NIGERIA: Where Mobile Apps Can Help Brands Deeply Engage Consumers

WHY MOBILE MARKETING?

Well, I think we are at the point with Mobile Marketing where we were with the internet about 2 years ago in Nigeria when most brands and Agencies thought the Internet could not deliver 'jack' or any tangible ROI. "Where are the consumers?" the Clients and agency people asked? (Waiting for the brands apparently)

It will be interesting seeing how you (the reader) could be a pioneer for a different kind of mobile marketing that is more than an SMS campaign, interactive and delivers to a broad spectrum of people and handset types.

In this post, I have attached sample screen shots of a mobile app developed by the digital marketing arm of *TROYKA for a Pan-African reality TV show called STYLOGENIC - www.stylogenic.com Stylogenic is to be hosted in September 2010, by the worlds 1st Black African Ms.World - Agbani Darego.

The Stylogenic **mobile application, like any sensible app, can be installed on low, mid and high end java enabled Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Blackberry and even the now popular 'chinese' phones. It can also publish as iPhone version on request.

HOW CAN A MOBILE APP ACTUALLY HELP YOU AS A MARKETER TO TODAY'S TECH INFLUENCED GENERATION?


3 BROAD USES:
A) INFORMATION SOURCE
Share useful information about projects, events, World Cup stats, teams, news updates, opinion polls with  brand loyalists or new customers.
You can even build one to perform like a Micro-Blogging service for sub-groups like Sales, Customer service - within a Closed User Group for companies with large and diverse staff operations. For instance election related bodies like INEC, Banks, Telecoms company, FMCGs.

B) FEEDBACK (OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE) 
Strong communities love to give regular prompted or unprompted feedback that is always measurable. 


Your brand can provide users variation of this feedback system as listed below:
    - CLICK TO SMS
    - VOTE YOUR TEAM
    - PREDICT n WIN 
    - CLICK TO CALL. E.g, as a Customer Service Support Mechanism;
    - TYPE IN via simple in-app form at no cost to the user.
   
Election monitoring services could find that a service like CLICK TO REPORT POLL PROBLEM would be useful to disseminate to the general populace before an election.

C) IDENTIFY & BUILD A RESPONSIVE COMMUNITY
An interactive and engaging mobile app with clear reason-to-download qualities like those above can help your company develop a network of interested users who can serve as your unofficial ambassadors and who are willing test cases for new initiatives. They can also provide quick feedback by leveraging the powerful impact of the worlds most personalized medium of engagement - the mobile phone. Not the iPad.


The thing to keep in mind is that like the internet usage stats show us - 23.9m as at 2008 (Source ITU not Internetstats) there is a growing pool of Nigerian consumers now more than ever willing to extend their engagement links with brands into ever more personal terrains.
   
 
QUICK FAQs:

HOW DO CONSUMERS GET THE APP?

Consumers receive the app in any way they desire or relevant to the Client's ability:
1) Direct download from Client website to the customer's computer
    and then transferred to users phone
2) Direct push to customer phone by registering on website
3) Customer receives after sending request to an advertised code
4) From the Client to existing customers/users via SMS (after sending
    an initial intro sms alerting people they will receive such an app to
    avoid spamming)

WHO CAN USE A MOBILE APPLICATION FOR ITS USERS?
NGOs, FMCGs, Banks, Hotels, Restaurants, Shopping Malls,

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO DEVELOP
2-6 weeks depending on complexity and readily available information from the Client.
Complexity refers to both content structure as well as integration with Clients IT structure/website.
If you would like a presentation made to your company on how mobile applications can specifically assist your business, send me a private message here and I will give you a call.

I will be at the upcoming mobiFEST 2010 – a 1st ever Mobile Application Exhibition in Nigeria. It is to happen in the next 7 weeks and is being organized by Mobile Money Africa run by the irrepressible Emmanuel Okoegwale. The theme of the Expo is Reaching the M-Generation. You can read more about it here http://bit.ly/d4UAns See you guys soon - on my mobi-blog.



*TROYKA is West Africa's largest independent Marketing Communications group.
**Stylogenic Mobile App - this is a demo version only without any branding.

If you feel like dropping me a line or seeing what else I get upto visit:

http://facebook.com/dayo.adefila
http://twitter.com/travelwithdayo 

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