What a Difference Four Years Makes

I’ve been in the technology business all my life, so watching the evolution of the Internet has always been a part of my world. I can remember back in the mid 90’s when I couldn’t give a website away. When merchants would ask me, “Why do I need the internet when I have a fax machine already?” Wow, yeah…that happened. But I also remember (quite fondly), when the internet revolution began and we couldn’t sell websites fast enough. Do you think that merchant still uses his fax machine? My kids don’t even know what a fax machine is, but they tell me all the time to “post that on Facebook, Daddy.”

When I went to my first mobile marketing conference in 2008, my attention shifted almost entirely to mobile. It was the wild west, uncharted territory, with abundant opportunities. One thing I learned long ago from my experience in the web business is that a good idea only needs time before it catches on. Mobile is a foregone conclusion — it’s big, and going to get much bigger.

The greatest challenge to mobile has been visibility into the trends. It’s highly fragmented, being pioneered largely by early adopters and tech nerds, so we don’t ‘feel’ the movement in the industry like you would a more consumer-centric shift, like DVD players or iPhones. Nonetheless, the shift is happening; more and more consumers are receiving messages to their mobile devices from local businesses, and more businesses are acknowledging that mobile must be a component of their marketing strategy.

So now what? The opportunity is almost overwhelming…where do we start? By creating a culture of passionate, educated early-adopters who can cultivate a mobile mindset into their communities. USE, SHOW, TEACH… REPEAT. We don’t know exactly where mobile is going, but we know the early adopters should be innovating every step of the way.

Making Mobile Work

According to Wikipedia, marketing is the process of communicating the value of a product or service to customers for the purpose of selling the product or service. It is a critical business function for attracting customers.

There are five competing concepts under which organizations can choose to operate their business: the production concept, the product concept, the selling concept, the marketing concept and the holistic marketing concept. Most small/medium sized businesses would focus on the latter – whether they know it or not.

The four components of holistic marketing are: relationship marketing, internal marketing, integrated marketing and socially responsive marketing. The set of engagements necessary for successful marketing management includes capturing marketing insights, connecting with customers, building strong brands, shaping the market offerings, delivering and communicating value, creating long-term growth and developing marketing strategies and plans.

In my assessment I would summarize marketing as the goal of three things:

1. Branding
2. Attraction
3. Engagement

A text database and mobile engagement strategy (once built) can significantly help merchants achieve all of the engagements listed above and be the KEY to effective, affordable marketing.

Most smaller merchants fail at achieving all three of these things because their efforts lack synergy and focus. It’s not realistic on a limited budget for a small business to be able to focus on each element separately, so every dollar spent must accomplish all three. This is a monumental challenge for smaller merchants who are forced to compete against big box brands and online retailers with larger budgets.

SMS Masterminds believes and has proven that proper implementation of a text/loyalty system can be the glue that binds everything together in perfect synergy, maximizing the marketing spend. Of course this is really not new news though… and you might be asking, “if mobile is the solution, why isn’t everyone doing it?”

In Derek Johnson’s article “Small Business SMS Marketing Just Isn’t Practical,” he outlines the fundamental problems with small business text marketing summarized in the bullet points below.

• There has to be a marketing budget
• The rules and regulations surrounding text message marketing have become too complicated
• 90% of SMS marketing success is due to a well-planned strategy
• You can’t track what you can’t measure

He’s right. These are the problems with text marketing and why small businesses fail at it. In order to succeed at a mobile strategy, merchants must first understand what their marketing vision as a whole is and then employ the right person to implement and execute that strategy. With budgets tight, they also need to see results quickly or they simply can’t keep investing in it.

What makes the Masterminds different? Automation and professional oversight. With the installation of the Loyalty Kiosk, database growth is virtually automated and can improve opt-in rates by over 500% that of a traditional text call-to-action. The key to its sustainable success over time is its Automated Engagement feature, which sends “smart” text messages to customers when they are most likely to buy. This process minimizes wasted messages and reduces cost. With over 1,000,000 customers within the network nationally, analytics and effectiveness reports help identify what is working best and merchants are set up with proven strategies and campaigns according to their industry. Managed by a certified Mobile Mastermind, merchants can be assured of proper compliance and oversight at all times.

