Easily, the hottest trend in any kind of technical marketing today, mobile marketing is something you need to know about. With so many people that are seemingly unable to put down their cell phones even for a second, it only makes sense to capitalize on the opportunity to market to them on these favorite devices.
Keep setting expectations and keeping yourself safe, legally. After a person opts-in, or even during the process, inform them of how often they can get text messages from you. Also, give them an “opt-out” option if the messages are too frequent or if they want to avoid possible message charges. Always include the line, “standard rates may apply.”
Work on your message composition. You can only use 160 characters, so be concise, but clear. Short cuts or “text speak” is acceptable when text messaging. Your opt-out message can include that kind of message, too. You can save characters this way. You can get some good ideas from some translators.
Enhance your text messages with other forms of communication. Make use of multi-channel marketing. One form communication isn’t enough for today’s audience. Each style of communication has its own set of pros and cons. This is why it is best to use more than one. Try sending direct mail, e-mail and a text right before something important happens.
Treat your customers like people. Instead of just bombarding them with sales information constantly, consider messaging them occasionally with relevant information to their everyday lives. If you find an interesting blog on saving money, for example, send them a link. This lets them know you are not just considering them to be a source of income for you.
Learn what type of audience you have. If your audience is more technologically sound, you will need to talk to them differently than if they are middle-aged housewives. Pay attention to whom you are targeting, and learn how to speak the same way they do in order to make them feel most welcome.
Maintain your program. There is nothing more disappointing for a customer than to sign up for a mobile marketing campaign and never hear anything from the company. Take the time to send customers a message at least once a week, even if it just something simple, like telling them you are glad to have them aboard.
Perhaps mobile users would like to be treated a little better than the average user, and perhaps you could make them feel as if they’re getting a little extra by subscribing to your mobile site or app. You can offer special rewards just for mobile users in order to increase the mobile side of your business.
If you want to be successful in social marketing, you must always stay one step ahead of the competition. Find a way to differentiate yourself from you competitors.
Going viral is one of the best ways for your ads to be effective. If you can catch their fancy, then your viewers will pass it to their friends, and so on, until you have vastly extended your marketing horizon.
If you are going to send out text messages to your customers, do not send them out at hours that would be inconvenient for the clients. Stay away from sending anything out in the evening or early morning. Also, do not send anything on Sundays or holidays unless it is extremely important and relevant.
For all of your product sales and information, you want to set up a link for a mobile-specific landing page. All phones need to be able to use a mobile friendly page, and you want that link to be very easy to find so that your customers can bookmark them directly on their phones and visit often.
Do not neglect mobile marketing. The market is growing and changing everyday. You have to find new ways to reach out to your audience. Mobile marketing is not a novelty, it is a necessity, if you want to see your business grow. If you have never done any kind of mobile marketing before, you should start now.
Consider adding advertising to your website that specifically built for the mobile environment. Your traditional web banners are not going to cut it on a mobile device. In fact, if you have optimized your site for a mobile experience, those banners are no longer even visible. There are a lot of great mobile advertising platforms out in the market, including AdMob, iAd and MobClix. Investigate them and choose the right one for you.
To take your mobile marketing to the next level, promote your phone number. It sounds mundane to promote a telephone number when the mobile marketplace is chock full of location aware services and directions on demand. But, do not forget most mobile devices are phones. Get your phone number out in the open. Place it prominently on the home page of your optimized website. Just one click of that phone number gives them easy access to your company.
Take advantage of mobile applications that many mobile consumers already use and are very popular, like Google Maps. Google has a Local Business Center that will list your your business on their Google Maps for that region. This way, your business will be targeted to the audience local to your area.
Now that you see how mobile marketing can allow you to easily-reach the masses where they live, set a plan in motion so you can grab a little of the riches that others are already enjoying. People aren’t going to be putting down those cell phones any time soon!
