SMS Text Marketing

There’s nothing quite like a classic combo. Dinner and a movie. Burgers and fries. Opt-ins and SMS? Yes, please.

Many consumers have long associated the act of opting-in as something to be done by email, for email. But today’s cross-channel world doesn’t just include email. Companies and organizations could find big success in acquiring new customers by adding a mobile component with SMS (short message service). There are two great approaches to this strategy:

1. Email opt-in via SMS
This one is a quick addition to reinforce the presence of your email campaigns, as well as how easy you’ve made it...

It’s amazing to think that just a little over two decades ago, consumers had only two options to communicate across long distances: telephone and mail. In today’s mobile, post-PC world, consumers have countless ways to communicate with each other.

They have similar options when it comes to communicating with brands. The question is, how do consumers determine the proper channel for their communication needs? The decision appears to boil down to six factors:

CONTENT: Is this a marketing message?
As we document throughout the Channel Preference Survey, consumers are much more selective about the...

When Seth Godin introduced the concept of permission marketing in 1999, it was a big idea: ask customers to accept marketing messages from you. Looking at the best uses of mobile, I believe we are at a new crossroads; one where customers request marketing messages.

Never forget that digital messages rendered on mobile devices are personal and intrusive. On the Advertising Aggravation Continuum (shown below), they are most comparable to telemarketing. We all know what happened to that traditional marketing channel and the impact on brands that abused it.

In the middle of the continuum, people...

There’s no doubt that today’s consumers are mobile. They’re constantly on-the-go, sending and receiving communications of all types, and they’ve come to expect that information be (literally) in-hand at all times. Consumers in the UK and around the globe are no longer sitting at their computers searching for information—instead, they expect information to be available all around them. At the same time, they expect that information to be relevant to their lives.

The hyper-connected consumer expects brands of all sizes and industries to start meeting them where they are. It also provides new...

It was no suprise to us that Australians are leading the world in their adoption of technology, and in partiular how they connect with brands on mobile devices. The unparalleled adoption of smartphones in Australia (49% of us own one!) means that today’s always-on, hyper-connected consumer is placing demands on marketers that can often seem bewildering. What was once seen as the "multi-channel opportunity" is now a "cross-channel imperative" as our audiences continue to adopt technology that opens up an increasing array of brand engagement mechanisms.

SMS is just another way to adapt to the...

There’s no doubt that today’s consumers are mobile. They’re constantly on-the-go, sending and receiving communications of all types, and they’ve come to expect that information be (literally) in-hand at all times. Consumers are no longer sitting at their computers searching for information—instead, they expect information to be available all around them. At the same time, they expect that information to be relevant to their lives.

It was no suprise to us that Australians are leading the world in their adoption of technology and in partiular how they connect with brands on mobile devices. The...

Permission-based email has become the foundation of successful one-to-one marketing, and a company's database of email subscribers is one of its most valuable assets.

And with good reason! As our 2012 Channel Preference Survey revealed, 66% of US online consumers report making at least one purchase that was triggered by an offer received via email. And for BtoB marketing, nothing tops email for aiding the customer’s buying decision. In a 2012 article, BtoB Magazine reported that 59% of BtoB marketers say email is their most effective channel for generating revenue.

At the recent 2013 MarketingShe...

When you’re just starting to put your mobile strategy into action, email is probably your bread and butter for reaching customers. At this stage, using mobile to beef up your email list is a good first step—but there’s plenty more you can do to get your mobile program off the ground!

Here are some ideas to help jump-start your mobile efforts during the first few months.

Grow your email opt-in list via mobile. If gaining email opt-ins is your goal, then create plenty of opt-in opportunities via text message—like, “Text JOIN and youremail@address.com to 12345 to subscribe to our program”—or add an...

Convenience, ease-of-use, and efficiency are no longer wants, but necessities in our fast-paced society. Auto bill pay, GPS, and other developments in technology continue to automate our lives. Marketers are working to stay at the forefront of their customers’ interactions across channels—including mobile.

Mobile SMS and push messaging are some of the easiest ways to cut through the clutter and get directly in front of customers. Yet, to have a robust mobile presence, it’s the magic behind the display that makes it possible.

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) arm marketers with the...

It’s that time of year. Football has passed, our Sundays are free, and basketball emerges in the limelight. For the NBA, there are few times when the light shines brighter than during @NBAAllStar weekend.

It should be no surprise that the NBA is going to deliver on their social media strategy this weekend. After fans were able to vote via Facebook and Twitter this year, the NBA will continue to engage with fans throughout the weekend. For the already interactive league, the events will be much more than a couple of competitions and a game—it is a chance to reach their audience in new and...

