Download Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World

Relationship-First
Marketing for a
Mobile World
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
1
The World Has Gone
Mobile
Consumers worldwide have nearly 5 billion active mobile subscriptions and the number is growing.
To put that in perspective, that’s almost a billion and a half more active mobile subscriptions than
toothbrushes sold. The world has gone mobile. And it’s not coming back.
With more than five times more mobile devices than PCs on the planet today, as a marketer,
chances are your messages are being consumed in the mobile channel. If you’re not aligning
your strategies with this new reality, you may find your business headed the way of the landline.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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The Opportunity for Modern Marketers
The great news for digital marketers is that mobile is emerging as an amazing means of communication with
the consumer. Not only is mobile ubiquitous, it’s also a highly personal, real-time channel. More than 90 percent
of US adults have a mobile device within reach 24/7, and SMS messages that are delivered to these devices are
typically read within three minutes of being delivered.
“The push to mobile has been so fast. Consumers are making it clear they want to be reached and rewarded on their mobile devices and it’s up to us to listen. Smart marketers should consider mobile a battleground for new customers.”
— Paul Miller, Vice President of US E-Commerce, Grainger
And what’s more, mobile is a highly commercial channel. Consumers increasingly use smartphones and tablets
to inform purchase decisions, and 78 percent use two or more channels to browse, research, and buy. SMS
messages earn a staggering 97 percent average open rate.
Taking these trends into account, it’s clear that the mobile channel gives your brand the unique ability to
influence consumer behavior as it occurs, whether offline or online. Digital marketers are not only looking for
every opportunity to deliver perfectly timed mobile messages and mobile-optimized e-mails, but they’re also
integrating mobile with their other digital campaigns, driving up returns across the board, and creating ideal
customers who become advocates.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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The Relationship-First Imperative
With more mature channels like e-mail, great marketers have moved away from batch and blast strategies
(sending the same, generic message to everyone in your database) and towards a relationship-first strategy.
This approach entails earning permission and then sending targeted messages that are highly tailored to every
individual based on what you know about their demographics and behavior, as well as where they are in their
customer lifecycle.
In a mobile world, a relationship-first approach moves
from being a good strategy to being the imperative.
According to the Pew Research Center, customers say
text spam is more invasive to them than junk mail or
even spam e-mails. And sometimes, the recipients even
have to pay for the texts that they never wanted in the
first place. While the mobile channel introduces amazing
new opportunities for marketers, the stakes for a sound
strategy have never been higher.
“Mobile is a huge opportunity today, but as a marketer, we also have a responsibility to be relevant and timely with our messaging. We need the right solutions to deliver such highly personalized and highly automated communications to our customers.”
— Puritan’s Pride
It’s Easier than You Think
But the great news is that it’s likely easier than you think to get going. This guide will take you step by step
through the key strategies that the world’s leading digital marketers are using today to do great relationshipfirst, mobile marketing. Whether you’re looking to start off easy, or go all in right away, these tips can help
shape and execute your strategy.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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Part 1: Starting the
Relationship
For too many marketers, the singular focus of their activities has been on the conversion. They ask only, “How
many units did I sell today?” And while driving revenue remains the goal for marketers everywhere, those who
focus first on the consumer relationship have found a far more effective path to get there.
The first step in great relationship-based mobile marketing is to build out your addressable universe of
consumers by finding new ways to capture mobile communication permission. And the great news is that
the mobile channel offers up a huge array of tactics to help you do just that.
Part 1: Starting the Relationship
Part 2: Build the Consumer Journey
Engagement
Relationship
Conversion
Loyalty
Earn Permission
Figure 1. Start the relationship by earning permission, and then build the customer journey through engagement, conversion, and loyalty.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
5
For example,
• Short message service (SMS) opt in: Consumers can respond to calls to action by sending a text
message to a short code. For example, they can text SIGNUP or their e-mail address to 12345. And
with the mobile channel, opportunities to advertise your opt in programs exist both in the digital world
and in the offline world.
• In-store downtime: Consumers play with smartphones while they wait in checkout lines and
restaurants. Opt in requests placed at these common points of inactivity can engage the audience and
build your list.
• Quick response (QR) codes: The square, 2-D barcodes you’ve seen in magazines and billboards work
as hyperlinks in the offline world. Consumers can scan them with a smartphone to opt in, download an
app, or visit a mobile-optimized website.
• Incentives: Coupons and sweepstakes are powerful tools to help build your mobile list. Offering
consumers an attention grabbing incentive either online or in-store opens a conversation with your
brand and gives your customer the motivation to opt in. Many thought leading marketers are going so
far as purchasing TV ads to specifically drive people to opt into receiving mobile messages.
