Summary: Follow our guidelines on how to run a flawless SMS marketing campaign that will not alienate customers

Despite the proliferation of smartphones, the majority of mobile phones sold in 2011 were simple text-enabled devices.

A recent report from market research firm International Data Corporation revealed that total shipments of smartphones last year reached 491.4 million units, a rise of 61.3 per cent from 2010. However, they still accounted for under a third (31.8 per cent) of all phone shipments, meaning that SMS marketing remains an effective method for firms to reach their customers.

As a relatively new addition to the marketing mix, many companies may be unsure of best practices that should be adhered to when running an SMS marketing campaign. With text messaging being a particularly personal form of communication, it is vitally important that firms take into account the reaction of recipients to any promotional messages.

Our guide will run down some of the key guidelines to follow to ensure that businesses do not alienate their audience with a barrage of unwelcome text messages. 

Obtain permission 

Perhaps the most strict rule for marketers to adhere to: mobile phone users will not be receptive to text messages which they did not sign up to receive.

In addition to the legal obligations to do so, obtaining consent before sending promotional material will undoubtedly boost the success of the campaign as subscribers will be more interested in messages from companies they have a past relationship with and have expressed a willingness to receive content from.

Summary: Our guide will show you how to make the most of your SMS marketing campaigns

SMS marketing has exploded in recent years as more firms look to capitalise on the growing rate of mobile phone ownership across the world.

Figures from The International Telecommunication Union show that there were 1.46 billion mobile subscriptions in the developed world last year, which averages as at least one mobile phone per person.

With mobile phones outnumbering people, marketers can be almost certain of getting in touch with their clients and potential customers wherever they are. However, a high proportion of mobile devices does not guarantee success.

Many firms may be used to email marketing, where they are given a large amount of space for words and pictures to convey their message. SMS marketing varies greatly from its older sibling as there are just 160 characters available and firms must make the most of them.

Our guide will run through all the key points to help you achieve success in your SMS marketing campaign.

Be succinct and focused

With such a limited amount of room, SMS marketing messages must be as succinct as possible. There can be no room for any cliched phrases or extraneous details.

Marketers should focus on conveying their deal as simply as possible to their customers and explain how they can benefit from becoming, or remaining, a mobile subscriber.

Stick to a single message

Although it may be natural to try and tie in related offers in with a message, doing so will only confuse a customer.

The size limitation means it is difficult to adequately differentiate between offers and the inclusion of multiple discounts will only dilute the message of the main promotion.

It is therefore advisable to focus on one offer at a time so every character is being used to advertise your latest product/service.

Avoid text lingo

Unless you are pushing an offer specifically for youngsters, it is best to steer clear of the use of text lingo. Although phrases such as ‘LOL’ (Laugh Out Loud – not Lots of Love as a certain Mr Cameron wrongly thought) may often be used by mobile phone users, you still want to portray your company in a professional light.

With sufficient time set aside to construct a marketing text message, even abbreviations can be avoided to ensure an expert image is created.

Timing is everything

As SMS messages are instant, marketers can virtually ensure that subscribers open the text around the same time it is sent.

Text messages should be sent out at various times of the day to different demographics so as to determine the best time to send messages. As a rule of thumb, most people are more inclined to respond to SMS messages in the late afternoon, evening and weekends.

Identify yourself clearly

Many SMS marketing packages now ensure that a business’s name shows up on its customer’s mobile phone but this is certainly not always the case.

Companies will therefore need to clearly identify themselves in the body of the message in order to reassure recipients that the message is from a trusted source.

The majority of mobile phone users will delete an anonymous message from an unknown number, making it imperative for firms to introduce themselves early on in the text.

Include a call to action

A call to action is exactly as it sounds. It invites the customer to carry out a directive such as attending a store opening or taking advantage of a particular offer.

The interactive nature of calls to action make them an essential part of any SMS marketing message as they help enhance the relationship between the customer and business.

Our guide will look at three successful business-to-business mobile marketing campaigns of the past few years.

Business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) mobile marketing techniques can vary wildly.

Many people may expect marketing practices to remain constant no matter who the intended audience is, but there are a number of differences. For example, although the goal of both is to convert potential customers into buyers and boost sales, the process to achieve this target can vary.

