Businesswoman talking on a cell phone
Bluetooth® advertising is a means for companies to deliver advertising or promotional messages to customers who have cell phones or other mobile devices enabled with Bluetooth® technology. This is an example of proximity marketing, which allows marketers to target consumers within or very close to the company sending the messages. Depending on the type of mobile device, advertisers can deliver everything from simple coupons and business cards to much more elaborate messages. Marketing staff try to maximize the impact of Bluetooth® advertising by delivering the message in an area where it will be accepted by the most potential customers.
The avenues available to advertisers continue to grow in number as technology advances by leaps and bounds. One of those technological advances that really opened the doors to marketing capabilities is the increased use of cell phones. Many people go anywhere with their mobile phones, which are often equipped with Bluetooth® technology, allowing them to receive relatively complex messages. As a result, Bluetooth® advertising has become increasingly prevalent in the world of proximity marketing.
Advertisers using Bluetooth® advertising have the ability to identify where the signal is being sent, providing a way to decide who receives the message. As cell phones are often inundated with unwanted messages from multiple sources, advertisers must do a good job of separating themselves so that their messages are heard. This may require them to do more than just send a business card. You can require consumers to send special offers and coupons that can only be received if the message is accepted.
There are many different techniques used by these companies that practice Bluetooth® advertising. If the advertiser wants to reach a broad spectrum of people, he can try a technique known as “shotgunning.” This occurs when advertisers simply broadcast the message to a large number of people in a public place. While this allows advertisers to reach a large number of people at once, the vast majority of these unexpected messages are also likely to be ignored by consumers, unless the offer is extraordinary.
A more efficient Bluetooth® advertising technique focuses the message on the people most likely to be interested in it. For example, a department store owner can send a Bluetooth® message to store customers to announce a special offer. Since these people are already shopping in the store, they are more likely to be interested in the message. In some cases, advertisers can install digital screens at target locations and tell customers to turn on their mobile devices to receive special offers.