Smart phones have become an important channel for retailers to use to communicate with customers in real time. Mobile marketing is no longer a new idea or a like-to-have, but rather a must-have, and fortunately marketers are finding that mobile efforts can help lower costs when coupled with traditional marketing efforts, enabling them to increase mobile budgets even as other programs are cut, according to new research form Gleanster.
As many as 94% of companies are utilizing mobile marketing to improve overall ROI, 89% are trying to increase customer acquisition, and 86% are trying to increase both in store and online traffic, as noted in the “Gleansight” report on Mobile Marketing.
Enhanced Engagement
The mobile channel has made it easier for retailers to communicate with customers, interact in a timely manner and deliver relevant offers in real time. Gleanster noted that “engagement” takes on many forms, including poll or game participation, social recommendations, uploading photos and commerce transactions.
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According to the report, 75% of respondents look to increase customer engagement, which can be beneficial to organizations with customers that are immersed in the brand. These customers are more likely to share activity with other larger social networks.
A web site can no longer be the sole resource for social interactions. Companies must create compelling content and campaigns that foster feedback by requiring a call-to-action. Mobile marketing campaigns must effectively demonstrate value, as today’s time-starved consumers must know “what’s in it for them” to proceed.
Typically, a number of technology enablers such as a SMS/MMS campaign management platform, an email marketing platform, content management system and mobile couponing retail scanners should be used for a mobile marketing campaign.
As with any effective marketing effort, segmenting audiences to maximize the value is imperative. Top mobile marketers are able to leverage CRM data more efficiently to tailor mobile messaging to specific segments. Retailers must tap an integrated approach to increase the effectiveness of any mobile rollout. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of top performing companies integrate their mobile efforts with social media marketing programs.
To effectively track campaign effectiveness top performers leverage key insights include the number of call-to-action and responses, audience growth rate, CPM/CPC/CPA calculations, coupon or code redemption rate and ultimately, return on marketing investment (ROMI).
