Digital Marketing Consultant

Harley-Davidson Extends Brand Loyalty Through Mobile Marketing

Campaign/program name: Integrated Mobile Marketing

Duration: January 2010 to present

Objective: The Fort Thunder Harley-Davidson and Central Texas Harley-Davidson dealerships wanted to create an integrated Mobile Marketing strategy to expand the brand of Harley-Davidson to a new demographic, maintain conversations with loyal consumers and create hyper awareness of the specials and events involved at each dealership.

Through the use of mobile marketing with SMS, the dealerships were able to provide special deals, stronger loyalty and deeper conversations with both new customers and long-term customers. Additionally, through the use of text messaging, the dealerships were able to boost sales and increase visits to each store through VIP text memberships. Through this unique strategy, The Harley-Davidson dealerships were able to extend their reach to the largest demographic possible and build a robust database of loyal and engaged customers.

Strategy: The goal for The Harley-Davidson dealerships in 2010 was to grow their mobile & social element. As the social space becomes more and more relevant to all businesses, The Fort Thunder and Central Texas dealerships needed to reach outside of their usual demographic and reward long-standing customers. With a unique and integrated mobile and social strategy, The Harley-Davidson dealerships were able to extend their offerings to a broader target audience, expand their brand image to more people and bring in a new business through special deals, Bike Night events and VIP mobile club memberships.

Call to action: The Harley-Davidson dealerships were able to integrate mobile marketing and a social campaign by inviting new and existing customers to opt-in to a mobile text messaging club.  Customers were able to receive updates via text messaging about special sales, events and members-only deals. Both dealerships were able to rack return on investment numbers and were able to view the results of each message.

Results: The two Harley-Davidson dealerships were able to track significant growth through mobile marketing in their social media efforts and mobile club. Most importantly, they saw a tremendous response almost immediately via mobile text messaging on sales and walk-in visitors to the stores. In one case, following a mobile message advertising a special sale, Central Texas Harley-Davidson reported the best sales day in nine months.

Testimonials:

Ric Van Vleet, Events Coordinator for Central Texas Harley-Davidson

“We use text messages to inform our customers about any sales and events throughout the dealership. It is used to inform customers about where our Bike Night locations are as well as any other off-site company-sponsored events.

“The first time we used our text messaging to inform our customers about a sale, we had our best sales day in nine months. Every time we use our texts to inform customers about events or sales, our store traffic greatly increases “The mobile messaging plays a huge role for us. Due to Harley-Davidson's new marketing policies, there are many restrictions on advertising discounted prices. However, their policy does not apply to the use of text messages. Because of this, we are able to advertise any sales going on throughout the dealership.

“The use of text messages and the internet are the way to go.  We still occasionally use mail-outs, but it seems that using messaging creates a much larger impact. The benefits are able to be quantified as well.  There is no doubt that the money being spent is definitely being recouped.”

Matt Baker, Service Manager for Fort Thunder Harley-Davidson

“We use mobile alerts for info on events, specials surveys, and we also have an exclusive VIP mobile club
“Mobile alerts have well for us. One event to build our VIP mobile club was Ten Days of Christmas. You had to be part of the club to win a $100 gift card given away daily. That drove hundreds of people to our store.

“We advertise through many different types of media, and mobile alerts seem to show some of the most impact.

If you would like to understand how Mobile Marketing might help your business, contact us.

About three months ago I posted a series of articles about how to start an effective mobile marketing campaign. If you missed it, search for it on this blog under those key words (Mobile Marketing Campaign). However, what I did NOT do (and which I will attempt to correct now) is to give you any examples of campaigns.

The first example is from Yamaha WaterCraft.

The Project: Yamaha WaterCraft Sweepstakes plus Brand Awareness

Objective: To extend the reach, effectiveness, and penetration of Yamaha’s messages across new media outlets and new consumer consumption models. To increase brand awareness; establish a brand footprint in mobile, leverage the immediacy and intimacy of mobile communications and increase number of opt in users.

Overview: Yamaha launched a promotional SMS sweepstakes to supplement their overall mobile campaign. Yamaha’s mobile campaign was a combination of SMS and WAP to engage its target market with relevant messaging, plus interactivity through WAP.

