Relevance - the Key to Retaining Customers Through Mobile Technology
Mobile devices are attracting 10 times the redemption rate of traditional coupons and set to increase.
According to Gartner Research, mobile phones are predicted to be the Number 1 web access device in 2013.
2013?
Hang on, that’s NOW.
So if you’re thinking that now might be a great time to review your current mobile marketing policy; or plan your mobile marketing strategy if you haven’t already – you’d be spot on.
The ‘reach’ and ‘response’ potential of mobile marketing is something every small business should be aware of – frankly, it’s pretty difficult to ignore. You see, acquiring new ‘mobile’ customers shouldn’t be too much of a problem –but retaining them for the long haul – well that’s a different matter entirely. You will need to employ a fair mixture of innovation and creativity.
As with email marketing, blindly messaging people who have not given their permission for you to contact them is considered bad form. Just think of all those PPI and insurance companies who send ‘blanket’ texts to millions of people every single day, in the hope that a percentage of recipients will respond – and in doing so will confirm that their mobile number is ‘active.’
You don’t want your business to be associated with these mass spamming techniques – far from it!
Recent research has shown that consumers prefer SMS messages for urgent type messages such as travel updates or financial notifications. They also cite mobile as the perfect medium through which to receive relevant offers and promotions. That said, it is vital to differentiate the offers you make through mobile channels to those you make through email, direct mail, and social media.
Why? Because you are addressing a particularly discerning audience.
Just because your customers have given their permission for you to communicate with them via their mobile devices doesn’t mean you can contact them with anything and everything. By providing them with selective information and offers only available to a mobile audience, you are suggesting ‘exclusivity’, which means they are more likely to stay switched on to your brand.
What’s more, by keeping your promotions relevant, your prospects will actively look forward to receiving future messages from you.
Something else that may be of interest: according to the Mobile Marketing Association, coupons delivered via mobile devices attract 10 times the redemption rate of traditional ‘clip’ coupons. Now that’s definitely worth thinking about when you are planning the finer details of your next marketing campaign.