This post was originally written by Brandon Hollembeak, Product Manager – Advertising Products & Services
Part 3 of 3
There are two ways to dabble in the mobile realm. One may get you results immediately, but the other will help you actually connect to your customers and build a relationship that works.
Most people start by doing a quick or short-term response initiative, like a mass SMS/text blast or a “text to vote” contest. This is great and can elicit a large number of responses if the message is inspiring enough, but how do you build your relationship with the responders so you can keep that communication going, turning them into repeat customers?
That’s where a mobile program comes in:
- The first thing you should determine is what market, segment and behaviors you want to capture using mobile (e.g. urban professionals ages 18-35 searching for discounts on apartments close to downtown). The more specific you can be, the easier it is to define your messages in step three.
- Then you can start to form a long-term strategy (e.g. We want to create interest in our apartments with discounts on signing leases, and referral bonuses for existing residents referring friends to do the same).
- Finally, start to create individual campaigns that can help execute your mobile program. (e.g. Send out emails to current customer base for referral contest via text, contest announcement signage with local businesses and online/printed materials, etc.)
You can do many different campaigns and receive lots of responses, but if you’re not cultivating the respondents into future customers by having it all as part of a larger relationship strategy, why are you doing it?
- Tweets from the first Mobile University 101 at the Spertus Institute in Chicago can be searched with the Twitter Hashtag of #mobiu101.
- The agenda from Mobile University 101 is available on the Heartland Mobile Council website at http://heartlandmobilecouncil.org/featured/hmc-mobile-university/
By the way, this isn’t “the year of Mobile.” Mobile is already here. Now is the time to plan and execute or get left behind.
