Category: Mobile Marketing

The British are coming! The British are coming!

With their mobile coupons, that is.

A new Juniper survey reveals the impressive growth of mobile coupons in the UK with an estimated three million Britons having already redeemed coupons through their mobile phone. According to the report, the popularity of mobile coupons is the result of an aggressive mobile marketing push from British brands now reporting a six-fold increase in response rates due to mobile coupons.

Although the results of “The Mobile Coupons Consumer Survey” from Juniper come as music to the ears of mobile marketers for whom the explosion in popularity of mobile coupons simply can’t escalate fast enough, it ultimately doesn’t take field research to tangibly indicate the accepted ubiquity of mobile coupons, particularly in portions of Europe.

Between May and June of this year, Coca-Cola Great Britain (CCGB), with the assistance of digital voucher company, i-movo, executed a mobile coupon campaign in the United Kingdom that, according to i-movo, delivered an 87% redemption rate, making it the most successful British mobile coupon campaign in British history.

Despite mobile coupons not resonating with North American consumers as quickly as many advertisers would prefer, the British boom is inspiring, nonetheless, and portends favorably for the overall resurgence in coupon redemption. Better than 75% of those surveyed, in fact, said they are aware of mobile coupons and that there is also a “strong possibility” they will redeem them.

According to Howard Wilcox, Senior Analyst at Juniper Research, “The redemption rate for traditional paper coupons is typically 1% or less, but, based on our survey, mobile coupons offer 6 times these rates. This means that retailers and brands have the opportunity to exploit the mobile channel via personalized coupon offers direct to the ultimate personal device – the mobile phone.”

The findings published by Juniper this week nicely follow their previous study which forecasts that one mobile subscriber in ten in developed regions will use mobile coupons by 2014. Consequently, Juniper estimates that consumer usage of mobile coupons could potentially generate upwards of $6 billion globally in retail redemption value by that time.

“The Mobile Coupons Consumer Survey” is now freely available for download from the Juniper website.

To find out more about the power and potential of mobile coupons, check out this all-inclusive Mobile Coupons Webinar.

Text-to-screen campaigns are an aspect of mobile marketing that seems to get overlooked all to often.  Beyond the basic uses in sports stadiums, concerts and other large public venues, text-to-screen provides a method to interact with your audience on a very unique level.

Text-to-screen is a concept that enables a brand to engage their audience and compel them to participate in a variety of ways, while still allowing them to see results in real-time as well.  By enlisting a simple short code, keywords and a large screen, brands can leverage the group-aspect of any crowd to both interact and collect valuable consumer-data along the way.

When you utilize a text-to-screen campaign, it usually involves designating a short code and select keywords to allow users to text in various content to then be viewed in real-time on the screen.  The underlying benefit of using this method is that anytime someone texts in, that user’s information is then stored in your central database- subsequently increasing your message subscriber base very quickly.

In addition, various opt-in opportunities can be included in all responses to your users to build other opt-in databases that you can then market to in the future.  This is a very valuable resource for any mobile marketer- opted-in mobile users represent the best possible audience to advertise to.  Getting opted-in users is usually a painstaking process that involves several calls-to-action to encourage mobile users to opt-in over a long period of time.  Even then, you’ll still only gain a handful of opt-ins from your efforts.

Utilizing text-to-screen, on the other hand, initiates the best possible call-to-action you can have; a unique crowd-based engagement technique that has the potential to help you gain numerous opted-in users in one fell swoop.

The many ways text-to-screen helps obtain valuable consumer-data as well as opt-in subscriber lists for future marketing campaigns is the number one underlying benefit of utilizing this unique mobile marketing channel.  To get more information on how text-to-screen works and the many value-added benefits, check out mobileStorm’s all-inclusive offerings.

In today’s economy, marketing budgets are being slashed across the board.  Subsequently, marketers are having to re-think their strategies in terms of getting the most bang for their buck.

In the old days, a shrinking marketing budget simply meant buying less of the same old types of media- simply because there were few other options that could be utilized in lieu of mainstream marketing mediums.  Today however, one option exists that gives marketers facing the daunting task of gaining increased ROI against shrinking ad-budgets a way out — mobile marketing.

