Archive for Mobile Marketing
Mobile Phones Influence Gravity
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OK… bear with me here… this might get a bit technical, but I think I can explain this in a way so everyone can understand what GRAVITY and MOBILE PHONES have to do with each other !
When a store owner is looking to open a retail store in a particular geographic region, they perform an analysis on the surrounding shopping options to determine how many shoppers will potentially visit the proposed location. They use a formula called the “GRAVITY MODEL” ** which calculates the size of the retail area around a specific location based on a comparison of shopping alternatives, driving distance, and population size and demographics. This analysis identifies a “ring” around any given location where potential shoppers reach their “breaking point” (BP) and make a decision to go to store B instead of store A !
For this example, lets assume that one is evaluating a retail location in a densely populated city with evenly distributed customer demographics. In this case, the main factors that get plugged into the “Gravity Model” equation will be:
- Competitors Strength – A popular brand competitor or a larger grouping of stores exert more “pull” and gets consumers to visit from a greater distance.
- Distance to walk / drive – If everything was equal, a consumer will tend to visit the store that is closest.
- Product Offering & Price – Each product type generates it’s own “gravity ring” showing the number of potential buyers in each product category.
SO WHAT ABOUT MOBILE PHONES ?
Well… one thing that is NOT mentioned in the existing gravity equation but should be are MOBILE SALES, MARKETING, and SUPPORT APPS. These APPs are able to put influential store services in the palm of your hand. This is a strong factor when comparing the attractiveness of “store A” vs “store B”. Consumers will shop at a store that is further away if it offers superior OUT-OF-HOME services such as better product information, greater convenience, relevant discounts, personalized solutions, and reduced time spent on non-essential tasks.
In my example city (densely populated), it is easy to imagine that adding mobile services might make your “circle of potential customers” grow from 1/2 MILE to 1 MILE. Calculating the increased area of these circles results in a 400% increase in potential customers ! That is an extremely powerful opportunity for ANY business to increase their revenue. So… I rest my case… Mobile phones really do influence gravity (and have a great ROI ).
** The Law of Retail Gravitation, William J Reilly
GEOHELP: Private “follow” of Local Brick-and-Mortar Businesses
Posted by: | CommentsThe GeoHelp web site is where customers can safely follow local brick & mortar businesses. Unlike ALL traditional social / advertising platforms, GeoHelp lets you control your communications, and we do not share your private information.
1) RELEVANT NEWS: What if you could get information about a new product delivery, or an upcoming sale, or an event discount ? Or become familiar with the REAL PEOPLE behind the brands that you enjoy.
2) QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: The GeoHelp app lets you get answers to your questions using your mobile phone. Businesses can answer questions such as “Do you carry Gucci sunglasses?” or “Are Goodyear tires better than Firestone?”. These real-time questions (and more) from ALL of their customers are visible for you to read. So a type of business specific “chat session” gives you much more information about that business.
For example: When you are hungry, you can look at the business’s GeoHelp Community as see questions and answers from many customers. To ask your own question, just write a text message (or use our voice entry).
To follow a favorite business, just use the Business FOLLOW checkbox !
The GeoHelp by 2du® platform lets you choose EXACTLY what companies you are interested in communicating with (or receiving info and specials from). The directory is international and can be sorted by name, distance, city, and more.
Just Like Max & 99… Mobile Consumers Want Control
Posted by: | CommentsNew research by the consumer research company Communispace (http://communispace.com) shows that connected consumers want control over the cadence and content of messages sent to their mobile phones. 
This conclusion is contained within a report entitled “Connecting with the Connected Consumer” which is the exact opposite of what is currently being done by most mobile marketers. I know of very few brands that give their customers a way to express their preferences and give them the ability to edit or modify how they are contacted.
Other conclusions in the study were:
1) Companies MUST respect the privacy of consumers. Treat people like you would want to be treated. Instead of YOU tracking your customers, why not enable customers to track you!
2) Offer something of value - Mobile consumers are ready and waiting for contact with familiar brands on mobile devices; awareness and willingness is there, but few brands have cracked the code for providing consistent value via mobile technologies.
3) Hand over the reins – Mobile users want control over when, where, how, and how often they interact with brands on mobile platforms — the more personalized, the better.
4) Create custom, relevant experiences – Untargeted and irrelevant content will be shunned by mobile consumers. Specialized, personalized and exclusive rewards suggest an aptitude for giving customers what they need and want.
As a part of our GeoHelp Platform, we included a USER PORTAL FOR EVERY CUSTOMER so everyone can control how they are contacted, and when it is ok to contact them. Our system gives businesses the ability to send relevant information and rewards IMMEDIATELY to customers at the exact time when they want to engage. Perhaps adding customer control portals might be the secret to creating a lasting relationship with your connected “followers” ?
