Using Mobile Coupons to Enhance Current Advertising

posted by Ted on December 18, 2011

Using a mobile coupon strategy as part of a wider concerted marketing effort can be a great way to build customer loyalty and drive sales from prospective customers. Mobile coupons are a highly effective way of driving a response from targeted prospects, and are a still a relatively untapped area of marketing. Technology has only very recently reached the extent to where it is capable of delivering messages to prospects at an efficient and cost-effective rate.

A mobile coupon is simply a discount or voucher sent by text message to a consumer’s cell phone or hand-held device. All the individual needs to do is text a particular ‘keyword’ to a specific 6-digit code and they will instantly receive your customized reply. This saves them the trouble of searching for and printing out your coupon, since they can simply show the text message at time of checkout. This is a big deal to some, considering today’s ‘going green’ times. This also ensures that they can always attain your most current offer instead of bringing in an expired print coupon.

One of the main advantages of using a mobile coupon is the fact that consumers are proven to respond more promptly and engage at a deeper level with messages delivered by SMS. Because SMS text messaging is currently largely free of marketing messages and distractions, consumers tend to respond much better to messages delivered by SMS. They are also more likely to retain much more of the information you want them to know and respond at a much quicker rate than over email or direct mail channels.

The tracking and testing capabilities of using mobile coupons are unmatched. Unlike print media, a mobile coupon can be updated as often as necessary in order to find out what works best. Most providers are also able to track the amount of times each coupon was requested.

Another key advantage to using a mobile coupon code or voucher is the minimal marginal costs. Unlike printing which carries with it design costs, printing costs and distribution costs, sending a coupon code by SMS requires very little in the way of direct costs. Once you have access to the appropriate infrastructure or provider, the costs are only a fraction of what more ‘traditional’ modes of delivering coupons cost. This means mobile coupons are not only more effective than other marketing methods, but also considerably cheaper – making it a great choice for businesses looking to capitalize on new technologies or improve the effectiveness of their current marketing campaigns.

We all love discounts: it’s human nature to respond to the best deal. If people believe they are getting great value for money, they are far more likely to take the action you desire – whether that’s completing a purchase or some other response that’s of benefit to your business. With a mobile coupon, you can engage customers far more readily than with other marketing methods, with relatively little marginal cost to yourself to encourage more sales and build more stable, long-term customer relationships.

Tags:blackberry,direct marketing,iphones,mobile coupons,mobile marketing,sms marketing,targeted marketing,text marketing