MOBILE marketing never stands still. Thanks to a potent mix of technological innovations and creative app implementation, marketing through mobile keeps evolving, bringing new, compelling ways for businesses to reach their customers. While once mobile marketing was a buzzword for showing ads optimized for mobile, now business messaging gives you one-to-one conversational marketing campaigns, transactional notifications, advanced automated AI tools like chatbots, and 24/7 customer support. Each of these tools lets businesses reach customers directly on their mobiles for unparalleled intimacy.

In fact, a single messaging app can handle your customers' needs at every step of the customer journey, whether you are attracting new customers, converting them into paying customers, allowing transactions or staying in contact with them post-purchase. Messaging is an incredibly effective tool for reaching customers, too. Studies show messaging apps have an open rate as high as 75 percent, which is over 45 times higher than e-mail and nearly three times higher than push notifications. This is the power of personal, and that's why mobile messages can help your business perform better. When you contact friends, you don't e-mail them, you message them. Why would you treat customers any different?

Still not convinced? Here are seven best practice tips for using business messages to boost your profile, increase sales and delight customers.

Tell customers about a service they never knew existed. If your business has a new offering, why rely on ads to spread the word? Messaging can do the job so much better. That was the approach of Primer Group of Cos., a Philippine-based company engaged in the retail sale and distribution of consumer brands and products. 

As most malls closed their doors because of the pandemic and the corresponding quarantine orders, Primer enabled online purchases via Viber Business Messages to provide an alternative, safer avenue for customers to buy their needs during the lockdown. To further encourage customers to shop through this platform, the retailer also ran an online voucher campaign, offering competitive discounts using the codes sent via Viber Business Messages.

Act as a personal shopper. Once they know about your offerings, customers need that personal touch to elevate the shopping experience. And just because they can't get to the store, that doesn't mean they should miss out on the expertise only a sales assistant can offer. In September 2019, Burberry started rolling out a messaging feature in partnership with Apple which allowed its best customers to text sales associates to make appointments, ask for recommendations and even buy products. It's the in-store experience—wherever you are.

Upsell or cross-sell products. Once you have opened the channels of communication, it makes sense to capitalize by serving customers every which way you can, and that means offering complementary products and services. Upselling and cross-selling will not only increase engagement, they will also generate more revenue. Some e-commerce sites report that cross-selling and upselling account for 35 percent of their revenue. Look after your current customers, and they will look after your bottom line.

Enable frictionless ordering. Once customers are ready to buy, you need to make it as easy for them as possible. If you're still asking them to log in to your web site, and to confirm their delivery address, payment method and so on every time they buy, you're taking up a lot of their time. And the more of their time you take up, the less likely they are to buy from you in future. But messengers make buying as quick and easy as messaging a friend.

Be there for them post-purchase. The customer experience shouldn't end once they have made a purchase. Chatting through a messaging-for-business app is an invaluable way to boost customer lifetime value by making it easier for businesses to offer services and for customers to reorder items. It's also a good chance to check in and make sure they are happy with their purchase. Because manners don't cost a thing.

Provide delivery updates. Is there anything worse than waiting in for a delivery not knowing when—or if—it will arrive? Don't keep your customers in limbo—keep them up to date with shipping updates. It will help them manage their expectations and keep them loyal. Because no one wants to wait in any longer than necessary, especially after a year of lockdowns.

Keep all related documents and conversations in a single chat. When it comes to future dealings with your company, a single messaging thread containing all your correspondence makes it much simpler to find relevant documents—for example, invoices, warranty documents, user manuals, and so on. It's much easier than digging through multiple e-mail chains on various topics. Checking into a hotel? Just open your messaging thread with the hotel and quickly find your reservation details. Simple.

These are just some examples of how businesses can use messaging to win their customers' hearts on every step of the customer journey. It's impossible to predict what the future will bring, but one thing's for sure—mobile marketing will keep evolving. Harness the power of messaging today and get a taste of the future of e-commerce.

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