Businesses all over the world are integrating bulk SMS services as an integral digital mechanism of managing their brands and optimising customers’ brand experiences.
As competition continues to toughen in business, entrepreneurs and managers are taking brand management more serious than ever. Nigerian businesses, especially small and growing entrepreneurs must not be left out in this trend if they are to benefit from the gains using mobile communication technology in building a strong business brand.
A brand is a sum total of subjective and objective experiences a customer has about a particular business. It involves the tangible and intangible elements, including the visual appeal of a business. It is often expressed in relationship and perception. In other words, it is about asking and answering the question: “What do customers think about my business?”
Brand experience optimisation is an intentional strategy by businesses to determine, direct and correct customer’s impression about their products, services and general operations as well as build a strong awareness, and loyalty in the consciousness of customers.
In brand experience management and optimisation, communication is a key tool. The mobile channel is fast becoming an important component of business communication strategies worldwide, and the use of bulk SMS or SMS marketing has become one of the best tools to achieve this.
Using bulk SMS is an effective tool for business communication because of its simplicity, ease of use and reach. SMS is available on virtually all mobile phones and overall mobile networks with a reach of 5 billion phones worldwide, making it the world’s most pervasive communication technology.
According to Niesen, the average consumer sends 600 messages per month compared to using less than 200 voice minutes. The usage of Bulk SMS continues to grow because it is simple, easy to use and has enormous reach.
Ultimately, consumers always have a choice in the way they communicate with businesses and increasingly consumers are turning to SMS.
The use of traditional media such as print, radio, television, and web marketing to communicate with potential and existing customers can be greatly enhanced by integrating mobile’s ability to reach more people at a lower cost. This is how to build synergy in brand communication strategy.