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Now marketers can begin to leverage the ubiquitous nature of voice and SMS in preparation for the next logical shift in mobile innovation: using mobile telephony technology to create a new level of interactivity between brand and consumer. The resulting value-add is quality two-way conversations that will turn visits into transactions.
There are three specific ways marketers can cost-effectively incorporate mobile telephony into their marketing plans to better connect with customers:
1. Notifications and Promotions
According to a survey conducted by Tatango, 44 percent of U.S. consumers have opted into an SMS marketing campaign. Because of its reliability and cost effectiveness, SMS is a platform to send customers relevant and timely information. Marketers can use SMS to alert customers to sales, text-to-win promotions, recent company announcements and account notifications. All of which provides value to customers, drives sales and enhance customer engagement. More importantly, SMS works on every mobile device and even in areas that lack data service or have poor coverage.
2. Increase Engagement Through Free or Low-Cost Calling and Texting
Along with SMS alerts, marketers can use OTT services like WhatsApp or Pinger and leverage their popularity by integrating free or low-cost telephony capabilities into company websites and including them in marketing campaigns.
By attaching voice and text capabilities to a virtual mobile phone number in the cloud, brands can achieve a higher level of customer engagement, enabling users to call or text via the Web with questions or comments relating to their products or service. Not only does this offer customers a convenient way to communicate directly with brands, it increases "stickiness" and the time spent on a company website.
3. Harness the Power of Social Media
It's essential to showcase customer engagement via a social media platform. However, social engagement is no longer limited to a desktop computer; more often than not, consumers use their mobile devices to update their social media accounts on the go. Facebook reports that more than 50 percent of its monthly active users are on mobile apps.
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