Archive for February, 2011

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Creative Decisions for Your SMS Marketing Campaign

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Of all the mobile marketing channels–SMS, MMS, banner ads, mobile websites, mobile video ads, mobile apps, and a couple of others–SMS is the least graphic-intensive. In fact, the completely text-based format of SMS offers marketers many benefits, including reducing both creative development time and resources needed to execute a campaign. Despite its simplicity, however, the SMS platform does still require marketers to make strategic creative decisions. Here’s a guide to shaping and designing the creative for your SMS marketing campaign.

SMS Message Options

Knowing the requirements, restrictions, and capabilities of SMS technology is essential to designing an SMS campaign. The 160-character limitation, for example, favors marketers with sharp copywriting skills–those who can write very economically but clearly motivate as well in just a few words.

Another example is compliance: rules about short codes and SMS messaging on different carriers (e.g., the requirement to add “MSG & DATA RATES MAY APPLY”) could also influence your design decisions, which is why working with a mobile agency who can guide you through the design process is really helpful. See below for the design elements for text message marketing.

Elements of an SMS Campaign

1. The Keyword: The word that users text in to the shortcode needs to be memorable, easy to type, and also relevant to your brand. It’s just a short word (usually 8-characters or less), but choosing that keyword (or keywords) can be one of the most parts of the creative picture for your SMS campaign.

2. Short Code: In many cases, because of the costs and timing involved, you’ll use a leased, random 5-digit short code that’s shared with other companies and that you can use for the length of your campaign. One strategic decision you have, though, is whether to procure a dedicated or vanity short code (e.g., BRANDS) instead of a shared and obscure one (e.g., 53421) for branding purposes. If so, another creative decision you’ll have to make is what the vanity code should be. CHASE and COKE are obvious choices for those brands, but for other companies the translation from brand name to short code may be harder to decide (e.g., Continental Airline’s short code is COCOM and The Weather Channel is CLIMA.).

3. Call To Action: As with other types of campaigns, the CTA is critical. Because there are so few elements of an SMS campaign, however, the call to action be the major factor. It involves the keyword and short code mentioned above (“Text KEYWORD to SHORTCODE”)–and should also include the benefit/value. Why should the consumer execute the CTA?

Therefore, another creative decision you’ll have to make is what to include as your value proposition in the call to action. “Text KEYWORD to SHORTCODE for a free trial” is not as strong as “Text KEYWORD to SHORTCODE for free music downloads”. The challenge for SMS campaign copywriters is to encourage action in just that one imperative sentence.

Considerations for the CTA include time-sensitivity (do you need to include words like “now” or “ending soon” to motivate your audience to take action?) and offer/value (are you communicating the best compelling–and obvious–reason for the consumer to interact with you?).

4. Supporting Media: This is the print, digital, or audio advertisement that invites the users to text the keyword in. The choice of media type, placement, and creative for that media placement (e.g., outdoor billboard or TV spot) will influence the success of the SMS marketing campaign more than anything else. The creative choices and options for other/mass media are many and varied and will require knowledgeable execution, naturally.

However, the extent with which SMS is integrated as an enhancement channel for those other media will determine the campaign’s success. For best results, the SMS call to action needs to be obviously and continuously displayed in the ads–a dedicated area on the TV ad, for example, that has the SMS call to action.

5. Message Flow: What happens when the user responds? Creative word choices for the call to action (keyword, short code, and offer) are just the first part of the equation.

After the user responds, you’ll need to send back a message in 160 characters or less, and that wordsmithing also needs to be considered. The reply message offers another opportunity to add some personality to your SMS messages, however short they are. You can say “thanks, dude” if it’s appropriate to your brand–but use carefully.

It’s helpful to create an SMS campaign message flow chart in Excel or other spreadsheet program, which contains a sort of script step-by-step of what should happen for each stage of the process, from the CTA displayed on the media, to the user texting in the response, to the system sending a reply with a link to the mobile website, etc. This can help you get a better feel for the elements needed and how to best select them.

