by anton | Mar 25, 2015 |
In South Africa and the African continent where Smartphone adoption is slow, USSD is a perfect way for brands to reach their customers instantly. Brands often find it hard to reach customers in rural areas through digital marketing. These customers are often consumers of more traditional marketing channels like newspapers, brochures, television and radio, and they don’t have access to laptops and computers. Cell phones are relatively cheap, thus the vast majority of these consumers own feature phones. The problem with feature phones is that they have limited capabilities. They might not always receive images or display them properly, and browsing the Internet can be a huge challenge as well. Luckily, this is where USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) comes in. Vodacom commercialized USSD in 2004 and since then many brands have reaped the rewards of this type of mobile service – like Boxer superstores and AVBOB. According to Mobitainment, Boxer stores were able to use a USSD driven competition to increase their sales from 300% to almost 1000% on selected products. Why? Because this form of mobile interaction worked like a charm for their target market. USSD Push and Pull messages works on every GSM capable handset. It is straightforward text – no glitz and glamour. Also, consumers are all very familiar with the working of USSD menus as most of them use these services to top up their airtime. Please Call Me’s are also USSD driven. It creates a two-way conversation between a customer and a brand in real-time – unlike SMS messages that are sometimes delayed. It also adds a personal touch to brand communication that...
by anton | Mar 23, 2015 |
Easter is a great time for promotions via Bulk SMS. The biggest question? What do you put in your messages to make them appealing to your customers? Not all brands have the kind of products or services that are directly related to Easter. For such brands it can be very hard to configure their content. If you don’t sell chocolates or offer holiday accommodation, what on earth can you do? Start by thinking about how people normally spend their time during April. You know that the schools are closed and we have a few public holidays as well. This means that people are spending time with family, buying treats, going on holiday, attending religious events or concerts and having a good time overall. The secret? Using a play on words and events related to Easter in your Bulk SMS Campaigns. Try one of these lines: Our products are better than chocolate You don’t have to go on a Easter Egg hunt to find prices like ours Our deals are egg-stra special Give your customers something extra that isn’t necessarily related to your products. Include links in your Bulk SMS message to valuable content on blogs and online articles. During this time, people usually want to know about: Recipes for family meals Fun activities for the whole family. How to keep the kids busy with arts and crafts – painting eggs, making bunny masks etc. Interesting events that are happening in their vicinity – e.g. Easter Egg hunts, Easter plays, exhibitions etc. What to do if they can’t afford to go on holiday – e.g camping out in your own...
by anton | Mar 20, 2015 |
While both traditional and digital marketing methods have their time and place, Wholesale SMS messaging is hard to beat. It can bring something more targeted and specialised to your business. Why? It’s less “spammy” As a consumer, you can’t choose which ads should appear on the television, radio, billboards or in the newspapers and magazines. The same is sometimes true for email as well – somehow companies you have never heard of get hold of your address and send you a bunch of irrelevant emails. Ugh! But this is where marketing through Wholesale SMS is different. Because consumers have to opt-in to get a brand’s mobile messages, these same consumers are much more tolerant of your texts. They know they can opt out at anytime, so even your direct marketing attempts won’t be seen as spam. Clients WANT to hear from you As we have mentioned, because clients subscribe to your SMS marketing, you know they actually want to hear from you. While they might overlook the everyday traditional stuff that the media throws at them, they won’t ignore your texts. Your brand won’t get lost in the white noise. This is also means that you will get value from engaging with your clients through Wholesale SMS. In other words: this medium is just as effective as it is inexpensive. A win for both you and your clients! It is trendy Sure, it is not like consumers have stopped paying attention to traditional marketing channels, but the younger target market especially is much more interested in mobile technology. The same is true for working professionals. These people are always...
by anton | Feb 27, 2015 |
Clipping coupons out of newspapers is something people rarely do these days. Just like all things moving over to digital, so has coupons and vouchers. Think about it: when is the last time you actually saw some purchase their Airtime Voucher from a store instead of topping it up over the phone? Yep, so when you want to reward your customer with a voucher, you are going to do it over mobile, not with a card in the mail. We can all agree on this. The next question is: how will you launch a successful campaign with Mobile Vouchers as a reward. Would people even want such a reward? Create the need Start by creating a need in your consumers to receive this reward. Take an Airtime Voucher for example. It could be anything from keeping them in touch with grandma who lives at the other end of the earth, to helping them stay on top of gossip and trends with their friends. Do your best to tie your reward to your own services so it will make sense to the customer. For example: A hospital with a SMS helpline could give away airtime vouchers to patients leaving the hospital so these patients will have quick access to help should something happen to them at home. Be specific Don’t skimp on the wording of your Mobile Vouchers. Being specific will give more power to the consumer’s need. People will rather react on a message that reads “get R5 off your next purchase” than one that simply says “text us for a coupon.” The latter immediately makes you think that...
by anton | Feb 23, 2015 |
Brands often question the power of Mobile Vouchers when it comes to increasing their bottom line. Can one freebie lead to a customer making multiple purchases or becoming a client for life? According to a recent survey in the United States, mobile coupons can trigger 51 percent of consumers to shop in-store. The key to a successful mobile voucher campaign lies in the relevancy of it. Serving the correct content at the opportune time means the difference between the customer making a purchase or walking out. For example: If your discount or freebie can pop up on a customer’s phone while that customer is either in the vicinity of your store already in your store, there is a good chance that the customer will react on it. Everybody loves a bargain, and mobile shoppers are no different in that aspect. According to the survey, 33 percent of people said that they have hunted for coupons on their mobile phones. Approximately 26 percent of consumers took their Mobile Voucher to the physical store to make a purchase. The difference in behaviour of the different age groups is also interesting to note. Consumers aged 18 – 34: 39% bought something at a physical store with their mobile coupon. Also, 71% of them used their Mobile Voucher in an online sale. Consumers over the age of 35: 18% used their coupon for in-store shopping while 42% redeemed it on an online sale. This is a cool finding! 63% of consumers say that if they receive a voucher on their phone while they are in the store, they would be more likely to...
