Gibson using SMS marketing in a giveaway

There are numerous uses for SMS text message marketing, and it can work for numerous industries. restaurants, bars and clubs, events and retailers can all benefit from SMS marketing.

For example, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1959 Les Paul Standard, Gibson has started a contest where the prize is giving away a 50th anniversary Les Paul Standard from the Gibson custom shop. They're planning on promoting the contest at a few concerts, and to enter, the only thing people have to do is text "LPburst" to 85700--that's it! What a simple way to build customer loyalty and brand awareness.

SMS short code patent lawsuit

I was reading my daily mobile marketer tips when I saw this article marked “breaking news.” It is kind of difficult to imagine something so pressing and urgent in SMS text message marketing that it can actually be considered breaking news. Either way, it got me interested in reading more, which is exactly what I did.

Suffice to say, the article discusses how a lot of mobile marketing firms are being accused of SMS short code patent infringement. The article then goes on to say that a case of this magnitude could “roil” the mobile marketing industry and affect many SMS text messaging programs.

As you know, I have been asking over and over again why SMS text message marketing still has yet to take off in the US. But once again, though, an article of this kind of nature makes me wonder if SMS will still be as big as predicted since it was being touted at the hottest thing for 2009? Can something like this actually change the direction of mobile marketing? Especially when a similar case cost the makers of BlackBerry to payout over $612 million due to a past lawsuit.

2 dimensional bar code technology on consumer cell phones

I came across this very interesting article from Mobile Marketer about 2D bar code technology. I’ve already read and written a considerable amount on mobile coupons, however, this is the most I’ve read about the inclusion of a bar code in SMS text message marketing. The article states that LG and Samsung are already producing phones compatible with this technology. What are the odds that Apple will do the same or someting similar?

Not surprisingly, though, was the fact that the application is already available in Spain and more compatible models will be available in Europe soon. The article mentions that the application will be released in the US “eventually.” Why is the US still so behind on SMS marketing?

In addition to being used with mobile commerce, individual users will be able to make their own bar code that will link them to their contact information or various social networking sites.

When to use mobile coupons

Obviously, increasing product movement or service sign up is the main goal of sending out a SMS text message marketing campaign. However, there are numerous other uses for digital coupons, too.

A few additional ideas include:

1. product launches--a mobile coupon is less expensive than sampling a product
2. increasing a trial period, a mobile coupon can reintroduce a product when you’re trying to reach a new market
3. building a database, mobile coupons can help collect consumer information when you’re trying to build a database of prospects
4. improving attendance at events, sometimes events need a last minute boost and mobile coupons are a great way to reach people instantly

A few advantages of using mobile coupons

The numerous advantages of using digital coupons are virtually endless. However, the following is just a sample of a few great uses for SMS text message marketing:

1. Mobile coupons can help to drive traffic to your store, event, entertainment venue, restaurant or nightclub
2. Mobile coupons can help to add value to a purchase (many times people purchase more when they’re receiving a discount)
3. Mobile coupons can supply a direct discount to the consumer (you can use this advantage as a VIP-like service)
4. Mobile coupons can help to target and bring in new prospects

The many types of digital coupons

So far we have seen mobile coupons really take off within the nightclub industry. However, there are so many other uses that can make SMS text message marketing a great marketing tool across a lot of different business sectors. Here are some other ideas:

-offer cents off, dollars off or a percentage of a total purchase off

-offer a free item (can be great for product launches)

-offer buy one get one free (can apply to products or even months of service)

-offer time release coupons with varying expiration dates (encourages repeat business)

-offer a sweepstakes or prize entry with purchase

-offer no cover charge until a certain time

Intro to mobile coupons

What is a mobile coupon?

The MMA defines a mobile coupon as “an electronic ticket solicited and/or delivered by mobile phone that can be exchanged for a financial discount or rebate when purchasing a product or service.”

A few examples of what mobile coupons can be used for

Generally, coupons and rebates are tools that are used to increase sales and promote consumer or brand loyalty. A mobile coupon, used in a SMS marketing campaign, usually has the same goals as a standard paper coupon—to launch a new product, encourage repeat purchases, target specific markets or demographics and even respond to a competitors’ promotional offer.

