Attracting new customers is all about making the right move at the right time. Mobile proximity marketing is one way to implement this concept. This strategy involves communicating with potential customers when they’re near your venue. But why this particular strategy, you might ask? Well, a majority of your target audience will have their phones near when passing by or visiting your place.
There’s a guarantee that people will at least see your message if not act on it.
Plus, people often make impulse purchases when you interact with them in close proximity. Assuming you want to grab this opportunity, let’s start.
What Is Mobile Proximity Marketing and How Does It Work?
Mobile proximity marketing is when you interact with your customers through their mobile devices while they’re near your venue. The main goal is to get customers to enter your place and purchase.
For that, you must send relevant and personalized marketing messages. This means combining insights from your customer relationship management database and other tools with your proximity marketing devices. The customer’s history and preferences make all the difference here.
However, this proximity marketing isn’t just about promotions and ads. It’s a chance for you to turn a previous customer into a loyal one.
But you have to provide them with some value to make that possible. Therefore, real-time updates, time-sensitive information, and feedback requests should also be part of your strategy. Many technologies are at your disposal to implement such a proximity marketing strategy. These include WiFi marketing software, Bluetooth, near-field communication (NFC) tags, QR codes, etc.
When a previous customer walks through the door with a mobile device, your chosen technology will try to communicate with them. This also holds true for people walking by your venue. They might receive a request that asks if they want to receive promotional messages and updates from your brand.
But for that, the potential consumer’s device must have the relevant technology. For example, if you’ve installed Bluetooth beacons, their Bluetooth must be on. Plus, they should have a way of receiving push notifications or text messages.
Once the customer accepts this request, you can put your proximity marketing campaigns into action.
Top 4 Mobile Proximity Marketing Devices and Strategies To Use Them
If you’re still skeptical about investing in proximity marketing, the following fact might change your mind.
In a survey, 60% of the participants said personalized customer experiences will make them repeat buyers.
Now, even location alone is enough to make proximity marketing relevant. Combining that with customer needs enhances the effect. But using the right mobile proximity marketing devices is crucial to reap the benefits here. So, let’s discuss four of them to help you choose.
1. Offering Guest WiFi Is the Best Way To Go
One of the best ways to implement proximity marketing is by offering guest WiFi. This is because of two reasons. One, it’s hard to find a person who doesn’t have WiFi on their phone. And two, people connect to public networks to get free WiFi more often than you think.
All you need to do is select the right software, and you’re good to go. One of the features you should look for here is a captive portal.
It’s a web page that lets you collect customer data and keep unauthorized access away. Moreover, create a checkbox where you ask the customer what type of marketing messages they would like to receive. Once they authorize themselves and start using your WiFi, you can store their MAC addresses.
This address will help you to identify them later when they pass by or enter your venue. Since you’ve already asked for permission, you can start sending messages.
2. Place Bluetooth Beacons Around Your Venue
Bluetooth beacons are small devices that continuously transmit Bluetooth signals. When customers come close to them and turn on Bluetooth on their devices, these beacons send them a push notification.
You’re ready to start interacting as soon as they tap on it. However, people rarely use the Bluetooth feature these days. Even if customers are nearby, you might not be able to identify them.
Therefore, many businesses use Bluetooth marketing with other technologies. If this approach is good for you, it will mostly depend on your target audience.
After the technologies with long ranges, it’s time to discuss ones that extend to just a few centimeters. But make no mistake about their efficiency because they work wonders for your in-store marketing.
NFC tags and radio-frequency identification (RFID) are two such technologies. Starting with NFC, it stands for near-field communication.
The most popular use case here is online payment. Since many people prefer to pay that way, they’ll have apps on their phones that can read NFCs.
That works in your favor because you don’t have to convince them to download anything. Besides online payment, you can use it to display product information or redirect customers to relevant landing pages.
Similarly, you can place RFID tags on products. When customers touch them with their phones, they start interacting. For example, show them a demo video detailing the benefits and encourage them to make purchases.
4. QR Codes Are More Than Just Pixelated Squares
QR code marketing is another way to take advantage of customers’ proximity to create an engaging experience for customers. These small, pixelated squares redirect customers to a particular landing page or simplify an action. They owe their popularity to the ease of creation and implementation.
For example, businesses get their WiFi password and embed it into a QR code to simplify access to their WiFi.
All you need is a QR code generator, an engaging call to action, and a printer. Just create the code, print it, and paste it on a poster. Then, add a sentence either below or above it. For example, say, “Spin the wheel to claim your in-store discount. The highest number is 70%!”
Customers won’t be able to resist scanning it due to the possibility of such a huge discount. Once they do, redirect them to the game page.
You can also use them to display restaurant menus, conduct surveys, or simply give updates.
Benefits and Challenges of Proximity Marketing
As mentioned earlier, mobile proximity marketing enables you to create personalized customer experiences. This starts a snowball effect, and good things happen for your business.
Firstly, customers might become loyal to your business. These relevant messages show that you empathize with your customers and make them connect on a personal level.
Secondly, a loyal customer brings even more business by spreading word of mouth. Do you know what that means? More sales for you!
However, all good things come with a catch. One of the biggest challenges of proximity marketing is resistance. Customers might hesitate when giving permission or downloading applications.
Additionally, there’s hardware maintenance, which poses issues. Lastly, privacy concerns can become a hurdle since the data you collect here is more sensitive and requires robust protection.
Use Customer Location Wisely and Watch Your Business Grow
Overall, mobile proximity marketing is a great way to outperform aggressive, generalized promotions. Moreover, not many businesses implement this strategy at its best. Therefore, you will stand out if you master it.
If you are interested in WiFi marketing solutions, try Beambox. You can use it to automate marketing campaigns, reinforce your branding, and collect customer data.
Over 12,000 businesses use Beambox to scale their operations and profits. Do you want to be next? Start your thirty-day free trial now!
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