A text message is typically read within 15 minutes
and responded to within 60 minutes. With over
300 million wireless lines in the U.S. alone, mobile
marketing’s potential for success has never been
greater. But how do you get started and make
the most of
SMS marketing?
Here are some extra important SMS Marketing tips and tricks to help you!
1. After subscribers participate in one program, ask them if
they’d like to opt in for future SMS messages. For instance,
if they opted in to your event update program, offer them
incentives such as promotions or alerts. This will help you
build an opt-in database to kick-start future programs.
2. If you use several types of media to promote your campaign,
use a different keyword for each media type while keeping the
message the same. For instance, in one program you could
use the keyword COOL for print, ICE for in-store displays
and FREEZE for in-venue promotions. This will allow you
to measure which medium was most successful by comparing
results by keyword.
3. Offer incentives based on subscriber activity and preferences.
If subscribers show interest in a particular offering, send them
related promotions or content via SMS.
4. When promoting your vanity short code, always provide the
short code’s digits for recipients with a QWERTY keypad. For
example, “Text YES to 92259 (WACKY).”
5. Provide a directory that allows subscribers to text the word
HELP to get more information, particularly for more
complex or feature-rich programs.
6. Don’t think
mobile marketing is just for consumer marketing;
it can be used just as effectively in business-to-business
marketing. Consider adding mobile alerts if you market
to businesses – such as notices about upcoming Webinars
or podcasts, or offers of on-site incentives to conference
attendees.
7. Always respect the privacy of SMS subscribers by obtaining
their permission through an opt-in procedure, and never
purchase mobile phone number lists.
8. Most importantly, make sure you partner with the right
company to execute your mobile marketing. A partner like
AtomPark Software can offer support with carrier approval, program or
campaign development, metrics and analytics, and the
freedom to create and launch your campaigns in 165 countries!
Written by:
Paul Shuteyev