Mobile Marketing is about dialogue

A piece in the NY Times talked about the importance of mobile marketing for concert promoters, sponsors and artists.

Combine this with current mobile stats:

Over 250 million of mobile users in the U.S.
35% of adult surveyors were willing to accept incentive-based ads.
56% were willing to accept these ads as text messages.
40% were willing to accept ads via picture message.

The initial stages of mobile marketing were about polls, ringtones and news alerts. Unless you have the pull of American Idol or Beyonce, these tactics don't really go that far and will not be successful in the long run.

As the NY Times piece explains, mobile marketing is about building relationships. It's not enough to reach out to the mobile crowd once as part of an overall campaign. Compare mobile marketing to email marketing: in order to build a database and initiate a mobile relationship, you need to build a relationship and allow them to interact with you on their own terms.

When I went to Coachella a few years ago, I signed up for their mobile updates. I received updates about lineup changes, tips how to avoid traffic, etc. throughout the two days I attended. This was the experience I was looking for. Unfortunately, the promoters didn't continue to market to me after the concert was over: No messages about posted live performances, videos or photos. No insider information about next year's lineup. That's where marketers tend to miss the mark: It's not always about today's sale. Your customers are willing to open up their wallets next year if you continue to engage them.

Why would you not?