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Segmenting Your Subscriber Lists for Better Marketing Results

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

Since its inception, mobile marketing has been successful in reaching millions of people that other advertising mediums often fail to reach. Almost every American adult owns a cell phone and 90% of them use text-messaging. Americans typically carry their phones with them everywhere they go, which means that SMS marketing can reach consumers anytime, anywhere. And while you want to make sure all your subscribers know about your current promotions, alerts, and discounts, you should also remember that no promotion will be equally valuable to every subscriber. You can maximize the effectiveness of your marketing strategy by segmenting your subscribers according to their indicated preferences and purchase habits. Then use these lists to send out targeted offers guaranteed to produce the highest ROI.

Segment Your List According to Interest

Don’t miss opportunities to learn about your customers’ preferences. Let them communicate with you by inviting them to rate a purchase or service via text. This lets you know which products are most appealing and satisfying, while also letting your customers know that their feedback is valued. Additionally, make regular use of voting campaigns that invite users to vote for a preference among several choices. To make sure that people respond, include a giveaway or make sure that the winning choice gets translated into a special offer. For instance, a restaurant or bar may invite people to vote for a favorite dish or drink and then offer that week’s winner as next week’s special. Retail and entertainment establishments can do the same with their products by offering a limited-time discounted price for winning items. These kinds of campaigns are fun and give subscribers a say over product offerings. It also gives your business valuable opportunities to learn about your customers’ preferences. An application like TextBoard will keep track of each voter’s choice, allowing you to tailor future offers to them based on indicated preferences.

Segment Your List Based on Click-Tracking

A click-tracking feature, which is available in TextBoard, enables you to keep track of subscribers who followed a URL from a text to your mobile site. Customers who click on links contained in text messages obviously own smart phones, and in pushing them from text to site, you can learn about their purchase habits and follow them all the way to the point of sale. Users who own smart phones can be marketed to in ways that take fuller advantage of mobile websites; send them offers that can be redeemed immediately, while offers to those owners without smart phones can be for things purchased later, either online or on site. Take the analysis one step further by utilizing User Agent data to discern the actual type of device being used, letting you know about your subscribers’ technology preferences.

Segment Your List Based on Level of Engagement

Tracking the indicated interests and purchase habits of subscribers is great for those who participate, but what about your users who don’t click a link or register a vote in your campaign? TextBoard, and other applications that analyze data from SMS campaigns, can segment subscriber lists according to subscribers’ active engagement with your brand. Every single person on your list is there because he or she opted in to your campaign. Therefore, at one time you offered something relevant. And every single person is still with you because he or she has not opted out. Therefore, your business is still capable of reaching them. Some users are simply less engaged with text marketing than others, but if you find that you have a sizeable number of subscribers who haven’t visited your site or engaged your SMS campaigns lately, TextBoard can send a message to just those people inviting them back with a special incentive.

Once you have executed one or more successful SMS campaigns, take advantage of sophisticated analytics that let you segment your lists in ways relevant to your product offerings. With usefully segmented lists, you can send more customized offers and follow-ups. You can also measure level of engagement and see which subscribers pass your offers on to their friends and family. Knowing about the usage habits of your clients allows you to reach them in ways most beneficial to both of you

Posted in Campaigns, How-to, Marketing | No Comments »

Mobile Marketing Plays from Super Bowl Sunday

Friday, February 25th, 2011

In the USA, Super Bowl Sunday is famous for the quality (or occasional lack of quality) and zany nature of its television ads. It’s far from cheap for a company to buy ad time during the Super Bowl, so businesses that invest in Super Bowl spots try to run their absolute best work.

Now that the dust has settled, let’s look at a few of the mobile-related marketing campaigns advertisers used in their Super Bowl TV ads this year.

Pepsi
In the days leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, Pepsi launched a multi-channel marketing campaign targeting Hispanic audiences. Their offer: a customized Super Bowl poster. Respondents had the option of sending photos of themselves and friends or family members to http://www.pepsicampeones.mobi, and receiving in return a Super Bowl poster with their own photos in the poster.

Pepsi advertised the campaign by attaching QR codes, the SMS keyword and the URL for the dedicated mobile site to their point of sale materials nationwide.

NFL
The NFL was actually quite busy with mobile marketing during the game. Not only did they have a text call to action (text NFL to 8915 to receive game highlights), they also steered viewers to the mobile site to vote for the MVP. Unfortunately, several users reported that the short code from the ad didn’t work.

