Before the American Idol voting revolution, not many people were sending or receiving texts; today’s numbers are staggering with huge increases in the numbers of texts sent every day. This is undoubtedly a new form of communication with vast possibilities for marketing and Howie Schwartz can help you in your campaign! The bottom line is that text messages are rapidly replacing phone calls as the way Americans prefer to communicate. McDonald’s and the Discovery Channel have also offered various mobile marketing campaigns with great success, typically these types of mobile marketing campaigns are used to offer free products or send reminders of upcoming television shows. It is possible that 2010 may be the year of the mobile phone, and this seems likely considering all the new smart phones being released. Mobile phones are fast replacing computers as the primary manner in which people get online. If that’s true, online marketing is bound to take a huge hit, so get in on the mobile marketing craze early with Howie Schwartz.
In Australia we send, on average, five SMS messages per person every day. It is very widely used and accepted. SMS messages are quick, easy to ‘consume’, personal, immediate and not intrusive. Most of us have by now experienced receiving an SMS appointment reminder or a reminder for a bill that needs to be paid. These are personal – they relate specifically to me – relevant and helpful and as such we are happy to receive them. Applying the same rules when thinking about mobile communications with your customers will ensure that SMS messages are welcomed and seen as delivering improved customer service. Don’t imagine that you must type this out each time on your phone and send it manually; there are systems available today that will do this automatically. Every SMS message can also include an active link to a mobile website. More than 60% of phones in Australia today are internet enabled and approximately 10-15% of internet searches are today from mobile phones, up from near zero a couple of years ago. Within another 1 – 2 years these numbers will have again grown exponentially.
Although, it can be costly, it is linked to your company brand. People will start to associate your short code with your brand. The price is more than justified because it allows you to sidestep costly legal battles. If code sharing companies abuse the system, you might get into trouble as well. Be sure that you test your sites usability across different dynamics. It’s important to be certain that your recipients can to see the content you have sent. Limit your testing over specific devices and set up a testing account where you can ensure they are coming through correctly. You can have employees, family or friends be your testing group. If you plan on adding SMS to go along with your mobile marketing, be sure that you are honest about how many texts you will be sending out, and that you are set up with an opt-in mechanism. If SMS messages are done improperly it can harm your business because of the close tie-in with the notification system of the mobile device.
Modern consumers in dozens of countries across the globe have come to expect enormous amounts of information from businesses of all kinds, ranging from athletic shoe manufacturers and fast food vendors to real estate agents and mobile application developers, not to mention the myriad of companies which fall somewhere in-between. SMS messages, email, Twitter and Facebook updates are all streams of information that tech savvy consumers tap into for help making decisions about how and what to spend their limited disposable income. Using social media sites to communicate to customers is not an entirely brand new idea. But now that some companies have amassed large groups of friends and/or followers, they need to decide what to do with them. The more appropriate question to ask might be; what should companies do “for” their fans? Sending coupons or incorporating real world rewards with online activity are some avenues companies have used to translate their online presence into increased sales.
The next huge wave of growth in online advertising sales jobs will come from mobile marketing and text message advertising. Text message traffic has exploded in the past 4 years. According to the Direct Marketing Association 2010, the average number of texts sent per month over the past five plus years. All indicators show the numbers continuing to grow, and according to Erich Schmidt, Google’s Chief Executive, companies today should think about putting their mobile marketing efforts ahead of their Internet advertising campaigns. For that reason, many of the same people cutting their teeth in the Internet Marketing Arena and Online Advertising Business are salivating to jump on this next wave. Where is your cell phone right now? My guess is about no more 3 feet away. Let’s face it, we have become a mobile society. All you need to do is observe people and you’ll quickly realize why mobile marketing and text message advertising needs to be an intricate part of your marketing strategy. Do you know anyone without a cell phone? I don’t, and it is estimated as of December 2009, there were 286 million active cell phones subscribers in the United States with a population of 308 Million. We are more connected than ever before, we get information instantly, and as a result it’s not hard to understand why everyone has become so reliant their cell phones. Mobile phones are becoming the consumers primary connection point to the world around them. That is why it is estimated by 2015 one out of every three businesses in America will have a mobile marketing program. Are you going to watch the largest shift in communicative history, or take advantage of it? There is a huge need right now. Furthermore, for those willing to jump on this opportunity during the early days will have a chance to earn insane incomes.
The number of people who are using their cell phones for activities other than calling has skyrocketed in the past five years. These phones can help people find information quickly without having to be sitting in front of a computer. A good example of how people go online can be seen simply by looking at doctors. The number of doctors using smart phones has increased to 64%, according to Medical Marketing and Media. This number increased 20% just from 2008 to 2009. More and more doctors are using this as a method to find information and this simply supplements the time spent in front of the computer. This same trend is happening in business as well. People are living busier lives than ever and these phones can be a way to find information at that moment. So the next question is: how do you incorporate this mobile marketing into what you are doing with your business? If you run newspaper ads in which people can call for more information, you could also include a short message code.