Mobile Marketing for Networkers Using Texting and QR Codes to Build and Maintain Your NWM Business Brought to you by:
Mobile Communications: The Next Wave of Business Commerce Did you know that there are currently 340 million active mobile devices in the U.S.? Considering the U.S. population is just over 310 million, that means there is more than 1 mobile device for every man, woman and child in the U.S. Two of the most popular activities on cell phones are texting and web browsing (either with or without previous QR code scanning). Home business owners have significant opportunity to access customers and potential partners utilizing these two mobile communication methods: texting customers and potential clients and helping them access your site and other important information through personalized QR codes. Texting: Not Just for Teenagers Sybase found in 2010 that there were 6.5 trillion texts sent in the U.S. That s more than 20K texts per person in the U.S. each year. What s even more interesting is that 90% of text messages are opened within 4 minutes of delivery, and 97% of all text messages are opened or viewed. When comparing that to email open rates of 22%, it s no wonder why you are seeing more and more marketing via text messaging. More people are actually opening them and reading them. So what does that mean for you? If you re not using texting in..90% of text messages are opened within 4 minutes of delivery, and 97% of ALL text messages are opened or viewed. your business, you re missing out on a highly effective form of communicating with your audience be it distributors or prospects. Texting A Business Best Friend 79% of Americans are using their mobile phone for shoppingrelated activities, and mobile commerce sales are expected to reach $31 billion by 2016. It only makes sense for you to access your customers and current or potential business partners in a medium they are currently using which is only growing. By the numbers... 6.5 Trillion 79% Percent of Americans who use phone for shopping related activities. Number of texts sent in the U.S. in 2010 $31 Billion Expected mobile commerce sales by 2016 So how do you tap into the mobile commerce money bucket and grow your business? Here are three ways to take advantage of benefits of mobile marketing. 1. Team Communication Anthony Robbins said The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives. We would add to the end of that line and businesses.
When used correctly... prospecting using text messaging can help boost your business to new heights Texting is one method to communicate with your team to: Coordinate event details Follow up on commitments Motivate team members Recognize team members Set up a text list for your team and send out periodic texts both to your entire list and specific individuals. If you have a large team consider using a group texting service, as most mobile phone providers limit 10 contacts per text; so sending a text to 100 or 200 people would require you retyping your message 10-20 times in your cell phone. With a text messaging service like the one built in to MyBuilder, you can send a text to an unlimited amount of recipients with one single text. If you are a MyBuilder subscriber you have access to this competitively affordable texting service that can manage your groups and send bulk text messages to teams. Using a group service makes managing your group texts less time consuming and much easier. See MyBuilderSystem.com for text messaging rates and terms. 2. Reactivate Team Members and Customers Turnover. It happens in every industry. But what if you had a tool to help you retain team members and customers? Texting inactive customers or distributors about new products, special offers and incentive programs is an easy way to reach those that may have dropped off the radar. Be careful not to text these individuals too often as they may unsubscribe from your list if they feel bugged. Texting is a great non- in-yourface technique to reach those individuals who just need a little nudge to get back in the game. 3. Prospecting and Promoting With a 97% open rate, texting is an incredibly effective form of reaching your warm market. They are much more likely to read your message and click on any links you provide. Here are a couple guidelines to follow when using texting in your prospecting efforts: Don t over text your list. They can unsubscribe at any time. And, you don t want them to. Send relevant content. Don t send a message about weight loss to your lacrosse team list. Mix it up. Use your MyBuilder back office to send video links, web pages, PDFs, special offers and other items. Respond promptly. When someone replies, follow up in a timely manner. Strike while the iron is hot. When used correctly, following these few simple guidelines, prospecting using text messaging can help boost your business to new heights.
What Are QR Codes? Have you seen these funny little squares around? Ever wonder what they are or why they are on your favorite can of soda, bottle of ketchup or in your package of gum? These funny looking little squares are helping businesses across the globe reach more customers and generate more revenue. Quick response (QR) codes are growing in popularity. In 2010 QR code scanning increased by 1200%. In fact, 14 million Americans scanned a QR code in June of 2011 alone. Have you? If you have a smart phone, chances are you have an app that will scan these little codes. RedLaser is a popular app on both Android and Apple platforms that will scan them. If you have a smart phone and have never scanned one of these codes, go to your app store and download the free app RedLaser and scan the code above to see how it works. QR Codes=Big Business for Small Business Owners With QR codes as a supplementary form of prospecting, you can extend your reach to a wide variety of individuals. One study found that 1 out of every 3 QR code scanners had an income of at least $100K. That means that 33% of individuals that are likely to scan your codes have sufficient disposable income to purchase your products. That being the case you should have a QR code on everything you hand out: from business cards, brochures, 14 million Americans scanned a QR code in June of 2011 alone. and product samples, to other literature and media. Many individuals may not scan your QR codes. However, even if prospects don t scan them, QR codes still legitimize your business. Just take a look at some of the big name brands to the right that use QR codes. By using them you elevate your business to the same level. 3 Ways to Use QR Codes to Boost Your Business 1. Label all retail and sample products given out or sold. Most companies have a number of product videos that support the products they market. Using your MyBuilder System (shown above) you can easily create and print a QR code label that links these videos directly to your custom marketing page. Simply apply the labels to your products and now your customers can watch a supplementary video to reinforce the product they are taking. 2. Label all literature and business cards with a QR code. Most literature you have access to will talk about your product or opportunity. Using the MyBuilder system you can label your information with supplementary videos and information to complement the literature you are giving out. You can also link to a vcard. The QR code above is a vcard. When scanned it will provide the person scanning with all of your contact information that they can then easily download to their phone to contact you. Popular Brands Using QR Codes
3. Include a QR code in your email signature. How many emails do you send out on a daily basis? What is in your email signature (the text at the bottom of the email; usually your name and contact info)? Why not include a QR code with your vcard? Doing so allows contacts to easily add your info to their mobile phone. Don t forget to also include a link to your marketing site. According to Pew research, 31% of cell phone owners prefer to be contacted via text messaging than any other method. I actually texted my way to a promotion in my company...i texted some contacts over a short period of days...and next thing you know, I m promoted. You already have a list built into your cell phone.! ~ Kert (Oklahoma, USA) CONCLUSION Mobile marketing is quickly growing to be a dominate force in the commerce space. To not take advantage of text messaging and QR codes to expand the reach of your business in to the hands of every prospect, is the same as throwing money out the window, literally. Mobile marketing is relatively inexpensive, is able to reach large numbers of people, and offers statistically incredible open and view rates compared to its email counterpart. There are plenty of tools out there to help facilitate the use of mobile marketing. One such tool designed specifically for the networking industry is the MyBuilder System. It will allow you access to the tools mentioned in this report and a whole host of other tools to help you effectively build your networking business. This report is brought to you by: 2012 All Rights Reserved. Sound Concepts, Inc. To request a demo of the MyBuilder System please contact us sales@soundconcepts.com.