With all eyes on the upcoming seasonal rush, most companies have been looking for ways to make their voices heard. The US market estimates that $51 billion is expected to change hands during Black Friday 2022 and Cyber Monday; numbers that would no doubt make anyone sit up and take notice!
So what is your plan?
Whether you’re all set for Black Friday 2022 or already planning for next year’s season, you’ll be interested in knowing how USSD communication fits into a successful campaign. Before you object that USSD is over a decade old and is not the flashy, media-rich platform that you feel suits your brand, why not dig a little deeper?
We’ve got some information that we’re sure will raise those eyebrows more than a little.
What is USSD?
What is USSD anyway? For those of you who are starting at the beginning, USSD or unstructured supplementary service data is a popular mobile communication tool. It’s incredibly straightforward: mobile users dial a short code (such as *137#), which opens up a simple menu. The user then makes a selection from these prompts and completes their query, accesses information, makes a purchase or is directed elsewhere.
The main advantages of USSD are:
- Businesses can communicate with customers across all networks and on any mobile phone;
- The user does not need data or an internet connection to send or receive USSD messages;
- The service is free for customers to use, making them more likely to engage;
- Allows users in remote areas with poor connectivity the ability to communicate with a business;
- USSD can be used securely across all industries;
- The system can easily be personalised; and
- Users can quickly buy essentials such as electricity, airtime or data.
With this smart functionality in mind, how are clever businesses using USSD in their marketing campaigns?
Why choose USSD for Black Friday campaigns?
Both SMS and USSD are beautiful in their simplicity. The distraction-free interface is the ideal platform when you want the user to focus on doing one thing. Let’s look at a few examples.
Zenith Bank in Nigeria opted for a cost-effective and user-friendly USSD campaign when looking to promote its brand and attract new customers. A mobile-friendly landing page asked just two simple questions, and once the user’s phone number was inputted, a USSD code was automatically generated, which eliminated the need for the user to input a key code, and also verified the number. This streamlined campaign saw a 50% increase in new accounts opened.
Competitions, surveys and campaigns
Some of you may remember Carling Black Label’s “Be the coach” campaign from 2012. This was a truly brilliant use of a mix of communication platforms and one where USSD surprised the entire marketing team. The basic idea was to allow football fans to choose their favourite players within the teams by entering a code from a Carling Black Label beer. The challenge was to reach as many devices as possible, and given that only 16% of mobile phones were smartphones at that time, USSD messaging was an obvious choice. With over 11 million entries and the average user engaging over 18 times, this campaign has to rank right up there with USSD successes!
In fact, competitions are a brilliant way to engage with people that you may not usually reach. The simplicity of a USSD campaign makes it easy for people to enter their details and even easier for businesses to collect valuable information from potential customers.
If you’ve got something to shout about during the Black Friday to Christmas season, then USSD may just be the vehicle you need to make your voice heard.
That short string of numbers is ideal for any or all of the following uses:
- “Please call me” when a user would like your team to get in touch;
- Sending FAQ information to commonly asked questions;
- Encouraging multiple purchases of a consumable product within a USSD competition;
- Offer coupons or discount vouchers to new customers to encourage a purchase;
- Customer surveys that are short, simple and easy to track;
- Following up with customers using personal messaging strings;
- Fast and secure opt-ins and opt-outs; and
- Links to landing pages or shopping sites for immediate action.
Cellfind provides an excellent vehicle for businesses of any size to jump on the USSD wagon with ease. Whether you’re aiming for record-breaking Black Friday sales or you’re searching for an affordable way to reach the most people, USSD is a great place to start.
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