The Marketer's 5 Step Information to Beacon Expertise
Beacon technology has completely revolutionized both business and marketing.
An article from Business.com states, "Retail is going digital and digital media is coming to retail". This technology is fundamentally changing the marketing game.
The key to the versatility of this location-based mobile technology lies in its size and function.
It is based on small devices, often the size of a postage stamp, using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals to transmit information to mobile devices via mobile apps.
What does this mean for marketers?
What this means is that this technology can make your job easier and make your marketing efforts much more effective.
Why?
These tiny devices are full of robust insights and data. They are practically a central point of contact.
They also remove many of the hurdles associated with traditional marketing efforts.
All a customer has to do is download a small app and – BOOM!
You have the opportunity to provide them with timely, relevant and highly specific information at appropriate times.
It takes personalized, dynamic marketing to a whole new level.
I'm here to keep you updated on the technology, how it is growing, and how it can affect your business. Ready to start?
Here's a five-step guide to getting started with beacon technology.
Step 1: learn about the growth of beacon technology
Beacon technology became popular back in 2013 when Apple introduced the iBeacon.
Since that release, Google has created its own version specifically for its user base called Eddystone to keep up with the Joneses of course.
Retail is the most popular example of an industry that is rapidly adopting beacon technology.
It doesn't end there.
Because of its versatility, it shows up in practically every industry.
While the technology has taken a slower pace, studies predict the industry will grow more than 75 percent by 2026.
When the Harvard Business Review commented on beacon technology, it coined it as "the missing piece of the entire mobile shopping puzzle".
According to a recent report from Markets and Markets, the location-based services (LBS) market is expected to grow to $ 77.844 billion by 2021.
The Proximity.Directory Q1 2017 report also found that beacons are the most popular proximity technology in the industry.
Now that you know beacons aren't going away anytime soon, let's move on.
Step 2: understand the basics of beacon technology
To assess the marketing potential of beacons, it is important to understand what beacons are and how they work.
Location-based mobile customer communication enables companies to promptly communicate information to consumers within range of a beacon using mobile apps.
Beacons communicate with these mobile apps via BLE signals, which, as mentioned above, stands for “Bluetooth Low Energy”.
Although BLE is a variant of the Bluetooth standard, it differs in a few ways from the conventional Bluetooth that you and I are familiar with:
- BLE uses much less power than Bluetooth.
- It stays in sleep mode all the time except when a connection is established.
- In contrast to Bluetooth, BLE is not designed to process large amounts of data.
Take a look at this detailed table to see the differences:
In order for a beacon to communicate with a person via BLE, four things must happen:
- The user must download an app that supports the technology. This usually comes in the form of a reward app like Shopkick. Some see this need for action as a possible hurdle. However, an estimated 90 percent of smartphone users have at least one subscription to a rewards program.
- You need to have bluetooth activated.
- Location services must be activated.
- They must be within the beacon's signal range. This way the technology can ping a mobile app within reach with relevant information and services.
Step 3: understand the main advantages of beacons
While beacons offer a variety of benefits, there are five in particular worth mentioning here.
1. You are versatile
First generation beacons were about the size of an apple.
Beacons now come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Some are even UV and water resistant so they can withstand the elements outside.
A beacon maker, BlueCats, makes cat-shaped beacons.
Others allow companies to resize their orders and add their names and / or logos.
Some come in the form of a USB, others are as small as a postage stamp.
Beacons can be made to meet the needs of almost any business.
Think about it: a postage stamp-sized beacon can be placed practically anywhere – like on the wall of a retail store, in a car in a parking lot, or in the entrance of your local coffee shop – and used for just about anything.
2. You are safe
One thing that differentiates beacons from similar technologies like Wi-Fi, RFIDs, GPS, or NFC is the level of security they have.
Beacons mainly send outbound signals, so they pose a far lower security risk.
They also send a unique code that can only be read by certain mobile apps.
This code must be authenticated with user permission (AKA with your knowledge and consent), which means that you have to accept it manually.
Technically speaking, beacons with lower security could have a higher hacking potential.
The good news is that most manufacturers have taken steps to prevent this from happening.
In fact, the risk is less with beacons and more with the apps that transmit these signals.
As long as you are using secure apps, you should be clear and generally much better off than a public Wi-Fi network in terms of security.
3. They are precise and have a long range
Perhaps the best selling point for beacons is their ability to reliably target mobile devices in buildings.
