Sometimes the hardest part of mobile marketing is getting customers to sign up for it.  Most people are understandably protective of their contact information, so companies must earn the trust of their customers in order to get that information from them, and perhaps an even harder task is keeping their trust.  The problem several companies are facing when it comes to mobile marketing is that several of their customers opt-out after a certain period of time, or they refuse to give their contact information in the first place.  There are a number of reasons why this happens, but one of the biggest reasons is because companies can be too pushy with their advertising causing annoyance to their customers.  Part of earning the trust of customers is not being over bearing when it comes to advertising, especially mobile advertising.

According to Mobile Marketer, in-store marketing is the most effective way to get customers to opt-in for SMS and email advertisements.  Most retail companies are quick to ask for an email or phone number when customers are making a purchase, which has been proven a successful tactic.  Most customers are looking for the best deal, and if they know they can get it through an email or text message, they are willing to give mobile advertisements a try.  Preventing customers from opting out of a company’s mobile advertising is where the real work begins.  Vibes and Mobile Marketer both suggest that companies make mobile marketing more personal for their customers by sending them thank you follow up messages, or other personalized messages that create a relationship between the company and the customers.  Statistics show that personalized SMS advertisements bring in more business simply because of the relationships they create.  Making customers feel important and appreciated is an essential part of marketing, and will keep customers from opting out of receiving mobile advertisements.

Interactive SMS advertisements

Personalizing SMS advertisements may seem like an easy task for businesses with a smaller customer base, but it can be nearly impossible for those businesses with a large number of customers, so Mobile Marketer suggests that companies create interactive SMS ads.  Research shows that mobile marketing increases business when a sweepstakes or incentive is included in the advertisement.  Starbucks currently has an interactive mobile ad that includes trivia questions and customers who return texts with the correct answers to the questions receive coupons and other prizes.  These types of SMS advertisements keep customers involved and frequently updated about company happenings, which ultimately brings in more business. It is also important to routinely change the type of interactive ads to keep customers from getting bored!

Source: mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/database-crm/17825.html