The industry has proven that mobile works and the SMS Masterminds have proven that even small businesses will have great success when working with the right partners.

SWOT Analysis for Mobile ROI [Infographic]

According to a survey of 122 senior marketers at companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue, mobile marketing pays off. More than half of the marketers surveyed (52%) said mobile rings up greater ROI than traditional marketing programs do. Consequently, those respondents plan to increase their investments in mobile marketing. The survey, conducted by Luth Research for SoundBite Communications, also found that mobile marketing helps respondents increase brand awareness (39%), as well as attract (39%) and retain customers (37%).

Many of the marketers surveyed are using mobile to support their loyalty programs. Their top reasons for doing so: to increase customer average spend (35%) and purchase frequency (30%), boost retention (30%), improve customer loyalty metrics (26%), and promote cross and upsell offers (24%). However, mobile is not without its challenges. Customers’ privacy concerns and internal resources are top issues.

Article Source: http://www.dmnews.com/infographic-swot-analysis-for-mobile-roi/article/254858/

Challenging perceived value

The other day I was on a phone call with a friend of mine. We marveled at the money people dump into traditional media. Thousands for radio, TV, direct mail, yellow pages… the list goes on and on. But the return those businesses are seeing on that traditional marketing is so minimal, is it really worth the money?

Marketing has a lot to do with the status quo. People know traditional marketing. They can see it, feel it, touch it. They understand how to utilize it, and they know since it’s been around so long their customers will know what they’re seeing, feeling and touching as well. The problem is that just because something is familiar and “traditional” doesn’t always mean it’s the best option for your business.

Small business owners have a bad habit of obsessing over new customers. That’s really why they use traditional marketing; it’s broad spectrum. Small business owners rely on mass marketing to hopefully entice a few customers who see their message to come into their store. But did you know that a current, loyal customer could be more valuable to your business?

Roughly 12-15% of customers are loyal to a single retailer. Doesn’t seem like a big number yet, does it? But that 12-15% of your customers typically represent between 55-70% of your sales. Now those customers seem a lot more valuable to you, don’t they?

So what I have a hard time understanding is why businesses choose to spend an incredibly large amount of time and money on marketing that’s aimed at such a broad audience. It costs 5-7 times more to find a new customer than to retain one. Implementing a loyalty solution and utilizing mobile marketing can mean the difference between keeping those most loyal customers and trying to rush as many new people through the door as possible.

Mobile marketing is a highly targeted form of advertising, geared toward those customers you know like and buy your product. When you thank a customer for being loyal to you, by offering them an incentive or reward, you show them they mean something to you. That you understand their business is what keeps you making money. And this targeted advertising, because it’s something new, exciting and high-tech, makes small business owners nervous. They don’t see how valuable it could be to their business.

People know there should be a better way to market to consumers in 2013. Savvy merchants are in the market for new, exciting technology that can help them implement better marketing solutions. And they will be a start of a much larger ground swell.

The 17 R’s of mobile marketing [Infographic]

Do you know what the top three Google searches are for mobile marketing? The first is “mobile marketing,” and the second is “mobile media.” But the third most popular Google search about mobile marketing is “What is mobile marketing?”

Data like that suggests that businesspeople are still trying to wrap their heads around this growing and evolving industry. If people are still asking what mobile marketing is, then they’re probably also struggling with how to use it to drive leads for their business.

With that in mind, we’ve written this blog post and created an infographic called The 17 R’s of Mobile Marketing. It’s based on a chapter from Go Mobile, the best-selling mobile marketing book in America written by HubSpot VP Marketing Jeanne Hopkins and Jamie Turner, a HubSpot customer and founder of the 60 Second Marketer.

The 17 R’s of Mobile Marketing, which we elaborate on below, should help you ease your way into the world of mobile and show you some best practices for using mobile marketing to generate leads for your business. As always, feel free to embed the infographic on your own blog or website.

1) Review your web analytics to determine what percent of your visitors are using mobile devices to access your website. A simple way to check this is to use Google Analytics, which provides data on whether your visitors are coming in from a desktop or a mobile device. If you’re a retail location, your mobile visits may account for up to 50% of your total traffic. If you’re a traditional B2B company, your mobile visits may be closer to 15%. Either way, tracking mobile visits vs. desktop visits can give you insights into how your prospects are finding information about your products or services.