Budweiser
The King of Beers not only had a rather high-rated TV ad during the Super Bowl, they also increased buzz dramatically by running the spot as an iAd. iPhone owners have the option of clicking on the ad and downloading “Tiny Dancer” from iTunes for free.

Chase Bank
Chase’s commercial highlighted its mobile banking feature, specifically an app that allows customers to take a snapshot of a check and have that check deposited directly into their accounts. Chase also offers other common mobile banking services, like text alerts when the balance on an account drops below a preset minimum.

SalesForce
The company’s TV ad was apparently supposed to convey the message that their mobile application would increase productivity. Unfortunately the ad was so muddled that it was hard to understand what they were trying to say, and the spot was voted one of the worst Super Bowl commercials overall.

The most surprising aspect of this year’s Super Bowl was not who won, but how few of the advertisers actually featured mobile marketing. Chris Urinyi, CEO for the Americas at Lightspeed Research, estimated that smart phone usage during the game would easily double the volume of PC usage. It seems odd that so few advertisers were apparently aware of that fact.

Given the huge percentage of consumers who have cell phones, the rapidly increasing market penetration of smart phones, and the number of businesses that have adopted mobile marketing in one form or another, it’s fairly odd that so few of these widely viewed (and prohibitively expensive) ads even referenced mobile devices. Since these companies paid around $3 million dollars for each ad, it would seem logical for them to maximize viewer response by offering mobile options.

Even Groupon, which is heavily dependent on mobile usage, didn’t offer a text call to action or even mention mobile access. Of course, Groupon’s choice of subjects for its commercials is widely considered a horrible lapse in judgment, so perhaps neglecting the mobile angle was merely one small aspect of their overall marketing disaster and PR nightmare.

Marketing 101 teaches us to always include a compelling offer and call to action. Nearly all of this year’s Super Bowl advertisers apparently missed that class, at least where mobile marketing is concerned.

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Google’s and Apple’s Plans for Mobile Commerce

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

These days, people want to do everything from their mobile phones — including looking up local information, researching products and comparison shopping, and, ultimately, paying for items in store (without their wallets). With consumers more mobile than ever and smartphones now outselling PCs, major retailers, banking institutions, and tech developers are taking notice. Google and Apple are two of the biggest examples of companies with eyes on the potentially lucrative mobile commerce pie. Here’s what their NFC (Near Field Communication) — a technology that enables mobile payment — and ad systems plans will mean for consumers and marketers. 

What is NFC?

First, let’s explore what Near Field Communications, or NFC, is and how it works on Google’s Android, Apple’s iPhone, and other mobile phone platforms.

NFC is a short-range technology that uses a combination of hardware (NFC chips) and software (the smartphone operating system) to enable mobile commerce — e.g., mobile payment or m-payment — as well as other advanced functions, such as using a smartphone as a car starter or hotel key, automatically loading information about a specific location you’re in, and more.

For mobile payments, an NFC-enabled smartphone enables a user to turn his or her device into a virtual wallet, so to speak. At the store, all the customer has to do to pay for an item is wave the mobile phone in front of a retailer’s sensor, and the purchase will automatically be deducted from his or her banking account or charged to his or her credit card of choice. The process is quick and requires just one universal object on the user’s part — the item consumers are most likely to have on them at all times: their cell phones.

In addition, payments made by NFC-enabled devices are fundamentally more secure than typical plastic credit cards that have the account numbers imprinted on them; numerous cases of identity theft and retail- and restaurant-based scams (where employees steal customers’ credit card information or swap fake cards for customers’ cards while they’re dining or shopping) prove that there’s a lot more room for security and consumer protection when it comes to point-of-sale purchases made by credit card.

The information on an NFC-enabled device, however, is encrypted and password protected.

Google’s NFC Androids

At Mobile World Congress 2011 last week, Google exec Eric Schmidt confirmed that NFC technology — combined with mobile advertising using NFC chips — presents a “mega opportunity” for Google. Google’s new Nexus S Android smartphone, for example, which has an NFC chip built in, is just one example of a coming wave of Android smartphones that can be used to: find a consumer’s location, give him or her nearby store recommendations, report discounts or coupons available for every retailer or product, show product availability at each nearby store, and let the consumer purchase the item with just his or her cell phone.

