With U.S. consumers spending 2.8 hours per day on smartphones and the number of mobile-only internet users now exceeding desktop-only users, it’s worth considering how connecting with customers on mobile could benefit your business.

Whether you just started to get the hang of email marketing, or you became a pro back in the 90’s, you’ll notice mobile marketing is not dramatically different from email marketing. It’s like learning Spanish and then realizing you can also understand quite a bit of Italian. Speaking of language, we pulled together this list of the most important mobile marketing words to know. For a complete list, check out the glossary provided by the GSMArena.com.

Acquisition Rate: Percentage of respondents who opted in to participate in a mobile initiative/campaign. To calculate acquisition rate, take the total number of participants and divide by total audience.

Alerts: Notifications, typically in the form of a text or multimedia message, containing time-sensitive information (event details, weather, news, services updates) that are pushed to a mobile subscriber who has opted-in to receive this information. Note: If the mobile subscriber has not opted in to receive said information, the notification would be considered SPAM.

Application: Software solutions that power the business logic for mobile marketing initiative(s).

Bandwidth: A measurement of how much data can be pushed through a connection. The measurement is based on the number of bits per second (bps), kilobits per second (kbps), or megabits per second (mbps).

Call to Action (CTA): A statement or instruction, typically promoted in print, web, TV, radio, on-portal, or other forms of media (often embedded in advertising), that explains to a mobile subscriber how to respond to an opt-in for a particular promotion or mobile initiative, which is typically followed by a notice.

Carrier: A company that provides wireless telecommunications services.

Click-through: The process that takes a mobile subscriber to a jump or landing page once the mobile subscriber has clicked on a link.

Click-through Rate (CTR): A way of measuring the success of an online or mobile advertising campaign. To calculate CTR, take the number of users who clicked on an ad on a Web page and divide by the number of times the ad was delivered (impressions).

Common Short Code (CSC): Short numeric numbers (typically 4-6 digits) to which text messages can be sent from a mobile phone. Wireless subscribers send text messages to common short codes with relevant keywords to access a wide variety of mobile content.

Confirmed opt-in: The process used for verifying a mobile subscriber’s intention, and for gaining the subscriber’s explicit agreement to participate in a mobile program/initiative.

Cost per Thousand: This metric is used to apply costs to advertising banners for websites and other Internet-based advertisements. The fee is calculated based on the number of impressions that would occur when users view the ads.

Coupon: A ticket, message, and/or document that can be exchanged for a financial discount on a product or service.

Data collection: The process by which a marketer collects mobile subscribers’ personally identifiable information.

Direct to Consumer (D2C): The services or products delivered to an end consumer via a “provider.” The provider could be a third party, or direct from the company who is orchestrating the sale of the product or service.

Dedicated short code: The process of running only one service on a common short code at any given time.

Double opt-in: The process of confirming a mobile subscriber’s wish to participate in a mobile program by requesting the subscriber to opt-in twice, prior to engaging the subscriber. Double opt-in is a requirement for many types of mobile communications.

Email opt-in: Inviting a customer (via email) to opt in( in other words, request) to receive mobile messages from your organization.

End User: This is the person who actually uses the product or service that is provided. The end user is sometimes referred to as the consumer as well.

Free to End User (FTEU): An FTEU program is any program to which the subscriber opts-in, with the result that the subscriber receives Mobile Terminated (MT) SMS/MMS messages for which they do not incur any premium or standard messaging charges from their wireless carrier. The subscribers may interact with the service by sending SMS/MMS messages (including, but not limited to, messages for the purpose of opt-in, opt-out and requesting help). The wireless carrier may, at their discretion, charge the subscriber at standard messaging rates for Mobile Originated (MO) messages to the program.

Handset: Term used in reference to a mobile device, or mobile terminal.

Impressions: A business metric for counting the number of times mobile subscribers have viewed a particular page, mobile advertisement on a mobile internet site or embedded within a text message or similar mobile medium.

Information on Demand (IOD): Content delivered in the form of an Alert. Subscriber receives updates of weather, traffic, horoscopes, jokes of the day, etc. via SMS text, at a predetermined time and frequency.