2) Relevant messages are a critical part of mobile marketing. A great way to keep them relevant is to ask people who opt-in for mobile marketing messages to indicate their interests when signing up. For example, if your company is taking part in a trade show, you might encourage people to sign up for a free giveaway by scanning a QR code at your booth. When they scan the code and opt-in, you can ask them to indicate their business interests, which will ensure that future messages to them stay relevant and meaningful.

3) Request feedback from your subscribers on how they perceive your mobile marketing campaigns. This can be done through regular email, or via a mobile survey subscribers can answer via their smartphone. If you’re requesting feedback via smartphone, keep questions short and closed-ended. Questions like “Can you rate our customer service on a scale from 1 to 5?” are great. But open-ended questions such as “Can you explain your most recent customer service experience in the form below?” won’t be thumb-friendly and should be avoided.

4) Recruit customers and prospects that are receptive to your mobile marketing campaigns.  If your target market is between the ages of 14 and 45, the odds are they’re smartphone-savvy and would be likely to connect via a mobile marketing campaign. But if your target market is under the age of 13 or over the age of 65, mobile marketing may not be your best option since mobile usage is lower for those segments.

5) Registering for your mobile marketing programs should be easy, so keep forms extremely short. Forms that are thumb-friendly will get better results than forms that are longer and more in-depth. As a side note, even if your forms are short, your privacy statement shouldn’t be. Prospects and customers will want to know how their information is being used, so be sure to provide an easy way to read the fine print.

6) Rate the usefulness of your campaigns to your subscribers on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most helpful. By doing so, you’ll be able to track the percentage of your campaigns that provide high value. Why is this important? When someone provides your business permission to reach them via their mobile device, they’ve given you a very personal invitation. (Think about how many people keep their mobile phones by their beds, and this will all make sense.) Therefore, your mobile marketing messages should provide something of genuine value. In other words, be sure to send them more 10s than you send them 1s.

7) Region or location-centric messages can be very valuable to your customers – particularly if the subscribers are encouraged to visit a location for a special promotion. SUBWAY sandwiches in the U.K., for example, sponsored an opt-in SMS campaign where customers received special offers via text when they walked by SUBWAY locations. Similar location-based campaigns have been run on the B2B side of the equation, most notably at trade shows where location-based banner ads were deployed to people participating in the event. When you deploy mobile marketing messages that acknowledge the recipient’s specific location, you’ll generate a higher conversion rate. Ultimately, that results in a better ROI.

8) Reminders about time-sensitive information or tasks are another great use of mobile marketing messages. Doctors and dentists are using SMS to send appointment reminders to patients. And TV networks have run mobile ads that allow people to set up reminders on their mobile calendars about program schedules.

9) Respect the frequency of mobile message use. One study by CTIA.org indicated that text messages are read within 4 minutes of receipt compared to 48 hours for an email message. Since people read some mobile messages immediately, the wear-out factor is higher than with other forms of marketing. Keep that in mind when deploying your mobile marketing messages – too many messages will result in a high unsubscribe rate.

10) Return important notifications to keep customers updated on the status of their engagement with your company. “Your order is being shipped” and “Here is your tracking number” are two helpful messages that customers would like to receive once they’ve opted in to receive messages from you via mobile. Always include a reminder that says, “Click here to opt-out of future messages like these.” Providing that kind of flexibility builds trust with prospects and customers.

11) Respond to “Reply” texts quickly. Text messages from prospects and customers are just as important as a phone call or an email. Unfortunately, they’re often overlooked or fall through the cracks. Be sure to have systems in place that prevent this from happening since there are very few things that will frustrate a customer as much as being ignored.

12) Record and document any issues or feedback concerns, then act on those concerns in a timely manner. Sometimes this may mean a change in the campaign strategy or it may simply mean a change in tactics. Either way, by keeping track of feedback and concerns, you’ll be able to adjust your campaign and improve your results over time.

13) Responsible campaigns and programs will encourage customers to look for the next notification. Design your campaigns to be brief yet tantalizing for your target groups. A successful mobile marketing campaign provides something of value with the promise of additional value for people who stay engaged. That’s why mobile apps like Foursquare and SCVNGR often provide extra bonuses for people who “check in” more than once.

