For many brands, mobile marketing offers the potential to explore new heights in record time, similar to a rocket launching to Moon. Without the proper engineering and fuel, however, a rocket isn’t likely to get off the ground. In mobile marketing, the key to liftoff is the mobile database. With an impactful mobile database you can accurately identify your customers’ communications preferences, monitor purchasing habits and capture preference shifts. Without it, a mobile marketing plan is destined to never get off the ground. Apply the following four elements to your mobile database and launch your mobile marketing plan into orbit:
1. Get the Opt-In—Your mobile program will only be successful if you can grow your database large enough to deliver a positive impact on your bottom-line. To build your mobile database you first must gain your customer’s express consent to communicate with them. This isn’t necessarily a hard thing to do; it just takes a bit of time, creativity and consistent effort. Consumers aren’t quick to volunteer personal information unless they perceive value in doing so. You know your customer base, so be creative. Consider loyalty programs, contests, coupons and campaigns that capture their attention. Simply asking for information with nothing in return won’t likely elicit trust or magically build your database.
2. Collect the Right Information—Contact information like phone numbers, addresses and emails is helpful, but you can gain a strong advantage by gathering consumer preferences. How do your customers wish to be contacted? How often? What products or services are they interested in? Knowledge of communications preferences allows you to generate targeted and personalized marketing campaigns while increasing your chances of getting through.
3. Honor Customer Preferences—Knowing how someone prefers to be contacted is paramount to turning a one-time shopper into a loyal customer. Once consumers have supplied their communications preferences, honor them with vigor. Communicating information they’re not interested in or through non-preferred channels only increases the probability that they will opt-out of your mobile program. Once a customer opts-out, the chances of him opting back in are slim.
4. Pay Close Attention and Update—The mobile database is a living entity. Identifying your customers’ preferences and channel response shifts will put you in a unique position to offer only what interests them while increasing response rates and your ROI. But be careful. As mentioned, honoring customer preferences is critical, but noticing shifts in channel preference is equally important. For example, the number of people who prefer to be contacted via text in 2012 is higher than it was in 2011. You must continually monitor the pulse of your customers and their changing purchasing dynamics.
A mobile database requires a strategic blueprint, creativity and attention, but it’s an investment that could make your mobile marketing results soar. The countdown is over — are you ready to launch the mobile rocket?
If you want to learn more about building a mobile database, register for our upcoming webinar with Loyalty360 entitled Mobilizing Your Loyalty Program, Tuesday, May 22nd at 1pm EST.
