From my working life

By Len Shneyder

CTIA – The Wireless Association reported that in 2007 mobile subscriptions grew to 252 million. This means that 85 percent of the U.S. population is essentially paying one carrier or another, but it also means that 85 percent of the population is capable of receiving smart and targeted content delivered by savvy marketers.

Meanwhile, a recent BusinessWeek article reported that carriers were losing market share in the content arms race. However, according to the article, carriers such as Sprint Nextel weren’t at all afraid as the lost revenues would be made up in the growing demand for wireless Internet access. Data packages for mobile phones which rose 53 percent to $23 billion in 2007, according to CTIA.

So what does this mean for the average consumer?

Well, in one frustrated user’s humble opinion, it means that the pinch is on and we’re all about to get squeezed.

From double-dipping to surcharges on international texting, carriers have found ways of nickel-and-diming consumers.
But what does this mean for marketers? It means that consumers paying premium fees for nominal services are less inclined to pay for content and media, making it more challenging for marketers to cross the mobile divide.

However not all hope is lost. Understanding a few of the ways in which consumers are saving money may offer insights into how marketers can stay competitive in this new and important channel:

Learning to do it yourself. Media for a mobile phone is fairly simple to create. There are a host of tools on the Internet which empower users to make their own mobile desktop backgrounds and ringtones, for example.

As consumers realize the cost savings of doing-it-themselves, marketers can stay relevant by empowering end users through innovative desktop-to-mobile tools which take advantage of existing services but are optimized for the mobile audience.

Email is the consumer’s best friend, especially if his or her friends are overseas. Avoiding surreptitious fees associated with services such as international SMS is as easy as sending an email.

Consumers will eventually maximize the use of their data packages to offset per-use charges. Email is still mostly free, SMS is not.

Marketing via mobile email is also less expensive than SMS and richer so long as you understand the basic concepts of smaller and more targeted emails.

Wi-Fi to the rescue? The Apple iPhone and other mobile devices can connect to wireless networks in order to download content and media. As a matter of fact, the iTunes store on an iPhone will only work on a Wi-Fi network.

All signs point to increased wireless access of the Internet which will spur innovation and enrich available content through available packages and services.

As a savvy marketer of the 21st century, be aware of your consumer’s existing fees and needs. Find the niche where your products and services help mitigate those fees to stay relevant and on the consumer’s radar as useful tool, rather than just another fee.

Len Shneyder is director of partner relations and industry communications at Pivotal Veracity, a deliverability services and consultancy provider in Phoenix.