Keyword: A word or name used to distinguish a targeted message within a short code service.

Landing Page: A secondary page to which a user is directed when they click on an ad, where they are provided additional information and/or a mechanism to make a purchase. The user is often driven to a landing page via an ad banner, link or other offer-related communication.

Location Based Services (LBS): A range of services provided to mobile subscribers based on the geographical location of their handsets within their cellular network. Handsets must be equipped with a position-location technology such as GPS to enable the geographical-trigger. Location-based marketing messages could include subscribers receiving a targeted offer upon entering a certain geographic vicinity.

Messaging: Collectively, SMS and MMS messages sent to mobile phones/devices. This definition does not include advertisements delivered on WAP sites or advertisements delivered into games on mobile devices.

Mobile app: A computer program designed to run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers.

Mobile native apps: A mobile application in contrast to software applications that run on desktop computers, and to web applications which run in mobile web browsers rather than directly on the mobile device.

Mobile originated message (MO, MOM): An SMS/MMS sent from a mobile device.

Mobile terminated message (MT, MTM): An SMS/MMS message received by a mobile device.

Mobile web: A channel for delivery of web content, which offers and formats content to users in awareness of the mobile context. The mobile context is characterized by the nature of personal user information needs (e.g., updating your blog, accessing travel information, receiving news update), constraints of mobile phones (e.g., screen size, keypad input), and special capabilities (e.g., location, connection type such as 3G or WLAN).

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS): Standard for telephony messaging systems that enable the sending of messages that include multimedia objects (images, audio, video, rich text).

Non-Personally Identifiable Information (NPII): Data that provides metrics and statistics, but does not provide specific information to contact or identify a specific end user.

Push message: A mobile app notification that delivers information directly to a mobile subscriber’s home screen, pushing them into the app when the message is clicked.

Opt-in: The process where a subscriber provides explicit consent, after receiving Notice from the Mobile Marketer.

Opt-out: The process through which Subscriber revokes consent after receiving Notice from the Mobile Marketer. An example of an Opt-out process includes, but is not limited to, a Subscriber replying to an SMS message with the phrase “stop.”

Page View: Unit of measure that tracks the number of times users load a particular web or WAP site/page.

Pull Messaging: Any content sent to the wireless subscriber upon request, shortly thereafter, on a one-time basis. For example, when a customer requests the local weather from a WAP-capable browser, the content of the response, including any related advertising, is Pull Messaging.

Push Messaging: Any content sent by or on behalf of advertisers and marketers to a wireless mobile divide at a time other than when the subscriber requests it. Push Messaging includes audio, short message service (SMS) messages, e-mail, multimedia messaging, cell broadcast, picture messages, surveys, or any other pushed advertising or content.

QR Code: A specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera telephones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded by be text, URL, or other data.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine’s unpaid results – often referred to as “natural,” “organic,” or “earned” results.

SMS Message or Text Message: A message sent via a Short Message Service. 160 characters in length and most commonly referred to as a text (or txt).

Subscriber (mobile subscriber): A customer that enters into an agreement with a carrier. Once executed, the agreement requires the carrier to provide wireless telecommunication services to the customer.

Single Opt-in: When a mobile subscriber opts in to a program via a subscriber-initiated message to a service provider as prompted by the terms of the program. For example, when a subscriber texts JOIN HEALTH ALERTS to a short code, that subscriber is opting in to that service.

Smartphone: A handheld device that integrates mobile phone capabilities with the more common features of a handheld computer or PDA. Smartphones allow users to store information, e-mail, install programs, along with using a mobile phone in one device.

Targeting: Various criteria to make the delivery of a mobile advertisement more precise (age, gender, geographical, day parting, household income, etc.).

Tracking: The ability to assess the performance of a mobile campaign.

Unsubscribe: The process of opting out of a mobile subscription service/application.

Here you can learn how to build your audience and connect with customers through email and your own mobile app. For further reference, other frequently asked questions about mobile apps are answered here.

Ready to explore your mobile marketing options a bit further? We’ve launched a brand new service that makes building mobile apps scalable and affordable. If you’d like to learn more or get early access to our new mobile apps program, click through below, and we’ll be in touch shortly.

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