This is a slightly lengthier post, however well worth the read. I am going to briefly address some of the major misperceptions some people have about how to utilize mobile marketing and it is why it is keeping from the experiencing great success.
The first flag I often see when someone asks about mobile is when I am asked about how to procure a list. Mobile is implemented and executed in a very different manner than direct mail, etc. The power in mobile is that you do not blast a message out to unsuspecting phones. Rather, you invite people to text in to receive an offer or information and, thus, they are participating with you and are very good business leads. Different than the direct mail approach, your mobile database will almost always be much smaller quantitatively and much stronger qualitatively. When mobile is done correctly and people opt-in to participate, there are no complaints about a mobile ad because it is of their own volition.
A second issue I hear raised is that the sms message is so plain and cannot contain graphics. In regards to this, it is entirely the point of mobile. E-newsletters have tons of graphics, flash, pictures, and links…and an average open rate between 8 and 10 percent for exactly this reason. Give the average business owner/marketing director tons of space and they will fill it, often times losing the point and the message (and the respective chance to drive business). And this is only natural; business owners are passionate about what they do and when given the opportunity to share, they will. However, when limited to 140 characters of simple text, it forces the sender to hone in on the best possible motivator to get someone to act. If they are persuasive in a message, they shouldn’t need graphics. Lastly, the smart mobile marketers have that simple 140 character message drive the end-user somewhere with all the graphics and flash, like a mobile website.
The third question I get is all about the cost; business owners ask me if it is expensive to secure a shortcode. If you want to reserve your own, the answer is yes. If you had a client that wanted to obtain their own number, and do it the right way, then there are boatloads of monthly fees that stack up quickly. That is why companies like ours exist. We take on all the monthly wireless fees, software fees, etc, etc. and simply allow the business owner to purchase a base number of messages from us (pennies per message) and that’s it. When someone works with a company like ours it takes it from costly to one of the most cost-effective marketing tools available. We are able to do it because of economies of scale and they are able to do it because their costs are greatly minimized.
The last issue I hear regularly is about mobile marketing costing the end user a fee. If someone does not have internet at home, they will not sign up for your e-newsletter. If they don’t have a car, they will not drive to your store to register to win something. If they don’t have a data package, they will not participate with you via text. This question often comes from someone who investigated buying a list and sending an unsolicited message. In the rare case where someone without a data package is inspired to participate, it costs them a regular text message (usually seven to 10 cents depending on the carrier).
The best way to make use of mobile is by including something like “Text in to win a free ______” or “Text in to save 50% on ________” in your current traditional marketing. You will build a database of warm, active leads and help your current marketing work more efficiently.
We analyze all of our client’s marketing mixes and help them integrate mobile successfully! Visit us at www.BallyhooMobile.com or email us at Sales@BallyhooMobile.com for a free mobile marketing consultation.
A blog about text message advertising, sms marketing, mms marketing, mobile internet, methods for free marketing and free marketing consulting, and the evolution of the mobile marketing industry.
No comments:
Post a Comment