What Is Cell Phone Marketing?

Cell phone marketing is the process of advertising cell phones and encouraging new and existing customers to make purchases. It is a consistent, ongoing process by cell phone manufacturers and service providers, and there are many different ways that companies will market their products to their customers. These include television commercials, print advertisements, direct mailings to existing customers or those in a targeted market area. Cell phone marketing tends to be pretty aggressive because it is a highly competitive market, and cell phone companies want their customers to purchase new phones every year or every two years whether it is necessary or not.

Some of the most common strategies for cell phone marketing are television advertisements. Though these may exist for specific cell phones, particularly for cell phones that are very popular or current "hot item," it is more common that commercials will be for cell phone service providers. This is because people purchasing a new phone through a service provider, and signing up for cell service at the same time, will have the costs of the phone partially subsidized by the company. This can reduce the cost of the phone by a significant amount, sometimes even making it free; this is one of the most common cell phone marketing techniques.

This is because, in order to get a free phone, a customer will generally need to sign up for a lengthy service agreement. Canceling the agreement early can lead to hefty fees, so customers are generally reticent to do so. Most companies, in another cell phone marketing technique, will also allow their customers to upgrade their cell phones after a given period of time for a reduced rate, the catch being that the customer must extend his or her contract. In this way, cell phone companies encourage customers to keep purchasing new phones, whether or not it is necessary, and keep customers tied into lengthy service agreements.

Direct marketing like these work well for existing consumers, and sometimes to entice new consumers if a company offers a specific proprietary phone. Otherwise, cell phone marketing techniques are similar to any other type of marketing strategies. This includes print ads in newspapers and magazines, as well as larger ads on billboards. Radio and television commercials are common as well. Certain cell phone providers are more common in certain areas of the world, simply because service is better in those areas; it is a good idea to check with other subscribers before signing up for a service agreement, even if the company is advertising in a certain area, to be sure the service actually works there.