Strategic Planning | Marketing to a mobile audience

April 24, 2015 by Christine

Today's consumer carries a device that understands their behavior and preferences. Information travels with them and follows them. Today's digital marketer has been waiting decades for that kind of instant knowledge. Before you get too excited about this opportunity, there is much to understand. First and foremost, the customer has greater expectations. They expect and demand real-time digital information on things that concern them and that they care about – at the moment they choose to participate. This means the mobile era comes with gigantic responsibilities. Responsibilities that are tied to consumer expectations and legal liabilities. Unlike many other marketing eras, consumers can be touched at multiple points, challenging marketers to understand the sensitivity of the mobile touch-point. The challenges for digital marketing success has been set at lofty levels.

In this post, we are going to discuss how traditional marketing channels can work together as a uniform and cohesive marketing strategy.

Your Avatar and their interaction with your brand. Marketers need a complete understanding and view of their perfect customer, yes they always have. The consumers mobile device is considered highly personal, more so than any touch point in history – okay maybe the posted bill in the public bathroom deserves mention here. We need to understand, the complete picture of our perfect prospective customer that is interacting with our offer, often through multiple touch-points, rather than their interests, behaviors. Marketers must have a central view of the consumer rather than isolating data from the tactic used – the lens of the mobile device.

Let's put this into context. A few decades ago your customer engaged with your brand only in-person through a physical presentation or location. Fast forward to modern times, on the other hand, your customer engages primarily in digital electronic formats. Those electronic formats could be your website, your social media channels, your email marketing and an sms message. If your avatar, while experiencing your brand across all these channels, is not tracked and understood – redundant or irrelevant messages will only annoy them.

How can you understand your perfect prospective customer as people? With a central point-of-view of your consumer, data points become important to track. The sophisticated

“There is no greater desire of marketers and business owners today than to be heard above their competitors. We all know that a greater audience for your content and sales message, translates to more leads and ultimately more business – plain and simple. We enable your content to reach more places, across more channels and devices so your message can be heard, to generate more leads, win more sales and grow your business” ~ Sean McDonald

marketer will align their strategy to meet today's mobile first environment by gathering three key pieces of information.

1. How do they interact?  Your data should show you where they interact with your message and content. You should have a system that can tell you if they move from mobile to desktop, from social to email and so on. Are your blog articles being read on a tablet? The answers should give you a good indication of your engaged audience's habits and preferences.
2. What content and message are they receiving? When your view is focused on the person, you should know the volume of emails they are receiving. This metric should be watched for a falloff in engagement rate – that happens when you push. To take advantage of each environment where the consumer touches your brand, your content should be tailored to take advantage of the device they are using. Adjust your delivery vehicle to their touch point. Change the call to action to match the device.
3. What response is coming from your messages? Do they prefer email? Do they prefer mobile sms? Do they prefer social media? Which channel gets which user to engage? When you can answer these questions your customer's affinity to your service will increase.

Choosing the right channel to deliver your message.

In our current mulch-channel communication world, your delivery should run like a well oiled machine. Each channel option you have has unique qualities. Some channels can play together and some should not. Your goals and objectives will play a part and often require combination channel delivery. Your motive should be to enhance the end user's experience.

Here are three approaches to a unified delivery:

• Use every channel available. You are sure to grab their attention when you delivery a message through all channels simultaneously. However you better deliver a message that is worth their time. This method should only be used for messages that are time sensitive, urgent or something your consumer will tolerate because of their previous personal interest. Think tornado warning!
• Optimize engagement by choosing the right channel. You want an inspired recipient of your content. You want a response. you want engagement. If you know your users behavior, you will know how to push your message. This is how you deliver promotional material. Content that is meant to entertain, inform or create conversation. Anything that is repetitive is annoying. You must know the time of day they open your emails. Are they double opted-in to your mobile marketing campaign generator? Do they regularly engage with your Facebook page? Split your list based upon these known factors.
• Pick the channel based upon the platform. Your tactics and your goals will determine the channel here. Email is best for long content, where they want to keep this on hand, where they need to refer to the information more than once. Email is not the best channel for the mobile user. Conversely, forward to a friend campaigns do not work well in today's mobile world. Any communication that is time sensitive, deserves an immediate action or response, is great for the mobile device. So is video and podcast / sound cloud delivery. Think flash sales and today only deals!

Here are the reasons why it’s necessary to be extra sensitive to the effects of your communications:

Your reach is now 24/7. Where you are is irrelevant. Your customer is more mobile than ever. With power and knowledge come responsibility. Your perfect prospective customer is less tolerant

As you may know, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) in the United States has introduced new rules under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) that went into effect on October 16, 2013. The TCPA makes it unlawful for a person to “initiate” a telephone call to a residential line and to wireless numbers for non-emergency purposes without the prior express written consent of the called party. In lay terms, for people using the MOBIT or any other text service for marketing, this means you must adhere to the new rules when marketing in the USA via text/SMS. The TCPA applies to both voice and short message service (SMS) text messages, if they are transmitted for marketing purposes. The TCPA provides for a private right of action with damages ranging from $500.00 to $1,500.00 per unsolicited call/message.

for poorly timed and uninspiring messages. If your message does not catch them right, you will harm your relationship – evidenced by quick opt-outs and complaints. Example, breaking mobile sms laws can easily wipe out a large organization.

Mobile communications are very personal. Peoples reaction to your bad timing will feel overblown – that is a nature of the channel. Make sure your interruption in to their daily routine is welcome. Know what annoys and entertains your mobile user.

Mobile relationships are fast and full of opportunity. This is the Mecca for brand loyalty. It is also the channel where some will lose interest just as fast – and more likely do something about it just as damaging.

How do you take this on?

• Test your message, your copy and your tone to small groups. Mobile sms push notifications are short versions of communication with very precise and actionable goals. Here is where you want to be clever. Here is where your goal is for social sharing and connections. A/B split test before launch.
• Make it personal or not. You need to separate your message from the noise. Merging the knowledge that you have of your contacts is a great way to interject personalization and the mobile push is ripe for that. However, personalization can be perceived as taking advantage of your information. Testing allows you to get this right for your audience.
• Monitor messages sent per person. This is not only a best practice, but you are required to disclose it at optin for mobile sms push messages. The law may come calling if you violate this limit.

The mobile marketing platform ushers in huge opportunities, new complications and greater risk reward ratios. The world of on-demand, instant information and interaction, means a faster build for your brand. This vehicle is more personal than any channel we have ever used. You need to think deeper about the person on the other end. You need to not just simply move content from email to sms – they could not come with more unique expectations by the recipient. You can soar with this tool, as long as you understand your end user's tolerance and your obligations.

Copyright 2015 Viral Solutions LLC

by Thomas von Ahn | Chief Elephant Slayer

Watch out elephants! This slayer of business challenges comes with 30 years of record breaking sales, marketing, operations, training and leadership experience . He has worked face-to-face with 100’s of small business owners as well as large firms. His love of creating, communicating, developing and executing results for clients shines with each project, publication and training event. His entrepreneurial spirit, passion, industry experience, education, problem-solving prowess, charismatic personality and been-there-done that attitude leads his client focused approach.

Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner, Infusionsoft Certified Consultant and a Mobit Certified Partner. We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again.

Filed Under: Analytics Tagged With: content marketing, marketing strategy, mobile marketing, strategic planning