NFC technology, though around for quite a while, is just taking off. It was included in the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system in December. That same month, Google launched its first NFC marketing service: Google distributed new “Recommend on Google” window stickers with an NFC chip embedded in them to local businesses in Portland, Oregon. Nexus S smartphone owners (and those with other NFC-enabled phones) can simply touch their phones to the sticker to get more information about the business, such as restaurant reviews.

Apple’s NFC Technology

NFC is no less important to Apple, now the biggest technology company in the world. Apple’s reported Near Field Communication plans of building NFC chips into the next generation of iPhone smartphones could definitely make mobile payments much more popular. Tying NFC into the company’s cash cow, iTunes, could dramatically transform Apple into the biggest company in the world, in fact.

iTunes is a widely adopted payment processing system as it is already. All iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users (and many others who buy digital content on iTunes) have to go through the iTunes gateway to get to their content. A mobile payment system within iTunes at the core can lead to nationwide adoption of mobile (or NFC-enabled) technology. Recent rumors about NFC being built into iPhone 5 and later Apple devices have certainly spurred interest in the field.

Retailer Implementation and Marketers’ Adoption

All of this depends, however, on retailer support of NFC. It matters little if Google Android or Apple iPhone smartphones can do mobile transactions if the retailers themselves can’t support the payments.

All of the signs lead to this being a very lucrative space for marketers and advertisers, however. Besides getting reports of actual retail sales, with NFC you may be able to measure and authenticate the secure viewing of each of your ads, confirming actual consumer engagement with your creative. You can leverage mobile’s one-to-one communication to deliver personalized offers at the point of purchase. And then, of course, there are the email, mapping, and browser history tie-ins…

The mobile phone, in other words, is fast becoming a way for consumers to do all of their critical information-gathering, social-sharing, and shopping activities. For mobile marketers, it may not matter whether Google or Apple takes the lead in NFC. What matters most is if we’re prepared to help mobile consumers make informed shopping and checkout decisions at point of sale.

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Building Trust with SMS Marketing

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

Perhaps nothing is as important — and needs to be protected as strongly — as your customers’ trust. It’s key to retaining valuable customers over the long term. Because SMS marketing delivers your messages to people on their most private devices (their cell phones), building proactive consumer privacy practices into your SMS marketing program is essential for your mobile marketing — and, in general, your brand’s — success.

Privacy Matters More Than Ever in the Mobile Channel

The public has long been inundated with advertising and we’re all pretty tired of online pop-up ads and email inboxes full of spam. Emails and online ads are less trusted today than direct SMS messages (and mobile display ads) because the mobile environment hasn’t yet been polluted with intrusive ads that disrespect users’ privacy. The key word here is “yet” — if we want to continue developing this last great opportunity in marketing, and take advantage of all that mobile promises, as marketers we need to establish a trusted environment where the users’ needs and privacy are at the forefront.

This is something that consumers are demanding today. Their cell phone numbers are one of their most heavily guarded pieces of information. Besides seeing their cell phones as very personal devices, most consumers know that their mobile phones can identify them as individuals and even pinpoint their whereabouts.

To gain access to this highly valued information — and protect it once your customers entrust it over to you — consider the following approaches:

Create a clear opt-in and opt-out process for your SMS marketing list

An easy to understand and clear opt-in and opt-out system for your SMS marketing list builds trust. A poor or absent one can damage your brand if users are confused when they receive text messages from you and don’t remember signing up or find it difficult to unsubscribe.

