We predict more brands will integrate social messaging applications into their mobile engagement strategy this year. Globally, there are 1 billion registered users for the top three messaging apps, and consumers who use these apps are highly engaged. Brands can capitalize on the massive opportunity and reach of apps like WeChat, WhatsApp and Line to engage consumers in the apps they are already using to drive campaign conversion through rich media experiences and one-to-one messaging. Rather than relying on a mountain of additional apps that require a significant amount of marketing muscle around consumer discovery and usage, brands will allow consumers to “follow” several brands from a single app that some consumers use more frequently than any other channel.
Using advanced mobile messaging features, marketers can integrate in-app transactions, social chat and multimedia – audio, pictures, video – within social messaging apps to deliver mobile engagement across the entire customer life cycle, from acquisition to service to retention.
Social messaging apps offer diverse engagement opportunities for both traditional brand marketing as well as customer care across any number of industries including banking, retail, media, telecommunications, automotive, travel, hospitality and food and beverage. Using the retail sector as an example, retailers can use messaging features to create a personalized mobile-commerce experience.
From a care standpoint, customers can chat one on one with stylists and customer care representatives. From a traditional marketing standpoint, retailers can integrate mobile wallet capabilities to let consumers purchase from the phone; multimedia capabilities to create style books; and social media integration to share on social channels. There also are a host of other mobile retail experiences like contests, product information, coupons and customer loyalty programs. In the financial services sector, banks can leverage messaging apps to enable customers to do things like pay bills, check account balances, transfer funds and receive account alerts.
Brands that capitalize on these apps now can get ahead of the competition with mobile engagement, optimizing customer experience and driving sales in the channels consumers love.
Apurva Ghelani is senior director, Messaging Services for mGage. He leads the Omni Channel product strategy and consults with mGage’s major brands and strategic partners on new innovations.
Editor’s Note: With 2015 now upon us, RCR Wireless News has gathered predictions from leading industry analysts and executives on what they expect to see in the new year.