The SMS based sweepstakes was a tactical method to increase awareness, generate excitement for Yamaha’s mobile services and increase opt-ins. Participants entered into the sweepstakes and opted into the campaign by either texting “WAVE” to a short code or entering their mobile number into a seamless ‘web to mobile’ widget displayed on the Yamaha WaterCraft website.

Yamaha mobile members received the latest news, events, promotions and incentives, new accessory info, and race results via SMS. The SMS alert messages also contained a clickable link to the Yamaha WAP site where the user could further their engagement with Yamaha with articles, reviews, pictures, Twitter integrated feeds and info on the latest Yamaha accessories.

Sweepstakes winners were chosen weekly from the mobile numbers database to win a variety of products. The Yamaha mobile sweepstakes ended Dec. 16, 2009 when an ultimate winner was chosen to win the 2010 Yamaha VX Cruiser grand prize!

Market: National USA

Results: Four hundred percent increase in users opting into the SMS alerts program with an average of one consumer opting in every eight minutes from the launch of the sweepstakes.

If you want to understand how mobile marketing might benefit your business, contact us.

If you want to see an example of a Mobile Marketing Campaign, contact us.

I end this series on Mobile Marketing with another quote: The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

The relevancy of this quote is that, by using mobile marketing correctly with the help of experienced people, you can be both the early bird and the surviving mouse.

Set Measurable Goals / Track results & Adjust

Set a measurable goal to your mobile campaign from the start. Do you want a certain number of new customers or a determined number of visits to your web site? Track the response to your mobile campaign and determine if customers are taking advantage of your offers and whether or not you are reaching your goals.

Periodically conduct surveys to find out what your customers like or don’t like about your offers and make adjustments to your campaign if necessary.

You need to know whether the money and time that you are spending is getting a return, but also the return you want.  Therefore, don't just look at your figures and hope for the best. See what you can read out of them.

We will help you in the crucial stage.  You must not be afraid to try something new and then to compare results...over and over.

Define your objectives and leverage mobile’s unique advantages.

To get results, messages not only need to be opt-in, they need to be personalized and targeted to the customer. If the messages aren't relevant, the consumer will not respond.

a.    Objective - First determine the mobile campaign program objective. Do you wish to increase sales, build brand awareness or create customer loyalty?

b.    Demographics - Pay attention to your customer’s profile. What are they most likely to respond to? Is the customer a teenager interested in ringtones or a family looking for dining discounts. Utilize which products or promotions have interested the consumers in the past. Use previous surveys to gain a better understanding of the individual. In summary, determine what you have to offer your targeted consumer.

c.    Include a Call-to-Action - A successful mobile campaign depends on an effective call-to-action.  After you have identified who will receive your message and what that message will be, include a call-to-action to entice the customer to act. Your mobile campaign will not generate activity if you do not require a response of any kind. Good call-to-actions include: Click here for a 20% coupon, Text us for a schedule of events, click to "a landing page," opt into "auto responder messages," or just call. One of the benefits of SMS is the brevity, as a limit of 160 characters forces the sender to be precise and allows a quicker response from the consumer.

d.    Timing - Timing is everything and the time of day or year can influence response rates. Successful mobile campaigns reach their customers at the exact moments when they can be most effective. When a customer’s phone beeps with a text message, they look at it 95% of the time. Timing can allow restaurants to advertise for daily lunch specials at 11:30, instead of promoting one special for the whole week. Timing allows a retail store to generate buzz in an empty store with instant random specials. WSI's platform allows you to schedule outgoing messages up to a year in advance.

f.    Personalize -  Use this collected data to engage customers on a personal level with information or offerings relevant with the user’s preferences and relationship with the brand. A customer who interacts often with the brand should receive a more personalized message than someone who just sent his or her first SMS message.

g.    Sell to Current Customers - One advantage of mobile marketing campaign is its ability to generate new customers. However, it is also important and profitable to engage and sell more to current customers. Current customers already know and trust you, so it is not as difficult to get them to buy additional services or upgrade current ones. Make sure to offer special promotions to your current customer base.

i.     Location - Google's new location-finding technology enables you to take advantage of someone's physical location when targeting your messages. Delivering the right message, at the right time and in the right location is a marketer’s dream.

If you want to discuss the possibilities for your business, call us or write.

Create your Message

Understand the big picture, first, and then determine which mobile solution fits into the overall marketing objective. Unlike other channels, mobile marketing can reach consumers making a buying decision anytime, anywhere (including at the point of sale).

