As MCommerce becomes more mainstream, major businesses are taking notice-and taking part in the marketing opportunities. There was an interesting case study involving retail giant Macy’s that offers valuable lessons in Mobile Marketing. Here is are the highlights of the study and points you may want to take note of-

Background

Macy’s added mobile marketing to their marketing mix with hopes of increasing web traffic, retail traffic, mobile subscriptions (all in effort to increase sales) and to promote the overall Macy’s brand.

Promotion

Promotion using traditional media to drive consumers to text in order to win a shopping spree with a popular cable network celebrity.

Outcome

The creative was ineffective in driving texts, because the text instructions were in very small print in the call to action, and the vanity text (MACYS) was not a powerful keyword.

Rebound

Macy’s was able to make a strong comeback with their future mobile attempts, including clear ctas in traditional media, opt in lists, keywords and vanity texts incorporated into traditional media calls to action, and providing incentive for contacting Macy’s via mobile device (such as coupons, sweepstakes, etc).

Take-Aways

MCommerce & Mobile Marketing can be extremely effective as a part of your traditional marketing mix. It is important to keep the rules of Mcommerce in mind when using traditional media to drive traffic to your mobile campaign. Some ways that Macy was able to effectively blend traditional and mobile media (which you can think about and incorporate into your business plan) are:

Strong call to action- Be sure the requested action (texting via mobile device) is clear, and easy to understand when being expressed in traditional media. For example, a print ad or bill board should NOT have Text instructions in fine print at the bottom of the copy. This information is possibly the most crucial aspect of your message- you may want to put the CTA in a colorful star burst where consumer’s eyes are likely to be drawn in an ad.

Text Info Matters- Not only is calling attention to the text info important, but making it as easy as possible for the consumer to recall that number is equally imperative.  A great way to do this is by using a memorable vanity text. You can get even more bang for your buck if that vanity text also happens to be one of your keywords.

Make it Worth It- When you’re using traditional media to drive mobile traffic, you need to give the consumer  extra incentive- a reward for going out of their way to remember your text number, and then actually type it into their phone. Special discounts, coupons, and special sales events are effective in driving consumer interest. Contests and sweepstakes also offer excellent incentive for a mobile visit.

If you’re thinking about intergrating mobile incentives into your marketing mix, give us a call to discuss your options. 800-985-9277 or e-mail bill@mowbi.com or jordan@mowbi.com