Mobile Coupon Use to Increase to 300 Million Users

Mobile coupons have been growing in popularity, but I was surprised to learn that a report released by Juniper Research is predicting that over 300 million consumers will use them by the year 2014. "Mobile Coupons & NFC Smart Posters:Strategies, Applications and Forecasts 2009-2014" predicts that electronic coupons will be the most popular way for buyers to save money on purchases.

The increase in mobile coupon use is directly linked to the increasing consumer demand for smart phones. As more buyers have access to mobile technology, they will be taking advantage of various apps available, including ones that provide opportunities to save on purchases.

I was especially interested to learn that mobile coupons are redeemed at a much higher rate than the traditional paper version. Approximately five to seven percent of electronic offers are presented to a retailer, as opposed to two percent of paper coupons.

These electronic coupons can help to encourage consumer visits to a brick and mortar location, giving retailers the opportunity to show the customer what the location has to offer. Once the buyer is in the store, it will not only boost sales for the item being promoted, but will also increase sales for other products on offer.

This sounds like a win-win situation for retailers. Since mobile coupons are easy to produce and are the "green" way to save, it may even boost sales from environmentally conscious buyers. It is no wonder that they are poised for such tremendous growth.

Picking a Mobile CRM Partner is like Playing Poker

3Seventy has been in the mobile business for the past four years, and in that time, we've seen  a lot of mobile companies come and go. Someone every day asks, “Have you heard of “XYZ Company”? Typically, this is a new mobile company that just came on the scene.

There is a ton of money being invested in mobile technology and it’s very hard for a brand to know which mobile company is best for their specific needs. In many ways, picking the right mobile partner is like playing poker, knowing when someone is bluffing and when it's time to go all in. 

Our founder and CEO, Carrie Chitsey, is a successful entrepreneur and avid poker player, and often sees similarities between the two. She often puts herself  in the shoes of our clients, prospects and folks we talk to on a daily basis. After doing this, several things have become clear about brands that are looking to get into mobile: 

•  Most are in “research” mode, basing their needs on what they’ve read or seen from competitors.

• Someone has sold them on a specific or limited approach to mobile, often falling flat on promises and leaving a bad taste in the mouth of brand decision makers.

• Many brand managers focus on mobile on a campaign-by-campaign basis, rather than stepping back and looking at the big picture to develop a mobile strategy. 

• Most decision makers are so focused on keeping up, or beating, the competition with mobile that the mobile database they are trying to build is really an afterthought and not a primary focus.

5.       And if they’ve tried mobile before, they now know what they want this time, have goals and want a good partner, not just a technology.  

We love the second time folks; they know a good mobile partner when they see one. These are great marriages. 

So how does mobile strategy remind Carrie of poker? It’s easy, and told straight from the source.

·         Picking your table is key, if you end up or stay too long at a bad table, you lose all your money. The same is true with mobile; if you pick a bad partner, not only will you be unsuccessful, it leaves a bad taste and often waste most of your money.

·         In the world of poker, it’s ok to switch tables if you know you sat down to a bad table. The same holds true in finding a mobile partner. If you aren’t seeing performance, technology is not what it cracked up to be and you aren’t getting mobile strategy and results….. move on, time is of the essence in mobile. You can’t wait 12 months to get a good mobile partner.

·         The guy who wins the most hands is not the guy that wins the most money. Mobile is test and learn, and not everything you do is going to be a huge success.  Test, learn, and repeat the good stuff while throwing out the bad. Don't be afraid to recognize what isn't working.  You need to build a foundation for success, anyone can win one jackpot but try hitting multiple without strategy and skill.

·         Don’t play games you don’t understand even if you see others winning by luck. There will always be something new and shiny in mobile. Innovation is good, but you have to learn the basics first. Going from not doing anything mobile to moving straight to an iPhone or Augmented Reality application is not a good move.  

·         Learn by playing the game. Reading, watching others, and learning theory are great but nothing replaces actual experience. Get going, pick a great mobile partner, and throw in some chips. After all, you don’t have to go “all-in" on your first hand.

