Brands should make it their goal to integrate mobile communications, specifically mobile messaging, within their overarching brand strategy.  “The mobile phone has given the consumer basically a steroid injection of accessibility and availability of information and access. Now they (consumers) are demanding so much more of brands. Consequently, a brand needs to figure out how it’s going to leverage the myriad of channels available to it, in order to communicate with its prospects and customers if  they want to not just survive, but thrive in today’s market.” said Matt Silk, the head of strategy at Waterfall,  a leading mobile messaging and communications provider.  According to Silk, “People today want to communicate with brands, rather than simply receive passive content and advertisements from them.”

Mobile provides a variety of channels to engage people.  Brands can create a presence with their owned mobile web sites, mobile applications, and rented social and digital communities.  They can drive traffic with mobile advertising, but most importantly, brands can create an invaluable two-way stream of communication between them and an individual by using mobile messaging. Mobile messaging channels include SMS/MMS text messaging, push notifications through mobile apps, beacon alerts, chat messaging, as well as social media and email.  Mobile messaging programs have been proven to create extreme consumer engagement.  In fact, just this month Silk and his team saw one of their clients, with an SMS program, experience 60% redemption of an offer through one text message.  

Marketers face many challenges when looking to embrace mobile, in particular, mobile messaging within their marketing mix.  They must figure out which messaging channels to use and when.   “I don't envy marketers these days” said Matt.  It is difficult for marketers to decide which channel to use, what message to send, and when to send that message without threatening the brand-to-consumer relationship. “Their job is a lot more difficult than it was five or ten years ago.  They need to strike a perfect balance between frequency and content.  The need to send enough information to engage a consumer, but not become annoying by sending too many messages or irrelevant mass broadcasted messages in one or more channels. Brands also need to listen and respond when people initiate the conversation.”

 According to Silk, “Marketers need to treat their interactions with people as sacred VIP relationships and deliver value with each and every communication sent over the mobile channel.”  In fact, Waterfall encourages brands to be people-centric, not consumer and shopper centric.  Brands must remember that consumption and shopping are activity states, not terms to define a person.  They must remember they’re messaging to a person, an individual, and must strive to service the individual and his or her personal preferences, interests, needs and states of being with each and every message they send.

There are many stages to an effective mobile messaging program, but it all starts with establishing a database to manage the people that a brand serves.  This database should be able to capture mobile phone numbers, channel preferences, interests and behaviors.  This information will help marketers create relevant message at the individual level.

 So often, however, brands do not establish a database or initially focus on SMS/MMS communications.   Rather, many brands want to start their mobile efforts with an app. Silk discourages this.  While apps can play a critical role for some brands, for most, the app caters to a small percentage of their audience.  “Even if a brand is incredibly successful and has a million potential customers, studies show that few people are going to download the app, perhaps only ten to twenty percent at most. Apps are a solution to cater to the most loyal and engaged customers”, said Silk.

“Anyone that tells me they're focused on their app over messaging; I want to tell them ‘Do mobile messaging first! It is a fraction of the cost and can touch virtually 100% of your base.” “Unfortunately”, Silk adds, “most brands don't like hearing this.”  To be clear, brand, web, social and app strategies are not mutually exclusive, they can work hand in hand. Once the database is set, SMS/MMS is a fantastic medium to up-sell an app to the brand’s VIP opted-in subscriber base.  Moreover, mobile messages can be so much more cost and time effective than an app.

An important component to remember is that there is no finish line.  Brands need to treat this communication process as an ongoing component of their marketing efforts across the entire customer journey.  Messaging can help drive awareness, transaction, adoption, service and loyalty.  Over time brands can build trust, respect and loyalty with effective mobile messaging.  If they do not respect the individual with this channel they risk losing that person and all future revenue they may bring.