I’ve never claimed to be the smartest person in the room, so it’s possible that I am among the last people to realize this, but in case I’m not and others haven’t realized this yet, perhaps the most important pieces of real estate owned by consumers is the lock screen on their phone. Consumers interact with the lock screen on their phones more than they interact with anything else. Just think how many times a day you have to unlock your phone and compare that to the number of times you do anything else on it.
Notifications that remain on consumers’ lock screens are more likely to be read and be acted on, noted a published report, but the content of the message that is sitting there on that screen also has to be relevant and meaningful to induce a consumer to take action. That lock screen opportunity is a checkmark for communicating with consumers via text messaging over email, because texts are more often displayed on a lock screen over emails.
But, with more power comes more responsibility. Consumers are more likely to opt out of messages that they see on their lock screen that are not relevant, feel too spammy, or are sent too frequently, according to the report. And once you’re out, you’re out for good. Following the mantra that less is more might be more beneficial to ensure you are not on the outside looking in.
A key to effectively managing this marketing opportunity is also analyzing your data and knowing what your consumers are doing. One company, which focused on marketing to new mothers, learned that later in the evening — after the children were likely to be in bed for the night — when mom might be able to explore more shopping opportunities was a better time to send messages. Many in the accounts receivable management industry have noted the changing dynamics of when consumers are more likely to interact with a collector — it’s not at night when the consumer is home from work and finished their dinner anymore. Incorporating that knowledge into a marketing campaign may yield more connections and conversations.
