Mobile marketing and messaging
Thursday, October 4th, 2012
While the Pew Research Center estimates that more than 80 percent of U.S. adults own a mobile device, my guess is almost 100 percent of businesspeople have one. And with 97 percent of text messages read within fifteen minutes of being received (Nielson Mobile), text messaging should be part of your event and member marketing and engagement strategy.
For marketers, these 160 character SMS (short message service) messages are an excellent tool to reach your audience anytime, anywhere – whether it’s for events, interactive ads and contests, surveys or loyalty clubs.
Best success is achieved when a qualified audience is built through a mobile or web-originated subscription. To encourage members or potential attendees to sign up for a text service, incentives are usually used. This can be anything from a coupon or discount, charitable donation on their behalf, giveaway or entry into a prize drawing. Interactive trivia contests or scavenger hunts are popular, too. Subscribers must always be given the option to opt out at any point after subscribing to your service.
Events are finding great success with text messaging:
• Before the event, text messages can be used to drive registrations, create a buzz, check interest in session topics or presentations and to make promotions interactive.
• During the event, subscribers can text to win contests and receive updates or alerts on demos or presentations. Texts can be used to move traffic around a show floor and attract people to specific exhibitors or booths.
• After the event, get feedback through text messages, and stay in touch all year to promote other events and initiatives.
While it’s possible to manage your own mobile subscriptions and marketing deployments, there are several good reasons to consider an outside agency for the project:
• There are constant changes in the heavily regulated mobile marketing industry by the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission. Someone will have to stay on top of the regulations and administer them correctly.
• You’ll want your mobile messages to be compatible with all mobile devices. This may be more IT work than you want to deal with.
• Those who write mobile messages for a living have experience getting results.
The important thing at this point is to get started. Mobile marketing and messaging is a trend that’s only going to grow.
For some sample text messages you can use — and to add your own — check out the discussion here.
Becky Bushnell is the Communications Manager for Engaging Results Communications, a full service mobile marketing firm. She can be reached at becky@engagingresultscomm.com. Or visit www.engagingresultscomm.com.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