Make sure that your opt-in form on your website and your text messages that subscribe customers to your SMS marketing list meet the following criteria:

  • Require users to check a box to signal consent to the program’s terms and conditions. Don’t have any consent forms already pre-checked for the user.
  • Send a confirmation that the user has been added to the marketing list (“Thanks for joining our text message mailing list”).
    • A double opt-in process, where the user has to send back a reply or click a link in the text message or email to confirm they want to subscribe isn’t a hassle for users. Rather, it sends the message that you care about their privacy.
  • Clearly spell out how to unsubscribe from your marketing list — on your website and with every few messages you send them.
    • It’s beneficial to ask why they’re unsubscribing (do they no longer need the information? get too many messages or messages that are sent too frequently from you? get too many messages from all sources? some other reason?) — and then you can improve your SMS marketing for the future. However, don’t make users go through too many hoops in the unsubscribe process.
  • Detail how often you plan on sending them messages and what kind of benefits they’ll get (e.g., “We’ll send you exclusive information and offers you can redeem on your phone about every two weeks”).
    • If you’re sending location-triggered text messages, it’s extremely important that you highlight that the messages will be automatically sent based on their locations. It can be unnerving (even creepy) for users to suddenly get text messages that know where they are, unless the users have signed up for this specifically.
  • Assure users that you will not rent, sell, or otherwise distribute their information.

Send Only Relevant Messages

Relevance is key in this space. Only send messages based on the topics each segmented marketing list has signed up for (e.g., coupons or new or sports news or local restaurant recommendations). Some consumers want coupons only and will be offended even if you text them information on the same topic that doesn’t have an offer.

Time Your Messages
The sooner you can send your text message response for any information a user requests, the better. Send your reply immediately, if you can, since mobile is fast becoming an on-demand media.

Besides times when users are actively requesting information, other key times to send your SMS marketing messages are when people are most likely to be commuting (rush hour mornings and afternoons) and early evenings.  If you send advertisements or marketing messages when users are most likely to be busy, your messages may be seen as intrusive or break the privacy consideration rule.

Follow MMA Guidelines

Finally, make sure your marketing programs follow legal and “best of practice” mobile marketing guidelines for gaining and preserving trust from your mobile customers.

After all, it’s the most valuable asset you have.

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How To Use Unique SMS Capabilities for Customer Life Cycle Marketing

Monday, February 21st, 2011
SMS is an incredible tool for both mass and direct consumer marketing, and it can help make traditional media more interactive, actionable, and measurable. One less commonly lauded (or implemented) uses of SMS, however, is for customer life cycle marketing — maximizing the quality of your interactions with your customers, from first contact and acquisition through growing them into your loyal advocates.

SMS marketing campaigns are ideal for customer life cycle programs because they’re easy to set up and quick to implement, as well as being highly cost-efficient. Even better, with TextBoard’s SMS marketing platform, you can greatly simplify the whole process by making the targeted message timing automated.

TextBoard’s exclusive staggered SMS marketing campaigns will send your custom messages at predetermined intervals based on when an individual joins your mobile subscriber list. This means you can time your messages to reach customers at key points in their relationship with your brand or organization, rather than on a set calendar schedule (though scheduled SMS marketing campaigns are also available). It makes customer life cycle marketing much easier to implement and reduces overhead costs.

For example, you can set up a staggered SMS marketing campaign that first sends a welcome message (or series of messages) to your new subscribers, thanking them for joining and providing a quick tip to help customers get the most out of your service or learn to use the product.

At regular intervals after the first welcome messages, you can use SMS marketing to:

  • remind them it’s time for service needs (e.g., “it’s been three months since your last oil change”)
  • let customers know of yearly renewals or upgrades (e.g., “your computer warranty is about to expire; renew soon to keep your service up”)
  • ask them for feedback (e.g., “now that you’re an expert user, let us know what you think of the product”)
  • provide special customer retention offers (e.g., “happy one year anniversary! here’s an exclusive 25% coupon for our most valued customers”)
  • reengage inactive customers (e.g., “it’s been a while since we’ve seen you at the store. come back this month for a special welcome back gift”)
  • encourage them to become your advocates (e.g., “thanks for being a loyal member! if you like our service, please forward this offer to your friends”)
  • and more…

In other words, you can use SMS to educate customers, retain them, and win their loyalty. This approach can be used for all verticals, and is especially good for local businesses, consumer service providers, tourist locations or hotel and hospitality companies, and non-profit charitable organizations.

SMS messages are short and sweet, and because of the direct and personal nature of the medium, customers tend to open them at high rates. They’re more willing to receive frequent SMS communications — if the messages are relevant to them. By timing your text messages according to where each customer is in his/her stage of relationship with you, you increase relevance and campaign effectiveness.

