Putting mobile in the marketing mix

click to enlarge

The company's marketing and international head, Howard Moodycliffe, says mobile offers marketers a range of options that no other medium can match. "The mobile phone offers contextually-relevant information that satisfies a range of consumer need-states. However, with so many options available - from QR codes and SMS to mobile payments and USSD - knowing which tactic or channel to employ at each stage of the buying process can be tricky. The Mobile Marketing Matrix simplifies the planning process."

Marketers can choose

Marketers can match their objectives - whether it is awareness, engagement or sales - to specific stages in the buying process to ensure their brands remain top-of-mind. They can then incentivise consumers to choose their product over competitors by delivering useful brand-related content at the right time. In this sense, marketers may choose to use mobisites and mobile apps to reach consumers using feature phones and smartphones who are in the pre-shop, in-store and purchasing stages of the buying process. Follow this up with an SMS and email after the sale is completed to close the loop and greatly boost brand loyalty.

"Technologies such as wiPlatform can then further be harnessed to deliver point-of-sale integrated mobile coupons and vouchers to influence the buying decision and gain a competitive edge over other brands. Alternatively, it can be used to trigger instant mobile rewards based on actual spend or contextually relevant mobile ads could sway a consumer's decision in-store by delivering promotional content to a retailer's branded mobile app.

"In our highly competitive retail environment, marketers should empower themselves to use every available avenue to grow their share of consumers' attention. In South Africa, no technology has the potential for greater results than mobile," he concludes.