As a marketer, you must understand different current customer preferences to more successfully offer your company’s products and services. This includes where or what they spend the bulk of their time: on their smartphones and other mobile devices.
Consumers accustomed to using mobile apps expect business information to be concise and easy to read on the go. You and your customers can connect on the go due to the proliferation of Internet-enabled smartphone devices. Here are a few fundamental tactics for engaging clients through phone marketing and a few important points to remember on each one.
1. SMS Marketing
SMS marketing is the abbreviation for short-messaging-service marketing. Another term for it is text marketing or text message marketing. This is a permission-based mobile marketing strategy in which you send 160-character text messages offering discounts, promotions, coupons, and alerts to potential customers’ phones. If you’re unfamiliar with SMS marketing, you can hire reliable services to do the work for you. Some services, like Drop Cowboy Ringless Voicemail & Text, and others even help with voicemails to work with SMS advertising.
It’s said that SMS marketing is a highly effective mobile advertising approach due to the high deliverability, open, and engagement rates of text messages. Due to the limited number of characters in text messages, many marketers include a link to additional information or a code that encourages receivers to get further information. Avoid excessive SMS marketing; it’s best used for time-sensitive campaigns.
- Permission should be obtained and the opt-out option explicitly communicated.
To send SMS messages to users, you must first obtain their prior consent. Otherwise, you’re simply spamming them which may be detrimental to your business. Not to mention the worst possibility of violating the law and racking up hefty legal fees.
Subscribers may be enticed to use text messaging by advertising efforts that require them to send a keyword to your shortcode. Alternatively, offer a checkbox alongside email subscriptions during the checkout process. Be transparent about the benefits members will receive to entice them to opt-in. What types of communications will they receive and how frequently?
Signups can be generated by any of your existing marketing channels including email, website, in-store, social media, or direct mail.
- Simplicity is the height of sophistication.
It’s preferable to begin with 4-5 messages per month and gradually increase to ten, as long as each communication adds genuine value. Naturally, you should monitor unsubscribes for a rise in churn to determine the optimal subscriber count for your business. Include a frequency indication in your welcome message to inform users how frequently they’ll hear from you.
Consider the length of your letter before you begin writing. The majority of carriers limit text messages to 160 characters, so be succinct. Utilize a URL shortener service to demonstrate value and include a solid call to action.
- The order of events is critical.
When scheduling SMS messages, bear in mind your audience’s regular routines. When do they appear to be most absorbed with their phones? Mondays are believed to have the fewest responses. If your message is not properly tailored to that particular day, do not send it.
Additionally, it’d help if you avoid popular commuting hours which are often between 6:30 and 8:30 AM and between 4 and 7 PM when most people are driving and unable to receive or respond to texts. Ensure that the send times are suited to your user’s time zone.
- Segment
You’d not speak the same way with a first-time visitor as you would with a repeat customer. This can be similar to any SMS auto dialer. Segment your audience to ensure that each person receives both relevant and valuable material. Returning customers may be eligible for early access to new products or membership in your rewards program, while new visitors may receive free shipping or a promotional voucher.
Send birthday promotions, new customer discounts, or location-based marketing to each user to provide a more personalized experience and increase conversion rates.
2. Social Media Marketing
In today’s age and society, social media platforms are said to be critical to a business’ success. Chatting, tweeting, remarking, and liking other people’s comments have become a daily habit. Numerous businesses are capitalizing on this by utilizing social media to promote their products and services.
Mobile social media marketing is a form of marketing that entails using social media platforms on mobile devices. It’s believed that mobile devices have surpassed desktops and laptops in popularity, making them an excellent medium for advertising. Advertisers believe that mobile devices are a more persuasive marketing medium than the internet and are the ideal medium.
- Verify that your social media pages are mobile-friendly.
Nowadays, most website designs are responsive, meaning they can be accessed on any device easily. You can hire a web designer to construct your site on your behalf and make sure that it’s mobile-friendly.
Assure that the information you provide is written with the best interests of your customers in mind! Scrolling down and reading extensive text on a mobile device is said to be rarely attractive. Mobile phones are said to be an excellent platform for testing your layouts and pictures.
- Make the most of a short video’s strength.
It’s believed that individuals who use mobile gadgets have limited attention spans. Your objective isn’t to persuade people to watch lengthy films but to get them to notice your business. Another enticing alternative is live streaming video. Live broadcasting from your business on a live streaming platform increases engagement and excitement.
Inextricably related are mobile and video marketing. For instance, you may send customers a text referring them to a video. Clients can participate in contests by submitting video submissions. Photographs and videos are welcome from participants. Allowing clients to submit photos or videos of themselves using your product is just one of numerous Instagram contest ideas. Promote your contests via email, your blog site, social media accounts, and text messaging.
- Promote customer check-ins.
Encourage clients to ‘check-in’ on social media sites to get them to assist you in marketing your brand online. This may help customers tell their friends about their visit to your establishment, providing you with free advertising. Coupons can be given as a reward for checking in.