Include SMS marketing in your overall long-term marketing strategy and you can create greater customer loyalty, going beyond simple campaigns and coupons to build an ongoing, valuable relationship.

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Highlights from the Mobile World Congress

Saturday, February 19th, 2011

Mobile World Congress is the world’s largest trade show and conference for mobile industry professionals. The four-day event, hosted by the GSM (Groupe Speciale Mobile) Association, was recently held in Barcelona, and over 50,000 mobile leaders from around the world went to talk about mobile technology, network with each other, and show off new mobile offerings. If you weren’t able to make it to Spain this year, don’t worry, here are some highlights from the event and mobile trends to look out for, based on the show.

Google Is Really Focusing On Mobile

Google’s presence was dominating at the Mobile World Congress. The company’s huge booth was more like a playground, with a slide and, of course, giant green Android robots. Google used an interesting marketing tactic at MWC too: there were Android pin badges that event goers could collect (86 in total, each with a different version of the Android robot) — if they visited all of Google’s partners’ stands, such as HTC and Samsung.

Android come a long way — most of the smartphones introduced at MWC, such as teh Samsung Galaxy S II, Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play (or PlayStation phone), and 5 smartphones introduced by HTC — were based on the Android OS. Google’s strong marketing and branding tactics at the show reinforces how important the mobile space has become and signals the search giant’s intention to pour more resources into developing for mobile users.

Tablets Are Definitely Part of the Mobile Landscape Now

Mobile World Congress 2011 also saw new tablets introduced. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab line will now include a 10.1” version that runs the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) tablet-friendly operating system. HTC introduced a 7” tablet, the HTC Flyer, that allows users to write on the screen with a special pen. And LG presented a tablet with 3D video recording capabilities and viewing via 3D glasses; it also differs from other tablets in size — the Optimus Pad, also known as the G-Slate, will be 8.9”.

These new larger-screen mobile devices present additional opportunities for marketers and brands to engage customers on the go. Expect mobile rich media advertising to really take off once tablet adoption hits critical mass. This won’t happen for some time, but it’s a trend to keep an eye on and plan for in the future.

It’s All About the Mobile Ecosystem

The new buzz word in mobile is “ecosystem,” thanks to Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop. Mobile software platforms have become all-important (as Android’s domination of MWC shows). Nokia and Microsoft’s new strategic partnership is aimed to help both companies reach a larger range of market segments and strengthen each other’s offerings. The Nokia + Microsoft ecosystem will extend across all types of their mobile hardware and software products.

With Android, Apple’s iOS, and now this Nokia-Microsoft partnership, mobile platform development is taking the stage, and we can expect even more compelling consumer experiences, applications, and, yes, targeted advertising opportunities. (The combination of Nokia Maps and Microsoft’s Bing and adCenter advertising platform can make geo-targeted marketing and location-based advertising easier for marketers.)

The Mobile Marketing That Wins Is Interactive

GSMA’s Global Mobile Award for the Best Mobile Advertising and Marketing Campaign went to Mobilera – Outeractive for their Unilever Cornetto Multiplayer Interactive Wall Projection Mapping Game. The campaign involved projecting a game — a Cornetto-branded Pacman game — on a large wall of a building in Turkey. In the multiplayer game, up to 5 users at a time could play by pressing keys on their mobile phones; players who collected 3 ice creams within 45 seconds received an SMS message with a unique code redeemable instantly for free ice cream from the Cornetto stands.

The campaign worked because it was fun, and that in turn made the campaign more viral. More than 250 people played each day.

Other notable aspects of the game include the ease with which passersby could play, since all they needed was their mobile phones to participate. Also, SMS messaging was the delivery vehicle for the unique offer redemption — underscoring the strength of the SMS platform for instant delivery and cross-channel integration.

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Who’s Leading Your Mobile Strategy? Qualities of Effective Mobile Marketers

Friday, February 18th, 2011

A company’s mobile advertising and marketing success will often depend upon the person (or people) running the program. While general marketing knowledge and skills are essential qualifications for the job, the task of managing an ongoing SMS marketing or other mobile program also requires some additional, unique talents.

