Category: BLOG

SMS – a fundamental to marketing or a hindrance?

SMS can be controversial in the marketing realm. Chances are, if you haven’t used it, it’s because you don’t think it is beneficial. However, this may not be the case. There are thousands of businesses that rely heavily on SMS marketing and that is because of the success they are having from it. If the conditions are right, SMS can be wildly more successful than any other marketing channel.

Before we evaluate what the right conditions are for SMS, it’s important to have a quick comparison of the average open rates and the average time to open for both email and SMS.

	SMS	Email
Average Open Rate	98%	22%
Average Time to Open	5 Minutes	48 Hours

As you can see SMS has a drastically higher open rate, and takes much less time for people to open. Because mobile phones are engrained in everyday life and text messaging is the preferred method of communication for many people, SMS can be an ideal channel for your marketing. Due to the fact that SMS messages are received and read within minutes of sending, SMS is perfect for anything that is time sensitive. Whether it is the final hours of ticket sales for an event, a prompt to book in for the upcoming public holiday, reminders about birthday offers, or a promotion created to boost business on a slow weekday; SMS is optimal.

When determining whether or not your marketing should be sent out via SMS, you need to think about your demographic. Would your target audience have their mobile phones switched on and accessible when the SMS is sent? What is the preferred method of communication for your customers? Identifying who your target audience is and thinking about which method of marketing they would respond best to; is your best way of determining if your SMS campaign is going to yield a high response.

Much the same as email marketing, it’s important to keep tabs on the frequency in which you’re using SMS marketing. Because SMS is a personal method of communication it is important to consider how often you’re speaking to customers through SMS and if this is in line with your brand. The frequency of SMS marketing for a nightclub will be vastly different to the frequency for a family friendly cafe.

As with any marketing channel, tracking your Return on Investment (ROI) for SMS marketing is critical. Monitoring your ROI will help you gauge how well the campaign performed and if it was worth the financial output. By including a Call to Action in your SMS, you will be able to measure the campaign’s success. These Call to Actions could be as simple as “Mention this message when booking” to a more complex method, whereby Google Analytics is set up to measure click throughs from the campaign onto your site.

SMS can be an incredibly powerful method of getting your message out to your database, especially if you’re message is time sensitive, or you’re wanting to do one last big push for a special event. For more information, pricing or to get some help setting up your next SMS campaign, please contact our team.

Let’s talk data. Database management is the cornerstone of all good marketing. So, ensuring your database is as current as possible is key. You probably have your website forms in place to capture contacts details which are then added directly to your database within MyGuestlist. You may also have staff manually adding contacts to the system on a regular basis. But there may be other places that you could be forgetting.

Centralising your database streamlines workload and ensures that all possible contacts are being spoken to about your brand. When thinking about centralising your database it’s important to make sure you are being resourceful. Data is acquired from all different avenues. Make sure that all of these channels are funnelling into one central spot. Any data captured in your venue, or via an external system should all be added to your database within MyGuestlist. This way all contacts are in a single location and you can then market to everyone as needed.

There are many external systems being used across the industry. Have a think about your business and the daily systems in place and being used. Are any of them capturing your customers’ information? Most commonly, data from reservation/booking systems, function management systems, CRMs, gaming systems, loyalty programs and data captured in venue is being collected. If you’re not regularly adding this data to your MyGuestlist account, you should.

Uploading external data is simple and can be down via the Upload Contacts link located in the orange menu within the Database tab. It is recommended that you upload external data at least once per month. MyGuestlist also offer integrations, so if you would like to have the data automatically transferred from an external system into your MyGuestlist account; that may be an option.

Committing to centralising your database will give you a more complete picture of who your customers are and the type of data that is avidly being collected on them. Additionally you will be able to rest assured knowing that when you are sending out your monthly newsletters, and updates about the happenings at your venue, all possible contacts will be reached. If you have any questions about centralising your database, or would like assistance consolidating your databases, please feel free to reach out to our friendly staff.

One of the best ways to increase patronage is to implement birthday automation. The reason for this is because it allows you to speak to customers in a one-to-one manner. Unlike your normal campaigns, birthday automation is incredibly personal. It gives you the ability to address your customers by name, thank them for their patronage, and acknowledge their birthday. Speaking directly to a customer about something personal allows the customer to see you in a new light. Birthday messages often changes their perception because it shows that you cares about them.

