Common SMS Marketing mistakes and how to fix them Part 2

by | Feb 11, 2015 |

How difficult can SMS Marketing be? Well, it is fairly easy actually, but that doesn’t imply that you can’t make mistakes or use it in the wrong way. The following common mistakes are best to be avoided. Not providing an Opt-out option Not only will this drive customers insane who no longer wish to receive your messages (resulting in the boycott of your business) but it will land you in hot water. According to the WASPA guidelines, you must always give your subscribers an opt-out option. The solution: Tell customers that they can reply “stop” or “no” at the end of your text.  Spamming your customers You are excited about your products/ services and you can probably talk about it all day long. Unfortunately you can’t apply that to SMS Marketing. If you send too many texts, customers will get annoyed and angry and unsubscribe from your list. Always remember that you are entering your customer’s personal space by texting them. The solution: How many is too many? Put the shoe on the other foot and ask yourself: How many times a week would I want to hear from MY favourite brand? Not telling your customers what action to take Your customer opens your SMS Marketing message and all it says is: “Summer sale now on.” Your customer is most likely thinking: “Okay, so what?” Why? Because you didn’t tell her what to do with the info. Should she visit your store or order the goods on your website? Oops, you just wasted a golden opportunity! The solution: provide a clear call-to-action telling your customer exactly how to respond...
Mobile advertising in 2015

Mobile advertising in 2015

by | Feb 11, 2015 |

Mobile devices are getting more popular by the day and each one that is launched has more advanced features than the previous version. This makes these devices useful in our daily lives. On a daily basis you will find me browsing the internet, reading various product reviews, catching up on the latest news items, playing a game or two and engaging in my social circles through my smartphone. Smartphones are so much more than just a device you can use to call someone. It’s an always on always connected device and a gateway to the online universe. The growth and trend of smartphones is staggering and there’s no sign of it stopping anytime soon. This is causing many brands to morph their current marketing campaigns to be mobile, ready to support their business goals. Still a bit skeptical if you should start with a mobile advertising strategy? Read a couple of facts below on why this medium shouldn’t be ignored. What is mobile advertising? One mobile advertising method widely used is text messaging, where you can basically advertise your services, products, vouchers, etc. by the means of a text message. There are various ways you can build your text messaging database; it’s similar to email marketing where you can run campaigns, where your target audience needs to submit their mobile numbers to get updates, win something or to subscribe to the database. Once they are subscribed, they will receive a message asking them to confirm their subscription by replying to the text message – this is known as a double opt in. Once they have confirmed their subscription, they are...

Common SMS Marketing mistakes and how to fix them Part 1

by | Feb 9, 2015 |

Mistakes are part of life, but when it comes to you business, unnecessary mistakes can affect your bottom line. We take a look at a few common SMS Marketing mistakes and how you can avoid them. Not telling customers who you are You might put your company’s name in your texts the first few times, but then you either forget to do it again (you assume your customers know who you are by now) or you simply don’t have enough characters to spare for a name. Don’t assume the message receiver automatically knows the message is from you. The solution: If your problem is that your business has a lengthy name, simply shorten it. E.g. “Johnny’s Car Repairs” can become “JCR”. Sending out error-filled messages Spelling and grammar might not seem like a priority for SMS Marketing, but it could actually make customers opt out of your messages. It creates a bad image if you don’t pay attention to details. Who wants to spend their hard earned money at a company that can’t even spell – how will their service be? The solution: Always double check your texts before you send them out. Having a second pair of eyes to scan your messages, is a must. Not using all the marketing tools in your arsenal Okay, so you might think that running a SMS Marketing campaign across all your channels, defeats the purpose of it being a mobile based campaign. While there might be seem truth to this, the actual mistake you are making is creating exclusivity – and not in a good way. The only people who will...

4 Things to look for in a Mobile Advertising Network

by | Feb 6, 2015 |

Nobody wants to waste tons of money researching and trying out different Mobile Advertising networks. How can you determine what will work for you and what won’t? We give you five things that you can look at to help you make good choice.  Demographic targeting You want to combine your efforts with a network that targets the audience you want to reach – specifically by demographic location. (This is also referred to as the fill rate). If you only want to advertise in South Africa, it makes sense to choose a Mobile Advertising network that don’t just target, but successfully targets, that region. Effective cost per thousand impressions (eCPM) eCPM is calculated by dividing total earnings by total number of impressions in thousands. What does that have to do with your ad network? Well, the network’s eCPM combined with its fill rate and your expected monthly ad requests, could give you an idea of the potential earnings you could get when making use of this particular network. User experience  If the mobile user has a bad experience with a Mobile Advertising network, your app or advertisement will also fail. How on earth will you know if your customers could potentially have a bad experience? Unfortunately, it is not that easy. But, you can find out how your ad will appear to the user when they make access the website or app. For example: if your ad is interruptive to the customer, they will click it away without a second thought. Payment options There are different ways to pay for your ad as well as pay your ad network provider....
How to choose a mobile advertising network

How to choose a mobile advertising network

by | Feb 5, 2015 |

Not all mobile advertising networks are exactly the same. Choosing the right one can push your brand to new heights, while the wrong one can yield little results – except a hole in your bank account. Blind Networks Blind networks are the scooters of the Mobile Ad network world. They are cheaper, but also don’t come with all the cool bells and whistles. These networks usually target content channels such as news or sport. Not bad, but you don’t get to choose which websites display your ad. This will of course make it more difficult for you to evaluate and measure the success of your ad, because you have less control over and knowledge of the process. Premium Blind Networks Now things are starting to look up. Premium blind networks can be considered the family car of the bunch. You get a little more bang for your buck with higher end publishers such as newspapers or operator portals. Although still limited, you can be offered specific spots on sites or choose between sites that have both search and display ads. Premium Networks If you want the Ferrari, you will have to be willing to spend more than a few bucks. These Mobile Advertising networks offer prime spots on popular sites. They have a multitude of targeting offers to choose from, but most importantly, you know what you are paying for. But how do I go about choosing the one best suited for my business? There are a few factors you can look at – like the pricing range and payment options. Different networks offer different ways for you to pay...