3 Ways Brands Use Text-Messaging Apps to Strengthen Core Fan Bases
Texting with Consumers
One of the most frustrating things in advertising (and communication of all types) is when you send messages out into the world and hear nothing back.
Of course, with the advent of social media, consumers technically have more of a voice in marketing conversations. But with the way algorithms and news feeds are constantly changing (and with the sheer quantity of content consumers are bombarded with on a daily basis) even a well-targeted Facebook ad might fall on empty eyes — not yielding the likes and comments you were hoping for. Sigh.
Don’t give up. In a new, valiant effort to connect with and monetize consumers, some brands have taken to popular text-messaging services, like WhatsApp, to strike up one-on-one conversations with them via direct messages.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Who would want to text with a brand? Consumers spend most of their time trying to avoid advertisements, and millennials don’t fall for sales pitches, right?
Who would want to text with a brand?
Well, some brands have found a secret sauce to breaking through the noise and starting meaningful, personal conversations with consumers in direct messages. And the good news is, now might be the ideal time for your brand to try a similar strategy, too.
Renato Mendes, senior product strategist at Huge, told Campfire Capital, “It’s not that early in the sense that it’s not a dark territory, since some brands have already developed some successful ideas, and not too late to be the last one in the party.”
So let’s take a look at three benefits of using text-messaging apps for marketing based on how other brands are doing it well.
1. You Can Provide Longer, More In-Depth Content
The first, most obvious benefit of using text-messaging apps is that you can reach consumers who are already highly interested in your products or services.
Messaging apps like WhatsApp require consumers to opt in to get text messages from you by giving you their phone numbers. So you don’t have to fight for their attention. In fact, a study found that 98 percent of WhatsApp messages are opened and read, so these consumers are already highly engaged. Now it’s your job to make them feel like their investment is worth it.
It’s not about winning new fans so much as it’s about strengthening your core fan base, with hopes that they’ll be ambassadors on your behalf. To accomplish that, some brands have opted to give their WhatsApp audiences more in-depth, detailed content than they would provide on other, more general platforms like Instagram or Facebook.
For instance, as part of its Africa Live coverage, the BBC launched a series of full-length digital documentaries on WhatsApp called Young and Connected, chronicling the rise of African youth groups challenging authorities. While this type of in-depth coverage might not appeal to the average consumer, it gives people who are highly interested in the news a direct link to stories they might not see anywhere else. In other words, it gives highly engaged consumers a highly engaged experience.
Personalization provided by real people in real time can be an all-consuming effort.
Another brand that’s using WhatsApp to connect with consumers on a deeper level is Hellmann’s. As part of its 2014 campaign in Brazil called WhatsCook, Hellmann’s — a mayonnaise and condiments brand — not only provided longer, in-depth content, but it also a second benefit: personalization.
2. You Can Make the Experience Personal
Hellman’s approached its digital strategy on WhatsApp by attempting to solve a very personal problem for consumers: not knowing what to cook or how to make it.
As a condiments brand, Hellmann’s put its flavor expertise to the test. As part of WhatsCook, it launched a live messaging service on WhatsApp that was staffed by professional chefs ready to help consumers take whatever they had in their refrigerators and make delicious meals (using Hellmann’s products, of course).
Consumers were invited to upload photos of their ingredients, and challenge chefs to the task. Then they received step-by-step instructions and videos from the chefs to help them prepare a meal. They could even ask the chefs questions about the recipes as they came up in the cooking process.
Since the contents of each refrigerator were different, Hellmann’s provided customized information to each consumer based on their needs, and this personalized approach garnered a huge response. In fact, more than 13,000 people signed up for the service, and 99.5 percent of users reported approving its value.
Text-messaging apps can also help brands maintain their exclusivity.
Even so, when thinking about how to replicate this strategy for your brand, you might run into the constraints of time and money. Personalization provided by real people in real time can be an all-consuming effort, and that issue isn’t easily avoidable on WhatsApp, because it doesn’t allow bots (or computers who sound like people) to use the service yet. All strategies on this channel have to be executed by hand.
To get similar results with less upkeep, some brands are turning to different messaging services that can be automated and retain a personal touch.
For instance, Sephora, the beauty giant, became the first beauty retailer to use a messaging app for its consumers by introducing a chatbot on a messaging service called Kik. Similar to WhatsApp, Kik allows consumers to send messages back and forth with brands, except this way, brands don’t have to hire someone to constantly respond. Instead, they can offer makeup tips, product recommendations, item reviews, and video tutorials, all with a simple automated quiz.
The bot asks, “Do you want to take a short quiz so we can get to know you?” And if you respond, “Yes,” you’re asked a series of questions regarding your age, favorite brands, and what your go-to makeup item is. Sephora then uses these responses to suggest products or techniques that consumers might find most helpful and to deliver a more personalized experience, similar to what an in-store shopping consultant might provide.
In regard to the benefits of this approach, Joe Tate wrote on AdEspresso, “You can see why this kind of authenticity in communication encourages users to become paying customers, which is win-win for Sephora.”
When you’re selling a product that touches an area of uncertainty for consumers, like cooking or applying makeup, adding the personalization of a messaging service can give them a safe zone to ask questions and discover more ways to use your products, which is the real point anyway.
The personal, exclusive nature of text-messaging apps is allowing luxury brands to recreate the refined, exclusive shopping experience that their VIP customers crave.
While we’re talking about chatbots, it’s important to note that you can take advantage of direct messaging on traditional social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, too.
Many companies are using chatbots on Twitter, for example, to help customers address issues, enroll in service subscriptions, place orders, or even play games.
For instance, when the film production and distribution company Focus Features was releasing The Beguiled, it implemented a “movie-insider bot” to invite users to play a trivia game about films and share their scores on Twitter. All you had to do to play was send @FocusFeatures a DM, and the chatbot would take it from there.
3. You Can Maintain the Mystique of Exclusivity
Strangely enough, along with making certain products feel less intimidating, text-messaging apps can also help brands maintain their exclusivity.
Sucharita Mulpuru-Kodali, senior analyst at Forrester Research, explained that luxury brands initially held back on digital marketing and online sales because they weren’t interested in broadening their reach. After all, “luxury is about scarcity of product,” Mulpuru-Kodali wrote, so these brands faced special challenges on the level playing fields of Facebook and Instagram where unengaged followers remain in the loop.
However, the personal, exclusive nature of text-messaging apps is allowing luxury brands to recreate the refined, exclusive shopping experience that their VIP customers crave.
For instance, using a text service called WeChat, the luxury retailer Dior teased the release of its limited-run Lady Dior bag exclusively to its most highly engaged consumers who were already following it on the app. Customers were given the special chance to purchase and customize their bags ahead of everyone else.
A day before the release, Dior posted an announcement on its WeChat account with images of the bag, telling followers to return the next day for a surprise. Then, when customers came back, WeChat led them to a link where they could customize their handbags, using drag-and-drop add-ons, like clips and designs, to make their purses unique. The Lady Dior bags sold out (each for $4,210!) within a day, and WeChat even offered a payment system to help consumers complete their purchases.
By using text-messaging apps, exclusive brands are able to maintain their appeal and directly monetize consumers who are the most eager to buy.
Find What’s Right for You
Like any tool, text-messaging apps aren’t the right fit for every brand. But if you’re looking to strengthen your core fan base, give your consumers personal experiences, or maintain your exclusivity, then you might want to give them a try.
Find the app that’s right for you, open an account, and see who opts in. You might be surprised.
Photos: Shutterstock
Originally published at www.brittonmdg.com.
