Cultural Context, Technology, and Internet Marketing - Dave Weston ...

This is a sample post I did in school. Its purpose was to highlight the usefulness of mobile devices from an international marketing standpoint, and what this means to Internet marketers.

Cultural Context, Technology, and Internet Marketing

In today?s ever-changing online world, the use of new and complex platforms constantly challenges the current state of marketing. Thus is the case with mobile device use as a marketing channel. Mobile use has become so influential in the way consumers search for content that the traditional Internet is looked at as possibly becoming second choice for Internet penetration amongst the masses. The following details will help highlight the usefulness of mobile devices from a marketing standpoint, and what it means to Internet marketing on a whole.

The intentions of mobile users are different from those of traditional Internet users. For starters, mobile Web users are not online to simply browse. Rather, they?re online for a specific purpose and convenience is of the utmost importance. Therefore, it?s imperative for businesses to be where customers expect to find them, as well as providing them with tailored experiences specific to mobile devices.

As for the marketing aspect of mobile platforms, they offer the most direct and personal way for advertisers to interact with consumers. It?s essential that companies differentiate their mobile content as compared to the traditional Internet to create a more positive experience for customers. In order to do so, the mobile Web should be configured to only contain content that?s easy to access and applicable to the needs of the user.

Take for instance, the different uses for mobile devices around the world?even in newly developing countries. Places like China, for example, tend to have greater mobile device technology and even higher numbers of mobile device users than any other country on the planet. This leaves a greater opportunity for Internet marketers to advertise via mobile devices. Other developing areas around the world can use mobile devices to perform tasks that just simply weren?t feasible in the past. For instance, a fisherman in India can use a mobile device to call around to different ports in the area to find the best price for his catch. In Kenya, consumers are able to deposit, withdrawal, and send money to each other via their mobile devices.

The differences in technology between countries, such as signal connection strength and varying devices, creates the need for marketers to study the most favored uses of mobiles within the area being targeted and develop marketing campaigns that suit the consumers? preferred methods of use. Additionally, since users perform different actions between mobile and traditional Internet platforms, marketers need to understand not only what the mobile

consumer is interested in seeing, but how they want to act. For instance, mobile users are not online simply to browse and surf the Internet. Rather, they are online with a specific need or purpose in mind and convenience is of the utmost importance to them.

Therefore, companies should seek to match Internet marketing tactics with the intent of consumers accessing the Web via mobile devices as compared to a traditional computer. Some methods of doing so include offering mobile coupons, loyalty programs, mobile apps, text message with coupon codes, and highly specific domain names. Mobile devices give company Web sites the ability to speak to consumers directly and fulfill their needs at the exact location and time of the B2C interaction.

So in closing, it?s important to consider consumer behaviors and their preferred methods of accessing the Internet, as well as the type of experience a brand must deliver to consumers as they attempt to find each company. The mobile version of the Internet is different than the traditional, therefore forcing marketers to adhere to the differences in platforms, the differences in user intent, and the differences between cultures and technologies around the world.

References

Economist.com. (2008). The meek shall inherit the web. Retrieved On August 29, 2011 from http://www.economist.com/node/11999307?story_id=11999307

Fairchild, T. (2009). Matching Mobile Ads To Consumer Intent. Retrieved on August 29, 2011 from http://searchengineland.com/matching-mobile-ads-to-consumer-intent-24647

FairWindPartners.com. (2007). Mobile Web. Retrieved on August 29, 2011 from http://www.fairwindspartners.com/en/newsroom/perspectives/vol-2-issue-7/mobile-web

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Source: http://daveweston.wordpress.com/2012/12/23/cultural-context-technology-and-internet-marketing/

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