Mobile marketing, and in particular more targeted forms such as SMS, provide a unique medium in terms of the audience, user-engagement and overall targeting potential that simply can’t be achieved with other marketing channels.

When faced with smaller budgets, mobile provides the highest ROI of any marketing channel available to you.  Unlike mass communication via TV, radio, newspapers and even Online advertising, mobile allows you to pick and choose your audience according to a wide array of targeting capabilities, location-based benefits and much more.

Combining the immense targeting capabilities of mobile, the fact that consumers are much more apt to respond and interact with mobile and the simple fact that everyone owns a mobile device of some sort equates to an ROI that’s simply unmatched by any other medium.

Looking at the benefits of SMS-based mobile marketing in particular, here’s a few key advantages over other mediums:

• Immediacy - Mobile campaigns are easy to create and execute; messages are delivered to recipients within seconds.
• Affordability - No need to pay for postage, printing or air time, just a nominal per text message fee; prices are very modest and they decrease as volume increases.
• Distribution - Reach out to people all over the world. Delivery is almost always guaranteed, unlike email, direct mail, and other forms of advertising.
• Response Rate/Effectiveness - The average respose rate is approximately 15%, versus 2 – 3% for other advertising mediums such as direct mail.
• Personal /Targeted - Content is targeted to individuals who have opted to receive them; the medium provides the ability to customize the brand message to a diversified audience.
• Mobility/Reachability - Messages reach recipients wherever they are. No need to be by a TV, radio, computer, or mailbox; phones are within our reach 80% of every day.

It’s not hard to see why mobile is key when trying to get the most out of your marketing budget.  Getting past the mis-conceptions that mobile is a complicated medium to understand, deploy and support, you’ll soon realize how going mobile is the smartest thing you can possibly do- especially with shrinking marketing budgets.

To learn more about the process and to get a better understanding of how to choose the appropriate vendors for your next mobile campaign, check out mobileStorm’s whitepapers and other valuable resources.

Mobile coupons can be a powerful tool in your digital marketing arsenal, but with a certain sense of ambiguity surrounding the concept for most people, it’s easy to overlook the most basic set of unofficial rules or “best practices” that should accompany any successful and legitimate mobile coupon campaign.

Falling under the realm of mobile marketing, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has set fourth best practices, or a so-called “Code of Conduct for Mobile Marketing,” that all campaigns should comply with.  But beyond that, mobile coupons differ in nature from other forms of mobile marketing and therefore require a special set of best practices to ensure an overall compliant and successful campaign.

Since most mobile coupon campaigns involve the use of SMS or MMS, the same rules, regulations and best practices that govern the distribution of mobile messages apply to mobile coupons as well.  Privacy, respecting user-consent and your terms and conditions are the primary areas to focus on when distributing mobile coupons.

The terms and conditions related to your mobile coupon campaign are particularly important, and must be conveyed to your users at all times.  When promoting your campaign, you should clearly indicate whether the service is a subscription, for example, and the cost of which (if any).  Also, if the terms and conditions materially change the offer in any way, it should be highlighted and presented at the beginning of the offer.  Finally, service availability should always be disclosed as well, on a carrier-by-carrier basis.

In terms of the design of your actual mobile coupons, it’s important to prominently display the expiration date and make sure any barcodes used are compliant with the redemption mechanism.  It’s a good practice to also include an alphanumeric promotional code as well in case the primary validation method (scanners) don’t work.

Beyond the broad “Code of Conduct” rules set fourth by the MMA, your attention should be focused primarily on adhering to your user’s right to privacy and disclosure, as well as other obvious rules and regulations related to mobile messaging.

When done properly, a well-executed and compliant mobile coupon campaign is a valuable asset for any marketer or retailer.  Still confused about the whole process?  Get first hand knowledge on how to use mobile coupons to drive revenue with this all-inclusive Mobile Coupons Webinar.

Being in mobile for a decade, I have heard it all, especially from those who think mobile marketing is stupid. There is a common theme among companies that believe mobile marketing is intrusive. I speak with prospects all the time that have either tried mobile and said it was not successful or won’t try it because they feel their customers will get upset. After asking a number of questions about what went wrong or drilling down to what their fears are, I almost always come to the same conclusion:  there is a big misconception about how mobile should be managed and, guess what, it all starts with email.