Whether you’re looking for a mobile marketing agency to handle your program for you or are considering having a dedicated in-house mobile marketing executive, below are the skills and experience that should be considered in your search for the best candidates. (The requirements below can even help you when developing an actual job description — for internal promotion or hiring a new employee — or seeking a new mobile agency of record.)

Strong Marketing Knowledge and Skills

Mobile marketing requires a similar skill set as other types of marketing. SMS marketing, for example, can be a key type of direct marketing, and therefore involves consumer behavior strategy, data measurement, consumer segmentation, and copywriting: use mobile analytics to understand your customers’ mobile habits and preferences, segment your SMS marketing customer lists, and create targeted text messages for those customer groups.

The mobile channel helps marketers achieve all sorts of broad marketing goals, including brand awareness and increased sales. Mobile marketers need to understand how consumers are influenced by different types of ads, what makes certain calls to action more effective than others, and how to measure the performance of a marketing campaign against its goals.

Fundamentally, mobile marketers need overall marketing strategy acumen.

  • Ask the individual/agency: what are their general marketing skills and experiences?

Familiarity with Web Marketing and Technology

Mobile marketers also have a lot in common with digital or interactive marketers, which is why online marketing executives are often assigned the responsibility for mobile initiatives and the budget for mobile is frequently taken from the overall interactive budget.

To be sure, mobile marketers need some understanding of rich media and dynamic ads — the more tech-savvy and the greater the understanding of landing pages, Web metrics, in-game ads, video ads, and other rich media, the better. Consumers are increasingly becoming more mobile and also more media-focused and Internet-dependent than ever before.

  • Ask the individual/agency: what online marketing background do they have? What new challenges do they think mobile advertising presents compared to traditional online advertising?

Understanding of Mobile’s Unique Characteristics

On the other hand, SMS marketing should not be confused with email marketing, and mobile banner ads should not necessarily be approached the same way as other display ads.

Mobile marketers need a firm understanding of SMS character limitations and strengths (such as its immediacy, high viral potential, and geo-location capabilities). There are also different protocols and laws involved with SMS marketing and mobile marketing, which your mobile chief will need to become familiar with.

  • Ask the individual/agency: how do they see mobile marketing’s role in the overall marketing strategy? What specific mobile marketing background do they have? What are their thoughts on SMS marketing, mobile display ads, mobile video, and other subsets of mobile advertising?

Attention to Matters of Privacy

Mobile may be the most private, highly guarded space for consumers. For this reason, mobile marketers should be aware of — or at least ready to quickly learn — the opt-in and opt-out requirements for mobile campaigns and best practices in mobile marketing consumer privacy protection.

  • Ask the individual/agency: how familiar are they with mobile privacy issues and opt-in/opt-out processes? Can they help your organization comply with all necessary regulations?

Enthusiasm, Flexibility, and Willingness to Learn

For mobile programs to work, they need as much internal (and high level) support as possible. Having on staff a dedicated mobile marketing executive — and/or contracting an external mobile marketing agency — signals how strongly the organization feels about mobile marketing. Mobile marketers and agencies who meet that responsibility with genuine enthusiasm about the mobile space will be the most effective.

The mobile industry is rapidly evolving and will continue to do so at incredible rates. While the best mobile agencies and staff members will need to have strong marketing skills and be tech savvy, being able to adapt to the changing landscape will also ensure your mobile program keeps up with consumers’ needs on the go.

  • Ask the individual/agency: how do they feel about recent mobile trends and the future of mobile?

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6 Ways To Make Your SMS Marketing More Viral

Thursday, February 17th, 2011
SMS marketing has a high viral quotient — people enjoy forwarding great offers or interesting news to their friends, and they can do so easily and directly with their cell phones. Because viral marketing can exponentially increase your brand awareness and help you achieve other marketing objectives, it pays to maximize as much as possible the likelihood of your customers to pass along your SMS marketing texts. Below are a few ideas for making your text message marketing more viral.

1. Always Include a “Share with a friend” Prompt

It’s easy to overlook this basic rule, but having that message or request for the recipient to share your text with a friend can make all the difference in whether the message will be shared. Just like the popular Facebook and Twitter buttons on websites, a visible reminder to spread the word will increase the likelihood of your campaign going viral.