Click here to read the full study.
Mobile Marketing’S Guidelines – Respect Your Customers
Posted by: | CommentsIf you are a retailer considering a move into mobile marketing, or you’re a marketer trying to nudge that retailer, you may be battling a perception that MM is the equivalent of that obnoxious telemarketing call that happens precisely when your family sits down to dinner. Won’t people get tired of your message program…like, quickly?
The answer is yes…if you’re obnoxious about it. But, what does that mean, exactly? How much is too much? Are there any standards to go by? Actually, there are, as provided by the Mobile Marketing Association.
The six “C”s of an Ethical Mobile Marketing Program
These correct way to do mobile marketing is to offer customers:
- Choice - Your consumer has a right to privacy, and must first “opt-in” to a mobile marketing program.
- Control - Consumers should have control of when and how they receive your message, and be able to easily terminate or “opt-out” when they choose.
- Customization - You should tailor your message to reflect the data and preferences supplied by your consumer. This results in more useful messages and less spam!
- Consideration – You should offer your consumer something of perceived value in return for receiving your message.
- Constraint – You must manage and limit mobile messaging to a reasonable number of programs.
- Confidentiality – You shouldn’t share consumer information with non-affiliated third parties.
In the end, these six “C”s boil down to one thing… treating your customers with respect. It takes talent to strike the balance between a prominent, effective message…and obnoxiousness. At 2du, there were a LOT of design decisions that went into trying to protect the concept of the six “C”s… we are trying our best.
A “Next-gen” Loyalty Platform Combines REAL-TIME ENGAGEMENT and MOBILE REWARDS
Posted by: | CommentsBy adding a GeoHelp Community to your website, you can have FULL CONTROL of your brand, the ability to capture leads, promote customer loyalty, offer superior service and capture valuable customer data to a hosted SQL database. Here is an example of a customized GeoHelp by 2du® Help Community that is added to an existing website:
LOYALTY features include:
- POINTS for participating in the conversation !
- CUSTOMERS get their own PORTAL
- REWARDS can be given INSTANTLY to conversation participants
- DELIVERY method is chosen by the consumer (Mobile, Email, Portal)
- Customer inquiries can be initiated via MOBILE SMS
- Individualized or group promotion targeting
- REDEMPTION tracking using linear & QR Mobile barcodes
- LOCATION, mobile position statistics
This combination of features is bundled in a very easy to understand consumer and admin interface that makes it FUN for everyone involved ! Social engagement + loyalty rewards is a WIN-WIN !
Click here to see the example above.
Click here to see the GeoHelp Portal
Click here to see the GeoHelp ADMIN portal.
Personal Marketing – Inexpensive, Easy, and Consumer Friendly
Posted by: | CommentsRemember the days when retailers knew their customer’s names and preferences when they walked in the door ? Well… neither do I !! I think I’ve seen this on an old “GUNSMOKE” rerun !
For many centuries now, retail marketers have been directing their messaging towards broad categories of customers (mass marketing). This is now changing due to the application of technology into the retail space. Recording of purchase history and identifying buyer behavior is common now-a-days, but REAL change is just starting to happen… mass marketing is changing to personal marketing.
MASS MARKETING changing to PERSONAL MARKETING
Put yourself in the shoes of a business owner… you don’t want to take advantage of anyone, you just want to make a living… a completely normal urge to provide value to customers AND feed your family (ok build your business) ! How would you do that with the least amount of pain ???? In short, the least expensive and most effective way to build a business is to influence customers at the EXACT time that they are making a purchase decision. So how do you do this ?
Personal marketing means offering customers RELEVANT information and RELEVANT offers. Relevancy requires knowledge. You need to know about your customers’ interests and preferences… this is worth money because it lets you stop doing “shotgun” advertising. You can tailor your offers to match the needs of individuals ! This is the concept of the GeoHelp Platform. 2du creates a WIN-WIN system so businesses get relevant information and customers save money.
The chart used here is from: NextGen of Merchandising and Marketing – Customer Insights at the Point of Decision – An ebook written by DemandTec and downloadable from http://www.demandtec.com/
GeoHelp – Advancing the State-of-the-Art in Customer Service
Posted by: | CommentsWe will soon be launching our GeoHelp platform which has many state-of-the-art features. Customers can use our iphone app to ask “How late are you guys open today?”, or “Do you carry Gucci sunglasses?”, or “I bought some paint from your store last year… how can I match the color when I buy more?” Businesses answer these questions using their own iphone app or via a simple SaaS support screen. This IMMEDIATE gratification makes for happy customers !
