Wednesday, March 2, 2011
A bright future for mobile advertising in Japan
Japanese mobile advertising expects to grow from the current $328 million to over $1 billion by 2011. This growth is possible because of the cohesive nature of the mobile industry in Japan. Advertisers are not burdened with the problems associated with segmented carriers and divided services like in the USA. Instead, advertisers benefit from the uniform platform standards that allow their ads to be seen by all mobile consumers. Japanese mobile users are among the highest ad consumers in the world. 54% of Japanese mobile users consume ads and 44% actively click on mobile ad links. With the introduction of new and more sophisticated phone models, we can expect to see carriers and advertisers take advantage of the increase connection speeds, rich media and Flash presentation and 3G terminals to push highly interactive and better converting ads. Yahoo Inc. launched a mapping service that combines search with location based technology. Whenever a user enters a keyword into the Yahoo mobile search, advertisers registered with the Yahoo data pop up on a map that the user can easily click on for further information. Offline retailers are also tapping into the power of the mobile phone to help reach more consumers. Japanese TV spots regularly feature a short mobile URL on screen to allow the viewer to either order or seek more information about a product. Special mobile bar codes that can be scanned and read by almost any phone in Japan can be found printed on everything from Subway posters to name cards and magazine ads. Users simply scan the bar code and they are instantly connected to the advertisers mobile site without the need to manually input a URL. Advertising networks that target mobile users continue to enter the market in Japan. One of the fastest growing among mobile networks is Smart-C owned by Adways. Smart-C specializes in affiliate programs for the mobile platform, not unlike what Commission junction does for the Web in the States. Currently, Japan has over 80 affiliate network providers servicing both the web and mobile space. These providers allow any retailer to easily create and manage a mobile based advertising campaign while paying only for actual transactions and not just traffic. The mobile affiliate providers all offer sophisticated tracking and reporting features that rival what is found on many web based platforms. Japan is definitely the market to watch for mobile advertising and marketing trends.
Affiliate marketing – the new business model for mobile app developers?
The dominant business models for app developers at present are user payments or display advertising, however, affiliate marketing could be a new and potentially much more lucrative way of monetising many apps.
User-payment driven models can be very lucrative for hit applications, especially games. Howevever, there is increasing that application prices are suffering from downward pressure towards free. New types of payment models such as subscriptions or in-app payments are promising although not all application types are suited to these approaches.
Display advertising can pay the bills on free apps if there is sufficient scale of usage. Using ad networks like admob or potentially integrating mutliple ad networks using a mobile ad optimizer such as smaato or mobclix can deliver significant revenues for some apps. However, the growth in mobile inventory, and falling click-through rates mean that it is becoming harder to make this model work.
Affiliate marketing is an alternative revenue stream to user payments and display advertising that is just opening up on mobile phone and is creating a big opportunity for mobile app developers. Affiliate marketing is already a major category in the online advertising world and its now moving onto mobile. Unlike current mobile advertising which is typically sold on a CPM (cost per thousand) or more usually a CPC (cost per click) basis, mobile affiliate programs payout based on a CPA (cost per action) basis in a single payment or a revenue share. In some cases the payments for particular actions (e.g. in the mobile casino space) can be very high – up to $50 in some cases. As a result, with the right approach affiliate marketing can be more lucrative for mobile application developers than traditional mobile advertising or mobile payments from users.
A number of players are now offering affiliate programs for iphone apps including William Hill, Offerpal and Allslots/ Brightshare. In addition, the iphone appstore affiliate program run by linkshare has also been extended to work on mobile. Android-compatible affiliate programs are also emerging, taking advantage of the more open nature of the android appstore ecosystem . Developers on other platforms such as Java, Symbian, Blackberry and mobile web can typically choose from an even greater range of different mobile affiliate programs and networks.
There are also opportunities for application developers to use APIs from online shopping services to build affiliate-revenue driven apps. For example, apps could be developed for specific dietary requirements around online grocery APIs or to aggregate affiliate feeds from a range of retailers into a single app.
