The smartphone is one trendy gadget that's not going out of fashion anytime soon. Today, you have the opportunity to reach out to current and potential customers at any time, in any place. Mobile marketing makes it possible. If you want to employ this exciting new advertising tool, here are some basic points to keep in mind.
For starters, personalization is a feature you should take full advantage of. The modern software packages you'll be using in your marketing efforts offer you a host of powerful options for customizing the messages you send out. Including individual names is just the beginning; your marketing messages can also be tweaked to reflect a customer's recent purchases. The sky's the limit with customization!
The easiest way to lose a mobile marketing customer is to fail to provide something of value. Although it's tempting to abuse the power of reaching your customers through their phones, you must always respect their time. Make sure every message you send has something to offer: A sale, a discount, or a special that your customers will want to take advantage of.
Your marketing campaign should reflect current events. That doesn't mean that you need to get political or news-oriented; just have a long-term schedule that reflects changing seasons, holidays, and special events. A marketing message that changes from month to month is one that doesn't go stale.
Brevity is vital in mobile marketing. Besides the strict limitations on message size imposed by technology, you also have to contend with your customers' attention spans. Don't ask too much of them; you can't expect your message to receive more than a glance. Do your best to arrest attention and turn that glance into a longer look. Note that you should resist the temptation to use text abbreviations, though. They can shorten your message, but they do real damage to your professional demeanor.
Remember that the "call to action" is a core part of all marketing, and mobile marketing is very much included. Make sure that you're clear about what you want your customer to do next. It need not be purchasing something; you could direct customers to your website to read a new article or give them instructions for printing a coupon. Just make sure you're providing a clear suggestion for their next step.
Finally, never get complacent about the incredible access that mobile marketing gives you. Your mobile marketing customers have all volunteered to receive your messages; don't try and take unfair advantage of that fact. You want it to be super-easy for them to sign up, but you owe it to them to make it equally easy to opt out. The option to stop receiving messages has to be present in every communication you send.
Hopefully, this is a decent starting point for your education on mobile marketing. There's a lot more information out there waiting for you. Depending on your particular business and the nature of your customers, you could choose any number of effective mobile marketing strategies. Just keep this article's broad points in mind; they'll serve you well no matter what direction you take in your marketing campaign.