Optism™

Note: Optism is republishing our five most popular blog posts of last year, this was number #2  for 2012 and was originally published on January 27, 2012.

Not that long ago, people bought everything from local shops. Shop owners had personal relationships with their customers. They learned through conversations with these customers what types of products and services suited them. With mass marketing, this all changed. We gained a lot in efficiency and economies of scale, but sometimes we lost that all-important human relationship. Today, we can get up close and personal again by using a mobile marketing strategy that employs permission-based techniques.

Using permission-based mobile marketing strategies such as asking people for their permission first before engaging with them on their mobile phones, provides mobile operators, marketers and their brands unprecedented access to a potential customer’s attention and an opportunity to build their trust. As marketing guru Seth Godin has made clear, attention is a scarce resource in today’s world of mass marketing overload. To make the most of this unique opportunity, you need to recognize the very “human” nature of connecting via a mobile phone. And you need to demonstrate very quickly that what you are offering – your content – is worth paying attention to.

Here at Optism, we have developed six “best practices” to help you maximize the value of your permission-based, mobile marketing initiatives by thinking human to gain attention, build trust and  drive engagement from your audience.

1. Be transparent

Permission-based mobile marketing begins with you obtaining someone’s consent to on-going communication on their mobile device. Make sure customers understand what they can expect if they opt in. Also, be very clear about how they can opt out at any time. This is no time for “small print!” Being up front and honest with your customers goes a long way in building trust and loyalty.

The more you learn about your mobile audience, the better you can tailor your messages to suit their interests. So ask what interests them instead of assuming what they like based on their actions. Be transparent by making sure people understand and are comfortable with how you are going to use their information. Reassure them that you will respect their privacy and that you will only use the information they provide in the manner you have specified. (Of course, then make sure you do just that!)

2. Don’t try to bribe people

It makes sense to reward people who opt-in to your mobile marketing program, but be creative with that reward. Don’t try to bribe people with a glitzy prize. Offering a huge “prize” as a way to collect opt-ins isn’t an effective way to begin what you want to be a long term engagement. People will opt-in solely to qualify for the contest or prize and then opt-out. You want to attract people who are genuinely interested in your product or service.

Remember, rewards also don’t have to be monetary. If you provide valuable information, advance notice of special events, compelling developments about products or services that fit the recipients’ lifestyles, they will recognize that as the reward.

3. Use simple language

With mobile, you really need to be economical with your language: messages should be short and to the point. Choose words and concepts that are easy to grasp and unambiguous. Of course you also want to be true to the voice of your brand, but demonstrate your understanding of your audience by using language that resonates for them.

Mobile is a one-to-one communication. Use the kind of natural language you would use when communicating with your friends and family. Avoid “marketing speak” and clever turns of phrase –you’re talking to an individual on their personal mobile device. Speak human and build trust.

The words really do count. We find that opt-in rates are noticeably lower when the opt-in message is long and confusing. Starting with your very first message, keep it short and simple.

4. Don’t try to do too much at once

Don’t try to collect everything in one exchange. As you would in any human interaction, count on the relationship to grow and deepen over time. Ask for something small to start, reward the person that gives it to you, and then ask for something more. Permission marketing is like dating and you don’t want to propose marriage on the first date.

Use the first conversation to collect key information like age range, gender and primary interests. In subsequent exchanges, refine your understanding of those key elements. For example, in the first exchange, you may learn that a person is keen on sports. In subsequent conversations, you can narrow that down to specific sports and then favorite teams. Each exchange should contribute to your understanding of the customer and the customer’s appreciation for what you have to offer. Conversations need to be constructed in an intelligent way. In essence, less is more.

At Optism, we have found that when completing a profile, people stop interacting after having answered three consecutive questions – typically going from a 90%, 75% and 65% completion rate for the first three questions, and then dropping to a 30% completion rate for the fourth question. Optism best-practices show that these completion rates can significantly be improved – simply by thinking human and not interrogating your audience.

5. Expect the unexpected

People don’t always act the way you expect them to, or even the way they say they will, so it pays to be ready for anything. You can run focus groups that tell you people will respond if you frame your message in a particular way, but be ready to make changes quickly if things don’t go according to plan. This goes beyond simply collecting statistical results. If you don’t have the expertise to undertake this kind of analysis, consider hiring experts who do. The insight you gain can be invaluable and greatly increase the ROI for future mobile campaigns.

