An sms (short message service) message has a limit of 160 characters including spacing and punctuation. An example of an sms message from a movie studio would be:
“Check out Robin Hood @ theatres. This wknd only, $2 off movie ticket. Msg&Data rates may apply. Reply RATES for more info. Reply STOP to end.”
The sms and mms difference is that MMS (Multimedia messaging) allows you to add an image or video to the message and there is no limit in the number of characters one can use. Using the Paramount example, an MMS message can include a link to a video trailer turning the message into a multi-media experience.
“Check out Robin Hood at theatres. Click HERE to watch the video trailer and see scenes from the movie! This weekend only, $2 off movie ticket. Message & Data rates may apply. Reply RATES for more info. Reply STOP to end.”
Get possible date alerts in real-time on your phone. Just set up your phone and create your dating profile. As you move around, meetMoi updates your location in real-time. You decide who sees your profile and what information you share.
Launched in London and hopefully will be available across the pond, Streetspark is like “Foursquare for dating”. When there is a suitable match or ‘spark’ nearby, you are alerted in real-time. Streetspark has plans to integrate both Foursquare’s API and Facebook’s Open Graph to help provide more relevant matches and match people with friends of friends. After checking out the other person’s profile, and if both users decide to chat using the secure chat service, users can decide to meetup – mobile dating free and spontaneous! This gives people a reason to put on some decent clothes, groom, and bathe every day! Gotta love it. Streetspark just may be the best invention ever if it motivates the general public to get out there, lose some weight, and dress properly. The app currently works on the iPhone and is currently being tested on Blackberry and Android. Check out the StreetSpark video below.
If you are straight, then you can skip to the next app. If you are gay, then Grindr is the app for you. This mobile dating free app uses location-based technology to help you meet guys in your area. See pictures, stats, and map locations in seconds. Grindr is the largest all male location-based mobile social networking tool available. Have fun.
Will Apple fans have a mobile dating free app to turn to? Launching in June 2010, Cupidtino is a dating site created for fans of Apple products. No news yet on whether or not this will be a location-based dating site, but we do know that it will be exclusively on Apple platforms – Safari, iPhone, and iPad apps. So far they have 12,000 people who have signed up. I guess we will have to wait and see if this will be a location-based dating site or not.
Lovestruck is another online singles network that is working on providing real-time location based single ads. It is working with mobile ad servicing company Admob to make this possible and currently works on the iPhone and iPod Touch.
HowAboutWe allows users to connect with singles in their area based on the places they want to go for dates. The app features real-time access to thousands of nearby date ideas from local singles. Quite different than other dating sites, worth checking out.
What SinglesAroundMe does that other smart phone apps don’t do, is offers access to communities of singles worldwide, opening up unlimited opportunities for serendipity for the world traveller. But it also works on your own doorstep too. Launched just six months ago, SAM is quickly gaining market share, with loads of users from London to L.A. and down under in Australia.
In the market for Mobile App Jobs or want to reach out to App Developers?
For companies who are looking to hire a mobile app developer in or near their location, they can find experienced mobile programmers, developers, and UX designers at FoneGigs.com – the first job board dedicated for mobile app jobs. Experienced developers can also upload their resumes listing their mobile apps they have developed and let employers find them.
If you are trying to find out where mobile application developers hangout, check out some of these groups. Furthermore, if you’d like to recommend a group that is not listed here, please email me at eric(at)fonegigs.com and I will include it in this post. Thanks.
Need a little help with your Android App? Ask questions regarding the filesystem, user interface and more at the The Android Developers community
[By the way, did you know we have directories of Mobile Analytics, Mobile Ad Networks and more at FoneGigs.com? Download them now for free!]
Want tips about game programming fundamentals, graphics and audio programminng, scripts and more on the Mac, iPhone and iPad? Check out iDev Games
Brands who desire to create mobile apps, but are not sure where to turn to can look into a new community called AppMatchMaker. Before you do though, make sure you have a budget and timeline set. This community was created to help connect app developers who are waiting for Fonegigs and companies who are lacking a mobile application. In order for a mobile app developer or programmer to be a part of the community, they had to have already built and submitted mobile apps to various App Stores. In other words, they can only be selected to build an iPad app if they have already proven that they already built an iPad app that is currently distributed through the App Store.