While GPS is generally great for location tracking, and Wi-Fi has all of the benefits of cell towers, it's not quite as precise as beacon technology when it comes to targeting consumers in-store, in specific areas, and at the door of certain products.
GPS must be used with other Location Based Services (LBS) due to its line of sight problems when used indoors. It is much more suitable for outdoors.
Wi-Fi only has a range of about 46 meters when used indoors, and NFC (near field communication) can only work well within a range of about four centimeters.
Beacons, on the other hand, are available in different versions and have been specially developed for indoor and outdoor use.
They can send from 1 to 70 meters and in some cases up to 450 meters.
In general, the smaller they are, the smaller the area.
4. You are efficient
Beacons are known for their efficiency.
Proximity.Directory recently found in a report that manufacturers using this technology can reduce costs and improve efficiency by tracking material flow and queue and cycle times.
The report also found that using beacon technology can save hospitals hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.
Beacons are equally effective, regardless of whether the partner app is active or not, as it is always on and constantly sending a signal.
Further advantages of this technology are:
- On average, it is cheaper than conventional Bluetooth or RFID devices – around 60 to 80 percent to be precise.
- It's more energy efficient than Wi-Fi, GPS, traditional Bluetooth, or NFC.
- No pairing is required.
- It works precisely indoors, so no additional LBS equipment is required.
5. They offer a variety of insights
Beacons can monitor temperature, humidity, weight, traffic and interactions, among other things.
They are literally sponges of information.
With the right analysis, you can collect solid user-generated data and insights.
For example, you can measure the number of beacon hits over a period of time.
You can also create heat maps to measure pedestrian traffic and time spent in a given area.
Beacons data can also be used to run paid search and social campaigns.
These are just basic examples of how you, as a marketer, can use beacons to gather targeted and very specific information about pedestrian traffic.
However, the possibilities are endless.
It really all boils down to creativity and application.
Step 4: Take advantage of the advanced benefits of beacons
Now that you understand the basic benefits, it is time to look at some of the advanced benefits.
Beacons encourage effortless engagement and data transfer
Once the mobile app is downloaded, You can send messages to your audience without having to overcome the hurdles.
This means less work for you and less work for the consumer.
Many people have raised concerns about the cons of having to download apps.
This is a legitimate concern as it can be argued that the average consumer values their mobile device more than the benefits they get from a retail mobile app.
To counter this, you need a well-planned content strategy that includes incorporating multimedia content to create an invaluable experience that people will want to be part of.
Hudson & # 39; s Bay Company (HBC) decided to use a SnipSnap coupon app to get customers in-store for deals and news.
At first glance, it might seem a bit strange using a third-party app.
In reality, it's pretty awesome.
Here's why:
- It was cheaper than developing and marketing your own app.
- SnipSnap was established and widely used. It was more likely that consumers already had it installed on their mobile devices.
- Their decision helped them attract new customers through the in-store Beacon program. It was aimed at consumers who already had the app installed but were not existing customers.
So when evaluating your options, keep in mind that it may be better to use an established third-party app than to create your own.
This way you avoid unnecessary hurdles and improve your conversion rates.
Beacons are dynamic, highly personalized, and can increase engagement
If you can keep track of where a customer is, you can promote specific products and information at exactly the right time, which can significantly increase engagement.
This increases the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and brings "personalized" to a whole new level.
For example, suppose a customer approaches a jewelry counter in a local department store.
With the beacon technology, relevant content on certain items for sale can be sent immediately to your smartphone via the app for mobile devices. This can help generate more leads and increase sales.
Beacons help marketers adapt to the "new" buyer
Perhaps one of the toughest hurdles many marketers face is figuring out the "mobile shop-and-compare strategy".
With endless information, consumers are smarter than ever in their purchasing decisions.
However, I am not saying that this is a bad thing.
On the contrary – it's great for a number of reasons.
Not only does it protect consumers by keeping them informed, but it also facilitates healthy competition.
In this way, quality is increased at the same time, while savvy marketers are formed who bring more dynamic strategies and tactics to the table.
To help you brainstorm how to use beacons, I've listed a handful of examples of how other companies are successfully using them to increase engagement and sales.
Step 5: understand the creative ways businesses are using beacons
Organizations ranging from Major League Baseball to Hillshire Farms all harness the amazing power of beacons.
Promotions in the form of offers, offers, and giveaways are the most easily available use cases that come to mind when looking at beacon technology.
But it doesn't end there.
One company that had amazing results using a different strategy was NOMI.
They measured new customers won by sponsoring a music festival by tracking check-ins via beacons.