• Cross-channel promotion: A consumer usually begins the conversation with your brand in one channel,
but by cross-promoting your programs you can turn social media followers into e-mail readers and
website visitors into SMS subscribers. Promoting your mobile opt-in programs in your e-mails, on your
display ads, and on your Facebook fan page is an easy place to begin. And not only can you use other
channels to drive opt-ins for mobile messages, but SMS is a great tool to get customers to sign up for
offline marketing programs. For example, send a text to get a catalog or to register for an event.
• Cross-channel preference centers: Many companies have launched preference centers that let
customers raise their hands to receive certain e-mails or mailings. But don’t treat mobile as a silo.
Be sure that your preference center gives your customers the option to sign up for relevant
mobile messages.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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Getting It Right: Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines embodies a relentless focus on building lasting relationships with their passengers.
“Our number one transaction day used to be when we dropped a TV and radio spot. Now
it’s the day we launch a coordinated e-mail, mobile, and social campaign.”
— Jason Scoggins, Director of Marketing, Southwest Airlines
It’s evidenced in the tactics they use to drive new subscribers to their Click ‘N Save programs. The sign-up
call to action is prevalent across their digital channels and it extends into virtually every offline channel—
from television spots to the napkins you find on a Southwest flight. This way, Southwest not only reaches
digital consumers—but now with SMS—they can also attract consumers in environments of strong brand
engagement but with low computer access, like the passengers waiting in line to board a flight.
Customer sees promotion at airport or print:
“Text your email address
to 83793”
User texts SMS message, with email address
in body, to shortcode
CLICK ’N SAVE
Mobile number and
email address are captured
Mobile number and
email address are
integrated into ESP
database
User receives thank you
/ opt-in confirmation
message via SMS
Mobile number
exists in database
for future mobile
marketing
WITH SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CLICK ’N SAVE E-MAIL
TEXT E-MAIL ADDRESS TO 83793 TO SIGN UP
Welcome message is
triggered
Customer is now
opted-into Click ‘n Save
Program
Standard text messaging rates apply
Figure 2. Southwest Airlines passenger relationship building strategy is a multistep process.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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Part 2: Building the
Consumer Journey
Once you’ve received permission to build on a relationship with a consumer, the next step is to build a
communication strategy that drives their journey with you as an eventual repeat customer.
This approach involves mapping the messages you send to align with touch points along each customer’s
lifecycle. With the right communication, you can drive them through initial engagement, through the
conversion process, and then build loyalty in order to drive the next purchase.
This section of the guide steps you through specific techniques you can use to make these journeys a reality.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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The Customer Journey
Make sure your strategy is focused on a personalized view of your customer that sends messages to match the
context and delivery choice. Meet Matt. He’s interested in a pair of Quake headphones.
Matt shops for
headphones on
the Quake mobile
page and makes
a purchase.
He asks his trusted
social network about
Quake headphones.
Matt gets a mobile
thank you message,
registration offer, and
is asked to become
an advocate.
Matt likes the headphones so much
that he considers
getting them with
his company’s logo
on them.
Figure 3. Mobile process from transaction to relationship.
This is just an example. For the full set of consumer stories that align with different industries, jump to the
Putting It All Together section.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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Building Engagement
The customer relationship begins the moment a person
grants you permission to communicate. When they
say “Yes!” it’s time to start building engagement. In
this stage you’ll want to use mobile messages to drive
awareness, build interest, and communicate additional
information about your product or service in order to
move each consumer closer to converting.
Engagement
Conversion
Relationship
Following are some easy mobile campaigns that
you can use to move consumers through the
engagement phase:
• Welcome programs: Once you get permission,
it’s time to engage your subscribers with a series
of introductory messages that welcome them
to your brand and move them towards product
consideration and purchase. This is a great
opportunity to combine mobile messaging with
other digital channels like e-mail and display.
Loyalty
Figure 4. Engagement is the first step of the customer journey.
• Information requests: Allow customers to send you a text message with certain keywords to tell
you what products they would like to learn more about. For example, when a customer texts you
SHOES, you can send them the catalog for your new fall line, either via a shortened URL in a text
message, or via e-mail or print.
• Voting: Enable customers to have input into their favorite brands or products. For example, have
customers text in their input for which product should go on sale next. Now that you know their
preferences, you can be that much more targeted with your next communication.
• Contests and sweepstakes: This is a great way to spark engagement and viral sharing by inviting
consumers to enter sweepstakes or contests with a simple text message. For example, hold a trivia
contest where consumers can text in the year your business was founded to win a discount on their
next purchase.
