Text message campaigns are successful for many reasons. Sometimes success is due to a popular campaign idea or a responsive group of text club members. Other times success is generated from the type of messages being sent. The best times are when a campaign just seems to click with your target audience. The text messages excite your customers and ROI soars far above what was first imagined. In order to execute a mobile campaign that generates these types of results, its imperative to turn the tables around and look at mobile marketing from the consumer’s point of view. To be successful, one must know their audience. And in the consumer audience today, the demand is out there! Earlier this year, a study from Dialogue Communications found that nearly 70% of mobile users actually want more SMS alerts. When it comes to mobile marketing, you need to have an understanding of your customers and what they are looking for in SMS to understand what they expect from your mobile campaign. If you please the customer, results are sure to follow. Consider these eight features customers look for in a mobile campaign:
· Benefits. First and foremost, a customer is engaging with your mobile campaign because there are clear, personal benefits. Without perceivable benefits in sight, there would be no reason for a customer to give your campaign the time of day, much less engage and respond to it. When obvious advantages are provided, customers are more likely to stop and consider what your campaign has to offer. Excite your audience with details of your campaign that offer favorable features. Explain how your campaign will enhance your customer’s life or accommodate their needs. If you can, create hype about your campaign that makes a customer want to join in. Once they have joined, keep them engaged and interested by continually putting their benefits in clear view.
· Convenience. Customers want more SMS because they see the convenience text messaging offers. With a mobile campaign, you are going to where the customer already is, which makes engagement easy. SMS allows you to send alerts, without making your audience sit down to a computer to read the message. Text messages allow customers to view messages on the go and then save them for later use. Because it is short and to the point, a text message does not interfere with a customer’s day. What it can do is alert the customer to relevant happenings in your campaign that the customer could choose to engage in. Allow your customers to go on with their busy life, and use text messages to interact and help them make informed choices. When a communication method is perceived as handy and appropriate, the audience is more likely to respond.
· Immediacy. In addition to convenience, customers want to have what they want when they want it. The quicker you can provide a customer with something, the more useful it is to them. Typically an individual will assume by the time they sit down to read a mass e-mail, they haven’t been the first to hear the information. Often times, individuals will disregard much of what they read in an e-mail due to the lack of immediacy. Text messaging allows you the unique ability to connect with customers right away. Information about what is happening now is more important as it is happening than it is an hour from now. And because SMS allows you to reach a customer anywhere at anytime, there’s no reason not to notify customers as events are happening. The timelier you are with your SMS alerts, the more positive feedback you will receive.
· Reliability. As with any customer relationship, the relationship you have with your text club members relies on their confidence in your ability to meet their needs. It’s necessary that your text messages be stable and accurate. When you advertise the opportunity for customers to be text club members, you are offering your audience peace of mind. Although we live in an information society, we are becoming a culture that chooses others to choose for us. Provide your customers relevant information at times when it will benefit them most. In this way, you create trust with your text club members not only that your mobile campaign is valuable, but more importantly that each text message you send is worth their while to read.
· Value. Your mobile campaign is special and those who support you should get something special in return. Reward your customers by offering them added value and discount offers. Everyone likes to read a text that offers a little something extra. Besides the fact that you are directly marketing your service or good, you make the customer happy. Each campaign will differ in the amount of goods or services your company is willing to offer however every little bit helps. Even if you simply alert your customers to an event you’re attending where there will happen to be a bargain or discount, you are still offering a deal. Customers need to be reminded every once in a while about the benefits being a text club member provides and deals are a great way to do this. Whenever you can put the word “FREE” into one of your SMS alerts, it’s going to have a favorable response.
· Rapport. Foster a sense of meaningful connection to your text club members. Everyone wants to matter and personal text messages are a great way to let customers know that they do. Unlike TV and radio ads, text messages are sent to a person’s individual number. And these days, e-mail is cluttered by so much junk mail that individuals create separate e-mail accounts to differentiate the meaningful from the spam. With SMS, you have a chance to connect to a customer at a location in their life that remains constant: their cell phone number. Make the most of this personal connection by sending text messages that are unique. People tend to get excited when they receive a text message. Use this excitement by sending text messages to make the customer feel like they are part of something exclusive. Customer loyalty to your company will strengthen the better the relationship you create through text messages in your mobile campaign.
· Relevant Content. When you are reaching customers directly at their personal phone number, there’s a fine line between useful and irrelevant information. It’s important to not miss-use the opportunity text messaging provides by sending information that is of no use to your text club member. When you stick to practical content it engages, informs and/or entertains your customer. Adhere to content that accomplishes one of these three goals and your message will be happily received. If you start texting information that is pointless to your customer, your messages will not be liked or respected. Maintain your reputation by sending your customers relevant text messages about your campaign.
· Control. Text messages are so personal that individuals need to have a sense of control over what is coming in to their phone. Unlike e-mail where spam messages are frowned upon, unwanted text messages are simply unacceptable. Likewise, if you send messages to an individual unwilling to participate in your mobile campaign, your message will not be acknowledged and your time will have been wasted. One of the best features of a Text Ripple mobile campaign is that participants have a completely controlled, spam-free experience. Customers do not have to worry about receiving unwanted messages at any time, which leads to a high rate of customer satisfaction. Giving your text club members assurance that they have control over incoming text messages is a surefire way to keep customers interested and maintain successful relationships.
Mobile campaigns are excellent ways to engage an audience and generate a high ROI if properly performed. With studies showing increased demand for text message alerts there’s no reason to run another campaign that doesn’t include mobile. Incorporate these strategies into your next mobile campaign and you’re sure to see exceptional results. For more information about running your own successful mobile campaign contact Text Ripple, a national leader in mobile marketing.
