For businesses looking to leverage social media, a strategic plan is necessary to ensure your efforts are effective. But once you’ve managed to successfully maintain your social networking accounts, finding another platform to duplicate that success can also help grow your business.
“Our [smartphone] devices are with us wherever we go and that means technology is with us and the ability to reach us is always on,†says Joel Comm, new media marketing strategist. “Mobile messaging has open rates over 90%,†adds Comm, who maintains that most businesses — especially restaurants — can experience a 25% bump in sales with a mobile marketing strategy.
Comm offers these quick tips on how to grow your mobile base by leveraging social media.
You are not a virtual billboard. Remember, when you’re on any social media platform, it’s not about being a virtual billboard. “It’s about allowing customers see you care for them,†says Comm. “It provides point of identification that humanizes you.â€
Comm says business owners should follow this rule – Like me. Know me. Trust me. Pay Me. “You want people to like you, and on Twitter, when they like you, they follow you. As they get to know you better they realize you’re an authority in their field, you’re bringing lots of value, they trust you,†says Comm. Once a level of trust is established that opens the door for a transaction to take place, or what Comm calls the “pay me†part.
Let the incentives roll. It’s illegal to automatically opt consumers into a mobile list, says Comm. And since most people will not voluntarily sign up to receive advertisements, you must establish the proposition value for customers. “You want to give people an ethical bribe, a reason to opt into your mobile list,†says Comm. For instance, a discount or a two for one special for opting in to the mobile list could be among the incentives to attract customers.
Don’t abuse your base. Along with a social networking strategy, there should also be a strategic plan detailing how your mobile network will be leveraged. “You don’t want to just spam people,†says Comm. Offers should be sent out in a timely manner, he adds. If you run a restaurant, sending out a mobile message offering a two for one special during the week’s slowest business day is one way to strategically reach out to your mobile base. “It’s not about inundating people with messages.â€