Get the Most Out of QR Codes

When QR codes were first introduced, it seemed as though marketers were going to attach them to everything, from print ads to billboards to television spots. Unfortunately, little thought was put into the user experience behind the QR code, which left many campaigns falling flat. However, QR code marketing can be effective tools to deliver your message when use properly, and can be an effective part of a mobile marketing plan.

One way to get the most out of QR codes is to place them in easily accessible locations. Cell phone users won't necessarily take the time to scan the codes if it is perceived as too much trouble to do so.

Another thing that I can suggest to companies that want to use the codes effectively is to make sure that customers understand that they will receive a benefit from scanning them. Linking the codes to a unique coupon, daily special, or unique content only available through the QR code will create a sense of urgency and encourage the customer to scan the code on the spot.

Not everyone who sees a QR code is familiar with what they are and how they work. To make it easy for customers to use them, I would suggest providing detailed how-to instructions, including where they can get a QR reader. The goal here should be to give the customer everything he or she needs to use the codes properly.

To get the maximum marketing benefit out of QR codes, it is important for companies to focus on offering value to the customer. That is the key to QR code success.

Should All Businesses Build Mobile Websites?

I can understand why business owners would be thinking about whether it makes sense to build mobile websites. Mobile phone and tablet owners are using these devices to access the internet in ever-increasing numbers. The decision of whether to set up a website that will appeal to mobile users is one that needs to be considered very carefully.

Before a business owner can make a decision about a mobile website, he or she needs to consider whether it will benefit the enterprise and, if so, what the website will offer to visitors. An important consideration is whether the business’ customers can benefit from being able to access a mobile site.

If the business owner can see a benefit to providing a mobile-friendly website, the next thing to look at is what the visitors accessing the site through their mobile devices will be doing. If the average mobile device user will be looking for general information, the mobile site’s content will be different from a site whose users are accessing the site for the purpose of taking some type of action, such as scheduling an appointment or placing an order.

Once an owner has a clear idea of what the mobile site should do, he or she has options. The owner can choose to build a mobile-only website or have one that has similar content to the main one. For some owners, I can see that a hybrid site, which offers some elements of the main site but focuses on being mobile friendly, is a better option.

SMS Business Application: Mobile Polling and Surveys

After browsing the latest in mobile applications, I found a new SMS business application that allows companies to keep in touch with customers and gather information, which can be used for marketing or other purposes. A business can send out messages at intervals to customers who have opted in to its mailing list to answer multiple choice or open-ended questions.

This strategy is being used in the medical field by instrument manufacturers and drug companies to interact with physicians. The answers are used to form part of physician interviews or to gather statistical information.

Businesses that choose to use SMS to gather information from customers have the advantage of being able to gather information quickly. Using other methods, such as e-mail or regular mail marketing, would take longer to get a response from customers. 

The advantage that I can see to using SMS in this way is that these types of messages are much more likely to be opened by customers, which means that the business will get a much higher response rate than with other types of marketing techniques. Businesses need to keep track of customer likes and dislikes to ensure that they are offering the right kinds of products and services, and using SMS can be an effective way to gather this important information. To encourage customers to respond to the messages, the company could enter their names into a draw for a prize or offer some other type of incentive.

QR Codes Share Medical Information with Emergency Personnel

QR codes can be used for more than marketing. ERMedStat, a member-based company, uses the codes and smartphones to provide basic medical information to emergency personnel if a subscriber becomes ill or is injured.

The subscriber pays a membership fee to the company, which provides a wallet card and a tag for his or her key chain. Both of these items have a patient ID number and a unique QR code.

Unlike a QR code marketing application, the information revealed when the code is scanned using a smartphone is the patient's blood type, medical complications, and a list of medications the patient is taking. The patient's emergency contacts are also listed.

Having this important information readily available is invaluable to medical personnel who are trying to provide care in an emergency. Without it, they are working blind. They would not be able to provide the same level of care as they would if they knew whether the patient has a chronic medical condition or is taking medication regularly.

This use of QR codes has a marketing aspect as well. The subscribers on the company's list receive benefits, such as daily deals, after signing up for this service. Companies offering deals would be able to get their message out to potential customers fitting a specific profile, which would result in a higher response rate. This creative way of using QR codes is one that benefits patients and marketing partners alike.