October 30, 2014 Posted by Pocketstop in Text Message Marketing - M360, Pockestop News Social Share
If done correctly, the simplicity, versatility, personalization, measurability and effectiveness of text message marketing is sexy.
By way of introduction, my name is Brian Teague (@undergroundlair) and I’m Chief Technology Evangelist for Pocketstop. As a technology evangelist, one of my goals is to help companies better understand how they can leverage our Text Message Marketing, Loyalty and Rewards as well as our Multi-channel Mass Notification System solutions to solve common communication problems. During a recent sales call and during some subsequent research on Beacons and Apple Passbook, I was reminded of how sexy a solution text message marketing really is.
This is a Jerry Maguire moment. Finally, someone said it “Text message marketing is sexy and it works with the Inbox, which is the number one mobile app” Brian Teague – Chief Technology Evangelist Pocketstop. What a powerful combination and sometimes I wonder how long it will last. When will text message marketing go the way of the dinosaur and then I’m reminded of how powerful it is as evidenced by how it is now being used to deliver content to Apple Passbook. That’s when I get truly excited at the opportunity of finally converting the marketing technology laggards over to the number one marketing communications medium and there are plenty of them. You see, as Chief Technology Evangelist, I spend much of my time evangelizing all of our technologies and calling on companies who have yet to take the plunge. Out of all our solutions, text message marketing is the easiest entry point for us and it complements email marketing, which most everyone does. Moreover, most of our largest customers started out with text message marketing and then added our Loyalty and Rewards, Digital Asset Management and Notification platforms and services over time. So, why is text message marketing sexy and more importantly why should you use it?
- It’s regulated. The CTIA governs how marketers can use the technology. At first, I thought they were huge PITA, but over time I have come to realize that they are a necessary evil. Keeping the channel as close to SPAM free as possible is good for everyone.
- It’s personal. We give our mobile number to friends, family, organizations and companies that we trust. That’s why when we hear the ding or feel the buzz, we quickly reach for our phones and read whatever is in front of us.
- It’s versatile. It can be used for lead generation, to run contests and sweepstakes, for voting, to deliver coupons and clickable links to product information, apps, forms, surveys, Passbook/mobile wallet content etc… The possibilities are endless. It can even be used for notifications, reminders and to collect additional information such as email, zip code, gender, first name, Twitter handle etc…
- It’s effective. With a 90%+ read rate, no other marketing and communications medium is as effective in reaching the consumer.
- It’s direct. Think about this. If I have a household comprised of 5 people and I have everyone’s mobile numbers and permission, I can hit each member with a personalized message that’s sure to be received and read. Run that same scenario with any other marketing and communications medium and nothing comes close.
- It’s inexpensive. When you add up all the costs associated with the creation, management and distribution of a real email newsletter, text message marketing is less expensive.
- It’s easy. Create small, bite-size opt-in messages and ongoing communications and you’re done. For more sizzle, integrate text message marketing with current campaigns and offer something of value.
- It’s marketing friendly. Right out of the box, you can run contests and sweepstakes, use it for lead generation, capture additional information and have ongoing conversations. It’s a marketer’s dream!
- It’s measurable. You can use different keywords, across different advertising mediums, across different regions to track the source. Use time and date stamps to determine day-part.
- It’s sexy for all the reasons I just mentioned.
Still not convinced. It’s more than just text. It’s contextual and it leaves a digital trail. We’ll cover big data and location some other time.
To read more about how text message marketing is being used by Pocketstop’s clients, follow these links.
Case Studies
Pocketstop Powers WFAA Weather Alerts
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