Before you choose the format of your Mobile Advertisement…

Just like traditional forms of advertising, Mobile Advertising also comes in different shapes and sizes. Do you go for bright and loud or simple and cheap? Before you choose the format of your ad, there are three important things you need to consider. Determine your objectives You can’t have an advertisement campaign without objectives. What are you hoping to achieve with your ad? Do you want to do a branding campaign that is more focused on awareness than sales? Or do you want performance campaigns that are aimed at acquiring leads or customers? Naturally, some ads will work better for branding campaigns while others will perform better if you are looking for sales.  There are no right or wrong objectives, but there are right and wrong Mobile Ads. Don’t forget about your budget The more you want to put into your ads, the more it will probably cost. If you require graphics and sound, you will have to hire a graphic designer or professional branding company. If you are opting for Search Ads, you want to consult someone who has experience in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and keyword research/ bidding.  How much are you willing to spend on attractive or high-ranking digital ads? Your customers’ needs are very important You can spend all the time and money you want on Mobile Advertising. But if you don’t reach your customers or potential consumers, you are doing it all for naught. It is not about what you think looks or feels great – it is all about what your target market wants. Make sure the location of your ad is accessible...

Bulk SMS marketing ideas for nightclubs

Nightclubs have a lot of things going for them when it comes to Bulk SMS Marketing: party goers always have their phones on them and they usually travel in groups. How can you use texting to get customers through the doors? Apart from having a drink in their hand, club customers always have something else in the other – their mobile phone. This puts a marketer in the ideal situation for doing on-the-spot marketing. Naturally, a club is at its busiest over weekends, so you can use the weekdays to build up hype. Or, you can even try to lure your customers during the week. No matter what your objectives are, you can make use of any of the following Bulk SMS strategies. Free entry or half price entry if they show the doorman a promotional text message. Mobile coupons/ vouchers to get discounts on drinks or free shooters Text reminders about special events or upcoming shows at the club. New Year’s is probably of the biggest party events, so make sure you text customers about it well beforehand so you can outsmart your competitors. Text-to-win contests. Customers can send an SMS answering a question about the club or an event. You will then announce the winners during the party – thus, entrants can only claim their prize if they are present at that time. This is a smart way to grow your customer contact list as well. Refer a friend. Send customers a unique code along with a promotional messages and ask them to forward it to their friends. Reward the customer who spreads your message around the...

4 Elements no Mobile Advertising campaign can do without

It doesn’t matter if you are selling shoes or offering legal services. Your Mobile Advertising campaign should always have these four elements: value, relevancy, simplicity and honesty. Each and every brand always has the same thing to say: “Buy from me!” or “Choose my services!” It is the main purpose of marketing after all. Being successful, however, takes more than just pictures and words on a screen. It compels you to dig a little deeper to find your true brand voice, company values and make it part of your message. Adding value Why should consumers buy from you? What is in it for them? What makes you better than your competitors? Simply telling consumers to “order now” says absolutely nothing. Put the benefits of your product in your Mobile Ad and explain to consumers how it can add value to their lives. For example: “Our chairs are very modern” versus “Our chairs are so comfortable they will never experience back pain again.” Make it relevant How can you add more relevance to your message? Try to anticipate the consumer’s needs. For example: if you sell diet products, a consumer might find a few dieting tips in your ad very useful. Such an ad is more relevant to the user than one that simply has a picture of the diet products on it. And it goes hand-in-hand quite nicely with the value –adding element. Keep it simple Remember, the mobile screen has limited space. You want to say just enough to peak the user’s interest without writing a whole essay. They can always find more info or more pictures on...

Do your Mobile Ads suck? Fix them!

Are you getting the idea that your Mobile Advertising sucks because consumers don’t respond to it? Relax, you can fix it. Let’s take a look at what you might be doing wrong and how to solve it. It doesn’t fit, therefore it doesn’t sit You are familiar with the memes about animals (mostly cats) who think they can sit in/ on anything as long as they can get some part of their body to fit? Well, it doesn’t work that way with mobile ads. If you put the ad in the wrong place, nobody will care. For example: advertising a printer on a website about saving trees is a very bad idea. If it doesn’t fit … Your ad doesn’t tell people what to do A Mobile Advertisement is about more than just cute graphics or surprising sounds. It is a message telling consumers directly what you want them to do after reading your ad. If you don’t have a call to action, what action do you expect them to take? Should they click on your ad – where will this take them? Do you want them to drop you a mail or fill out a form? Tell them – or they will simply ignore it. Poor graphics and grammar There are no excuses for this one. Your images have to be of good quality (no pixilation) and you should have your spelling and grammar checked. Poor text and images reflect equally poorly on your company. How can you expect consumers to trust in your products or services if your ad looks like a hot mess? Also, be wary...

Use wholesale SMS for internal communication

When people think of Wholesale SMS, they immediately assume it is for external purposes e.g. marketing and client communication. But did you know, it can be an effective internal communications tool as well? Employees are often swamped by email messages. Add to that the fact that they aren’t always at their desktop computer to check their messages because they are in meetings or offsite. This can result in info getting lost or delayed that could in turn affect productivity or the accurateness of your employees’ work. Using texting as a method of internal communication can help to deliver messages timely so your workers don’t miss out on important info – no matter where they are. With Wholesale SMS you can: Send meeting requests and reminders Seasonal greetings, birthday wishes and “get well soon” messages Schedule shifts and notify employees about shift changes Keep in touch with freelancers and remind them of deadlines Get information about clients to employees who are offsite. Consultants who are seeing clients at the latters’ office/ coffee shop might require relevant info from their office to proceed. Quickly reading a text can be considered less rude than taking a phone call during the conversation. Notify workers of emergency situations like a fire in the building. Give employees peace of mind that their vehicles are safe.  Let them know when they leave their vehicles’ lights on; if there is a threat of a hailstorm, or if someone damaged/ broke into their vehicle. Because SMS is virtually instant it is a great way to communicate with your employees on-the-go. With more and more people working from home...

6 Mobile Advertising myths debunked

As with anything in life, people will always have their own opinions on what works and what doesn’t. Some of these opinions are based on fact while others are simply untrue. Let’s debunk a few myths about Mobile Advertising! Myth 1: A business should choose between either Mobile Advertising or desktop advertising, and the latter usually wins. Fact: This myth doesn’t take into account that more people own mobile phones than desktop computers. Or that, in fact, a lot of people own both. If you have to choose between the two, remember it’s the needs of your target market that counts. Which device do they use most? Myth 2: Static banner ads pack less punch than rich media ads. Fact: Don’t confuse engagement and conversions. While rich media is more engaging, it doesn’t mean it is a more powerful customer converter. Myth 3: Advertising on the mobile web is only about traffic Fact: The success of your mobile campaign should rather be determined by the number of customers gained than the number of internet views you received. Don’t get too hung up on stats – quality over quantity! Myth 4: A company doesn’t need a mobile website – a regular one will do. Fact: Regrettably not. A website that isn’t optimised for mobile, won’t display correctly on a mobile handset. Remember: a phone’s screen is much smaller in comparison to that of a laptop or a desktop computer. Myth 5: Consumers don’t care about Mobile Ads Fact: Mobile ads are actually a bit more “in your face” than desktop ads – thanks to the size of the phone’s screen....