena. Well, luckily SMS can be utilized to do more than just coupon.

Instead of contracting with your SMS list that you want to send them just specials, remind them of the other ways you will be contacting them. Send them to your Facebook via a link, show them great videos on your youtube account. Even better, if you have a mobile website, direct them to bookmark it.

The main purpose of SMS is communication. Utilize it for such. It doesn’t always have to be a coupon- remember, your clients like Facebook and online events as much as you hope they do. Drive them from that print ad to text in, to immediately click a link to like you on Facebook, THEN give them a coupon. You’ve now reached them in four ways- just by one SMS message.

SMS Relevancy: Coca-Cola Talks Multi-Channel Mobile/Social Approach

BallyhooMobile — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:53:00 +0000

A lot of times in meetings I get asked by clients if SMS is still relevant. There is always a lot of debate about just how SMS-only providers can last in such a changing and evolving mobile landscape. Time and time again I have seen a new provider fold in just a couple of months because they haven’t figured out the right approach to the market.

An article published in Mobile Marketer today (www.MobileMarketer.com) was JUST what the doctor ordered, if you will. Mobile Does Not Work As An Island (http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/messaging/11243.html) perfectly ensconces the Ballyhoo ideals of mobile: utilize all touch points (apps, mobile ads, web, social, traditional) and still remember that feature phones account for a large portion of the market. Nearly every phone out there can text in and interact with your brand, while only a certain percentage of phones can interact with your app (on certain platforms, even!).

At Ballyhoo, we start by analyzing the best way for a client to interact with their end consumer. Every time we launch an app we always recommend pushing it via SMS and through traditional media. Mobile truly isn’t an island out by itself: it only remains relevant when used along side traditional and social media. Remember, mobile is out there making traditional media more social.

Upcoming Article Focuses on LOCAL DOLLARS

BallyhooMobile — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:41:48 +0000

One thing that we firmly believe in at Ballyhoo Mobile is the idea that every business should be able to participate in the mobile realm. Let’s face it- a multi-channel approach is one key to success.

Look out for the Mobile Advertising Guide of 2012 published by Mobile Marketer. Jennifer McCoy, CEO of Ballyhoo Mobile, contributed an article dedicated to helping LOCAL medium and small businesses. Learn how to keep your mobile budget at less than 5% of your total advertising budget- and keep successful campaigns!

Current Mobile State of the Union

BallyhooMobile — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 22:40:31 +0000

We want to know how you are utilizing “mobile!”

“Mobile Marketing” is such a broad term. It can mean integrating SMS or QR codes into your current marketing, it could be utilizing a mobile app to broaden your reach, or even in-app banner ads to target social-savvy consumers.

Let us know! Feel free to comment after you answer and let us know what kind of successes or challenges you are seeing.

View This Poll

www.BallyhooMobile.com

Back in Cyberspace

BallyhooMobile — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 22:22:26 +0000

Hello all!

If it seems as though our blog has been quiet for some time, we have been. We here at Ballyhoo Mobile have been revamping our software, expanding our product offerings, and having some fun- namely, we have been doing more and more work in what we believe will be the direction mobile is taking in the next year or so.

Please stay tuned. We will be back to regular posting next week, and we look forward to answering your SMS and Mobile Marketing questions again.

Thanks so much for your patience!

Powerful new mobile data!

BallyhooMobile — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:54:33 +0000

There is some great new research from Chief Marketer, a website FULL of marketing data. Visit them sometime.

And click here to access the new info.

Happy 4th of July!

Making Mobile Donations More Accessible

BallyhooMobile — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:19:45 +0000

This week, I am having an experience that most people would shy away from. I am staying in a very well-run and happy foster home, where a majority of the kids have either a mild learning disability or a very extreme physical disability. 5 out of the 8 kids have been adopted into the home, and it is truly a situation of “it takes a village to raise a child.” Day nurses, night nurses, care assistants, and even caring neighbors are in and out at all times. I have never seen such a well-run machine, and a home where, even surrounded by craziness, I feel comfortable and secure.

It got me thinking about the unsung heroes of the smaller local charities that we work with at Ballyhoo. Specifically, local charities such as the Daniel Foundation. While a lot of local charities and smaller run charities would love to make use of the mobile donation system, the start up cost is often too far out of their budget range. It seems as though to truly run a mobile donation program, you truly have to invest upfront. For a nationwide charity the money can be made back easily, but for some, their entire marketing budget is consumed.

I believe the carriers should re-vamp the process for non-profits. It should be a quicker, simpler, and cheaper process.

To all the small, local charities out there- there are still plenty of ways that you can utilize mobile to bring supports closer to your cause. Check with us and we will be happy to donate services.

Consumers now spending more time on apps than the web

BallyhooMobile — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:27:44 +0000

Amazing in terms of quick consumer adoption and business opportunity.

http://mashable.com/2011/06/20/app-use-overtakes-web-use/

Finally…instructions!

BallyhooMobile — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:05:10 +0000

Recently I ran across a company that actually recommended against building a mobile website for one of their clients. The site is flash heavy, with lots of copy and information. It was an ideal situation to highlight the difference between users who view the site at home or on the go.

Mashable recently posted a story about writing for mobile… which can be viewed here. I personally think it’s a must read for any business.

Fundamentally, marketers need to understand why people view a site or ad on their mobile phone: they don’t have any other screen! They are on the go! They want information quickly! It simply underscores the reason to be precise, quick, and keep in mind that the viewers are constantly being hit with distractions (hello, car that just cut them off while they were viewing and driving!).

Here at Ballyhoo Mobile, we are constantly imploring our customers to understand the essential elements in mobile campaigns, and that extends to their online content as well. If you do not have a mobile website, built from the ground up, please reach out to your webmaster or to us! Read the Mashable story and look at your content- does it make sense?