Another approach is to link mobile applications to the massive growth in vouchercodes. For example, the UK-based vouchercloud iphone app is a mobile-focused way of grabbing a slide of the discount voucher market. Whereas there is little room for new players on the web, vouchercloud has been able to build significant traction by being the first to market with a high quality voucher-driven iphone app.
Finally, the ability for mobile applications to interact with real world retail stores presents another affiliate marketing opportunity. Services like the shopsavvy iphone app allow users to scan a product barcode in a store and get pricing information from online suppliers. The affiliate potential of such applications is potentially enormous.
So – application developers need to look seriously at the opportunities presented by affiliate marketing, and consider this business model right from the intial concept stage in the design process.
User-payment driven models can be very lucrative for hit applications, especially games. Howevever, there is increasing that application prices are suffering from downward pressure towards free. New types of payment models such as subscriptions or in-app payments are promising although not all application types are suited to these approaches.
Display advertising can pay the bills on free apps if there is sufficient scale of usage. Using ad networks like admob or potentially integrating mutliple ad networks using a mobile ad optimizer such as smaato or mobclix can deliver significant revenues for some apps. However, the growth in mobile inventory, and falling click-through rates mean that it is becoming harder to make this model work.
Affiliate marketing is an alternative revenue stream to user payments and display advertising that is just opening up on mobile phone and is creating a big opportunity for mobile app developers. Affiliate marketing is already a major category in the online advertising world and its now moving onto mobile. Unlike current mobile advertising which is typically sold on a CPM (cost per thousand) or more usually a CPC (cost per click) basis, mobile affiliate programs payout based on a CPA (cost per action) basis in a single payment or a revenue share. In some cases the payments for particular actions (e.g. in the mobile casino space) can be very high – up to $50 in some cases. As a result, with the right approach affiliate marketing can be more lucrative for mobile application developers than traditional mobile advertising or mobile payments from users.
A number of players are now offering affiliate programs for iphone apps including William Hill, Offerpal and Allslots/ Brightshare. In addition, the iphone appstore affiliate program run by linkshare has also been extended to work on mobile. Android-compatible affiliate programs are also emerging, taking advantage of the more open nature of the android appstore ecosystem . Developers on other platforms such as Java, Symbian, Blackberry and mobile web can typically choose from an even greater range of different mobile affiliate programs and networks.
There are also opportunities for application developers to use APIs from online shopping services to build affiliate-revenue driven apps. For example, apps could be developed for specific dietary requirements around online grocery APIs or to aggregate affiliate feeds from a range of retailers into a single app.
Another approach is to link mobile applications to the massive growth in vouchercodes. For example, the UK-based vouchercloud iphone app is a mobile-focused way of grabbing a slide of the discount voucher market. Whereas there is little room for new players on the web, vouchercloud has been able to build significant traction by being the first to market with a high quality voucher-driven iphone app.
Finally, the ability for mobile applications to interact with real world retail stores presents another affiliate marketing opportunity. Services like the shopsavvy iphone app allow users to scan a product barcode in a store and get pricing information from online suppliers. The affiliate potential of such applications is potentially enormous.
So – application developers need to look seriously at the opportunities presented by affiliate marketing, and consider this business model right from the intial concept stage in the design process.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Keep Your Online Customers Away From Your Competition
Keep Your Online Customers Away From Your Competition
1. Stay In Touch
Stay in contact with customers on a regular basis. Offer them a free e-zine subscription. Ask
customers if they want to be updated by e-mail when you make changes to your Web site. After
every sale follow-up with the customer to see if they are satisfied with their purchase.
2. Friendly Web Site
Make it easy for your customers to navigate on your Web site. Have a "FAQ" page on your Web
site to explain anything that might confuse your customers. Ask them to fill out an electronic
survey to find out how make your Web site more customer friendly.
3. Easy And Free Communication
Make it easy and for your customers to contact you. Offer as many contact methods as possible.
Allow customers contact you by e-mail. Hyperlink your e-mail address so customers won't have
to type it. Offer toll free numbers for phone and fax contacts.
4. Teach Your Employees
Make sure employees know and use your customer service policy. Give your employees bonuses
or incentives to practice excellent customer service. Tell employees to be flexible with each
individual customer, each one has different concerns, needs and wants.
