Marketing used to be less personal and more passive. Advertisers would launch marketing campaigns with radio commercials, tv commercials, billboards, magazine ads, and more methods that displayed a marketing message to a mass audience. As things like technology have changed consumer behaviors and attitudes towards brands, marketing methods have shifted to if not exclude traditional mass marketing efforts than to at least focus more on inbound marketing like emails, blog subscriptions, sponsored search ads, or automated social media advertising.
This type of advertising, however, is very different from traditional marketing because it’s highly targeted. That means the technology can gather and share information on consumers like what websites they visit and how much time they spend there and marketers learn more about their consumers this way. It’s a win-win for both customers and businesses – businesses can connect better with customers and customers are more aware of a solution that will work well for them based on the attributes they share with the business’s target market.
How important is permission in your mobile marketing strategy?
But because data is being gathered – or in some cases information being sent to specific people – there is a need for marketers to obtain permission from consumers. Particularly with the EU passage of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) laws, companies have a serious responsibility to make sure their customers have an opportunity to “opt-in” to their data being used for marketing purposes.
This is important for businesses not just because it shows a concern for customer privacy, but also because businesses can be hit with a hefty fine if they are out of compliance with certain data collection laws and regulations. Additionally, businesses get a huge benefit from their opt-in marketing: a knowledge that customers actually want to hear from them.
How to get permission for your mobile marketing strategy
Permission, then, is usually collected in two places. The first is on a website, mobile or otherwise, where data is collected. This data, called “cookies”, is visible to businesses and exist to help make the user experience better and also give audience information back to businesses. The website WhatAreCookies.com explains this feature as, “Commercial websites include embedded advertising material which is served from a third-party site, and it is possible for such adverts to store a cookie for that third-party site, containing information fed to it from the containing site – such information might include the name of the site, particular products being viewed, pages visited, etc. When the user later visits another site containing a similar embedded advert from the same third-party site, the advertiser will be able to read the cookie and use it to determine some information about the user’s browsing history.” Because of the nature of this technology, many websites now have a popup for first-time visitors explaining if they use data collection, for what, and allow customers to decide what action to take.
A mobile marketing strategy also requires permission for any marketing communication from businesses to consumers. The places that most marketers need to collect permissions for their mobile marketing strategy include:
- SMS (text messages)
- MMS (video/photo messages)
- Social media
- Mobile apps
Creators of these marketing assets need to have a firm understanding of how to obtain permission from customers to contact them. This is usually a simple message that a business shows a customer when collecting information like an email address or phone number that says, “By filling out this form, you give our company permission to contact you with future marketing offers.”
Equally important is how to give customers the option to opt-out. Customers can give you permission and also have the right to take back permission and no longer receive communications. Clearly explaining how someone can opt-out or unsubscribe from your mobile marketing efforts is as important as getting permission in the first place. Texts, for instance, can include a line that says, “To stop receiving, text STOP” and most email marketing platforms automatically include an unsubscribe link.
Obtaining customer permission is a highly important part of mobile marketing strategy. It allows businesses to consistently communicate with their audience while also maintaining privacy and a respectful relationship.