Mobile coupons can be a powerful tool in your digital marketing arsenal, but with a certain sense of ambiguity surrounding the concept for most people, it’s easy to overlook the most basic set of unofficial rules or “best practices” that should accompany any successful and legitimate mobile coupon campaign.
Falling under the realm of mobile marketing, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has set fourth best practices, or a so-called “Code of Conduct for Mobile Marketing,” that all campaigns should comply with. But beyond that, mobile coupons differ in nature from other forms of mobile marketing and therefore require a special set of best practices to ensure an overall compliant and successful campaign.
Since most mobile coupon campaigns involve the use of SMS or MMS, the same rules, regulations and best practices that govern the distribution of mobile messages apply to mobile coupons as well. Privacy, respecting user-consent and your terms and conditions are the primary areas to focus on when distributing mobile coupons.
The terms and conditions related to your mobile coupon campaign are particularly important, and must be conveyed to your users at all times. When promoting your campaign, you should clearly indicate whether the service is a subscription, for example, and the cost of which (if any). Also, if the terms and conditions materially change the offer in any way, it should be highlighted and presented at the beginning of the offer. Finally, service availability should always be disclosed as well, on a carrier-by-carrier basis.
In terms of the design of your actual mobile coupons, it’s important to prominently display the expiration date and make sure any barcodes used are compliant with the redemption mechanism. It’s a good practice to also include an alphanumeric promotional code as well in case the primary validation method (scanners) don’t work.
Beyond the broad “Code of Conduct” rules set fourth by the MMA, your attention should be focused primarily on adhering to your user’s right to privacy and disclosure, as well as other obvious rules and regulations related to mobile messaging.
When done properly, a well-executed and compliant mobile coupon campaign is a valuable asset for any marketer or retailer. Still confused about the whole process? Get first hand knowledge on how to use mobile coupons to drive revenue with this all-inclusive Mobile Coupons Webinar.