Let’s face it, we’re all addicted to our mobile phones. For many of us, our mobiles are the last thing we look at before we go to bed at night and the first thing we see in the morning. Mobile messaging is our main way of staying in touch with family and friends now, with us using messaging to arrange when and where to meet as well as just checking in to see how our people are.
So, it makes sense to think about reaching your clients and customers on a device that’s already in use multiple times a day, and that they are checking frequently for messages that are important to them.
Mobile messaging can be very cost effective compared to postal and other paper-based campaigns and allows for far better targeting and reporting. You can send a message to a segment of subscribers and get very detailed information on who opened and acted on that message. In addition, messages are quick and easy to respond to in that the person receiving the message just needs to tap on the link you place in the message
If you’re thinking of using mobile messaging for marketing, here are some things to consider:
-
Have a strategy
Be clear about who exactly you want to reach and what they might like to receive from you. Would they like news about events, the latest deals and discounts or competitions, for example? How often would they like to receive these messages? And would they like to receive them by text messaging or another service such as Facebook Messenger?
-
Find your messaging platform
Before you dip your toe in mobile messaging you’re going to need to find a messaging platform to send and manage your campaigns. After all, you won’t want to manage your campaign from your own mobile phone! As well as the ability to send campaigns, you’ll want to look out for a platform that allows you to segment your subscribers (say, by their interests or what they’ve bought from you), and allows for mobile engagement such as one-to-one conversations with your team members if a subscriber replies to the message. Scheduling is also a useful feature, as is the ability to send multimedia messages such as images.
If you need to integrate mobile messaging with any other tools you use – for example you want to send a text message after a customer has made a purchase in your store or on your site – look out for a platform which gives you an SMS API.
-
Be aware of the legal issues
You will need to be aware of the legal issues surrounding mobile communications, including giving your subscribers the ability to opt in and out of messages easily as per the GDPR rules. If you send messages to someone who has opted out you may be liable for a fine.
Mobile messaging is a digital marketing channel that’s often overlooked in favour of things like social media and Facebook ads. But as you can see, there are many reasons why it could benefit your business.