Smartphone ownership in the US is rapidly rising and the statistics are even higher for Australia, bringing big opportunities for SMS marketing Melbourne.
The following info-graphic depicts some of the opportunities that can be had for businesses that plan and execute a good SMS marketing strategy. There are now 46% of American adults owning Smartphones and according to the latest research by Google and Ipsos, over 50% of Australian adults own Smartphones.
Lead generation and lead nurturing
The use of Smart phones opens up a 'whole new universe' for businesses owners and marketers as having Internet access completely changes the playing field. Importantly, it enables the delivery of a wide range of different interactive content as part of lead generation and lead nurturing activities.
Video marketing
SMS marketing, or text messaging is still the mainstay of mobile communications but having the ability to deliver Web based multi-media content provides for a much richer experience for mobile customers. Video watching has been increasing along with Smart phone growth and it’s now very cheap and easy to create videos that can be viewed perfectly on a Smartphone.
Hyperlinks can easily be inserted into text messages that when finger tapped will play videos, download Apps, or visit Websites exactly the same as surfing the Web on a computer. Quick Response codes (QR codes), can also be used on various hard-copy marketing materials such as flyers or brochures which can then be quickly scanned to perform the task of a hyperlink such as play a video. The benefit of using a QR code is that time and trouble is saved for customers by them not having to key-in a URL to access information.
Virtual test drives, product demonstrations and even services can make for good video content that gives potential customers more information that’s also relevant. By providing a strong call to action and contact details at the end of the videos, it’s possible to motivate customers to call a business.
Superior open rates
The open rate for text messages is on average, 98% within 4 minutes as reported in research by Frost and Sullivan in 2010 which is much higher than for any other marketing communications channel including Email or direct mail. This means that as long as the message is relevant and expected by the customer, it can almost be guaranteed that the message will be read – therein lies the power of SMS marketing Melbourne and Smart phones.
Source:
LiveScience
I thought that I'd kick-off the 'latest marketing news' blog with a fantastic article by Angie Schottmuller about mobile Quick Response bar codes (QR Codes), that she wrote for Search Engine Watch.
It was actually the most popular article in 2011 and provided a nice, clear introduction to mobile QR codes and enough detail to get started with SMS marketing Melbourne. It's a great idea to review the checklist to make sure that any new SMS marketing campaign that you create using QR codes is going to have the very best chance of success.
Getting it right can transform any existing of your 'traditional' marketing into powerful lead and customer attracting devices. Getting it wrong can waste time and effort and lead to poor results.
So here's Angie's checklist and worksheet that's essential for a successful SMS marketing Melbourne campaign:
One of the keys to a good SMS marketing or QR marketing campaign is the offer. The best offers need to be something that potential customers can't normally receive from your business or something that is not commonly available.
You want to reward customers for interacting with you and taking action as this is the behaviour that leads to sales. If you don't have a well thought-out offer that is relevant to your customers you will never enjoy the success that is possible with a good sms marketing campaign.
To simply have the code take the customer to your Website is not the best destination for a good QR code marketing campaign and especially if you don't have a mobile Website. Have a look how your Website looks on a mobile phone on the
Google Mobile Viewer.
Here are some of the data that can be activated in a QR code:
- Email
- Text message
- Hyperlink
- Phone number that is called
- Calendar entry
- Contact details entry (VCard)
Once your chosen data is activated by a customer scanning the code, they are then taken automatically to the destination or the offer is delivered to them. It may seem insignificant, but the reduction in time and trouble for customer by only needing to scan the QR code to get the offer is preferable than customers entering text, numbers or a hyperlink.
Another key to success is providing clear, simple instructions to encourage scanning of the QR code and always provide a back-up for those that can't or don't want to scan the code. This can be easily achieved by providing a keyword and mobile phone number to access the offer for example "text the keyword "bamboo" to 0419-666-469 to get your instant virtual product tour". By including the 'backup' number option you will achieve a higher response rate with your QR campaigns.
The beauty of using QR codes and mobile phone number + keywords is that you can add them to all your existing 'physical' advertising. By doing this, you only reward potential customers who are action takers and have clearly identified themselves. Isn't it better to invest more money in good new leads and prospects rather than wasting money on tyre kickers?