Using Beacon Insights, they were able to track 1,300 new customers based on the data provided.
Prism is another great example of how beacons can be used.
Using heat maps generated by beacons, they were able to keep track of which areas of a store customers were focusing on.
As a result, they reviewed their merchandising strategies and placed slower moving products in areas with higher traffic in order to generate more sales.
When Hillshire Brands decided to use Beacon technology to release American Craft Link sausages, the response was over the top.
Her agency conducted an analysis of the event and found that purchase intent increased twenty-fold and the number of in-store engagements reached 6,000 in the first 48 hours alone.
The travel and hotel industries also use the power of beacons.
Virgin Atlantic used them to remind passengers to have their boarding passes ready when approaching security checkpoints and to inform them of entertainment options before boarding.
They even use data to monitor cabin temperatures and warn staff to hand out blankets when it gets too cold.
Concierges at Starwood Hotels & Resorts use beacons so they can greet guests by name upon arrival.
They are also used to notify housekeeping when guests are in their rooms.
With Starwood, guests can even skip the check-in process and have keyless access to their rooms via smartphone, which is possible thanks to beacons.
All a guest has to do is download an app and then open the door by “tapping or gesturing on their device as soon as they arrive at the door”.
Another creative use case is the Mingleton dating app. The company uses the technology to share dating profiles with other users within a certain radius via a "see who is nearby" function.
The possibilities are truly endless and go well beyond traditional push marketing strategies.
These innovative and functional uses of beacons can help with branding and better engage a specific customer base.
Step 6: formulate a beacon marketing strategy
There's no better time than now to start planning how you can use beacons to market your business.
More than ever, people prefer dynamic and highly personalized content.
A study by Epsilon found that 80 percent of consumers are more likely to buy from brands that offer a personalized experience.
So be proactive, stay tuned, and take advantage of the many ways you can make it work for you.
First, develop a thoughtful strategy.
Similar to marketing in general, you can approach this task in two ways.
You can give me wingst.
For many, winging seems exponentially easier and using time much more effectively.
Time is money, isn't it?
The reality is that if you just "give it wings" you will be disorganized and scattered.
The final result?
You are wasting valuable time and energy trying to tie it all together.
Or you can be prepared.
Savvy digital marketers are very similar to savvy writers.
They understand that planning is key to a fruitful and effective strategy.
While planning requires time and energy that could initially be spent on action, the end result is measurable, calculated and completely in your control.
If you take the time to plan your steps towards a T, you will get effective results that deliver serious ROI.
When implementing beacon marketing strategies, keep the following points in mind:
Think long term
Beacons can be invaluable for gathering intelligence, analysis, and intelligence.
Don't just jump towards your ultimate goal. Take the time to strategize and plan for both short-term and long-term profits.
Think contextually
Placement is perhaps the most important factor in beacon technology.
Strategic placement and well-planned messaging mean an increase in relevance, timeliness and effectiveness.
So make sure you have all of your ducks in a row and think in context about your marketing strategy.
Think like your target audience
Put yourself in their shoes. What content would you like to receive? What news would you find useful and effective?
Avoid aggressive and overzealous tactics.
Otherwise you will be classified as spam.
Instead, give people useful and engaging information.
Check out this video where I discuss some quick and effective strategies that will help any marketer build a solid marketing plan.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that beacon technology can revolutionize your marketing strategy.
With the positive returns that companies like Hillshire Farms and Starwood Hotels & Resorts are already seeing, it's safe to say they're not going anywhere anytime soon.
I've given you a step-by-step guide to keep you informed about the beacon technology trend.
Let's check the following:
Step 1: You understand how technology has grown.
Step 2: You know the basics.
Step 3: You understand the benefits.
Step 4: You understand the more advanced benefits.
Step 5: You are up to date with the creative possibilities of other companies.
Step 6: They know how to create a beacon marketing strategy.
Then the question remains: will you take action?
The ability to diversify and adapt to an ever-changing climate is critical to your success as a digital marketer in the business world.
Learning how to use this trend to meet the demands of your unique situation can help you be one step ahead of the game – which means you are always one step ahead of your competition.
Are you currently using beacons in your marketing efforts? If so, what works for you? What is not
See How my agency can drive Firmly Traffic volumes on your website
- SEO – Unlock tons of SEO traffic. See real results.
- Content Marketing – Our team creates epic content that is shared, links accessed and visitors drawn.
- Paid media – effective paid strategies with a clear ROI.
Book a call