6. Think local

There are no universal rules that apply to all people in all cultures. Permission mobile marketing is about reaching out to the individual, engaging at a personal level. You need to consider local customs, preferences and habits. Communities may have different preferences in terms of days of the week or time of day. In some communities, it is not acceptable to ask someone what gender they are. In order to achieve positive results with permission-based, mobile marketing, you need to be particularly sensitive to local nuances since you are reaching out to people on such a personal device.

Of course, you also need to talk to people in their language of choice. In many markets, this means that your mobile campaign must be available in multiple languages and you need to know the message recipient’s preferred language.

We believe that interactive SMS messaging – texting – is an ideal mobile marketing channel for reaching the widest possible audience. Texting also enables you to reach out to people with a natural back-and-forth, dialogue-based engagement. People carry their mobiles everywhere and they react quickly when a message is received. Using interactive messaging and adhering to our best practices, you can increase the likelihood that your permission mobile marketing campaigns gain people’s attention, build trust and increase audience engagement.

Visit Optism’s solutions for mobile operators and advertisers to see how we can help you drive results for your company.

On Tuesday, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first SMS message sent by Neil Papworth of Sema Group who texted “Merry Christmas” to Richard Jarvis of Vodafone over Vodafone's GSM Network. It was a truly momentous occasion as over the past two decades, texting has exploded, evolving into one of the most popular and effective means of marketing.

The growth of SMS was slow due to technological factors, lack of cooperation between carriers and a scarcity of mobile phone users. Other players in the SMS space during the early years included Telia Sonera Sweden which was the first company to offer network-based SMS and Radiolinja Finland which was the first company to offer person to person SMS. It wasn't until the late 1990's that operators implemented cooperation agreements to deliver texts originating from another carrier.

By 2002, we were sending 250 billion SMS messages annually. This will swell to estimated 6.7 trillion texts that will be sent in 2012. Globally, there is still tremendous growth for SMS — on the range of 13% a year, so it is estimated that 9 trillion texts will be send in 2016. However after 20 years of strong growth, there are chinks in its armor.  Some countries are recording their first ever drop in texts. In England, the number of texts dropped from 39.7 billion in 2011 to an expected 38.5 billion in 2012. Other countries facing drops in SMS messaging include Netherlands, Spain, China, South Korea and the Philippines.

The growth of texting was led by the youth who quickly realized that texting was much cheaper than voice calling. The average US teenager sends around 50-100 texts a day or roughly 25,000 texts a year while other mobile phone users have yet to send their first text. Texting brought acronyms into the popular lexicon, as most people are quite familiar with LOL, ROTFL and OMG. Mobile marketing has been quick to tap into this young and global audience that does not use as much traditional media as older generations. Optism have been focused on using SMS together with permission-based marketing to successfully deliver high response rate campaigns to our global customers.

SMS has become a critical service for geographic areas without an extensive landline communication infrastructure. Many countries rely on SMS as the primary service to provide mobile banking, mobile payments, government alerts and safety notifications. And, when used properly, it’s still one of the most effective channels for providing timely information on products, services and deals and coupons.

As smartphones proliferate — bringing with them new mobile apps that provide new ways to communicate, SMS will eventually decline in popularity. But until then happy birthday and good luck on another 20 years.

BTW, SMS is still the GR8ST!

Not that long ago, people bought everything from local shops. Shop owners had personal relationships with their customers. They learned through conversations with these customers what types of products and services suited them. With mass marketing, this all changed. We gained a lot in efficiency and economies of scale, but sometimes we lost that all-important human relationship. Today, we can get up close and personal again by using a mobile marketing strategy that employs permission-based techniques.

Using permission-based mobile marketing strategies such as asking people for their permission first before engaging with them on their mobile phones, provides mobile operators, marketers and their brands unprecedented access to a potential customer’s attention and an opportunity to build their trust. As marketing guru Seth Godin has made clear, attention is a scarce resource in today’s world of mass marketing overload. To make the most of this unique opportunity, you need to recognize the very “human” nature of connecting via a mobile phone. And you need to demonstrate very quickly that what you are offering – your content – is worth paying attention to.

Here at Optism, we have developed six “best practices” to help you maximize the value of your permission-based, mobile marketing initiatives by thinking human to gain attention, build trust and  drive engagement from your audience. Read the rest of this entry »