7 Tips to optimize your Mobile Advertising

by | Sep 15, 2014 |

Are you new to Mobile Advertising or simply stuck in a rut? Don’t stress! These seven simple tips will get you your motor running no time. Know your audience: Even though it is supposed to be your starting point, some marketers still get it wrong. Know what your customers want from you. What phones they are using? How are they using it? Remember, consumers behave differently when reading messages on their phone compared to reading viewing info on their desktop computer. Knowing this could be the difference between mobile marketing success and failure. The less clicks, the better: Make your ad interactive. The more your customer has to click, the less inclined he will be to follow through. Something like an in-ad sign-up is a great way to counter excessive clicking. Mobile Advertising is for now: Mobile communication is immediate and interactive. Placing an ad for an event that is happening a year from now, simply won’t make sense. Time your ad in such a way that your customers are able to take action at the appropriate time. Location, location, location: It is important to place your ad in an appropriate location. You want your ad to be seen quickly without being disruptive to the user. People generally don’t like to pause what they are doing because of an ad! Have a strong call to action: What do you want a consumer to do when they see your ad? Email you? Phone you? Buy a product on your website? Tell them! And give them a very good reason to take action – like a free gift or discount. (P.S...

Real customer loyalty is easy with an SMS Platform

by | Sep 12, 2014 |

Customer loyalty is a corner stone of every thriving business, however, keeping consumers coming back for more is easier said than done. Agreed? Not if you have a SMS Platform! Mobile is an excellent tool for driving customer loyalty programmes. The secret behind being successful in this endeavour is knowing what your customers want. What works and what doesn’t work for them? The top three rewards offered by companies are: discounts, free products and loyalty points that can be redeemed at some point. According to an article on Bizcommunity, the majority of customer votes went for discounts and savings (39%). Free products/ premiums followed closely on its heels with only 5% less votes. Loyalty points received the least of the votes – most likely because it takes too long to accumulate enough points to redeem on something worthwhile. Okay, now that we have a better understanding of consumer preferences, how do you tie it into your SMS Platform? You start with the biggest factor: value add. You are in the ideal situation to customize your loyalty programme. By looking at your customers’ behaviour, you should be able to take your texting (and rewards) to a more personal level. This way you are truly adding value to the lives of your customers – something that 32% of customers say is not happening. Also, allow your other communication channels to assist your SMS platform. It doesn’t have to be a stand-alone platform. For example: encourage your customers to check-in on Facebook at your restaurant (via their mobile) while they are having a coffee. Three things that customers regularly complain about (and...

Appeal to your customers with Airtime Vouchers

by | Sep 10, 2014 |

Airtime Vouchers can take the pain out of rewarding your customers. Every person owning a cell phone has to use airtime – whether by contract or pre-paid. It is hard to go wrong with such a simple incentive! It isn’t limited to age: You don’t have to worry that only certain age groups would be interested in such a reward. It will obviously appeal to a young crowd because they are constantly busy on their phones and, hence, are always short on airtime. But it can be equally appealing to an older target market who are limited by a strict financial budget. It is a good idea though to adjust the amount you reward according to your customers’ needs. An older market might not be interested in a small R5 voucher while younger customers might not be too worried about the value. Your environmental conscious customers will love it: Because Airtime Vouchers can be sent and redeemed without the use of paper material, it is much more environmentally friendly. If your business sells “green” products this reward system is a must-have – it sends a pretty clear message that you care about the planet. New and old customers will give it the thumbs up: You can use your vouchers to either attract new customers or to reward loyal ones. Give it away as: A competition prize Part of a limited marketing campaign (e.g. buy a product on a certain date and receive a reward) A set reward (e.g. customers get it every year on their birthday or anniversary of their account / every customer who opens an account receives...

Why all the hype about Mobile Advertising?

by | Sep 8, 2014 |

Why are marketers suddenly pushing more and more for Mobile Advertising? Is it worth all the hype, or will it turn out to be just another passing craze? Mobile as a marketing channel started out with phone calls, but almost at the speed of light, it has grown into something noteworthy. It delivers a playing field rich with possibilities and options for the corporate giant as well small business owner. From a plain and simple text to a colourful animated ad with a little song and dance – there is something for everyone and every pocket. Because of its immediacy and responsiveness, some mobile and marketing experts are calling it the “seventh mass media channel”. Not bad considering that most phones nowadays are so small it can fit in the palm of your hand. (Compare that to TV screens that are only getting bigger and bigger!) As the capabilities and features of phones are improving, so will the possibilities of Mobile Advertising. Yes, that implies that it is very safe to say that this form of advertising won’t simply disappear overnight. A good example is the slow global migration form desktop internet to mobile internet. Especially in South Africa, more people have access to the web via their phone than a computer because of the costs and inaccessibility of computer technology. Stated plainly: cell phone are affordable, while computers are expensive. When you create an ad that can be shared with friends, it has the potential to go viral and reach more people. Mobile Advertising allows for content that can be stored and forwarded from one phone to another....

USSD: when your customers don’t have smartphones

by | Sep 5, 2014 |

In South Africa, the majority of phone users don’t own a smartphone. If your target market falls into this category, can you still reach them with mobile marketing? Most definitely! The answer? USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) Push and Pull messages. Most, if not all, handsets are capable of receiving USSD messages. In other words, you don’t have to worry about the logistics behind this marketing channel. Yes, it isn’t as pretty or mesmerizing as rich media marketing, but you still have a choice between: Push: A message that pops up on user’s screen – it is “pushed” on the customer. Pull: Usually a menu that the user has to access – the customer is “pulled” in to make use of the service. Unstructured Supplementary Service Data menus are easy to navigate and it can serve a variety of functions. If you have ever topped up your airtime by dialling a short number and then choosing options from a menu, you have made use of such a menu. A business can use it for: balance checking, voting, polls, answers to general questions, buying or ordering of products, sending passwords etc. It is instant and fast, almost like corresponding with a live consultant. These menus can also handle an unlimited amount of users at the same time – unlike a consultant who can only take one call and only help customers during working hours. USSD is all about the content. The focus rests firmly on what you have to say and what you want your customers to do in response. You can use it for direct marketing and promote your...