• Event alerts: Offer consumers a countdown to special events and keep them engaged with your
activities and live promotions. For example, “3 More Days to the Big Summer Sale!”
• New product releases: Consumers who sign up for your SMS alerts are your biggest fans. An alert
program can give these brand ambassadors early notice of your next product launch and allow them
to amplify your message.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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Driving Conversion
For today’s consumers, mobile devices have become
a vital tool in the purchase process.
Engagement
• 74 percent of smartphone owners use the device
for shopping.
• Nearly 80 percent of those shoppers will
purchase.
Conversion
Relationship
• 90 percent of mobile searches lead to action.
• More than 50 percent of those actions lead to
purchase.
It’s important to get the right message out to those
who are at this critical point in their consumer journey.
With its always on and always nearby nature, mobile
has the unique ability to convert purchasers in real time.
Loyalty
Figure 5. Conversion is the second step of the
customer journey.
Getting It Right: Newegg
E-retailer Newegg offers their daily Shell Shocker alerts via SMS and mobile-optimized e-mails so consumers
get the latest deals delivered to them on the go, and they can take advantage of these limited-time offers.
“[Oracle] has been influential in helping us deliver a better shopping experience for our
customers, and developing a compelling, long-term mobile campaign strategy.”
— Bernard Luthi, Vice President of Marketing for Web Management and
Customer Service, Newegg
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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The following are some great techniques you can use to make it happen:
• Store locator: The great thing about mobile is that you can use it to bridge the gap between the digital
world and the world of bricks and mortar. Help customers to find your closest store by texting in their
location.
• Limited-time and exclusive offers: Provide customers with special discounts or promotions to
encourage sales. This is a great way to take advantage of the real-time nature of the mobile channel.
Remember, most SMS messages are read within three minutes of receipt.
• Item back in stock notices: Alert your customer to product status changes for items of interest. For
example, if you ran out of a particular shoe size, text your interested customers that you’ve got the
size 7s back in stock. Couple this with a store locator for even better results.
• Text for callback: If you’re providing telesales, rather than have customers sitting on hold, have them
text in their phone number to have a representative call them back at a convenient time.
Creating Loyalty
A sales transaction is not an end of a process—
it’s the beginning of a relationship. With a relationship-first approach, you should be thinking about
how to deliver a great post-purchase experience
to enhance the relationship and encourage more
engagement.
Engagement
Conversion
Relationship
The following are some great ways to use mobile
to make it happen:
• Shipping and delivery alerts: Keep your
customers posted on when their shipment is
in transit or when it arrives at their doorstep.
Mobile messages are a great way to deliver
this type of real-time information.
• Surveys: Ask for feedback on customer
service, product selection, or other aspects
of the customer experience. “How was our
service? Text back your rating from 1-5.” Use
this information to refine your marketing and
gather conversion-boosting product reviews
and testimonials.
Loyalty
Figure 6. Loyalty is the last step of the
customer journey.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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• Text for customer care: Don’t make a new customer sit on hold waiting for a customer service
agent. Instead, let them text in HELP and have someone call them back when the time is right.
• Warnings: When things go wrong, mobile is a great way to deliver real-time updates. Use SMS to
alert subscribers to low balances, or suspicious activity on their accounts, or product recalls.
• Re-permission and win-back: If you’ve got customers who have stopped engaging with you online
and are skipping over your e-mails, mobile messages are a great tool to notify them of a special offer
waiting for them in their inboxes.
Building a Conversation
Conversations don’t start and end with a single message. In order to drive real customer engagement in the
mobile channel, you’ll want to think not only about how to send one-off SMS messages, but also how to
deliver a series of triggered mobile responses based on customer behavior and replies.
Cross-channel marketing software makes it easy for marketers to design sophisticated mobile campaigns
that evolve over time and are unique to every customer. Send a message, wait for a reply, and deliver a specific
response. And there’s no limit to where you take these conversations. Keep them short and simple or get more
sophisticated as you learn what works. It’s an amazing way to drive engagement, conversion, and loyalty. And
there’s no limit to where you can take these conversations.
Figure 7. A triggered mobile campaign offers the opportunity to engage customers in multiple conversations.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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Great Mobile Marketing in Action
Modern Marketers have created great ways to use mobile to build lasting relationships with their customers.
What’s the next campaign that you’ll launch?
Motorcycles
For the world famous Sturgis motorcycle rally, enthusiasts can
text the word STURGIS to receive updates and offers leading up
to the event through both the e-mail and mobile channels.
Engagement
Airlines
To keep frequent flyers up to date on their status, they can sign
up to receive a link texted to their phones once each month that
will take them directly to their mileage account balance.
