Think Pink: Learn Victoria’s Secret to Revolutionizing Direct Mail with a Mobile App
Everyone keeps saying that direct mail is dead so it must be, right? Think again. The angels in the heavenly marketing department at Victoria’s Secret (see what we did there?) have taken direct mail and made it relevant again with their brand new Pink Nation app. Using both iOS and Android-based platforms, the app targets the ever-trendy millennial generation and is the ultimate lifestyle tool for young girls and works in conjunction with traditional direct mail such as catalogs postcards and letters. For example, using the phone’s camera feature, members can hover their phones over specific pieces of mail or special-offer tie-ins to unlock bonus content in the mobile app. The wildly successful app also features games, photo filters and sticker overlays, weather forecasts and even asks high school seniors to upload pictures of themselves and what university they plan to attend come fall.
Market Study: Getting Schooled at Pink University
What exactly is Victoria’s Secret to making their mobile app so successful? Well for starters, the lingerie giant focuses on user experience instead of strictly pushing sales. Betting that users will use the app repeatedly for much more than shopping, Victoria’s Secret has mastered the art of building a community instead of pushing a product. In addition, through tie-ins with the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion show and its direct mail marketing, the brand has found a way to broaden their marketing channels, increase brand advocacy and put an innovative spin on updating older marketing methods for new use in the digital age.
As businesses everywhere scramble to jump on the bandwagon and dream up more innovative methods of mobile marketing, we leave you with three key elements to keep in mind that will always hold true when marketing via mobile apps:
- Don’t oversell. It’s obnoxious. There is nothing more annoying than call-to-action pop ups pushing a sale on every page of a mobile app. Remember, no one likes telemarketers for a reason. It’s overt and generic. Instead of focusing on CTA’s, focus on your company and what it can do for people. Approaching your mobile marketing plan from this angle won’t alienate anyone and you’ll notice the difference in user responses right away.
- Today’s consumers want convenience. Remember the days before apps, cams and multi-media messages when you had to find the nearest landline or piece of paper to communicate with people? Yeah, we don’t either. People like features that make life a lot easier. Before rushing to plan your standard mobile app, ask yourself who the app is for and what kind of features would this group be most interested in? From games to social networking to tools for organization, making an app that is useful above all else will not only keep them interested, but it will keep your brand on their mind with repeated use.
- Give them a reason to come back for more. No matter how many cool features your app has, it will eventually get old after a while if there isn’t a reason to stay engaged. By regularly updating videos, content, polls, quizzes and special offers tie-ins, you will ensure that your business remains fresh and relevant through your mobile app which will in turn drive traffic to both your business and your website.