SMS costs money, and 95% of SMS messages are read within four minutes–two facts that can bring together a horrible user experience if not executed properly. Almost every company looking at mobile is an email marketer, and I know email marketers are jaded because of their experience with email and realizations about spam. 72% of the 320 billion emails sent on a daily basis are spam, so who could blame them? Most companies don’t understand email best practices and, as a result, they have felt the burn of user complaints, poor open rates, getting blocked, and ending up on blacklists. Legitimate companies are not spammers; they are generally just ignorant. They don’t realize that you should not upload a list that has not been sent to in two years or fail to confirm an email address upon opt in.

So back to those who think mobile marketing is stupid. Mobile is very different from email and it has to be done right. I like to help people understand that if your strategy was to build the largest email database possible, then mobile needs to be about building a database of your best and most loyal customers. Mobile is about loyalty–period. Those who are willing to have their day interrupted as their pockets buzz are going to be your best customers. If you have the email marketer mentality of “batch and blast,” mobile is going to be a disaster for you. However, if you learn to treat mobile as a totally different type of channel, it can be truly successful. With mobile, there is a new set of best practices and they are different from email.

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Generating Casino Revenue with Mobile Marketing

It’s that time of year, again, when the biggest names in the gaming world converge on Las Vegas for the Global Gaming Expo from November 17th – 19th and, you got it . . . we’ll be there.

Casinos in general have taken a pretty hard hit during the downturn in the economy which, not unlike any other industry, has forced them to pursue new cost effective yet results driven and engaging solutions to revive the lure of the casino life.  mobileStorm has been working with Casinos for years to help them make better decisions and lay out new marketing strategies for targeting their audiences and bolstering their brand.

At G2E, mobileStorm and some of the biggest Casino’s in Vegas will show how mobile marketing will change the way Casino’s do business. We’ll be blanketing the Strip, A large Casino and the show with a “real-time” demonstration of our mobile marketing platform doing customer acquisition for one of the largest Casino’s in Vegas. We’ll be tackling one of the biggest challenges facing Casino’s today:

“how to turn people into players”

So between November 17th and the 19th, keep your eyes peeled up and down the strip and come visit us at Booth #858 in the Central Exhibit Hall.  Come visit with our team of mobile marketing team that will make 2010 your year of growth.

We’re looking forward to showing you how 2010 will be a year of growth.

Directions to our booth:

1. Enter through any entrance at Central Exhibit Hall
2. Immediately walk to the right
3. Follow the signage to the Technology Pavilion
4. At the Technology Pavilion turn left on the first row
5. We are booth #858 on the right hand side, just before you turn the corner at the back of the Pavilion

(click the image below to expand it)

Click To Enlarge

As SMS adoption continues to grow at an astonishing rate, more and more businesses are incorporating the channel as a serious form of customer communication. 10 years ago I could barely get anyone to pay for a SMS message, now we get hundreds of leads per month (Google “SMS Marketing”) from companies convinced that mobile is going to play a big part of their revenue stream.

As mobile starts to grow, so does the competition. There are all kinds of solutions out there that range from free SMS (with ads tacked on), to mobile agencies planning a complete mobile strategy. We thought about all of the criteria a business should think about before choosing an SMS vendor and have come up with a wonderfully short 30 point check list.

Written in conjunction with my colleague and good friend Marwan Soghaier we tackle the biggest and most important questions a business needs to ask itself before making any decisions.

I think you will enjoy, so please download the whitepaper and don’t be shy in giving us feedback: http://www.mobilestorm.com/resources/digital-marketing-white-papers/whitepapers/choose-an-sms-vendor/

Cheers,

Jared Reitzin
CEO
mobileStorm Inc.

Before I started writing about messaging technology, I wasn’t sure what the phrase “short code” meant–even though I’d used them all the time as a consumer. So how can someone new to the space, even if (s)he is a seasoned vet of marketing, be expected to?

That’s why I’m excited about The Ultimate Guide To Common Short Codes, mobileStorm’s newest white paper, written by CEO Jared Reitzin himself. (You can find it, along with our other valuable white papers, here.)

