A quick guide to mobile marketing for QSRs

Why promote your QSR on mobile devices?  

What kind of results can you expect? Matt Forman, Managing Director of Traffika Digital Business Generation tells you what you need to know in part 2 of this series (Read part 1 here. )

QSR Media: Mobile marketing for QSR's, why?

Forman: Just over half of the Australian population is now using Smartphones, and there are now as many Smartphones as there are people. With this heavy infiltration of mobile technology, comes the expectation that we can access anything we need from anywhere through our mobile devices.

Mobile devices are personal, instant and direct. If you send a coupon to someone via email, chances are it will be picked up by the spam filter or just not be seen. Sending a coupon or promotion via mobile device however immediately delivers the offer into the palm of the customer’s hand.

This can particularly be of benefit to QSR’s, providing an instant way to send an offer or promotional message to your customers at times that will have the most impact, such as on their way home from work when they don’t feel like cooking dinner.

QSR Media: How big of an impact can this type of marketing make?

Forman: As mentioned, the direct and highly personal nature of mobile marketing allows you to gain people’s full attention, no matter where they are. People read phone messages a lot more than emails and other marketing methods.

Sending a well timed promotional offer such as a special meal deal or discount can be very successful at triggering people’s brains to think of your QSR when they are hungry and tired after a long day.

QSR Media: How can QSR’s maximize reach with mobile marketing?

Forman: Studies have revealed that location targeting doubles the effectiveness of mobile marketing campaigns for QSR’s. Mobiles present a unique opportunity to target users based on a very specific location, this geo-precise targeting allows QSR’s to more precisely reach and engage with a desired audience.

Delivering real time mobile ads to people that are contextually relevant to where they are at the time is a lot more powerful and engaging and more likely to deliver a direct response.

QSR Media: What are some of mobile marketing’s limitations or disadvantages?

Forman: Some disadvantages can be that mobile devices are not as user-friendly as a PC, and campaigns can very easily backfire if they’re not relevant to the audience.

It is important to keep in mind that a mobile is nothing like a PC, therefore neither should the ads be anything like an ad you would send through email marketing and other PC based advertising.

People don’t want to be downloading large files or to have their mobile screen taken over by irrelevant information... it will be seen as a nuisance and reflect badly on your brand.

It is also important to remember that a phone can and can’t do different things to a PC. It has a smaller screen, a limited keyboard and restricted bandwidth.

QSR Media: Mobile marketing and purchasing decisions, what kind of data can you share with us in this space, particularly with regard to ordering fast food on mobiles?

Forman: Of the half of our population who already own a Smartphone, close to 50% use it to make a purchase at least once a month. Also, more people are using their mobiles as a resource to find consumer reviews and research businesses and products before making a purchase decision.

A recent study on Mobile Path-to-Purchase in the US revealed that a growing number (46%) of people are exclusively using mobile as their research tool. This study also showed that many consumers expect the businesses that they find to be located close to where they are (hence the benefits of location targeting).

However while mobiles are heavily influencing the research stage of the path-to-purchase, the majority of consumers are still making their final decision offline.

The key take away from the studies that have been conducted is that mobile is increasingly becoming an integral part of the consumer’s journey to purchase, and can allow QSR’s to target specific users based on their precise geographic location and better influence that decision.