5. Impress Your Customer
Give your customers more than they expect. Send thank you gifts to lifetime customers. E-mail
them online greeting cards on holidays or birthdays. Award bonuses or discounts to customers
who make a big purchase.
6. Be Nice
Always be polite to your customers. Use the words Please, Thank You, and Your Welcome. Be
polite to your customers even if they are being irate with you. Always apologize to your
customers should you make a mistake. Admit your mistakes quickly and make it up to them in a
big way.
1. Stay In Touch
Stay in contact with customers on a regular basis. Offer them a free e-zine subscription. Ask
customers if they want to be updated by e-mail when you make changes to your Web site. After
every sale follow-up with the customer to see if they are satisfied with their purchase.
2. Friendly Web Site
Make it easy for your customers to navigate on your Web site. Have a "FAQ" page on your Web
site to explain anything that might confuse your customers. Ask them to fill out an electronic
survey to find out how make your Web site more customer friendly.
3. Easy And Free Communication
Make it easy and for your customers to contact you. Offer as many contact methods as possible.
Allow customers contact you by e-mail. Hyperlink your e-mail address so customers won't have
to type it. Offer toll free numbers for phone and fax contacts.
4. Teach Your Employees
Make sure employees know and use your customer service policy. Give your employees bonuses
or incentives to practice excellent customer service. Tell employees to be flexible with each
individual customer, each one has different concerns, needs and wants.
5. Impress Your Customer
Give your customers more than they expect. Send thank you gifts to lifetime customers. E-mail
them online greeting cards on holidays or birthdays. Award bonuses or discounts to customers
who make a big purchase.
6. Be Nice
Always be polite to your customers. Use the words Please, Thank You, and Your Welcome. Be
polite to your customers even if they are being irate with you. Always apologize to your
customers should you make a mistake. Admit your mistakes quickly and make it up to them in a
big way.
Ways To Increase Your E-zine's Readership!
Ways To Increase Your E-zine's Readership!
You Have Won!
Hold an ongoing prize drawing in your e-zine. The prizes should be something of interest or
value to your subscribers. Most people who enter will continually read each issue for the results.
100% Original
Give your subscribers content they can't read anywhere else.
I'm not saying all your content has to be 100% original, but a portion of your e-zine should have
original information. People will usually read information they haven't read before.
Was I Right?
Give your subscribers a quiz or a series of trivia questions.
Publish the correct answers in your following issue. The people who participate will want to see
if they were right.
Read All About It!
Supply news stories related to your e-zine's topic. People want current and up-to-date news. If
you can be their first source, they will become loyal readers.
The Polls Are In!
Hold an interactive poll in your e-zine. Ask subscribers a poll question. Have them e-mail their
vote or opinion. People love to give their 2 cents worth. They would also like to read the results
in your next issue.
Become A Jester :)
Give your subscribers a little humor now and then. Don't be so serious, tell them a joke. If they
associate your e-zine with being happy they will want to read every issue.
The Information Free-way
People love to get free stuff. Tell readers were to get free stuff online or offline. It could be
software, services, sample products, e-books etc. The freebies should be related to your e-zine's
topic. Keep the freebies coming and your subscribers will keep reading!
Mini-Yahoo
Tell your subscribers about Web sites related to your e-zine's topic. The web sites should be
interesting and helpful. Become your readers miniature "Yahoo", you know how many readers
they get.
In Our Next Issue...
Get your subscribers excited about your next issue. Tell them about upcoming articles, prize
drawings, freebies etc. If they know what's in store for them, they won't want to miss reading
your next issue.
You Have Won!
Hold an ongoing prize drawing in your e-zine. The prizes should be something of interest or
value to your subscribers. Most people who enter will continually read each issue for the results.
100% Original
Give your subscribers content they can't read anywhere else.
I'm not saying all your content has to be 100% original, but a portion of your e-zine should have
original information. People will usually read information they haven't read before.
Was I Right?
Give your subscribers a quiz or a series of trivia questions.
Publish the correct answers in your following issue. The people who participate will want to see
if they were right.
Read All About It!
Supply news stories related to your e-zine's topic. People want current and up-to-date news. If
you can be their first source, they will become loyal readers.