This level of communication also allows you the opportunity to give back to the customer. By including an offer in the birthday message, you are providing incentive and increasing the likelihood of that customer celebrating their special day at your venue. Birthday offers can be whatever you see fit, but should be relevant to your brand. The value of your offer should also align with your customer demographic. For example, if you are a pub, and you main clientele is uni kids, your birthday offer should be something inciting to a university student. Whereas, if your clientele is mature professionals, the offer should be relevant to their typical spends. When coming up with your offer, make sure you clearly outline any terms and conditions about what is included and excluded. If the aim of the offer is to get customers to come in and celebrate their birthday midweek, then you will want to stipulate that the offer can only be redeemed Monday – Thursday. If selected properly,  offers are highly regarded and valued.

Using a little creativity, you can ramp up normal birthday automation by setting up additional messages which will send to contacts with Milestone Birthdays (e.g.. 21st Birthdays). Offering customers with milestone birthdays a different birthday gift, opens up the possibility for function hire or larger bookings. If you’re keen to leverage contacts’ date of birth even further, you can also set up things like  half birthday messages. Which encourage the customer to come in and redeem an additional offer.

Implementing automation is easy. It is a one time setup process which will continuously send out your messages each time the sending criteria has been met. The payoffs of implementing birthday automation can be huge. What are you waiting for? Set up your birthday automation today and start reaping the benefits.

In this day in age, nearly all restaurants use a booking system. Operationally speaking it’s brilliant because of how easy it is for staff to see what service will be like, and to manage bookings. One of the biggest benefits of utilising a booking system, is the marketing potential it holds. Each time a patron makes a booking, their data is captured. Because these contacts are paying customers, they can be contacted for marketing purposes.

MyGuestlist has the ability to set up an integration with your booking system that will automatically add your booking customers to your database. (Please contact your account manager to discuss the process and cost of setting up an integration). Some integrations also capture the customers booking details. In this instance, booking data is stored within the “Reservations” section of the account (within the Guestlist tab) and the contact’s details are stored within the database tab.

Capturing booking data is beneficial because it allows you to speak to customers one-to-one. Marketing to contacts on a personal level increases brand awareness, and encourages loyalty. This “Set and Forget” type of marketing is a perfect option for the booking information that is being collected. There are heaps of ways you can leverage booking data via automation, below are just a few ways you can leverage your data to increase repeat business:

• Thank You – Sent to Customers after their first time dining
• Update Details – Sent to customers after their second time dining asking them to provide more details on who they are.
• Loyalty – Sent to Customers who have booked and dined ‘X’ number of times
• Re-engagement – Sent to customers who have not booked in ‘X” number of months
• Large Bookings – Sent to customers who made a large booking for “X or more” people

Automation is an incredibly powerful tool when it is used to leverage the data that is being received from a booking system. As long as the data is being pushed into your MyGuestlist account, the sky is the limit with regards to the type and number of automated messages you can set up. Should you have any questions about automation, or would like to have an integration set up, please reach out to your account manager or call our offices on 03 9999 2585.

We’re not talking submarines but rather the latest live streaming video app launched by Twitter 12 months ago. Though relatively still quite new in the online world and realm it’s been gaining considerable support and gaining momentum with Twitter reporting the app has had in excess of more than 10 million users.
As Periscopes popularity continues to grow, brands globally are trying huddling behind closed doors or at their weekly marketing meetings; looking how they can leverage this latest platform to grow their business and gain new followers.  Unlike other apps, Periscope allows you to “forge a more personal relationship with consumer” by giving you a fast track to enhance and promote your brand in a new and exciting way.

 

It’s a great chance to engage with your current or potential customers in a more human, accessible way, it’s ideal for quick product demonstrations or interactive customer support, you can easily capture and share live events or use for a Q&As. Already we’re seeing brands globally using it to host live press conferences, and to hold live press interviews for media outlets around the world.
Though like anything, if you’re considering launching your first Periscope campaign, start by studying other brands that have already been successful. Here are 4 great examples of Periscope marketing campaigns which will help you understand the platform better, or get you inspired.

 

Spotify
Spotify was one of the first brands to join Periscope, actually creating an account the very day that Periscope launched, and held their first Periscope session only a few hours later. Adweek reports that nearly 400 people watched the event the first day and gave them 1,534 hearts (Periscope’s version of Facebook likes)—a big deal, considering that the service was less than 24 hours old at that point. The success of their first Periscope set the stage for Spotify to create even more streaming events over the coming months, with the brand now boasting 94,948 waiting and watching to tune in.