Each industry will require a different strategy, call to action and campaign, so be sure to contact us to request WSI Strategies, Campaigns and Case Studies for details.

Remember, consumers are constantly inundated with marketing messages, so be sure to provide them with something simple, relevant, and of interest. Make sure your message does more than drive traffic to your site, but engages your customer, generating an on-going and sustainable dialogue with your brand.

That is why my message yesterday was that you need to know your prospective customers' demography.

Identify Your Target Audience

• Collect names, emails, mobile phone numbers, and other useful information about your opt-in customers and group them into similar demographics and interests.
• Understand the target demographic, sex, age and mobile technology skill level to determine what mobile strategy best suits your customer. Your customers are more likely to respond to your offers if they are highly relevant to their interests.
• Target a niche market that has strong interest in your product rather than focusing on the masses.
• Build a personal dialogue with your customer.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THOUGHT PROCESS you need to think through is exactly what you want to gather of information and why.  Is gender important to know?  Exactly geographic location?  What about age; does it mean anything?  Marital status?  Hobbies?

In actual fact, the more you know, the better chance you have of sending the right message to the right people and, maybe you should say that up front.  Just be honest.  "I do not want to waste your time with uninteresting messages."

But privacy can be an issue, so try not to ask more than necessary.  Sometimes you can go back later and get more information if you plan it right with quizzes and surveys.

Don't hesitate to call or write me for clarification.

How to Build an Opt-in Customer List

One of the best ways to encourage customers to join your Mobile Marketing campaign is to utilize your existing marketing efforts. You can use any medium to promote your opt-in customer list: bill-board, print, TV, Web or mobile Web advertisement, a poster on your front door, opt-in instructions on your customers billing statements or just a promotional card by the cash register.

Opt-in Ideas Checklist

a.    Use promotional specials that entice customers in-store or online to sign up for future discounts, events or coupons.

b.    Offer information that interests your customer, such as nutritional ideas, local areas to visit,, or product knowledge.

c.    Offer free multimedia giveaways, such as ringtones and music as incentive to join up for your mobile marketing campaign.               

d.    Offer a VIP or Membership Service through text message alerts with exclusive news and specials.

e.    Include an opt-in button on your company website for your mobile marketing campaign. Be sure to include some sort of incentive for sign up; coupons, ringtones, or other promotions.

f.    Use your packaging, paper receipts, billboards and posters to encourage your customers to opt-in. Ask the customer to text in for a discount, prize, contest or to support a particular campaign.

g.    Create “text-to-win contests” whereby customers can text to win prizes, trips, ringtones, music, and other items.

h.    Sweepstakes are a great way to generate a database of consumers who have opted-in to begin a relationship with your company or brand.

i.     Offering Mobile coupons have been very effective in building a database of potential customers.

Internet marketers can be found following their market on various mobile devices.  Take a closer look at how people around you are using their phones and other hand held devices.  You will find much more is going on that just conversation and messaging.

Yes, these up-to-date hand held devices offer access to the web for more than 5 times the number of traditional Internet users.   App marketing is just beginning to scratch the surface in this market.   It is estimated that approximately 200-400 daily downloads occur for the average deployable app.

App development technology holds back some of the activity in this area.   DroidGenerator.com provides a process for App development without programming.   Apps that are fully functional can be created coding-free on the Android platform.   They are also uploadable to Google’s Android Market which has become popular. 

Attention should be given to this upcoming technology in the near future.   Internet marketing will have to go mobile to stay up with the trends in the world of technology.

Over the past few decades technology advances have been astronomical and it appears that the future will ot slow down in the area of advanced technology.

It is time every Internet marketer becomes knowledgeable and transitions to mobile technologies while there is still time to get on board.

Delay to embrace the upcoming technology could be the beginning of your business demise.  In today’s challenging economic changes business owners with technological savvy can emerge as winners in this quickly changing market.

The trend has already begun and starting now means you can grow with the technology rather than having to play catch up at a later date.  Put your business on the cutting edge that we lead to your company’s mobilized success.

The opportunity to become an expert in the area of Internet marketing is within your reach if you will apply mobilized Internet marketing strategies to your online marketing portfolio today.

The next few days, I will tell you how to start an effective Mobile Marketing Campaign.