Loyalty
Insurance
Customers moving through the application process can text
HELP and receive a unique 800 number to dial depending on
where they are in the process.
Conversion
Retail
Consumers can text in different keywords to help the retailer
know which stores they frequent and what products they care
about. For example, West Coast shoppers text SAVE01 while
East Coast shoppers send SAVE02.
Engagement
Healthcare
Patients receive SMS reminders one month before appointments
as well as three days before appointments. They can text back
YES to confirm or NO to cancel. They’ll also be able to rate their
visit when they’re finished by texting back a score of one to five.
Engagement
Conversion
Relationship
Loyalty
Figure 8.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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Putting It All Together
Once you’ve come up with a few great campaign ideas for capturing permission, building engagement, driving
conversion, and creating loyalty, the next step is to plan your customer journey. There’s really no limit to the
directions you can take your journeys, as long as you approach them from a relationship-first perspective.
Here are a few examples to get you started.
The Retail Journey
Melissa is into fashion. She spends most of
her free time checking out the latest trends
so she can stay on the cutting edge. While
shopping downtown, she sees a billboard for
the retailer Jaxon, advertising their new line
of shoes with a call to action that says, “text
SAVE15 to 12345 to get 15 percent off.”
After rushing back to
Melissa decides she
Melissa texts in her
the store and making
wants to redeem her
email address and
her purchase, Melissa
coupon today, so she
the keyword SAVE15
gets a text asking her
texts
in
her
zip
code
to
to 12345 to opt in to
to rate her experience
find the nearest Jaxon
receive Jaxon’s digital
1-5. Melissa is now a
location.
offers.
fan, and texts back “5”
She finds just the
She immediately gets
for outstanding.
shoes
she’s
looking
a text back to confirm
for. Unfortunately
that she would like to
they’re out of her size.
receive promotional
Two days later Melissa
offers from Jaxon, as
gets a text notifying
well as a short link that
her that her size is in
takes her to an online
stock.
coupon for 15% off.
Figure 9. A mobile strategy for the retail industry might involve these steps.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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The Travel Journey
As a regional account executive Matthew
finds himself on the road each week. He
has gold member status with his favorite
airline, and has opted in to receive e-mail
communications like deal alerts and flight
updates. In this week’s e-mail, he sees a call
to action to text ALERTS to get real-time SMS
updates when he’s on the road.
The text tells him he
After landing safely, he
can buy the upgrade
gets a final SMS mesby just replying “Y”
sage asking him how his
and it will be charged
flight was on a scale of
to his card on file. He
1-5. He loved the food
wants the extra
and the movie selection,
legroom,
so
he
so texts back “5”. No
After
buying
the
The NYC flight didn’t
wonder Matthew is a
sell out and as a Gold pulls the trigger. upgrade, Matthew
loyal Gold Member.
gets
another
text
member, Matthew
telling him that his
is eligible for a disflight is scheduled to
counted upgrade
leave right on time, his
to business class.
departure gate is B8
Matthew gets the alert
and the weather in NYC
in the cab on the way
is rainy and 53 degrees.
to the airport.
Matthew loves the
idea of real-time SMS
updates. He texts in
“alerts” to opt-in to
mobile messages.
Figure 10. A mobile strategy for the travel industry might involve these steps.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
16
The Finance Journey
Heather and her husband have been saving
for years, and they’re finally ready to take
the plunge and purchase a family home.
While waiting in line at her local bank, she
sees a sign stating, “text RATE30 to 12345
to be alerted to changes in 30-Year Fixed
Mortgage rates.”
After seeing a call to
action at her bank,
Heather texts in
“RATE30” to opt in
to receive mobile
updates about
mortgage rates. Heather immediately
receives a text offering
up the current rate of
3.380% and a link to
the online mortgage
application and credit
checker.
A few weeks later,
Heather gets a mobile
alert that the rate has
just dropped to 3.375%.
She’s getting close to
putting an offer on a
house and wants to
lock in this rate so
Three days later
she clicks through
Heather receives a
the link and fills in
text telling her that
the online loan
her loan is approved,
application.
and that she needs to
Heather gets her loan
and gets the house of
her dreams. Now each
month, the bank texts
her a loan payment
reminder as well as a
link to their latest helpful
banking tips for new
home owners.
drop by a branch to sign
the final papers. She
texts in her zip code to
get directions to the
nearest location.
Figure 11. A mobile strategy for the finance industry might involve these steps.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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Going Beyond SMS
Mobile marketing doesn’t end with a well-timed text message. In fact, smart marketers are using mobile to
enhance the performance of all of their digital marketing strategies. And they’re also accounting for all of the
ways that other channels are fundamentally changing as a result of the mobile explosion.