 

Dunkin Donuts
Periscope was just one of eight platforms that Dunkin’ Donuts was using to promote its iced coffee products among Millennials this past US summer – Spotify, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Vine, and Facebook are all in on the fun, as well. This diversified approach promises to expand the brand’s reach and encourage cross-platform engagement. The campaign is comprised of five concerts in five different cities, footage from which consumers will be able to access through their social site of choice. The event was such a hit last year; Dunkin Donuts have already announced their events for the 2016 Summer!
Benefit Cosmetics
The global brand has an ongoing Periscope feed, which has attributed to them building brand equity by live streaming demos and tutorials using their makeup and products as well as other cosmetic related topics. The feed reaches more than 2,000 viewers each time they stream.

 

Red Bull
Red Bull was quick to launch a Periscope campaign, with the big brand live streaming their Red Bull Guest House event. Rather than specifically promoting their product and going for the hard sell of their energy drinks, the focus was on image rather. Shooting footage at a long weekend party direct from Miami Beach. Coincided with Miami Music Week, it’s certainly no coincidence the once industry only event is now appealing to more consumers and the youth market.

 

It’s no secret that traditional forms of media, (particularly those with those old school printing presses), really felt the pinch as consumers favour getting their daily dose of news and gossip, online and largely for free.

Pacific Magazines who’ve over 20 of Australia’s large selling publications in their portfolio unveiled its time to get with the changes and embrace technology. Recently unveiling two major digital destinations for fashion and beauty. They’re bringing together its women’s brands under one banner, creating a digital women’s network that integrates with their e-commerce; these being BeautyCrew and StyledBy Marie Claire.

This site will be the first time Pacific’s brands will come together in one destination. The BeautyCrew launches supported by commercial partners including L’Oréal, Coty, Estée Lauder, Unilever and Parfums Christian Dior. While StyledBy Marie Claire combines curated fashion content and a unique personal styling experience with an e-commerce platform.

With advertising revenue in magazines declining significantly in recent years, this move stands to change to conversation with advertisers, says Jackie Frank of Pacific Magazine.

Pacific’s followed Bauer’s lead, with the publisher launching an integrated content hub around its lifestyle themes in 2014. Pacific Magazines still though has a commitment to print with the two digital networks being as to not disengage with traditional readers who favour shiny flashy pages they can pour over while getting a pedicure. For advertisers having access to cross platform advertising is largely important though, as is the ability to enrich and gauge their engagement.

How women and consumers are accessing information is now multi-dimensional, as is their approach and adaptability moving forward.

 

 

 

 

 

Age isn’t just a number.

Asking someone their age isn’t just particularly frowned upon, but something that can land you in some severely hot water.

That’s just what happened, where clubs in Britain have been advertising that dance classes are ‘not suitable for over 60s’,  and who could now face prosecution under equality laws.

Said club, was advertising salsa classes ‘not suitable for people over 60’ in a local paper, which assumes people over the age of 60 are not fighting fit and ready to get down to the Salsa!  Whatever their motive, this is a prime example of age discrimination and is unlawful as governed by the Human Rights. In a little over a year, the commission has received more than a hundred complaints that adverts were discriminatory, which is now under further investigation.

Scores of complaints about allegedly discriminatory advertisements reveal that many businesses are breaching laws designed to allow fair and open access to jobs and services – often without realising it. This isn’t just happening in Britain though, anyone advertising or tailoring their advertising and marketing (if not done correctly) could be breaking the law, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has warned.

Globally and more so locally, each state and territory has in place a series of short guides and checklists for those who publish advertising, marketing and communication materials. If you’re a business or establishment that serves alcohol, it’s assumed one’s team is already familiar with these.

These guides are in place to dispel confusion and misunderstanding of the law, something which shouldn’t be taken lightly. Tackling discrimination and ending confusion will not just help prevent businesses breaking the law – but it will create more opportunities to unlock talent and help drive any global economy.

Tourism Australia launched a pretty snazzy campaign that takes Giga-Pixel Selfies for Tourists who stand on specially marked areas at famous Australian landmarks and destinations.

Designed predominantly for Japanese tourists visiting the country, the concept is based around the idea of visiting the site and triggering the ultra high resolution photos made of hundreds of photos that are automatically composed as a single image and sent directly to the recipient.

Very cool stuff!