The Polls Are In!
Hold an interactive poll in your e-zine. Ask subscribers a poll question. Have them e-mail their
vote or opinion. People love to give their 2 cents worth. They would also like to read the results
in your next issue.
Become A Jester :)
Give your subscribers a little humor now and then. Don't be so serious, tell them a joke. If they
associate your e-zine with being happy they will want to read every issue.
The Information Free-way
People love to get free stuff. Tell readers were to get free stuff online or offline. It could be
software, services, sample products, e-books etc. The freebies should be related to your e-zine's
topic. Keep the freebies coming and your subscribers will keep reading!
Mini-Yahoo
Tell your subscribers about Web sites related to your e-zine's topic. The web sites should be
interesting and helpful. Become your readers miniature "Yahoo", you know how many readers
they get.
In Our Next Issue...
Get your subscribers excited about your next issue. Tell them about upcoming articles, prize
drawings, freebies etc. If they know what's in store for them, they won't want to miss reading
your next issue.
Build A Successful Business By Staying Connected
Build A Successful Business By Staying Connected
Over the course of your business life you'll come in contact with a number of other
business people. They could be lawyers, business services, suppliers, customers, etc.
These people are important to your business in more ways than one. Yes, you may have
hired them, or they bought your product or service. You can also gain their business
knowledge, experience, ideas, and advice. How do you do this? Stay Connected!
Network! Networking is when two or more different businesses stay in contact on a
regular basis to build and improve each others business.
Consider all the benefits you'll gain from talking to other busines people:
-Knowledge or information that you didn't have before
-Advice on how to solve a current business problem
-Leads to a new business project or opportunity
-Joint ventures and cross promotion deals
-Learn important skills that you didn't have before
-Constructive criticism that improved your business
-Brainstorming that sparks a profitable business idea
-Encouraging and motivational statements
Their are many ways to meet business people. Join business clubs and associations.
Participate in online business related forums, e-mail discussion groups, and chat rooms.
Go to business expos and trade shows. There are other ways use your creativity to
come up with more.
If you have the time, start your own networking group. You could hold meetings at a
local seminar room, at a park , or at your own business building. If you want to hold
meetings online use a private chat room. Publish a print or e-mail newsletter to keep
members informed of meeting time and dates.
Keep all your business associates' contact information all in one place. Have it
organized by business type or profession for easy finding. So when you need some
advice on a new marketing campaign you can call that marketing expert you met at that
trade show in Ohio a couple of weeks ago.
Networking is a surefire way to build a successful business. I have used it countless
times and will continue too. I have also met a lot of business people who are now some
of my closest friends.
Over the course of your business life you'll come in contact with a number of other
business people. They could be lawyers, business services, suppliers, customers, etc.
These people are important to your business in more ways than one. Yes, you may have
hired them, or they bought your product or service. You can also gain their business
knowledge, experience, ideas, and advice. How do you do this? Stay Connected!
Network! Networking is when two or more different businesses stay in contact on a
regular basis to build and improve each others business.
Consider all the benefits you'll gain from talking to other busines people:
-Knowledge or information that you didn't have before
-Advice on how to solve a current business problem
-Leads to a new business project or opportunity
-Joint ventures and cross promotion deals
-Learn important skills that you didn't have before
-Constructive criticism that improved your business
-Brainstorming that sparks a profitable business idea
-Encouraging and motivational statements
Their are many ways to meet business people. Join business clubs and associations.
Participate in online business related forums, e-mail discussion groups, and chat rooms.
Go to business expos and trade shows. There are other ways use your creativity to
come up with more.
If you have the time, start your own networking group. You could hold meetings at a
local seminar room, at a park , or at your own business building. If you want to hold
meetings online use a private chat room. Publish a print or e-mail newsletter to keep
members informed of meeting time and dates.
Keep all your business associates' contact information all in one place. Have it
organized by business type or profession for easy finding. So when you need some
advice on a new marketing campaign you can call that marketing expert you met at that
trade show in Ohio a couple of weeks ago.
Networking is a surefire way to build a successful business. I have used it countless
times and will continue too. I have also met a lot of business people who are now some
of my closest friends.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)