Thank You E-mail Marketing!

According to Internet Retailer’s new survey of retailers and manufacturers, a variety of innovative e-mail marketing tactics are increasing the effectiveness of the medium. Following up on a recent blog entry about the importance of CRM, these tactics are all fantastic additional ways to further extend your company’s relationship with its customers.

And the best part – the tactics mentioned in the article don’t need to apply exclusively to e-mail marketing. Rather than wait two years for someone to publish the same results and guidance on mobile marketing, I’m going to go out on a limb here and propose that these very same tactics can hone your mobile marketing as well!

Each of the tactics mentioned in Internet Retailer’s survey would also increase ROI for mobile marketing efforts and require very little effort to execute:

• 38.8% are triggering e-mail marketing messages based on behaviors or events.
• 36.5% are personalizing messages (such as by addressing customers by first name)
• 28.2% are adding Forward-to-Friend links
• 22.7% are leveraging transactional messaging for marketing communications
• 18.4% are providing multiple options during the opt-out process (for ex., opt out of promotional e-mails but receive newsletter)
• 17.6% are including customer reviews
• 14.1% are adding Share This links to social networks
• 13.3% are adding more video-related content

If you’d like to learn more about how Waterfall Mobile can help your campaign leverage some of these tactics to extend your company’s relationship with its customers, hit me up at msilk@waterfallmobile.com.

Industry Case Study: Porsche “I Can” Mobile Marketing Campaign

Campaign Overview
Porsche spent about $40 million on domestic measured media in 2007 and $30 million in the first nine months of 2008. In contrast, top U.S. automotive marketer General Motors Corp. spent $1.6 billion in U.S. measured media for the first 9 months of 2008. The Porsche mobile campaign was inspired by company research that revealed potential Porsche customers thought the car’s sticker price and ownership costs were higher than they really were.

Campaign Objectives
Porsche viewed mobile marketing as an cutting edge opportunity to reach its technologically savvy and connected consumers anytime, anywhere.

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Industry Case Study: Little Caesars Mobile Campaign Results in 62 % Opt-In

Campaign Background
Detroit-based Little Caesars Enterprises Inc. says it is the largest carry-out pizza chain in the world with restaurants on five continents. Little Caesars wanted to experiment with mobile marketing outreach and track and compare results against traditional marketing.

Campaign Objectives
Little Caesars wanted to create a mobile marketing sweepstakes and build a subscriber list of loyal customers for future marketing campaigns. The pizza chain also wanted to increase brand visibility during the economic downturn holiday season with consumers and lead them to retail outlets for special promotions and discounts.

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Direct Marketing Association Launches First Mobile Marketing Day, February 26

Mobile Marketer

“The use of SMS text messaging, mobile Web sites and applications, mobile coupons and other mobile vehicles in direct-to-consumer efforts is well-documented each day in our publication,” he said. “This event will complement that coverage in explaining the relevance of mobile to direct marketing, especially in these tough economic times.”

DMA’s Mobile Marketing Day

View article.

Industry Case Study: Kroger’s Mobile Coupons

Campaign Overview
With the success of mobile coupons in Asia, Kroger Co., one of the largest retail food companies in the Unites States with 2, 2000 stores, wanted to provide its customers similar coupons and discounts with interactive mobile marketing campaigns.

Campaign Objective
Create mobile loyalty programs for Kroger customers and provide redeemable mobile coupons and discounts.

Marketing Tactics
The retailer created a Kroger Plus Card for shoppers to receive large discounts from major brands and select Kroger labeled products to their mobile device. The retailer decided to test its mobile coupon program in stores located in South Eastern states, Illinois, Ohio, Louisiana and Texas. To sign up for coupons, Kroger shoppers need to go online to create and activate their account.

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6 Effective Mobile Tactics, by Matt Silk

In a recent iMedia Connection article, Matt Silk, senior vice president, Waterfall Mobile, highlights effective mobile marketing tactics savvy retailers and marketers need to consider.

6 Effective Mobile Tactics
A Waterfall Mobile article by Matt Silk

To draw consumers into brick-and-mortar stores, you need to engage them — and no channel makes it easier than mobile. Here are a few methods that are proven to work.

Santa Claus should not text while driving his sleigh, but this holiday season, smart businesses should be focusing on mobile to drive results. Many retailers kicked off their holiday selling season on Black Friday by opening their doors before dawn and spending millions on advertising campaigns to publicize incredible deals at bargain-basement prices for one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Yet, despite heavy national TV, print and online pushes for the country’s biggest retailers, many major brick-and-mortar retailers have not begun to implement even the simplest forms of mobile marketing to expand engagement with their customers. They should take a cue from the few mobile-savvy retailers this holiday season.

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Waterfall Mobile Advances Industry Leading Platform

Msgme Version 2.3 has been released!

Msgme continues to enhance and expand on its industry leading mobile marketing platform.

Msgme Enhancements Include:

Msgme Developer Portal – Fully integrated, secure and intuitive web-based developer environment designed for clients to build enterprise applications. Powerful developer tools, technical resources and account support.

Subscriber API Enhancements – Clients can integrate directly with existing CRM systems and synchronize all data in real-time for enhanced targeting on all mobile campaigns. Subscriber metadata fields enable the creation of optimized mobile campaigns and segmentation of audiences.

IVR (Interactive Voice Response) – Clients can create robust interactive campaigns using voice messaging for standalone campaigns or enhance existing SMS messaging.  Add a layer of personality with celebrity voices, music and IVR menus to drive consumers to sign up for lists, purchase mobile content, preview audio files and receive mobile offers.

Msgme Private Label Customization - Ideal for interactive agencies or brands with multiple accounts, Msgme now delivers customizable client interfaces, including account login, brand header, logo and more to enhance mobile brand marketing efforts and experiences.

For more information on Msgme upgrades or mobile text and voice marketing campaigns, please contact your account manager or email sales@waterfallmobile.com.

Msgme Campaign Spotlight: Red Light Management

Red Light Management

Campaign Overview
Red Light Management artist, Dave Matthews Band has over one million fans in the general email subscriber database and paid online memberships. The management company wanted to continue its fan-centric philosophy and create a direct-to-consumer mobile marketing channel. For Red Light Management, creating innovative ways to deliver its artists’ music to their fans has always been a key marketing initiative.

Mobile Objectives
Create and build Red Light Management mobile subscriber lists and drive the label’s direct-to-consumer marketing strategy with mobile.

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Msgme Campaign Spotlight: Alpine Meadows’ Mobile Snow Alerts

Alpine Enhances Resort Experience
For a second ski season, Lake Tahoe’s premiere winter resort destination Alpine Meadows Ski Resort has incorporated the interactivity of mobile into its multichannel marketing strategy. With the flexibility and immediacy of mobile, the resort improves its marketing reach, builds two-way relationships with consumers and enhances their ski resort experience.  Alpine’s exclusive mobile channel is powered by the interactive text and voice marketing platform, Msgme. The resort offers real-time mobile snow alerts, exclusive resort promotions, lift ticket coupons and discounts, on-mountain news and more.

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SMS is Most Direct Way to Connect with Target Audience

Mobile Marketer

“The combination of consumers choosing to opt-in, the personal nature of the mobile channel and relevant messages have led to higher engagement rates, response, and ROI compared to other advertising categories.”

“Mobile messaging is the most direct way to connect with a target audience.”

View article.

Marketers and retailers must consider mobile marketing to extend the marketing reach and engage consumers with the immediacy of mobile.

Related articles:
6 Effective Mobile Tactics, by Matt Silk