Entry By Jason Brick
Maybe you're trying to justify your salary as a social and digital marketing provider. Maybe you want to get your boss to add SMS marketing to your existing campaigns. It could be that you're a front-line employee who likes tech, and wants to get in good by introducing an exciting new marketing channel.
Whatever your reasons, eventually you'll need to have a conversation with the boss. How you handle that conversation will help determine whether or not your company adopts the mobile marketing you want – a decision that could affect the life and strength of your workplace.
Step One: Use Analogies
Help your boss understand the basic concept by comparing mobile marketing to something you already use. Direct mail (e or snail) is the most comparable. Stress the positive differences during this explanation. For example "It's like sending snail mail and getting a response the same day."
Step Two: Show Benefits
Explain in detail – using numbers from industry publications whenever possible – how mobile marketing outperforms other marketing options. Cost per impression, for example, is often very low as compared to print and radio advertising. In a coupon-driven industry like food service, coupon response rates are another good statistic. Some sources report as much as a 1000% improvement in coupon usage as compared to newspaper and "clipper" type coupon distribution methods.
Step Three: Avoid Jargon
As with any new technology, the jargon for mobile marketing – SMS, QR codes, opt in – can intimidate the uninitiated. Use plain English to describe what you want to do, and why it matters. For most bosses, a simple definition of the terms – followed by examples – can help make him or her feel involved and intelligent.
Step Four: Have a Plan
"Let's do mobile marketing" is not an effective pitch to the boss. Instead, present a basic start-to-finish plan for a simple, one month campaign. You don't have to do all the work up front, but you should come to the table with an outline of steps. This structure not only makes you look prepared, but also gives you a framework for explaining the individual details of how mobile marketing works.
Step Four: End With a Wow
Finish your explanation by describing a single "killer app" for mobile marketing. Some good candidates include sending out coupons before the dinner rush, QR codes for instant opt-ins, and paperless loyalty cards carried on app phones.
Ready to build your pitch? Check out our FREE SMS Marketing Resource Center; we've got guides, articles, explainers and more.
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