SMS Marketing Campaigns: Personalized Connection with Customers

SMS marketing offers a way for companies to make contact with their customers in a highly targeted and personal way. There is a definite advantage to using this method over other methods, such as e-mail or social networking sites. These short, highly targeted SMS marketing messages are delivered directly to the recipient's cell phone and are more likely to be read (and ultimately acted upon) than other types of marketing messages.

Open rates for text messages are a very impressive 97 percent versus an open rate of 5-20% for email. It is easy to see that SMS marketing has the potential to be a much more effective mobile marketing strategy for getting your message across to buyers. Your business can send out as many messages as it likes, but sending out more messages does not necessarily mean that a higher percentage of your customers will act on them.

If you decide to launch an SMS marketing campaign, you will want to develop messages that are relevant to the recipient. Limiting contact to once or twice a week is a good strategy, since sending them more often may be interpreted by the recipient as spam. Make sure your messages are meaningful to the recipient, and you have a much better chance of converting one of the best practices for mobile engagement into action and sales

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.

The Future of Mobile Marketing is Looking Bright

Mobile marketing is an excellent means of business promotion, and  the recently released report from Catalyst Financial Resources LLC reinforces the growing popularity and effectiveness of this channel to reach consumers.

The Catalyst report was prepared in part because the company was surprised at how quickly U.S. consumers have embraced mobile technology. The number of smartphone owners continues to rise, and marketers have been quick to develop methods that deliver coupons andoffers directly to buyers on their handheld devices.

The report included the following interesting numbers:

•   Total advertising spending in the United States will increase from $158.9 billion in 2011 to $169.5 billion in 2012.

•   Online advertising spending will grow by 23 percent this year.

eMarketer has also made some interesting predictions: U.S. advertisers have spent $1.45 billion on their mobile advertising efforts. This is significantly higher than the $743 million spent in 2010. This impressive growth rate of 66 percent is predicted to continue.

Mobile technology has grown at this impressive rate due to a number of factors. Mobile phones and tablets have become more functional over time, and owners are able to access broadband wireless networks more readily now. As more and more consumers buy their first smartphone or tablet or upgrade their current mobile devices, I can see that they are more likely to spend time using them.

Businesses now have the opportunity to get their advertising messages directly into buyers' hands, and it looks like this trend will continue going forward.

Tips for a Successful SMS Marketing Campaign

 If you want to have a successful SMS marketing campaign, you need to have a plan in place. I want to suggest some strategies that can help you to make the most of this method of interacting with potential customers.

The first is to keep the text messages brief. Consumers who are receiving messages on mobile devices are not likely to take the time to review a lengthy message, so make each word count.

You will also want to make sure your target market knows exactly which company is sending out the messages. If the recipient doesn't recognize your business name or brand, he or she is likely simply to delete the message without acting on it.

Making sure the recipients of your text message marketing campaigns feel that they are part of an elite group is always a good strategy. Institute a type of loyalty rewards or VIP program and make sure that the recipients of your text messages are receiving offers that are not offered elsewhere.

The message should include a clear call to action for the recipient. If you are offering a special discount, make sure the customer knows that it will expire on a certain date. A clear cut-off will encourage the recipient to act on the offer in a timely manner.

If you want to develop a successful SMS marketing campaign, the strategies listed above will help you to reach this goal. Keeping your customers' needs in mind is the best way to get the results you are looking for.

Why Mobile Coupons Are Here to Stay

March 29, 2012 - Mobile coupons usage is expected to grow to approximately 300 million coupon users worldwide and over $6 billion in redemption rate revenue by 2014. Clearly, mobile coupons are an effective way to reach consumers and will not disappear like other trends in marketing.

Why will mobile coupons will be around for a long time to come? Here are a few good reasons:

•   They can be delivered directly into the consumer's hands quickly. Speed matters when it comes to mobile technology and virtual coupons definitely fit the bill.

•   The recipient doesn't have to take the time to clip them out or print them to take advantage of an offer. The age old issue of leaving coupons at home is eliminated as well.

•   Coupons offered on a smart phone can be targeted to a specific customer instead of the general population. Businesses can track buying habits of their customers and offer mobile coupons savings on products and services that they are likely to want.

•   The coupons can be made available to buyers in a certain location. If a customer is in or near a particular business and receives a coupon on his or her smartphone, he or she is more likely to use it (and make other purchases as well).

Consumers also find mobile coupons attractive because they can use them without having to reveal any personal information. In this time when many people are concerned about privacy issues, being able to use a coupon without having to provide a name, address, or phone number is a very attractive feature.

The biggest reason that I think mobile coupons will be with us for some time is that they can be used by several types of businesses to attract buyers. Restaurants, service stations, retailers, hair salons, and establishments can use them effectively.

Text Message Marketing Effective Strategy for Businesses

I was intrigued to learn that the majority of mobile phone users like to receive promotional SMS offers. The results of a survey conducted by YouGov indicate that 65 percent of mobile phone users fall into his category.

The survey results also indicated that 75 percent of smartphone owners prefer receiving offers via SMS, which indicates mobile SMS marketing can be an effective way to reach out to potential buyers. A full 83 percent of respondents stated that their preference would be to receive two offers per month, or less.

Unlike other types of marketing efforts, SMS messages are more likely to be opened by the recipient. I think that getting a prospective buyer to look at what is being communicated to him or her is half the battle. A business could be offering a wonderful product or service but if prospective buyers don't read the advertising messages, it is a moot point.

What do these survey results mean for your business? Now that you know that mobile phone users are willing to read SMS offers received on their handheld devices, add this element to your mobile marketing efforts. You will want to set up a schedule so that your target market receives your offers a couple of times a month to avoid overwhelming them with too many offers.

As long as you make sure that your messages are interesting and relevant to your target audience, you have a very good chance of having the recipient follow through by making a purchase.

Keep it Simple When Planning Your Mobile Marketing Campaigns

When deciding how to structure mobile marketing for your business, simplicity counts. I know that many business owners are interested in adopting this type of marketing method to reach out to customers, and for good reason: they work.

As mobile phones continue to become more popular with consumers, they will become increasingly more likely to depend on this technology to send and receive messages. Companies can use text message marketing to send messages to its customer list to provide information about special offers or promotions, turning browsers into buyers.

Since mobile phones and tablets have smaller screens than a desktop model, keeping the messages short and to the point is the way to go. A buyer who is out and about wants to receive marketing messages in bite-sized chunks, and mobile marketing campaigns are the perfect way to deliver the information they need to make a choice about where to buy a product or service quickly.

Along with keeping the messages simple, a successful mobile campaign will be one that doesn't forget that this type of marketing involves receiving, as well as sending, messages. Be ready to deal with inquiries from customers made from their hand-held devices and tablets so that they can receive the information requested in a timely manner.

Customers who are looking for information using their mobile phone are open to making a buying decision in the moment, and reaching out to them in this way will help to boost your bottom line.