Now that a “conversation” has been started, why not send something special to that customer so they come to your store ? GeoHelp lets you instantly select from premade messages and send these to one or many customers in less than 30 seconds ! We call these messages “Super Messages” because they contain over 25 pieces of information including a YouTube video, QR code for redemption, links to all social media, and much more.
GeoHelp includes the following features which a business accesses on the GeoHelpAdmin web site:
- GeoRewards - automatically send incentives to customers when they are close
- Mobile Chat - offer VIP service and be “top of mind” when customers have questions
- Instant Mobile Messages – send a mobile video message to any customer in 30 seconds
- GeoMaps - make your business stand out on our location-based business map
- Instant Promotion campaigns - send mass mailing with powerful targeting filters
- Build your database – easily add notes and details to customer files
- No POS redeem system - the GeoHelp redemption system does not require POS integration
- Verify your ROI – track customer behavior from initial contact to in-store purchasing
So, hopefully, you agree that… location-based customer service has arrived !
Worldwide Mobile Ad Projections – Lets Ride the Wave Together !
Posted by: | CommentsI don’t think of myself as terribly materialistic, but I enjoy being where the ACTION is and would also like to make enough money so I can do what I want for the rest of my life. I think I found a subject that might fit the bill…
This graph is a little out-dated, but I’m sure the shape is still similar !
So where is this $$ coming from?
• Text ads to opt-in customers (VIP Clubs)
• Display ads on mobile web sites (scaled down to work on your phone)
• Display ads on mobile search results
• Display ads in mobile games or in TV-like guides
• Video ads that come with streaming video, or mobile TV
I know… that sounds like a LOT of ads on my little phone display. 2du is doing something to address that issue… we have created GeoHelp (web + SMS + email messaging) that lets every member manage their own messaging. You get your own account where you select exactly what local businesses can send information and discounts to you. You decide who can send messages, how many, and how often ! We are just getting started, so “pardon our dust”… I hope you agree that this is the most powerful messaging system you have EVER SEEN ! Click here to see GeoHelp
Where Customers Go… Retailers Must Follow !
Posted by: | CommentsRetail Info Systems News (www.risnews.com) surveyed 48 major retailers about their “mobile commerce” status and plans. Examples of companies represented were; Sears, 1-800-Flowers, Ralph Lauren, Target, Amazon, etc. 32.7% of these companies are currently executing a mobile marketing (“m-commerce”) strategy either right now or will have one implemented soon.
Q - What business goal is driving this adoption of Mobile Marketing ?
A - The top answers from these companies were…
#1 = Improve Customer Loyalty, Retention and Repeat Visits
#2 = Create New Buying Opportunities for Existing Customers
#3 = Create a New Channel for Marketing, Advertising and Brand Awareness
This chart outlines how far they are in the adoption process:
Note: GeoHelp supports almost ALL of these m-commerce services !
Engagement Will Change American Businesses
Posted by: | CommentsTIME magazine featured Twitter on the cover of their magazine and used 3800 words to describe how “Twitter” will change American Business. Yes, the Twitter company offers the most popular microblogging system for “What are you doing?” usage, but will they be the ones to dominate when it comes to offering a professional ENGAGEMENT System for business applications? For example, if someone “tweets” your business asking “When do you guys close today?” and you don’t respond, then that is just as damaging to your brand as not answering phone calls !
Business engagement really needs a more flexible and complete set of features before it is ready to take on the tasks mentioned in the Times article. But… when twitter-like services are “ready for prime time”, then I believe their predictions are accurate. So, it is my opinion that Time’s article REALLY should be titled; Ten Ways that Social Tools Will Change American Business.
Here are 4 of the important trends that were identified:
- Hyper-Local Marketing - Opt-in demographic data will allow zip code targeted messaging. When mobile phones with GPS becomes more commonplace, geo-targetted marketing will be extremely accurate and dynamic.
- Making Old-World Advertising Work - business microblogging couples messages with mobile 2D barcode responses so that tracking when and where traditional advertising is seen, and when and where it is redeemed.
- New Ways to Get Consumer Data - having the ability to get immediate feedback about products and services is extremely valuable to businesses. This feedback can also be associated with opt-in demographics information such as location, gender, age, purchasing history, etc.
- Expanding the Power of Micropayments - Many companies are beta testing a type of “alternative currency” using microblog messages that can be used to pay for purchases less that $25. These would be encrypted messages or secure 2D barcodes which are scanned by a soda machine or a retailer to deduct money from a prepaid account. This system might be of interest to the 20 to 30 million people in USA (over the age of 15) who do not have a credit card or bank account. And… listen to this… a formal bank study estimates that there are 20 to 30 million people without credit cards or bank accounts who earn more than 500 billion dollars annually and put it under their mattresses ! Now that sounds like an opportunity to give them a simple and secure way to carry and use cash ! mmm….
Click here to read the full TIME article.