14) Referral campaigns can be a great way to gain new subscribers and customers. One way to do this is to run a mobile banner ad campaign that, when clicked, sends an email or text message to the mobile user’s friends. By providing this “forward to a friend” feature, you’ll get more bang for your buck and improve the ROI of your mobile marketing program.

15) Rely on good systems and software that not only deploy your mobile marketing messages reliably, but also measure and provide statistics about campaign performance. The old saying “Garbage in, garbage out” is as true in mobile as it is in other forms of marketing. The more reliable the data that goes in, the more reliable the results that come out.

16) Reality is that mobile marketing is new, and therefore not many companies have fully adopted a mobile marketing strategy for their business clients. While the vast majority of companies have plans to launch mobile marketing campaigns in 2012, up until recently, most companies didn’t even have a plan in place. Have patience knowing that this is a growing segment – and the growth is definitely accelerating.

17) Rapid adaptation to new trends and techniques in mobile marketing must be incorporated into your plan’s strategy. If a mobile campaign is not working, or if there is a better way to implement a program, don’t be afraid to change your plans. Also, the world of mobile users often expect there to be frequent changes – so set routine changes and improvements as part of your strategy.

There are so many changes happening in mobile marketing today that it’s hard to keep up, but that shouldn’t discourage you from diving right in. The fact is, your consumers are using mobile almost every hour of every day, so shouldn’t you use it, too? Let us know your thoughts on what’s working for you in mobile marketing.

Article Source: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31103/The-17-R-s-of-Savvy-Mobile-Marketing-INFOGRAPHIC.aspx?source=Blog_Email_%5BThe%2017%20R%27s%20of%20Savvy%20%5D

Location-based Marketing [INFOGRAPHIC]

Now, more than ever, consumers are relying on smart phones, mobile search and location-based apps to guide their in-store purchases.

Article Source: http://themainstreetanalyst.com/2013/06/28/location-based-marketing-infographic/

Understanding immediacy in mobile marketing

Today’s consumers are becoming more and more present-centered, more than any other generation before them. They are very interested in immediate gratification, what is going to benefit them right now. So as a company looking to formulate a marketing strategy, it is important to keep in mind the pressing needs of today’s consumers.

Start with the prevalence of smartphones. With their decreasing price and increasing functionality, most people are latching on to the craze. It is not just a trend anymore. For many buyers, smartphones are a necessity. So as more work is being done on the cellphone and far less on the PC, you as a business owner need to be aware of how to best promote yourself in this emerging market.

The most important aspect of mobile marketing is a simple message presented in the right context. The key is personalization, making the consumer feel that using your service or buying your product will directly and immediately help their life.

The Concept of Immediacy

Consider if your advertisements are useful for your customers right now. Is there some action they can take immediately? Is there an interactive element? A great example of immediacy in marketing is the presentation of a deal that they can use in their current location, or at least close to it. 1-800-Flowers.com provides a great example for other online businesses. Their mobile advertisements market specifically the same-day delivery aspect of their service. This shows an understanding of mobile users’ frame of mind. 1-800-Flowers knows that ads shown on mobile devices should attract customers to their more “mobile” services.

Simple for a Small Screen

Choosing the right information for your mobile website and advertisements is extremely important. If either of them is difficult to navigate, the consumer will click away rather than stay and try to figure it out. Things to consider include lower bandwidth for 3G and 4G devices than traditional internet connections and the smaller screen size. One great advantage mobile devices have over PCs is built in GPS, which will allow users to get to the information they want much more quickly.

The Right Context

Because people carry their smartphones with them wherever they go, and marketers can more easily access the wealth of personal data stored on them, they are a veritable treasure trove when it comes personalizing advertisements. It is so much easier to access a user’s exact location, and marketers can use this information to create person-specific and location-specific advertisements. When advertisements are more individual, users are more likely to click on them because they feel the information is relevant to their lives at that moment.

If you’re unsure of how to get rolling on a mobile marketing campaign, consider specifically how you can implement the three ideas above with the information you want to convey to potential buyers. And consider securing the assistance of professionals that have experience and a proven track record working with mobile marketing.