The first step in a successful SMS marketing campaign—recruiting subscribers and building a list

The first step in a great SMS text message marketing campaign is to collect and get permission to gather consumer cell phone numbers. There are many ways in which you can do this. There’s the most basic way—have a sign up form on your Web site or allow customers to sign up right in your store, restaurant or nightclub. However, it is generally much more effective to come up with a creative tactic that offers more to the consumer—people love prizes, memberships, bonuses and other kinds of free stuff.

As you build your database of cell phone numbers, try to elicit more than just that one piece of information. Other things that may be of use are the consumers’ zip code, which will allow you to reach out and market to a particular geographic region. You can also ask for your customers’ hobbies and create announcements or special promotions based on specific interests. Your SMS text message marketing campaigns will be more successful the more information and demographics you collect—it never hurts to tailor your marketing campaigns!

The many benefits of SMS marketing

Like I’ve said before, SMS text message marketing is one of the newer and more innovative marketing channels out there today. However, many of the case studies I’ve read on SMS marketing show that it really does have a lot of promise.

Like e-mail marketing, SMS marketing should be included in most marketing strategies because of its high return on investment (ROI). Can companies and organizations in the competitive market of today afford not to benefit from one of the most economical means of marketing—especially when it has one of the highest response rates?

• There are many other benefits of SMS marketing. Some of them include:
  94% of all text messages are read, therefore, your marketing message will be seen by virtually all of the recipients of your campaign
• Since your subscribers have to double opt in to receive your coupons and promotional offers, it is obvious that they have an active interest in your business, as well as your products and service
• With text messages sent and received within minutes of starting your campaign, you can use mobile marketing for ad-hoc purposes, such as driving traffic to your store or restaurant on slow nights (e.g. Tonight only, buy an entrée get one free)
• Mobile marketing and coupons can be used for a wide range of purposes—product launches, one-day specials, new store openings and special events
• Subscribers can be treated as an exclusive group for offers, like VIPs, and information that only they have access to, increasing loyalty
• SMS marketing is incredibly cheap and simple to deploy

Text messaging as a marketing tool

SMS, or short message service, is most commonly known as receiving and sending a text messaging via a mobile phone. SMS is an innovative and exciting marketing channel for businesses of all types and industries using subscriber cell phones to distribute mobile coupons, promotional messages, information on product launches and even special alerts to their customers.

At the core of its effectiveness, SMS text message marketing is based on the concept of “choice.” People must request that they be sent your promotions and offers. This request is simply performed by texting a keyword to a five or six digit number, which is called a short code. Once the text message is received by the consumer, the business has that customer’s cell phone number available for use as a one-to-one marketing channel.

E-mail marketing vs SMS marketing preferences

Again, I was reading an interesting article that addressed high school and college aged students, and how much they read the marketing e-mails they receive. Interestingly enough, 26% of students surveyed responded by saying that their preferred method of communication is e-mail. What I found more interesting was that 37% claimed that they preferred to be contacted via SMS, also known as marketing by text message.

With almost 40% of high school and college aged people open and receptive to marketing via their cell phone, I start to wonder why SMS marketing has not become as big in the US as it has in other markets like Europe and Asia. For more information on how SMS text message marketing works, you can visit www.EXMMarketing.com

Trends for 2009?

So I was going through my Monday morning e-mail and an article caught my eye. It featured seven predictions for marketing and media in 2009. First and foremost, the article mentioned how everyone from Wall Street to the big media agencies and firms have agreed and determined that everyone will be cutting back on ad spending this year—across all industries.

I understand that times are tough and that it’s beyond sensible to slash budgets and tighten belts. But how much longer can we see consistent downward trends? The conventional types of advertising and marketing—tv, newspapers and magazines and radio—have all watched as their ad rates have become abysmal. Until more recently, there were numerous claims that e-mail marketing would not be effected by the current recession. However, now they’re saying that things will continue to decline—can e-mail marketing and search ads continue to grow in the present economic times? To find out more about e-mail marketing, you can visit Exmmarketing.com

Hello and welcome!

Welcome to my new blog. I’ve started this blog with the intention of blogging on a daily basis about e-mail marketing, SMS text message marketing, Web site design, Internet marketing–and possibly many things in between that relate.



I hope this blog will be a great source of information, inspiration and ideas regarding different and/or innovative marketing tactics.



I am planning on blogging about http://www.exmmarketing.com/, as this Web site is a great source of information. I hope we'll be able to share and exchange ideas regarding new marketing methods.