Cross-Channel Personalization
With a cross-channel marketing platform, Modern Marketers can apply relationship-first principles to marketing
programs that span e-mail, social, display, web, and of course mobile channels. So not only do you get mobile
as a great new standalone weapon in your marketing arsenal, but it’s a fantastic tool to help enhance the
effectiveness across the board.
For example, for customers who you find aren’t clicking on your e-mails as much as they used to, you can use
an SMS message to bring them back into the fold. Or if you’re promoting your big fall sale via e-mail and display
advertising, be sure to orchestrate an SMS reminder the day before it begins to push attendance over the edge.
Start
program
Send
e-mail
Show
display ad
Special deals
in your favorite
categories.
One free night’s
stay with a
package deal.
Send
mobile
message
Wait
We’ve missed you!
Here’s a coupon.
days
search
MLB / NFL / NBA / TENNIS / HOCKEY / GOLF / SURF REPORT
MLB / NFL / NBA / TENNIS / HOCKEY / GOLF / SURF REPORT
20% off your next purchase
of a package deal. Book now.
Highlights
Mavericks Surf Contest Announced
By Kelly Smith 02/04/2011 4:00PM
5
search
Sign in New / Register
Sign in New / Register
20% off your next purchase
of a package deal. Book now.
Highlights
Fantasy Football
Fantasy Football
Draft
Draft
French Open
French Open
World Cup
World Cup
Race Schedule
Race Schedule
Tournaments
Tournaments
Has
purchased?
Mavericks Surf Contest Announced
By Kelly Smith 02/04/2011 4:00PM
no
yes
add customer to
“at risk” segment
add customer to
“engaged” segment
Show
display
ad
Send
email
Thank you
20% off your
next purchase.
End
program
Figure 12. Marketing programs that span e-mail, social, display, web, and mobile are highly effective.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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Mobile E-Mail
Roughly 40 percent of e-mails in the US are opened on a
mobile device, and this trend is only going in one
direction. Unfortunately, the consumer’s e-mail experience on
mobile is often plagued by outdated designs
and frustrating layouts.
In the mobile world, you’ve got to be sure to design
communications that look just as amazing on the
smartphone as they do on a tablet or a desktop.
Our Modern Marketing experts have worked with some
of the world’s biggest brands to optimize their e-mail
programs for the mobile world. Whether you want
to start easy by optimizing e-mail design for different
devices, or get sophisticated with responsive e-mail
design, our creative and technical professionals are here
to help.
Visit our website to download our Mobile E-mail Guide.
It’s a great overview of the best strategies you can put
to work today.
Mobile Advertising
Figure 13. Personalized mobile-optimized e-mail.
With a seemingly infinite number of apps, sites, and
networks—not to mention devices and screen
resolutions—advertising to today’s mobile consumer
is a complex, yet essential part of any marketing mix.
Ask about our mobile advertising network and partners,
including current inventory and customer targeting
capabilities via Facebook.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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Mobile Number Validation
In the mobile channel, gaining permission from your customers is the first step towards launching a successful
relationship marketing strategy.
Unfortunately, most marketers have hundreds of thousands if not millions of phone numbers in their customer
databases, yet no way of determining which of these are mobile numbers. And even if you could distinguish
between mobile and landline numbers, how would you gain permission to communicate with these customers?
With our mobile phone number validation service, you can:
• Analyze the phone numbers you already have to sort out the mobile numbers.
• Target these customers through traditional channels such as e-mail, direct mail, and web, and ask them
to opt in on their mobile devices.
• Send customers with known mobile numbers a special opt in SMS, free to them, which provides a
strong call to action and an easy path to opting in.
Rapidly building and growing a sizable, addressable mobile audience is an imperative for success as a
relationship-first Modern Marketer. Starting with the assets you already have on hand is a great way to jump
start on this new channel.
Don’t Let the Mobile Opportunity Pass You By
It’s clear the world has gone mobile. With a proven combination of world-class digital technology and expertise
that spans strategy, technology, creative, and execution, Oracle Marketing Cloud can be the partner you need
to find success in this critical new channel.
Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
20
loud
About Oracle Marketing C
utions
Oracle Marketing Cloud sol
Modern Marketers choose
egrated
and increase revenue. Int
to create ideal customers
marketing
nnel, content, and social
information from cross-cha
enables
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with data management and
e, and use
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award-winning marketing
eriences.
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Visit oracle.com/marketin
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Relationship-First Marketing for a Mobile World
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