Article Source: http://mobile5inch.blogspot.com/2013/07/understanding-immediacy-in-mobile.html

How to Make Mobile Marketing More Personal [INFOGRAPHIC]

According to the findings of a new report from Econsultancy, the overwhelming majority of marketers are falling short of delivering a highly personalized marketing experience for the masses, especially when it comes to mobile.

“Mobile marketing platforms have the ability to deliver personalized experience well beyond the web and directly in a customer’s pocket,” writes Roy Morejon on Social Media Today.

Included in the report was a new infographic that offers up some powerful insight into the current state of personalization and how marketers can do a better job of personalizing their campaigns.

Article Source: http://www.mobilemarketingwatch.com/infographic-how-to-make-mobile-marketing-more-personal-32265/

Interruption, Irrelevance and Other Habits to Avoid in Mobile

Mobile marketing is like the game Operation. If you’re spot-on, you make a vital connection with your consumer. If you miss, even by a little, the buzzer goes off, your customer lights up and you lose, not only for this transaction, but maybe for the life of the consumer.

While sitting at home for dinner recently, I got an alert on my phone from my American Express App telling me I’m right near an Italian restaurant in town. Naturally, I think, “why does American Express care? I’m already a loyal customer to their cards.” But I move on and decide to turn off that function. Well, after ten minutes of searching in notifications and other settings, I come to the conclusion that there is no way to turn off the notice. The difficulty in opting out coupled with the fact that I never said I wanted them to notify me could only lead to one thing: I deleted the app.

With mobile usage at an all time high, stories like this one are happening every day, making it a tricky channel for marketers and increasing the need to get it right when it comes to mobile engagement. Here are some questions to ask yourself while you’re developing your mobile strategy:

Did the customer ask to be notified? Whether it’s through an opt-in or an app download, make sure you’re reaching out to customers who are eager to hear from you.

Is my message relevant for that consumer/persona? Using data to drive your messaging will help you hit the target in a timely, meaningful way. A message about a nearby restaurant is less impactful when I’m at home than if I’m at a meeting across town just before lunchtime.

Is there a way within the notification or via text to turn off or limit notifications? If you’re successfully optimizing the mobile channel, it’s not likely customers will want to silence you but customers like to be in control, especially in a space as personal as mobile, so give them some freedom to decide how often they want to hear from you.

Are you creeping out your customers? Beware of automation! Does your offer make sense? Is it well-timed? Mobile is sacred ground for consumers. Tread lightly.

Marketers are scrambling to establish best practices for mobile, particularly when it comes to loyalty. This is a prominent channel but with high risk attached to it. That is, if you’re going to ping customers in the most present, targeted way to reach them, your messaging better be spot on and, most of all, of value to them. And moreover, the consumer needs to feel in control of the engagement process.

Without a carefully thought out strategy that is segmented based on the consumer type, lifestyle, and their technology adoption, more firms are going to find their apps being deleted.  The result? Creating more distance between the consumer and the brand in a space that has the potential to greatly increase engagement.

Article Source: http://www.plurismarketing.com/interruption-irrelevance-and-other-habits-to-avoid-in-mobile/

The Digital Marketing Trio of 2013 [INFOGRAPHIC]

When we talk about digital marketing, it’s not just social network marketing, this infographic suggests. Digital marketing also includes mobile marketing and content marketing.

If people who have been following Social Barrel and our articles have not been entirely convinced that social network marketing is something that needs to be given attention too in today’s digital marketing, let us give you more reasons.

As noted by this infographic, social media produces almost twice the marketing leads that trade shows, telemarketing, direct mail, or PPC do.

Furthermore, social media conversion rates are 13 percent higher than average lead conversion rates.

According to the infographic, 46 percent of online users rely on social media when making purchase decisions. In addition to this, 63 percent of companies say posting valuale content on social media has increased marketing effectiveness.

Nonetheless, social media marketing is only one of the facets of digital marketing in 2013 as suggested by the infographic. Learn more, but more importantly, take action after reading the digital marketing infographic below from SlickText.

Article Source: http://socialbarrel.com/the-digital-marketing-trio-of-2013-infographic/51687/