The world of marketing boasts a vast array of self-justified phrases which circulate around the tongues and speaking circles of marketers.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” or more colloquially put “she’ll be right mate” are testament to this assertion. They reverberate around the office walls of marketers, operations managers, directors and executives. Furthermore, they are not geographically-bound to any one region. They affect the decision-making of a retail chain in the UK, as much as the marketing team of a solo F&B operator in Australia.

It is solely due to this belief that there are a vast amount of poor campaigns by good brands, world-wide.

Becoming complacent and adhering to status quo with a marketing strategy is what’s “killing the cat.” Marketers in control of a national brand have big shoes to fill. The pressure of delivering campaigns falling nothing short of excellent lingers around their aura like a shadow follows its owner and the pursuit for brilliance has become ever so challenging in an interconnected, noisy, digital world.

Alas, a sanity-check exists to determine if a campaign clouded in a layer of doubt, really can penetrate the legion of both realised and yet-to-be fans of a brand.

That sanity check is based around one concept. The level of transparency in a message.

Not withstanding the pressure of being perceived as a buzz term and certainly not relating to a graphic element located within marketing collateral, transparency is the answer to the question “Will people believe this campaign? Or do we need to adjust the truthfulness and delivery of the message?”

Delivering honest copy within a marketing campaign can be trivialised by many, although it presents a real challenge during the conceptualisation stage. The relative ease at which a marketer can fall in to the trap of implementing tired tropes and marketing-spawned idioms is ever-present. So some crowd-sourced thinking must be applied here.

 

If we are to examine a restaurant which asks for its patrons to purchase a certain amount of product in order to gain 10% off their dessert, it’s safe to say that one couldn’t astutely label that as an “honest campaign.”

The reasoning for this can be quite deeply and analytically derived, as a slew of psychological fallacies pepper the very fabric of such promotions. Yet it’s safe to say that in its simplest and purest form, consumers are simply avert to giving a damn about an offer which is masked in the guise of a very basic thought from the party offering it; “give me a gallon and I will let you have a sip.”

The above is a commonplace marketing tactic by price-driven or complacent brands. Neither the former nor the latter is an attribute which any brand should aspire to implement or sustain quickly. It’s toxicity has historically been revealed in group-buying business models and marketers which are conducting such activities simply to tick the “I sent a promotion out this week” box in the check-list of weekly activities.

Transparent and honest messages are tough to conjure for marketing is a game of riddles, semi-truths and “revenue first, customers second” sentiments. Yet, whilst all of this may be private thinking living in the minds of creatives, message creators and executives at agencies and consultancies, one should never forget that consumers are quite skilled at rapidly diagnosing the bullshit levels of any campaign, irrespective of channel or industry.

Be honest.
Be truthful.
Be sincere.
Be transparent.

Just like Turkish Airlines did with their Periscope project.

 

 

 

 

 

If a campaign is difficult to interact with, the percentage chance of participation from an audience is likewise diminished.

For example, let’s take a look at the following two competitions and their internal mechanics. For the purpose of this exercise, we will examine a non-existent “Comedy Club/Show” brand.

Competition A asks for participants to be present on-site at the Comedy Club’s venue/event and fill in some paperwork with personal details including their name, email, mobile number, date of birth and a little more. Paper and pens have been provided and the participant is asked to fill in the form in exchange for their entry being put in to the draw to win a trip to the Maldives.

Competition B asks for participants online and off, to simply  “dob” their funniest friend in to a simple text input. Distributed via email, social, mobile and on-premise with a simple, intuitive engagement mechanism.

With an attached disclaimer (and no pretense towards dis-ingenuity), the two scenarios above do in fact different in mechanics as much as they do in the delivery of the message. The former lives within a lottery/game-of-luck world, whilst the latter decides to harness the power of creativity and human emotion to evoke a personal need for participation.

Yet even with that fact in mind and with a plethora of statistics to support it, the latter outperforms the former in nearly every aspect. Vanity metrics such as insights and page views are higher, sharing is significantly amongst the social circles of participants and general word-of-mouth (whether it be electronic or real-world) is most certainly higher.

All of this leads to enhanced customer database growth, greater brand visibility and a spike in the “warmth” receptors of an audience’s cognitive perception of a brand’s positioning in their social life. Whilst a portion of its success can be attributed towards the aforementioned mechanics, there is no denying that a simpler call-out for interaction lends itself to a better performing campaign.

Time and time again, data and statistics validate this assertion. There is very little subjectivity to the correlation drawn between the ease-of-interaction with a campaign and its associative engagement rates.