Mobile marketing is currently the hottest tool for marketers as more and more people, or potential buyers, now own a cell phone. As this type of marketing is relatively new, there is not much advice around. This article contains a few tips and ideas to help you to get started with mobile marketing.
Invest some time and effort into making your mobile marketing technique personal and customizable. If you are creating an application, make it unique and simple to use and consider providing customers with relevant customization options. If you are not creating a full blown application, at least make your mobile communications engaging and enjoyable.
Let customers give you feedback. Some mobile marketers have outgoing only messaging, meaning that a customer cannot text them back without going through a lot of hassle. Let your customers talk back to you to improve the focus of your plan, and know if you may need to do something differently.
Know exactly what you want to offer your customers before you start out. Mobile marketing encompasses everything from simple text messaging to instant mobile coupons. Planning ahead on what you are going to offer them can make the actual implementation much easier than if you were indecisive in the long run.
Although slow to the start, mobile marketing is a great way to bring customers to your products. So do not panic. It just takes a little while longer to gain the trust of an on-the-go user since they don’t typically follow links all day long.
Be careful that you don’t come across as a stalker to your customers when mobile marketing. You don’t want to make it seem as if you’re inquiring about their exact location, and if you do happen to know where they’re at, maybe you shouldn’t relay that info. The “I’m watching you” feeling is very unsettling.
Try conducting a usability test prior to actually launching your mobile ad campaign to make sure it goes smoothly! Send the ad in a small test circle to include yourself and trusted friends or family. Ask for the honest input of everyone and ask yourself if you like the ad and would be persuaded by it!
When you are marketing on the mobile network, you must keep your messages very short and to the point. People are using their phones because they do not have the time to sit in front of the computer and relax. So many people are in a rush and on the go, and you want to show your customers that you understand that and are not going to be a burden to them.
Giving customers preferred status is a proven way of increasing loyalty and sales, so tell your customers they are “preferred” and “elite members” and bring more of them in! Making exclusive offers only to your mobile marketing customers and giving them special titles will increase the likelihood of them purchasing your products or services, and it will definitely get them talking to others about the benefits of being your customer!
When creating Quick Response codes (or QR codes), try using a URL shortening service first. By using the URL shortening service, you can create a simpler QR code, as QR code complexity is determined by the number of characters in any block of text that you use. A block of text with less characters creates a simpler QR code that is easier to scan.
Don’t forget email when you are building your mobile marketing strategy. Modern smart phones have rich email clients or the ability to open web-based email clients like Gmail or Yahoo. If you are targeting mobile users with your email campaign, be sure to optimize you email creative to make sure it is effective on a smaller screen.
Form a plan. You may be in a hurry to introduce mobile marketing to your campaign strategy, but you’ll be sorry if you don’t do it right. You’ve been living without it until now, so it is not going to kill you to form a solid plan that you build with a clear understanding of how to do it effectively.
Check out what your competition is doing. Look for their blog or website on your own smartphone and see what they are up to. Take a look at the social media that they are promoting and how they are engaging their customers. When you take a look at your competition, it will give you some ideas about what you need to do.
Make sure your website is accessible from any mobile phone. This way, you’ll make sure that every prospective customer has the ability to see what you’re offering the way you want them to. Load your site on various platforms to see how it appears, and make changes as necessary so that everyone who visits your site can enjoy the same functionality.
Be sure to alert your subscribers of any fees, even those that you aren’t charging. If there are standard rates applied to their cell phone bill from the provider because of your messages or even if you are charging a small fee for the service you are providing, you should give that information to your subscribers immediately to ensure there are no legal situations later.
When used as a way to entice customers and expand your branding, QR codes can be an invaluable asset to your mobile marketing campaign. With these codes you can share coupons, promotions and discounts. Their ease-of-use is one of the primary attributes of QR codes. As you begin using these codes, you will be able to easily provide your customers with relevant information about your company and products.
The tips above should have given you some ideas which will help you to create an effective mobile marketing ad campaign for your business. You should also continue to keep up to date with the latest developments in the mobile marketing industry so that you can stay ahead of your competitors.