What kind of ctr mobile should you across mobile devices?
Based on a study in Oct-2009 by Chitika, overall average CTR for mobile across five major smartphone operating systems is 0.49%. Here is how the mobile ctr resulted for each system:
· Other (Blackberry, Symbian, Nokia, and HTC combined) 0.89%
· Palm 0.89%
· Windows CE 0.61%
· Android 0.45%
· iPhone 0.30%
In April 2008, another research company, Bango, reported that mobile ctrs were between 2-8%. Obviously this is a huge difference. The likely reason is that in 2008, people were probably not used to seeing ads on their mobile phones and were curious to click on them.
[By the way, did you know you can receive notices for Mobile Marketing and Mobile App Developer jobs from FoneGigs.com? Join us on FB, Twitter, or LinkedIn now!]
What happens after the mobile click?
According to mobile analytics firm Amethon (June-2009),
on average consumers view 1.53 pages when visiting a m0bile ad site
Only 33% of consumers make it past the first page
Movie campaign sites performed the best, averaging 1.65 page views and attracting 21% of the audience
Content downloads like branded wallpapers or videos don’t improve engagement much.
The iPhone’s mobile payment app is called Transaction
This summer Apple will be testing the iPhone mobile payment app in various markets. Visa and DeviceFidelity are reported to have been working with Apple on making the iPhone into a credit card that could be used in bars, restaurants, and retail stores.
Read about other mobile bill payment solutions here
Patentlyapple reports that Transaction patent is directed to various techniques for conducting peer-to-peer financial exchanges using a handheld, portable electronic device – which for the sake of simplicity is represented throughout several transaction-based patents – as the iPhone. Read more here.
If you are looking to buy digital content and goods using your mobile phone, then you should check out Bango. Bango works with credit cards and PayPal internationally and works across all kinds of mobile devices. Bango is a web-based mobile payment provider.
Square enables anyone in the US with an iOS or Android device to sign up and accept credit cards in minutes. The app is free, the card reader is free, and the only fee is per transaction. Square is you when the answer to the question, “Do you accept cards?” is “Yes”.
Send, receive and pay money using your cell phone with Luup. Partnering with banks around the globe, Luup is building an international mobile transaction network that specializes in the hosting of stored value account for financial institutions.
Don’t have access to credit cards or a bank account? Not to worry. Mopay offers a quick and simple billing solution for small online purchases (mainly virtual goods) through mobile operator accounts.
Now you can send money via text messages. With Xipwire, you can fund your account with money from a debit card, bank account, or credit card and with just a couple of steps, you can send and receive money using a simple text message.
If you are into social networking and online gaming and don’t have a bank account, Zong allows you to make small purchases with your mobile phone. The charge is directed to the mobile operator and then charged on your cell phone bill.
Google Wallet. Look for the signs at retailers where it says Paypass. Tap your phone to the reader and your phone sends a payment. Google Wallet combines offers and payments at the point of sale, makes it easy for partners and third-parties to create better consumer experiences.
The ClearXchange platform allows customers to move money more conveniently and safely using a mobile number or email address. Customers of the three banks will be able to move funds directly from their existing checking accounts using an email address or mobile number – instead of providing checking account and routing numbers
See a list of 3rd party in-app billing solutions for developers, link here.
FoneGigs – the FIRST job board dedicated to jobs in mobile advertising – lists dozens of mobile account manager jobs that are currently available around the globe.
What does a Mobile Account Manager do?
In general, they are responsible for the development and execution of all mobile marketing efforts and are tasked to meet sales goals and cost per lead goals. Experience in online marketing is desired along with the strong interest in becoming knowledgeable in the mobile ecosystem (mobile platforms, types of mobile apps, mobile payment systems, mobile ad networks, etc).