STRATEGY OVERVIEW
Regardless of whether you decide to implement SMS into your cross-channel marketing mix, mobile adoption affects other elements of your campaigns—especially email. And, there’s a lot to consider when building mobile-friendly email campaigns:

• Knowing your audience. Sure, more and more people are using mobile. But are your subscribers?
• Optimizing content and design for context. It’s best to think about the environment your email is being viewed in, not the specific device being used or email client sending the message. For example, mobile users are more likely to be...

Did you see that blackout last night?!?  No, not the one that stopped Super Bowl XLVII dead in its tracks for over 30 minutes.  I'm talking about the near total blackout of meaningful email, mobile, and social calls-to-action in the commercials that brands were rumored to pay nearly $4 million per 30 seconds.

In my previous post, Super Bowl, Super Audience Building, I shared that I was looking forward to more brands hopefully following Papa John's lead by using their $4 million ad spend to build and engage email, mobile, and/or social audiences. To say I was sorely disappointed would be an...

STRATEGY OVERVIEW:
Providing superior service for your customers should be your number one priority. But keeping your customers satisfied can be challenging and requires ongoing maintenance. That’s why SMS can be an invaluable weapon in your marketing arsenal during those times when it’s necessary to get a quick communication out to your customers.

By launching an SMS response program, you make your customer service representatives available to assist your most critical customer interactions and provide a more convenient experience for those choosing to accept assistance via SMS. It’s a win-win...

I would like to think we all agree on the ability for the mobile environment to affect marketing strategy. It is a fact of nature, the nature of change. It is a solid fact that the majority of consumers don't leave home without their mobile devices (whether a tablet, mobile phone, or smartphone). Yet mobile is still a relatively young marketing channel. How can you step up your game to gain more mobile customers and interactions?

Promote your mobile program through other channels! You’ve invested resources to improve your mobile presence—whether with a responsive website, mobile-optimized...

Today’s tip is similar to yesterday’s use case, and it provides another great opportunity to build your subscriber base. The difference is the channel in which you deliver your communications—instead of email, you send an SMS message!

STRATEGY OVERVIEW:
If you’re looking to transform your mobile messaging program, launch an outbound (mobile-terminated or “MT”) SMS messaging program. This type of program is the first step in delivering targeted, timely, and contextually relevant marketing communications to a subscriber list via text message.

Companies or organizations looking to launch a mobile...

There’s no doubt that today’s consumers are mobile. They’re constantly on-the-go, sending and receiving communications of all types, and they’ve come to expect that information be (literally) in-hand at all times. This week I’ll be providing tips and detailed instructions to build a mobile program that complements your cross-channel strategy and promotes consumer engagement.

These tips might seem simple, but remember – powerful mobile marketing doesn’t have to be complex!

STRATEGY OVERVIEW:
Using SMS to grow your email subscriber list allows you to gain permission from consumers at the most...

Over the past couple of months, it seems the majority of buzz and conversation in our industry has been related to mobile. From our Inspired Marketing Predictions for 2013 to redefining strategy, everything is related to the idea of mobile becoming increasingly important to the strategy of every marketer... especially retail. I debated calling this blog post "The Power of Now," because frankly... we are dealing with the idea of now. 

Give me my product now.

Let me browse products now. 

I want pricing on your product (and all your competitors) now. 

Not long ago, social changed the way people...

Over the next several weeks, we will be sharing predictions on the future of marketing from 25 industry thought leaders. These predictions have been compiled in our new whitepaper, Inspired Marketing Predictions for 2013. Today, our own R.J. Talyor shares his thoughts.

Mobile ROI Takes Hold

2013 will be the year of the mobile return on investment (ROI). Marketers have already invested the resources into experimenting with mobile. In 2013, they’ll use data to prove what works, and what doesn’t.

No matter the sophistication level of a mobile program, marketers can calculate its ROI. And the good...

Happy Birthday to SMS! On this day 20 years ago, Neil Papworth sent the phrase “Merry Christmas” from his computer to the Orbitel 901 handset of Vodafone’s Richard Jarvis, and so began the great SMS race.

According to the Wall Street Journal, “In the developing world, where smartphone penetration is low, SMS remains a key technology, enabling mobile money transfers, the sending of alerts on weather and planting advice for farmers, and distribution of health information for consumers. Globally, SMS traffic is continuing to grow and stood at 7.4 trillion messages in 2011, up 44% from the year...

More than half of consumers owning a mobile device plan to use a smartphone or tablet to tackle their holiday shopping this year. According to Prosper Mobile Insights’ online poll of 333 smartphone users, among those 55.3% of mobile holiday shoppers:

• 62% say they plan to use their devices primarily to purchase products and compare prices
• 50% say they are most likely to use their devices to plan and research while making their holiday lists
• 43% say they are most likely to use their devices while shopping in-store or online

eMarketer shares a statistic from Chase Paymentech that US retailers with a...