Tag Archives: Tips

5 SMS Text Message Marketing Mistakes

Mobile Marketing is by far the newest addition to interactive advertising.  From the term “Mobile” itself, it obviously refers to the utilization mobile devices as a way to reach to people in marketing communications. This marketing strategy benefits many businesses by allowing them to capitalize on the different ways billions of people are using cell phones today.

However, many businesses are not using mobile marketing to its full capabilities to really increase profits and ROI.

If you are looking to build a massive list of customers who will buy from you over and over again, here are a few SMS Text Message Marketing mistakes you should avoid:

Mistake # 1:

No Call to Action

  • No matter how great your business is, you are still missing out on opportunities to get new customers if your mobile promotions do not include a call to action. Make people aware of your mobile presence on all of your marketing materials. Most importantly, tell people to join your mobile list to receive cool free gifts and future promotional offers. If you don’t tell them to join, most won’t.

Mistake # 2:

No Customer Reward for Registering

  • Another effective marketing strategy is to offer sign-up bonuses. Customers will be encouraged to join your mobile list if they receive an immediate reward. For instance, if you are fast food chain, you may offer “FREE MEAL worth $ 5” as a sign-up bonus. The customer would have to present your text message offer on their next visit in order to redeem it.

Mistake # 3:

Sending Out Too Many Offers

  • Though sending offers frequently can be exciting and may get your customers’ attention, it is annoying which may lead to some customers unsubscribing from your list. Also, sending offers frequently can have a negative impact as it does not give customers thrills on what they miss. Text offers sent weekly or twice a month is more effective because customers are given time to see the advantages of the offers and will look forward to future ones.

Mistake # 4:

No Customer-Retention Incentives

  • Customers are likely stay on a mobile list if they are given “freebies” and nice discounts every once in a while. Don’t make all of your messages an attempt to sell something. Instead, make your list some nice offers that will make them happy as well as keep a steady flow of income coming into your business. Some examples of effective customer rewards programs would be “FREE STUFF,” “50% OFF,” and “BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE.”

Mistake # 5

No Referral System in Place

  • Of course, people tend to share and talk with their friends and family members about any nice offers they’ve received. When your customers are satisfied by your products or services, they will likely recommend it to a friend or family member. So, you can make this process very easy for them by implementing a mobile “Refer a friend” program. Give your “referring” customers a nice reward for referring others and watch your list and ROI quickly grow.

5 SMS Text Message Marketing Etiquette Tips

Millions of people use mobile phones for communication ever day. In fact, more people are using text messaging than phone calls via their mobile devices.

Mobile phones are one of the most essential gadgets and a necessity to most people – especially in line of business. Because of that, marketing strategies involving mobile promotion have been utilized by many businesses to reach out to potential customers – including SMS text message marketing.

However, in order for SMS text marketing to be effective, you have to be careful about how you use it.   Similar to other marketing strategies, mobile marketing also needs to be thoroughly planned out in order to get the best return on your investment. The way you use SMS text marketing in your business greatly impacts the outcome of your goals.   

Your etiquette and creativity in mobile promotion of your business affects the amount of attention you will get from people. The response you get from people depends on how well you present your products and services to them.

The following are a few SMS Text Message Marketing etiquette tips that will help:

  1. Be straightforward

  • Beating around the bush of what you are trying to say will confuse people, which means they won’t comprehend your message. Be clear about your message. If you want them to take some type of action, tell them exactly what you want them to do and there’s a better chance of them actually doing it.

  1. Use proper language

  • Language is one most important aspects of effective communication. Do not use offensive and foul words in relaying SMS promotion. Choose your words carefully.

  1. Be honest

  • Don’t use exaggerated claims or out-right “untruths” when using SMS text message marketing. The last thing you want is a bad reputation for your business so keep your text messages 100% honest.

  1. Be polite and courteous

  • One way of getting customers is through courtesy and politeness. When people are pleased with the way you interact with them via text messaging, they will stay on your list a lot longer. If they sense one bit of rudeness, they won’t hesitate to opt-out of your list.

  1. Provide free information

  • Don’t constantly send text messages about promotional offers. Every now and then, send your list some free tips that they would find useful. You’d be surprised at the level of customer-loyalty that is created just by giving out free information regarding your industry.

4 Mobile Website Tips

New and advanced technologies are paving the way in terms of businesses and commerce growth.  New and improved digital platforms are being created every day to help businesses reach out to their target market and generate more sales.

If you think digital technologies have advanced at lightning speeds over the past decade, wait until you see what’s in store over the coming months and years. Recent research shows that digital media and technology is expected to grow at even faster rates in the next few years.

One of the main forms of digital growth being seen today is mobile device usage. Everyone uses their mobile phones every single day – several times per day.  But mobile phones are no longer just for making phone calls. In fact, people are spending more time surfing the web via their mobile devices today than ever before.

While on the go, people tend to look for local business information right from their mobile devices. This means they are looking at mobile websites. Unfortunately, most businesses do not have a mobile-friendly website yet. In fact, many of them are not even aware that their websites are almost impossible to view on most mobile devices.

Here are a few tips to help you think about how to start mobilizing your web presence:

  1. Check for Mobile Plug-ins

 

  • If your website is a Content Management System like WordPress, check out some of the mobile plug-ins that may be available to mobilize your website. Plug-ins have to be configured correctly in order to work so use caution if you are doing it yourself.

 

  1. Create a Separate Mobile Version of Your Website

 

  • If you have an HTML website, it’s best to have a mobile version of your website built. This way, whenever someone tries to go to your website from a mobile device, they will be directed to the mobile version instead of your main website. This will allow them to have a pleasant experience and find exactly what they need without a bunch of hassle.

 

  1. Don’t Use Flash on Your Mobile Website

 

  • As much as possible, avoid using flash application on your mobile website as it isn’t supported by most mobile settings. In addition, flash makes your website take forever to load, which makes the viewer leave the site out of frustration. So if you want to attract visitors to your website, don’t do flash.

 

 

  1. Only Include Important on Your Mobile Website

 

  • Since mobile phone screens are relatively smaller compared to a computer, you can only put so much information on a mobile website. Therefore, think about what your potential customers would be looking for when they visit your website on their mobile devices. Most people who are “on-the-go” are usually looking for a phone number, hours of operation, or an directions to your establishment. So make sure information such as this is readily available on your mobile website.