E-Mail Marketers Don’t Get Mobile Marketing
Posted by Adena on Oct 31, 2009 in Mobile Marketing
It’s easy for people who have been in marketing a long time, especially digital marketing, to make claims that mobile marketing is a waste of time. MobileStorm CEO Jared Reitzen put up a passionate post earlier this week confronting the prejudice against mobile marketing among e-mail marketers.
One of the biggest problems with email marketing is the turnover rate of email addresses. Within one year 33% of email addresses in your campaign list are no longer valid. Cell phone numbers have a far lower turnover rate, and most people keep their cell phone number for life. With virtually no delivery issues and 95% of cell phones SMS enabled, getting the message in front of eyeballs is much easier via mobile than an email campaign.
He concludes that the biggest hindrance to mobile marketing is the opposition from e-mail marketers, who are bitter about problems with email marketing and don’t understand how mobile marketing differs from email.
“I speak with prospects all the time that won’t try mobile because they feel their customers will get upset,” writes Reitzen. He points out that mobile marketing can equal a “horrible user experience if not executed properly.”
The if, though, is the key. You do have to be careful because, yes, users can get pissed off at your brand if you are sending them SPAM. But if they’ve opted in to your campaign and you are sending them useful messages, mobile marketing, especially SMS marketing, can yield great ROI. Much better than email marketing.
Reitzen points out some useful tips:
- Your first approach to a mobile strategy should be to offer something only available via the mobile phone.
- The incentive should be good and be the only place your customer can take you up on your offer.
- All mobile clubs should have a double opt in so you cannot sign up anyone but yourself. The subscriber takes the action of responding with a “YES.”
- Make sure when you are opting people into your database, you not only get them to respond “YES” to join, but you manage their expectations with the types of messages they will get, how often they will get them, and how they can opt out.
Wind Turbine Feasibility Study | Nov 1, 2009 | Reply
Today mobile marketing is also getting popular as email marketing.
Greg Cangialosi | Nov 3, 2009 | Reply
I think smart marketers know that mobile works hand in hand with email. Two different mediums entirely, both have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Companies can build their SMS database quickly by starting with their email database. It makes sense to allow your most engaged subscribers to opt in to another loyalty channel (i.e. mobile). In contrast, I have seen marketers build their email database via mobile opt in.
I think the key is, as you and Reitzen mention, is to do it right. Mobile can be done horribly wrong, and well, we all know email can as well. Successful marketing in any medium starts with a plan and solid execution.
- Greg
Aaron Savage | Nov 3, 2009 | Reply
Aaron Savage | Nov 3, 2009 | Reply
In many ways I think it’s a shame that you felt you had to write this post with the title you did although I also completely get why you did it. The reason why I think it’s a shame is because I don’t think it serves anyone well (agency, client or consumer) if a big line is drawn between digital marketing in general and mobile marketing in particular. Clients don’t want a mobile or digital solution. What they want is an overall digital marketing strategy. If we as mobile and digital marketers cannot create a cohesive solution how can we expect to do our clients justice and meet customer expectation?
ON the point about email marketers dismissing mobile, it’s true that there are a examples of quite horrible SPAM oriented marketing campaigns out there with their cost per message sent charged to the user and seemingly impossible opt out clauses that require each customer to go through a minefield to get their numbers removed. We all know those stories.
There are just as many other stories about the early days of email with their SPAM lists that generated even more SPAM whenever anyone tried to remove themselves from them. What started out as a wild west gradually became civilised to the point that most email marketing is now done with the customer in mind and SPAM filters and black lists give most of the rest the firm kicking that they so richly deserve.
I agree with all your points but would add in the idea of being price conscious. People don’t pay for emails but your campaign may very well require customers to pay for the texts.
What is important to you might be insignificant to your customer and (depending on their price plan) push them over a spend limit. It’s about making contact when you need to or when instigated by the customer that will circumvent this. I say give the customer power over the contact rate to avoid issues that could produce a higher opt out rate than necessary.
Jared Reitzin | Nov 3, 2009 | Reply
Aaron, not sure if you saw the real title of the post but it is “The Reason Why Email Marketers Think Mobile Marketing is Stupid–and Why They are Wrong.” I am only focusing on the set of email marketers who feel this way about mobile. I know this is not the majority but I run into this same sentiment time and time again. I thought it would be fun to point out some of the baggage that certain businesses bring a long with them. Also let’s face it, subjects like this spark controversy and that is what blogging is all about! Well at least part of it. Cheers.
Aaron Savage | Nov 3, 2009 | Reply
Hi Jared. I hadn’t seen the real title so thatnks for pointing that out. Serves me right for rushing, and yes you are right about titles provoking discussion (I waded in so it definitely worked
. Glad to make your acquaintance.
Jens B | Nov 8, 2009 | Reply
Hi.
Just passed by this site. By coincidence read your opinions about email and mobile marketing.
Although not a marketing person, but raher a ‘consumer’, I agree on many of your points.
I have no doubt that a major cause of people changing email’s is their last chance to pull-out-the-plug to get rid of SPAM. It’s painfull, but necessary due to someone’s short-thinking it’s fun to sell/buy email-list and thus make eworld annoying to be in. I agree with Aaron – these people should hopefully get what they deserve of lack of sale.
From a mobile-marketing point of view, I can unfortunately imagine that something similar to ever-changing-email-adresses mey become necessary with cell-phones. The marketing and cell-phone providers should get some worldwide agreement-of-conduit about mobile marketing. With the experience from e-marketing, I think you marketing people shall be aware that just a few ‘bad eggs’ providing cell-phone-spamming is enought to initiate large opposition to the cell-phone marketing.
Personally, I hate spam in any kind and any media. I am sorry to say, but spam can easily cause me to NOT buy anything form that provider. And I sometime tell the spam- provider directly, in the hope thay can target their potential buyers more correct.
I’m not ‘afraid’ of marketing done correctly. And potential customers need to know what is available. But it takes only a few ‘nuts’ to mess it up.
All the best
Jens
Matt Ross | Nov 9, 2009 | Reply
Jared,
Keep up the good fight! Lots of people thought the Internet was just a fad in the beginning. We are very near the tipping point for smart phones when everyone will finally see the light.
Jared Reitzin | Nov 9, 2009 | Reply
Matt can’t wait till smart phones are 60% of the devices in the U.S.