What Is Bluetooth® Advertising?

Bluetooth® advertising is a means for businesses 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 near the business that is sending out 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 personnel try to maximize the impact of Bluetooth® advertising by delivering the message to an area where it will be accepted by the most potential customers.

The avenues available to advertisers continue to grow in number as technology makes vast advances. One of those technological advances that have really opened things up to marketing capabilities is the increased use of cell phones. Many people go everywhere with their mobile phones, which are often outfitted with Bluetooth® technology that allows them to receive relatively intricate messages. As a result, Bluetooth® advertising has become increasingly prevalent in the world of proximity marketing.

Advertisers using Bluetooth® advertising have the ability to pinpoint where the signal is being sent, providing a way for them to decide who receives their message. Since cell phones are often inundated by unwanted messages from various sources, advertisers must do a good job of separating themselves so that their messages will be heard. That may require them to do something more than simply send a business card. It could require them to send consumers special offers and coupons that can be received only if the message is accepted.

There are many different techniques used by those companies who practice Bluetooth® advertising. If the advertiser wants to hit a broad spectrum of people, he can try a technique known as "shotgunning." This occurs when advertisers simply deliver the message to a wide swath of people in a public place. Although this allows advertisers to hit a large amount of people in one shot, it's also likely that the vast majority of these unexpected messages will be ignored by consumers unless the offer is extraordinary.

A more efficient technique of Bluetooth® advertising concentrates the message to the people most likely to be interested in it. For example, the owner of a department store can send a Bluetooth® message to the customers within the store advertising a special offer. Since those people are already shopping in the store, they are more likely to be interested in the message. In some cases, advertisers may set up digital displays in targeted locations telling customers to turn on their mobile devices so they can receive special offers.