Mobile marketing made better!

On an average, I receive around 30 text messages from different companies. Discounts, gift vouchers, call for interviews, product launches, invites, and many more. These messages now work on an auto-mode in everybody’s mind. Open message – curse – delete.

Here’s a thought.

Mobile marketing, according to me, is still a very powerful medium to reach the right target audience. If segmented properly. Sending people a whole lot of mass text messages is no use.

What if mobile marketing could take over a similar strategy as Dell did on twitter.

What if a company like HP began messaging a few people to begin with. People who form part of their target audience. Other interested people can sign up to receive text messages from their site. These privileged few receive incentives and discounts. Would’nt it increase in better targeted marketing. Let the customer choose to receive messages that he wishes to read. And help not to frustrate other people, who at some point of time might become a one-time customer. Or even a loyalist.

Would this work?

Strategy Tactics Goals

Strategy – Tactics – Goals

It has become extremely tough for anybody to clearly distinguish between them. Beside the academic definitions, all of them are mistaken for ideas. Jon Furguson has explained the difference in a fantastic way.

Goal: Win the war.

Strategy: “Divide and conquer.”

Tactics:

CIA spies gather intelligence.

Navy Seals knock out enemy communications.

Paratroopers secure the airports.

Armored Divisions race in and divide the opposing army’s forces.

Drone attacks take out the enemy leadership.

An overwhelming force of infantry invade.

Hand-to-hand combat.

Goals are set at the beginning. They act as where you want to be. What you want to achieve. Without a goal set right, nothing moves. Based on goals, directions are set.

A strategy dwells more into how the goal can be achieved. Whats the path to follow. Should the product move into another market, change usage pattern, move into new segments.

Tactics belong to the execution phase. It defines the “how to do.”

There is a little boutique close to where I live. They sell Indian ethnic clothes. From the time this place was set up, I have been a regular visitor and watched it evolve into a strong brand. This little place with one branch has managed to carve a niche and create evangelists. Their problem was the location. They managed to set up shop on the street with a lot of already established boutiques. All sell the same kind of clothes.

Goal: Increase footfalls

Strategy: Most of the boutiques sold the same kind of clothes for the same age group (18 – 30). They shifted to the same product – new segment. The boutique shifted focus to target group of 30 – 45. This was a huge move and helped increase loyal customers. This age group was financially more independent and loved having a boutique catering specifically to them. The entire store changed its ambience, the manner in which clients should be handled.

Tactics:

• Direct Mailers – People of the age group 30 – 45 enjoy being given that extra importance.
• Stylist – They employed a stylist who helps every customer choose the perfect clothes with accessories. This helps boost the client’s confidence.

This boutique opened two new branches in one year.

Is social media the 5th P

Recently, I was involved in a deep discussion about Social Media being the most important tool in marketing. It is a whole new revolution that opens up many locked doors to reach marketing effectiveness. My colleague was convinced that social media is the 5th P as participation in the marketing mix model.

I found this extremely interesting and debated the possibility of a change in one of the most powerful marketing model ever devised.

The 4Ps Marketing Mix

Marketing mix is a depiction of all marketing activities that have to be carried out. Product, place, price and promotions, a.k.a 4Ps, have been marked as the base for designing any marketing strategy. All 4Ps will have to be mapped out which will finally lead to a holistic strategy for the company.

5P Marketing Mix

There’s a new move. A move to include social media as another P – Participation. Here are my thoughts on why social media does not really find place among the 4Ps.

The 4P model forms the basis for developing marketing strategies. This is valid for all products. Including social media as a 5th P will not work for all products. It sure helps while launching a new phone or even FMCG. But, what about a heavy product purchase like a truck?

Yet, social media is getting too big to ignore. It sure is powerful enough to be included in the marketing mix. But not among the 4Ps. Translating social media into a 5thP will limit its power. To tap into entire social media landscape and gain real-time insight, here’s what I think can be done:

• Add social media along with market research in the 4Ps model.
• Social media application must form an important component of Promotions.

Social Media + Market Research

Today, the power of SM extends beyond marketing. Many new product development decisions are based on research conducted via social media. Here is an opportunity to find out exactly what people have got to say. Do they like it or not. What can be done to make the product more useful. Decisions that was once based on the judgment of a marketing head/product developer is now rooted on first-hand information from the users. This is where all social media consultants come into the picture. Social business strategy is in.

Social media application

Under the 4thP – Promotions, social applications play a major role. Mind mapping of the target audience will lead to the applications to be used.

What do you think? Is social media a 5th P or not.