You can offer special incentives to clients who check-in via mobile app. This is may also be an excellent approach for obtaining additional reviewers. Check-ins are said to be a very effective and low-cost method of generating positive word-of-mouth promotion for your business.
These are just a few of the critical tactics for harnessing social media’s power on mobile devices. It’d be best if you create as many opportunities as possible to profit from the further growth of mobile and social media. Whether you use organic material such as tweets, images, paid advertisements, or text messages, seek ways to engage your mobile clients.
3. Proximity Marketing
GPS or Global Positioning System or Bluetooth technology can assist you in determining your consumers’ physical location and engage with them based on their location. Because your customer’s phone already has an embedded GPS chip, their location is determined using satellites orbiting the planet.
USB-plug beacons are little devices that may be plugged into any available USB port. A wireless signal is transmitted to smartphones that comprise location-based information. It essentially implies that you may give them a personalized message via their smartphone as clients approach you.
- Identify device.
When a beacon broadcasts its ID number (which is unique to only that beacon in that specific location), it searches for Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices within its range. This application will collect information about the ID number assigned to each beacon and plot it on a map along with its position. If the beacon’s ID matches the proximity ID of the mobile app, the device will notify the app of the beacon’s location.
- Request permission.
These beacons operate at a proximity range of 0.5 to 3.5 meters of a Bluetooth-enabled mobile device. Each time a Bluetooth-enabled mobile device within this range is found, it seeks permission to connect.
- Upload content.
Once the consumer grants permission, the app will notify them via a lock screen alert. After tapping on the message, the app opens to a screen displaying marketing messages for products in the campaign’s location or one aisle away in the form of text, graphics, audio, and video.
4. MMS Marketing
Mobile multimedia messaging service or MMS marketing is a type of mobile advertising in which text is added to digital messages that contain photographs, videos, and other media. MMS enables you to include rich media assets like images, GIFs, videos, and audio files in your messages. Additionally, you can compose messages up to 1,600 characters in length.
The alternative marketing strategy, which is frequently referred to as MMS marketing, refers to photo messaging, video messaging, and multimedia messaging. However, it’s irrelevant what you label it since what matters is what you can accomplish with it. Complementary creative material is provided and consumed quickly. It enables you to provide relevant and exciting material to your audience without requiring them to register or download an app.
- On-the-spot analysis
Continuously monitor the campaign’s performance. As with SMS marketing, you can rely on this form of mass communication marketing to be easily deliverable and to have extraordinarily high open rates, allowing you to communicate with clients and viewers immediately. Your message will include a delivery confirmation to assist in ensuring delivery.
5. QR or Rapid Response Codes
QR codes (alternatively referred to as “quick response codes”) can be scanned and processed by mobile devices. Typically, promotional messages are printed, distributed, and displayed on billboards, promotional periodicals, and websites among other places. Additionally, QR codes may be an effective technique of directly communicating information about items and services to a user’s smartphone.
QR codes, in a nutshell, encourage connection and interaction with a mobile phone user. By utilizing this method of marketing, businesses can establish a stronger relationship with their clients. Today’s customers are believed to want transactions to be quick and painless. The marketing industry is all about providing speed and efficiency at all times.
- Redirect clients to a landing page/website.
Users can navigate to a signup page or any other website by scanning QR codes. With this configuration, accessing the website requires no additional effort. When measuring your QR code, be sure to include a URL that is exclusive to your business.
- Make use of the dial on the business phone.
Anticipate engaging and interacting with a crowd during business conferences. An auto dialer can help customers reach you better. Those seeking information about your organization can quickly obtain it by scanning your QR code. You can modify the QR code such that it immediately dials the recipient’s phone number upon scanning.
- Use it for SMS.
The message will be received only after the user scans the QR code, making it an exciting experience for the user. The most significant benefit of QR code-based message delivery is SMS marketing. It can be used for customer service purposes such as increasing customer sales, requesting customers update to newer versions, and opting in to receive text messages.
- Use it for email marketing.
A benefit of employing QR codes to send emails is that you can analyze and monitor statistics on newsletters, email marketing, and the performance of your emails (e.g., open and bounce rates). The user can also access the email from their mobile phone by scanning the QR code. As a result, your email will be accessible across all platforms.
- Install and download applications.
The user will be directed to the app’s download page after scanning the QR code, and the download will begin. Businesses have used their creativity to create innovative QR codes. Additionally, apps use QR codes to aid in the growth of their communities. Users can instantly add new friends by using unique QR codes provided by social networking apps.
Takeaway
While businesses are unique, it’s necessary to consider their diverse objectives, target audience, competitors, brand loyalists, and other initiatives when approaching them. Mobile marketing is an excellent tool for advertising a business’s products or services through customized messages to customers on the go.
With that in mind, mobile phone marketing should be incorporated into businesses’ digital marketing strategies, as cellphones have surpassed personal computers as the primary means of connecting to the internet for clients.