One of the 7 success factors in mobile viral marketing identified in a multi-case research study a few years ago was “perceived ease of use” — how much the person believes that forwarding the mobile message would be effortless. SMS is one of the simplest forwarding mechanisms.

If, however, you don’t have enough room in your SMS marketing message due to the 160-character limitation, include the prompt in your mobile landing page and other materials.

2. Send VIP Offers

The best performing SMS marketing campaigns are ones where the recipients believe they’re getting added value or some substantial benefit, whether your program offers exclusive content or high-value mobile coupons. If you send exclusive offers to your mobile marketing customer list, you’ll likely increase customer loyalty. You can leverage this brand affinity by letting your VIP customers know that their friends can get these valuable offers if they join your list as well.

SMS messages that tend to be forwarded the most are coupons, entertainment content, and applications like greeting cards.

3. Offer Incentives for Sharing Your SMS Marketing Messages

Motivate your customers with rewards for passing along your text messages. You can set up an SMS contest or sweepstakes, for example, and give customers extra entries for each friend they sign up. A campaign for the game Resident Evil, for example, allotted gamers points for forwarding an SMS from the video game’s website; each point increased the prize the contestant could win.

Keep in mind that while incentives are great motivators, most people will only want to pass along text messages that make them look well-informed or helpful (rather than marketing shills). So make sure the incentives for the friends are truly valuable offers or useful information, and be wary about the frequency or aggressiveness of these kinds of campaigns.

4. Let Your Customers Give Mobile “Gifts”

Especially around gift-giving holidays, you can turn an offer into a special way for your customers to give their friends or family members a present — a cool and memorable mobile one. For example, you can send your mailing list (or advertise this offer in other media) a text message offer to send their friends a free dessert at your restaurant, a $5 discount on a beauty treatment, or any other offer of your choosing. When the customer texts in to respond to the offer, have them forward the message to their friends, who can then show the message at your establishment to redeem their gift.

5. Identify Your Influencers

People who have high social networking presence and tend to influence others are valuable customers. But they also have a high probability of being courted by one of your competitors. For both these reasons, identifying and reaching out to your best advocates is an important marketing success factor. Use mobile analytics and your mobile marketing lists to identify who are the most frequent receivers and senders of your SMS marketing messages — then encourage them to stay local customers by treating them as VIPs.

6. Integrate with Social Media Efforts

You can also complement your SMS marketing strategy with your social media marketing strategy. If you have many more Twitter or Facebook followers than you do mobile subscribers, remember to regularly advertise the benefits of your text message marketing program to them.

“Following” or conversing with influencers outside of your mobile marketing space may also yield great results — you never know if one tweet about your mobile coupon will be picked up by a celebrity and forwarded to their thousands of fans.

SMS Marketing & Viral Push: Low Investment, High Impact

The great thing about viral marketing is it may not cost you anything extra to implement. And even when you factor in the cost of coupon offers or other incentives, the lifetime value of an opt-in customer who may be likely to help you market your brand — for free — is well worth the effort.

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Full-time Web Application Developer Position

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

We, OIR Interactive (the developers of TextBoard) are currently seeking a full-time, on-site Web Application Programmer/Developer with a minimum of 2 years experience in programming and developing websites and web applications.

Qualifications:

Proven skills and experience with the following are required:

  • HTML (XHTML)
  • CSS
  • PHP
  • SQL (MySQL)
  • XML
  • JavaScript  (jQuery please!)
  • AJAX
  • Unix/Linux server management/administration

Familiarity with Flash, Flex, web services, Object Oriented Programming and source control (subversion), and design patterns is a bonus.

Job Duties

Duties would primarily consist of developing and maintaining websites, web applications, and other various web-related systems and content. Applicants must provide an example/portfolio of work with each of the above mentioned skill sets.

Success Factors

The chosen candidate must be a team player, producing deliverables on time and under budget, with limited supervision. Key success factors for this position include:

  • Creativity
  • Solution-oriented thinking
  • Ability to grasp new concepts quickly
  • Abstract thinking
  • Interest in the variety that comes with balancing multiple projects
  • Eagerness to learn
  • Self-motivation to stay on the cutting edge
  • Strong desire for continued personal and professional growth

This position is a salary position.

To apply for this position please email your resume to jobs@oirinteractive.com

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