Over the past couple years, the Mobile channel has finally emerged as a powerful direct marketing medium. But, it’s still new and somewhat mysterious to a lot of direct marketers.
So, how can marketers who are new to Mobile Marketing take advantage of the exciting channel with minimal time, effort and money spent, while at the same time avoiding a gimmicky approach that makes it seem like they are peddling a commodity?
QR Codes are a great place to start Mobile Marketing. Here at Easypurl Insider, we’ve spoken a lot about QR Codes in recent weeks, but we haven’t discussed the fact that QR Codes are a part of the larger mobile marketing universe. In fact, due to the gimmicky nature of QR Codes their incredible value as Mobile Marketing solution has often been overlooked. Keep in mind, the goal of any marketing is to provide a solution to a problem – and solutions, don’t forget, provide tangible value beyond mere hype. Solutions drive results.
So, to take your Mobile Marketing to the next level and provide real, concrete solutions you can sink your teeth into, look no further than the Tremendous Triumvirate of Mobile Marketing: QR Codes + Mobile Optimized Landing Pages + SMS (text) messaging.
Think of these three complimentary technologies as the holy trinity of the Mobile Marketing universe. Any one of them used in isolation can be cool and interesting, and certainly can provide value. It’s when they’re used in combination, however, that their usefulness is amplified dramatically and can bring your marketing initiatives to the next level.
Think about it: What good is a QR Code without a Landing Page to capture the responses, or a Reporting Dashboard to present the data? It’s like a fancy sports car equipped with a lawnmower engine… or no engine at all. All sizzle and no steak. And speaking of Landing Pages, what good is a Landing Page on a Mobile campaign if it doesn’t present correctly – or even functions at all – when a user visits it on their mobile device? How effective is a Mobile campaign that cannot send out text (SMS) messages or alerts based on consumers’ preferences?
When it comes to Mobile, think holistically. Remember, when used together these tools are the easiest and most effective way for marketers to integrate Mobile Marketing into their marketing mix or service offering. So, instead of trying to offer one of these new technologies in a vacuum – as a gimmick – tackle Mobile Marketing the same way you would, say, set up a Cross-Media direct mail campaign. Think about it, when you send out a direct mail piece, you plan out an actual direct mail campaign. You don’t just send out a PURL, cross your fingers and hope for the best, do you?
You come up with a plan – a solution – that is based on rigorous analysis of quantifiable data and has a fighting chance of driving real, achievable results. You think of the bigger picture, which includes a killer call-to-action that will resonate with your target audience, and slick-looking creative that will pull. The physical direct mail piece includes Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) for postal tracking, and a PURL/Landing Page designed not only to capture Web responses, but meet the campaign’s data collection, user experience and brand requirements. Moreover, when leads come in, you send out email (or SMS) triggers and alerts to the sales team, so they can follow up right away… and all of the campaign data is aggregated, captured and made available on an Interactive Reporting Dashboard. So why would a Mobile Marketing campaign be any different?
Read more about QR Codes here.
Read more about SMS here.
img: wikicommons
