Targeted, cost effective and immediate
Think about the possibilities. Hearing that the weather forecast calls for sunshine in Toronto tomorrow but heavy snow in St. Catharines, marketers at Bell Mobility swing into action.
They punch a few keys and send a short message (SMS) to only those mobile customers in the path of the storm – a special offer for Roadside Assistance that can be activated simply by responding “yes”.
Targeted. Concise. Relevant. Immediate.
It is just one of the communication programs Bell Mobility has developed to make the most of the emerging power of mobile marketing.
In fact, SMS – and Bell’s mobile portal – have become key elements of the company’s overall marketing mix, letting Bell reach clients wherever they happen to be.
For example, Bell provides clients with updates on their accounts and service information about their devices. Bell sends out notices about manufacturers’ software upgrades, providing clients with the Internet address to immediately download what they need.
Bell also uses SMS to upsell and fulfill services. In one case, select clients received an SMS with an offer for Call Display which they could sign up for – and have working – immediately. The company has also had success when SMS is combined with direct mail and email to clients as part of client lifecycle communications.
Key element of integrated marketing campaigns
More and more, SMS is part of an integrated approach. When Bell recently developed a virtual Cowbell app to help Canadians cheer on our Olympic athletes, targeted clients received tailored SMS messages, customized to their phone platform. The campaign also included online banner ads, mall hand-outs, a banner on the Bell phone browser page and emails to clients.
SMS also played a key role in launching Bell’s Voicemail to Text service. Bell sent targeted SMS messages to inform clients about the new option and drive them to bell.ca where they could get more information and load the service with the site’s self-serve tools.
Cost-effective immediacy
In addition to giving marketers the laserlike ability to target messages, SMS has at least two other significant benefits: it’s cost effective and it’s immediate. The cost per touch point is relatively low, and it’s as simple as using the appropriate list of our clients and crafting the message.
As for immediacy, SMS is one of the few marketing vehicles that enables a company to reach its audience the next day. It also gives marketers fast feedback. Bell knows almost immediately if a given message is hitting the mark and rigorous post-campaign analysis enables the company to see what worked.
When there are longer campaigns, Bell monitors the responses continuously, making necessary changes on the fly. This is especially important in an environment where it can be a challenge to make your exact point in 140 characters or less.
Respecting the customer
This level of access means Bell is especially sensitive to client’s wishes. The approach is to use upsell and promotional SMS messages more sparingly than service updates or account information.
As well, Bell responds immediately when a customer wants to opt out. The company has its own do-not-SMS list, updated daily and integrated with its call centres to ensure all clients’ requests are respected.
Looking ahead
All this is only a start, given what is happening with the explosion of short codes and companies growing their opt-in advertising bases.
Things will accelerate with the continued growth in mobile search and display advertising. This year, expect to see a lot more multi-media messaging, or MMS, where graphics and pictures augment the text.
Plus, with the advances in what Bell’s wireless networks allow and the continual evolution of device technology, smartphones are increasingly becoming an integral part of today’s lifestyle. For example, Bell has just made it possible for its satellite TV subscribers to manage and schedule their PVR recordings anywhere using their smartphone.
And as global positioning becomes more a part of social networking, the long-promised location-based services will be another avenue for the innovative marketer.
So again we say, when it comes to mobile marketing, think of the possibilities!