Find all the latest Mobile Marketing jobs at FoneGigs.com
Technology is moving so fast in the mobile industry that a Mobile Marketing Career will be fast-paced and very rewarding for those that love anything to do with mobile. Creating, planning, and executing mobile marketing campaigns that generate brand awareness and a good return on investment will be challenging yet exciting. Some of the skills required to land a Mobile Account Manager Job would be knowing how to:
Track visitors coming to a website from mobile phones
In a previous post regarding Augmented Reality, we talked about how Layar is providing a tool that allows publishers to distribute additional layers of information to mobile apps that will utilize augmented reality so viewers can use their mobile cameras to see the real world in a completely different way. Another new startup that is bringing together mobile, augmented reality and social media is Tagwhat. Tagwhat provides the technology to layers social networking on top of the physical world. These ‘layers’ are essentially geo-contextual digital tags from pre-selected friends and community members.
Essentially, this is word-of-mouth marketing 2.0. Imagine walking down the street and Tagwhat reveals Twitter discussions about a meetup with friends, coupons for a nearby café, or a restaurant review about a Tex-Mex restaurant down the street. Are you beginning to see how powerful this is? Merging the physical world with the social networking world will be huge. This is like Foursquare meets Twitter meets augmented reality. You can check-in, tag or upload digital content and pics, as well as follow your friends or businesses. Each digital tag is interactive and can include direct links to email, phone, sms, photos, URL’s, cross-posting to Twitter, Facebook, and more.
Find all the latest Mobile App Developer jobs at FoneGigs.mobi
MobileMarketingWatch calls Tagwhat’s technology ‘create and share mobile AR’ and I have to agree. You don’t have to be a developer to create your own AR digital tag to share with your friends, and you can do all of this for free. Tagwhat plans on making money by using a local-business based advertising model similar to Foursquare. Their ‘digital crumb’ technology is patent-pending.
Thanks!
Eric Melchor, Founder – FoneGigs - The FIRST job board dedicated to Mobile Marketing and Mobile Application Developer Jobs.
The first thing that might come to your mind when you are about to implement 2D codes into your marketing strategy is “Yes! Finally there is a way to measure outdoor media.” True a barcode 2D imprinted on outdoor billboards, posters, magazine ads, and newspaper ads can provide some kind of measurement as to how well these channels are working, but the real benefit of utilizing 2D codes is that these codes can instantly transform traditional media into a multi-media experience. People can interact with your brand through the use of mobile technology as opposed to only seeing advertisements. Moreover, a 2D barcode is a very innovative and entertaining way to increase brand favorability and can be executed at a low budget. Here is an example.
Find all the latest Mobile Marketing jobs at FoneGigs.com
Suppose you are a movie producer and have spent millions of dollars marketing your movie (lets pretend the movie you are releasing is Avatar) with commercials, radio, print, magazine and online ads. Another movie producer is also releasing her movie (we can pretend it is the Matrix), but has spent significantly less money marketing her movie. However, she did implement one marketing tactic that was cost efficient and innovative.
What did she do?
She simply placed 2D codes on movie posters with a call-to-action of “Scan the code to see the trailer!” So, on opening weekend, thousands of people across the country are standing in line waiting to buy movie tickets and are checking out the movie posters. A movie goer notices the barcode 2D on the Matrix poster and since they are waiting in line, they have time to scan the barcode 2D and check out the trailer. The Matrix trailer happens to be kick ass and has won over the hearts and minds of movie goers who were undecided about which film to see. Do you see how impactful 2D codes can be?
Link to 5 easy steps to implement a QR Code Campaign
Thanks!
Eric Melchor, Founder – FoneGigs – The FIRST job board dedicated to Mobile Marketing and Mobile Application Developer Jobs.
If you are fine using the standard touchpad interface on your Smartpone and have no desire to text rapidly, then you don’t need Swype. However, if you are like the rest of us who need a bit of help when it comes to texting on the smooth screens, then you should download the Swype application. This app allows you to enter a word by sliding your finger from letter to letter lifting only between words.
Swype was initially developed to help people with disabilities. It is not only available on Smartphones, but also on tablets and e-book readers. This is the one app that is not available on the iPhone. Regardless, Swype will be licensing its technology to major handsets in Asia, Europe, South and North America.
Recruit the best Mobile Advertising Professionals at FoneGigs.com
Thanks!
Eric Melchor, Founder – FoneGigs – The FIRST job board dedicated to Mobile Marketing and Mobile Application Developer Jobs.