“The popularity and recognition of short codes in the USA accelerated dramatically with shows like American Idol (i.e., Text VOTE to 4701 for your favorite idol) and recently when President Obama used a short code-based method to announce Joe Biden as his vice president. Supporters were encouraged to text OBAMA to 62262 to be the first to know… The Obama VP announcement was considered the largest single mobile marketing event in history, texting 2.5 million people,” Jared points out.

After offering these clear examples of short code use–and success–Jared gives readers a primer on how to start using a short code.

He gives a heads-up on the CSCA, the entity in charge of short codes (to find out what “CSCA” means, read the paper); explains each step in the process of obtaining and using a code; and addresses some of the headaches, such as wait-time for approval and certification.

Also, Jared spells out the difference between “common” and “dedicated” codes (the latter being exclusive to one company or brand, often spelling out an easily-recognized name or word), making it easier for a company to decide which type of code to use.

To get the 411 on everything you need to know about short codes, download The Ultimate Guide To Common Short Codes today!

Eydie Cubarrubia

“I’d rather you text me”

It’s taken a singing competition to underscore the importance of measurable ROI.

Last month I pointed out how mobile marketing really boosted the success of American Idol (whose parent company, FremantleMedia, is a mobileStorm client), much more so than traditional marketing. Specifically, I pointed to the record numbers of voters–the majority of whom had texted-in–who participated in this season’s finale between wholesome, broadly-appealing winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert, whose artistic risks such as a Middle Eastern take on “Ring Of Fire” thrilled music aficionados while likely scaring Middle America. These figures were in seeming opposition to Nielsen ratings numbers, which indicated that viewership was the lowest since the show’s second season.

At first, this seemed to prove that digital messaging engages consumers so much, their participation becomes much more significant than that of a larger number of less-engaged consumers. But The Business Insider notes that the problem may have to do with Nielsen’s technology that gathers viewer data.

“A recent Nielsen study of how people use the meter showed that enough viewers punch the meter incorrectly, particularly when watching TV in large groups, that national ratings could be off by 8 percent,” the report says. Fox, of course, is furious. Such a flub affects how much the network can charge for advertisements that run during the show. Other TV networks are also wary, since their own ratings and ad rates may also be affected.

The only silver lining here is for digital message marketers. Unlike TV ads that are run based on (now-suspect) viewer numbers, SMS and email campaigns offer absolutely-measurable ROI:

• You can count how many unique users (cell phone numbers or email addresses) are participating in a campaign–whether they’ve opted-in to receive email messages or texted into a premium SMS campaign.
• You can see how many people who received your message further acted upon it–such as the number of people who redeemed a mobile coupon, or who clicked on an email sales flier and ultimately made a purchase.
• You can see which of your campaigns did better than others.
• You can use demographic and psychographic information to see which groups of people responded the most to your campaign.

You just can’t get information this specific–or this accurate–with traditional marketing methods. The Nielsen controversy proves that.

Eydie Cubarrubia

“I’d rather you text me”

Nearly 100 million votes were cast during this week’s American Idol finale, resulting in Kris Allen winning the competition for the show’s eighth season. Last night was also a win for SMS marketing, just as much as it was for Mr. Allen.

Why? Television experts have been saying that Idol ratings have been down this year, and that its popularity seems to have waned. Yet the 100 million votes–sent predominantly via text message–is a record high for the show. Even if there are fewer viewers, consumers are engaged with the brand more than ever.

This means continued success for the show, whose production company, FremantleMedia, is also a mobileStorm client. With texting, fans really become invested in the Idol outcome. Comment boards on news and entertainment sites right now are bursting with ways people say they are able to send as many messages as possible so that their faves will win.

Such proof that these consumers are so committed to the brand means that Fox will likely command a high price for its commercials, ratings be darned. Fremantle, too, will continue to get paid big bucks from Fox to keep American Idol on the network.

Consider also the claim that it’s much easier to text a vote into a short code than it is to call the show’s toll-free landline–and to ensure that that vote counts. As the business publication Broadcasting & Cable said in a report: “Text messaging is digital [unlike phone lines, which are analog] and simply doesn’t have the same traffic jams. A text message is also time-coded, meaning that all of the votes messaged during the two-hour period can be lined up like jets on a runway and eventually recorded.”

So after the upset of Idol frontrunner Adam Lambert, fans of future frontrunners will be spurred to send ever-more SMS votes.