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Hassan Mirza is Director – Intl. Sales, July Systems. This article is originally a part of the Blogworks India Social Media Report Edition 2 in association with NM Incite ( A Nielsen McKinsey company).
Over the past several years, the use of social networks and mobile devices has become omnipresent. Possibly more than any other developments, these two trends epitomize how technology has impacted everyday consumer lifestyles. This has broad implications, not just in terms of how people stay connected with friends and family, but in how they interact with companies, and purchase products and services. Therefore, practically every industry is struggling to keep pace.
We should not ignore the impact that smartphones and social media are having on our lives. I use my phone more for web browsing, social networking, blogging and email beyond the workplace than I use my laptop.
This could well be early-adopters territory I’m speaking about but realistically I’m just one of the 650 million people globally – source: eMarketer 2010 – who are now using their smartphones more and more for tasks such as email and social networking. This number is set to grow due to the penetration of affordable smartphones within the market – source: Comscore – it also found out that 70% of smartpone users have accessed email and 45% have accessed social networks using their devices.
What is interesting is that email usage is up due to the social network usage on these devices. Research has also discovered that social media and social networking have helped increase the use of email. The reason for this increase is that smartphone users still want to keep in touch with social network when the social networking sites use email and messaging to encourage users to return.
It is not only important that we understand how new technologies affect our customers. At the same time we need to understand how they can be used to open up communication channels with them. This helps us to build stronger relationships, to attract new customers and to retain existing ones too.
Furthermore these technologies can complement one another, as the value of social media, mobile and indeed email combined can amount to a more successful campaign than when they are all executed individually.
Here are a few key steps to take in order to optimize the success of integrated digital campaigns, which include both mobile and social elements:
Make content accessible via mobile
First of all we should ensure that any digital content produced is accessible by all mainstream mobile devices. Many business decisions are made away from the office and as a result business persons use smartphone devices such as BlackBerrys, iPhones and Android phones to access information.
Networks and Newsletters
It is also advisable to add in the functionality to share content through LinkedIn groups, Twitter and your community sites, wherever possible. If customers receive emails via smartphone devices they can immediately carry out an action to share your content with their own social network, thereby helping to increase word-of-mouth marketing. They can also be taken directly to your forum or group where they can comment instantly on a particular topic or seek peer reviews and support.
Interactivity
At events, look to offer SMS short codes inviting prospects to text for more information on a product or service, or even quick response. An example would be to offer a prospect the option to text to receive the latest video of a product demonstration. When the prospect texts it then automatically prompts them to enter an email address to receive digital content, thus building data within your CRM. This digital content again should be optimized to be shared immediately amongst social networks.
Mobile app
Banks now offer smartphone applications to manage business account information. Why not look into developing a mobile application for your customers so that they can manage their own accounts and orders? Furthermore you can look to run offers, promotional or discount codes for products and services through this application to your loyal customers.
In the various ways outlined above, marketers can develop their knowledge of the use of smartphones, social networks and emails. By combining this with a greater understanding of how we can apply these tools and technologies to our businesses, hopefully we can all aim to develop more successful, integrated and profitable business processes and digital campaigns.
Note: Views of authors are personal, and do not represent views of IndiaSocial or its partners.