SMS Marketing Campaigns Make Good Sense for Retailers

When major retailers adopt SMS marketing campaigns to drive sales, I think it's a sign that mobile is becoming part of big brands' overall marketing strategies. JCPenny recently used mobile marketing to run a campaign promoting Easter fashions. By tying the promotion in with a holiday and making it time-sensitive offer, the retailer increases the likelihood that customers will make a decision to buy in a timely manner.

SMS messaging, or text message marketing, was also used by this company and worked well because it included a link to the company's mobile website. The page the link pointed to was one that featured Easter dresses. I can see that the entire campaign was not only simple, but also focused on a single event (Easter) and item customers would be interested in buying (dresses).

The other thing that made this campaign a good example of a successful text message marketing effort is that it anticipated the customer's needs. The business SMS message provided basic information about the promotion and how long it would run, and how the customer can buy the product.

This approach is also a good choice because SMS messages are much more likely to be opened by the recipient than marketing e-mails. With some text messages resulting in a read-through rate of 90 percent (as opposed to ten percent for e-mail communications), this type of SMS mobile marketing campaign is a winner for retailers.