Building customer trust with #SafeToClick links

Experts agree that the digital revolution, across all industries, is here to stay. Businesses, big and small, are becoming increasingly reliant on digital and online infrastructures.  

The need to market online and remain relevant has placed immense pressure on businesses to accelerate the adoption of digital marketing. With pros like ease of access to information, products, and education, come an unfortunate flip side – the cyber-security risk.  

Although most businesses acknowledge the immense potential of digital marketing, many don’t have the necessary resources or know-how to implement all the security measures needed to fend off phishing and cyber-attacks.

This is where platforms and products need to step in, to assist with safety measures that are easy to implement and provide security for customers and their data.

Link safety and the click-through risk

The success of digital marketing often depends on the customer click-through rate. It hinges on that one link that is key to getting customers to take the next step; a click that leads to a webpage, online check out or lead generation form. But a bulk, generic shortened link doesn’t exactly shout “safe”, does it?  For marketers, customer hesitancy to click links can pose a huge threat to the results of their campaigns.  

From an audience point of view the reluctance to click is understandable as they have no idea what’s hiding on the other side of a generic URL. Malicious URLs and websites are widespread and created with the intent to harm the end user or to steal personal information. A simple act of clicking on a malicious URL can lead to serious consequences, no wonder the customer’s hesitancy!

Luckily with an increased focus on cyber security, many platforms and apps are taking security into their own hands and building in features to assist their clients and help customers trust the information they are receiving.

Verified and branded URLs that are #SafeToClick

When assessing links, the first thing to be aware of is ‘the protocol. Businesses should ensure they’re sending links that are safe by using HTTPS (not simply HTTP), as these are more secure due to the added encryption layer.

Another link safety check, and a great way to protect customers and build trust, is to use branded URLs. Even if you haven't heard about ‘branded URLs’, you’ve likely seen one online. To illustrate, here is an example of a generic link with no company or Mobiz branding: https://generic.link/abcde Next, we look at a branded one https://yourbrand.mo.biz/s/abcde.

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Mobiz links provide two layers of branding to help customers identify a link as #SafeToClick. First, mo.biz branding ensures the link is from us, encrypted and safe. Secondly, the link will contain your brand or company name.

Branded links instantly build trust – particularly with first party data where the customer opted-in and gave permission to receive marketing communication. In fact, research has shown that customers are  34% more likely to click on a branded URL, as opposed to a generic URL.  

For example, if a customer signs up with the local coffee house and then receives an SMS with a link matching their name they’ll know where and why their data was obtained and can thus assume the link is trustworthy.  

A safe way to speak to customers

Providing a safe link to a secure landing page is paramount, but delivering that link successfully is important too. That’s where Mobiz steps in with an end-to-end platform that creates and sends mobile landing via SMS that are data-cost free to your customers, all while staying compliant and keeping safety a top priority.

Mobiz take the utmost care to protect our clients’ data and have multiple safety measures in place. This gives our clients the confidence to use Mobiz as a secure platform to facilitate payments and share sensitive customer account information. If you see a mo.biz link, you and your customers can rest assured it’s secure and can trust that its #SafeToClick.

If you’re looking for an end-to-end marketing solution that builds brand authority and instils trust with your customers, reach out to us to discuss your needs. Our team is ready to assist you.