by Henk Auret | Aug 2, 2017 |
We’ve said before that mobile marketing runs on numbers. What also true is that words grease the wheels of business – and specifically, quotes. Businesspeople the world over do seem to love a wise word or two, and especially when it’s delivered in the form of quotable quotes. A particularly quotable quote that I came across this morning while researching the topic of today’s blog is this one that I just love from Entrepreneur Magazine: “If you’re not being smart about reaching your customers via mobile, you’re leaving a ton of money on the table.” Toby Nwazor, a consumer goods marketer, came up with this one. It’s great because it states in no uncertain terms that we’re dealing with money here – real cash that’s being completely thrown away if you’re ignoring mobile marketing. There are three ‘must have’ mobile marketing practices that companies absolutely must adopt if they’re not to go the way of that venerable, 160 year old soon-to-be-extinct retail store, Stuttafords. InTarget can advise on all of these, so while we won’t go into detail here, you’re welcome to discuss them with us in much greater detail over really great coffee: 1. Location-based marketing is truly here. We can help you send notifications to current and potential customers via text and other mobile technologies who live or work within a certain radius of the locations relevant to your brand. 2. In-app marketing offers the most personalised engagement possible with consumers. This drives retention, loyalty and lifetime value. This one is fantastic because you’ve already captured the customer and simply need to deepen the engagement. 3. SMS...
by anton | May 18, 2015 |
One of the ways you can make your customers aware of your SMS Marketing campaigns, or get them to subscribe to your SMS list, is by promoting it in-store. Here are a few ideas on how you can do it successfully. Posters The first thing you need to do is make marketing material that are bold and in-your-face. You want your customers to see it everywhere they turn in your store. Use bright and beautiful colours and font that is easy to read. Next make sure that the copy contains all the info that a customer requires – it has to contain a strong call to action and instructions on how to sign up for your service. Find strategic locations in your store to place your SMS Marketing posters. Think about the journey your customer has to take from entering to exiting your store. Good examples are: At the entrance to your store. In the aisles. (Suspend it from the ceiling or paste it on the shelves) At the cash register. Till slips People often keep their till slips as proof of payment. Put a short message at the bottom of the slips with instructions on how to subscribe to your SMS Marketing. Make sure that the cashier points out the message to your customers. Wrappers and bags If you can put your logo on wrappers or bags, why not do the same with your promotional messages for mobile? In fact, any object that can be safely printed can serve as a vessel for your message – take a look at the things you use in your store every...
by anton | Apr 30, 2015 |
From a personal point of view, forwarding a text message to 20 people doesn’t seem like a big deal. However, when companies use Bulk SMS they do it on a very large scale and that is why a gateway is needed. Companies sometimes send a hundred or even up to a thousand messages to their customers at the same time. That is a lot to handle for a single person with a single phone! Luckily, the Bulk SMS model was configured in such a way that a business can handle their mobile messaging without breaking a sweat. From computer to mobile A gateway is what allows you to send a message from your computer to the cell phones of your customers. So, instead of typing it on your own phone, you can do it from the comfort of your computer – a big convenience for those of us who struggle with those tiny mobile keypads. Plus, the gateway can handle a very large amount of messages at one time, so it is not like you have to retype messages or wait for one to go through before you can send the next one. And yes, it also eliminates the problem of employees scurrying around to find the company cell phone in order to get messages out. How does it work? Usually, sending Bulk SMS messages works something like this. You create your messages and your phone list in a document like Microsoft Excel. When you are ready to send your message, you can simply import all your data to the Bulk SMS gateway. From there you can choose what...
by anton | Apr 28, 2015 |
Communicating through texting can be used effectively in any industry. Why should the medical profession (private practices, clinics, hospitals etc.) invest in an SMS campaign? Texting today is a much faster and more effective way of getting in touch with patients. A person who is ill at home, work or on the road don’t necessarily have access to email. You might argue that a phone call is just as immediate, but it can be very disruptive to a patient who is trying to rest or feeling too sick to have a conversation. Texting can help patients and medical professionals to: Save time and money Increase service efficiency Improve service accuracy Exchange important information Stay in touch during critical times An SMS campaign can be used for: Data capturing: Misunderstandings happen frequently over the phone because people have different accents and some also suffer from speech and hearing problems. This often leads to inaccurate data capturing. However, allowing a patient to text their information eliminates misunderstandings and can be cheaper and less disruptive for both parties. Appointment reminders: Private practices lose loads of many every year due to patients not showing up for appointments. With a SMS Platform you can quickly send a reminder to a patient the day before their appointment, and they can also text you back to confirm, move or cancel. The sharing of health tips: Patients with chronic conditions and those who are going through a major medical trauma often need a little extra tender loving care when recovering at home. Texting can be used for instance to remind a patient to take their medication on time or...
