With its interactive, measurable, and direct features, mobile marketing represents an enormous opportunity and is fast becoming the marketing channel of choice for organizations of all types. With all of the attention on social media sweeping the globe, people are also now talking about the power of SMS marketing. What can it do for your business and how does it work?
SMS stands for short messaging service and is synonymously known as texting. Mobile marketing is highly interactive and personalized and has a powerful and immediate impact. By integrating mobile technology into existing communication campaigns, businesses enable their customers to take advantage of special offers, cash in mobile coupons, obtain additional, relevant information and receive alerts about events. Mobile marketing enables advertisers to send out custom-made and personalized multimedia campaigns to lists of targeted audiences—enabling customers to respond directly.
Some of the benefits include new customer acquisition, brand awareness, decreased no-shows, and more money in your pocket! SMS marketing is the most affordable and the highest converting form of marketing you can be involved with.
What can you do with Mobile Marketing?
Create short-codes and mobile keywords. An example is texting a certain number to a specific word like PIZZA. You’ll start to heard this on the radio and TV if you’re paying attention. Text message marketing is really in the early adopter stage.
You can build a list with your mobile short-code and keyword. The great thing is that mobile has conversions / action rates from 11-30% on average! This is an easy way to flood your business with traffic.
You can post your mobile keyword and short-code on your website, your Facebook page, or posters in your office, billboards, TV, etc.
Send appointment reminders. This will decrease no-shows between 50-75%! That equals more money for you and your business. Reminders should be sent before each appointment for maximum effectiveness.
Send bulk SMS blasts. This will allow you to make offers to your text database. The average open rate for text messages is a whopping 97%! In fact, over 90% open their messages within 30 minutes. That’s crazy.
Utilize mobile voting. American Idol made this method extremely popular and mainstream. You can use voting to poll your database or list to get valuable feedback. It’s another tool to make your more money.
Send coupons. You can use mobile coupons to get people through your doors fast. Everyone likes a deal so give people what they want, a special hook-up. It’s such a simple way to drum up business literally on-demand if you’re having a slow day in the office.
Get in the game! If you’re not using mobile SMS marketing, you’re missing out on a massive opportunity and goldmine. There are more than 4 times as many mobile phone users as those that have computers. Cell phones are extensions of people today, so take advantage.
Anytime, anywhere communication that is direct and immediate, can be targeted to particular audience groups based on age, profession or gender, cost effective, huge potential for viral marketing as customers tend to forward messages in groups, can be easily integrated in cross-media including TV, print and radio.
Mobile marketing is the ONLY medium that reaches customers on the go.