A B2C campaign is largely focused around promoting a product, whereas a B2B initiative will look to enhance business relationships. This is largely due to the small pool of potential customers available to B2B firms in comparison to B2C marketers.

B2B campaigns will also have more rational selling points based on value, while a B2C marketer will look to tap into emotional responses such as desire and status to promote their products.

Our guide will look at three of the most successful B2B mobile marketing stories of the last few years and highlight how firms have adapted their strategy to ensure their campaigns make an impact on fellow firms within their industry.

Duri Cosmetics

After failing to boost awareness of its appearance at industry trade shows by placing adverts in show booklets, Duri Cosmetics opted to embrace mobile marketing for a show in Las Vegas in 2008.

The manufacturer and distributor of nail and hair treatments teamed up with mobile marketing provider Proximity Blue to send messages to attendees of the show via Bluetooth.

These messages invited recipients to download images and a video of Duri’s products, a link to its mobile website, details on special offers running throughout the show and a special invitation to the company’s booth.

Marketing Profs reveal that nearly 550 of the 4,182 conference visitors who had a Bluetooth-enabled handset downloaded the content onto their phone. Furthermore, 487 people visited Duri’s mobile site and 263 registered their information.

David Dubrow, president of Duri Cosmetics, was pleased with the results of the campaign.

“When you have a booth, every person counts,” he told Marketing Profs. “Any visitor could become a customer for many years to come. [Without the Bluetooth campaign] we would have had fewer visitors, fewer sales and fewer customers down the road.”

Adobe Systems

Software giant Adobe Systems opted to inject some fun and games into one of its mobile marketing campaigns in 2009 – but there was also a serious business goal of increasing product knowledge among visitors to its annual Max conference.

The firm was hosting the event in two locations in San Francisco – the California Academy of Sciences and the world-renowned art museum De Young – and was looking to engage attendees while also managing footfall between the two venues.

It therefore developed the ‘Adobe Max Texting Challenge’ - an SMS scavenger hunt which offered prizes to mobile phone users who could complete the competition. Visitors could opt-in to the scheme by texting code words printed on cards and were then sent back a series of multiple choice questions about Adobe products, the conference and exhibits at the two venues.

It proved a resounding success as nearly a third of visitors took part in the challenge, thereby boosting awareness of the brand and providing Adobe with a chance of interacting with its customers in an entertaining way.

Hyperdrive Interactive

Internet marketing and consultancy firm Hyperdrive Interactive was looking to align itself with cutting-edge technology firms at a conference in Miami.

Dan Heimbrook, president and chief executive of the Ohio-based firm, therefore opted to incorporate mobile communications into his PowerPoint presentation. In the last slide of his talk, Mr Heimbrook invited audience members to text in the word Hyper in order to receive an email copy of the presentation.

Those who did so were immediately sent a text message in reply which asked for their email address. If the email address was entered incorrectly or failed to reach its intended destination, an additional text was sent which asked for the information to be resubmitted.

After the data was received, Hyperdrive immediately sent a text confirming that the email presentation - which also included information on the company and contact details – was on its way.

Of the 110 people who attended the conference, over 70 per cent chose to sign up for the email presentation as the company increased the size of its potential pool of clients and partners.

If you would like to benefit from great results like this for your business why not register for a Dynmark Cloud Portal account today, it’s FREE and you get 10 FREE credits to try it out. Or you can sign up to our FREE to SME proposition meaning your get your messaging credits for FREE.

The Dynmark Cloud Portal is the primary interface for interacting with any Dynmark service. From the portal you can gain access to all services and solutions. You are greeted with a full reporting dashboard to show you exactly how you are using the Dynmark Cloud Platform. From there you can access the solutions by choosing the correct tab and clicking through to the relevant service. It’s also where you can purchase or sign up to additional services.

Take inspiration for your next mobile marketing campaign from firms who succeeded with their innovative consumer-oriented initiatives

Mobile marketing is a multi-billion pound industry.

A recent report from market research firm Gartner revealed that $3.3 billion (£2.2 billion) was spent on mobile advertising around the world last year, with the platform set to account for over four per cent of brands’ advertising budget by 2015 – compared to just 0.5 per cent today.

It is a clear indication that businesses around the world are reacting to the growing popularity of mobile devices. More than 1.5 billion handsets were sold in 2011, according to IDC, a rise of 11.1 per cent from the previous year.

With so many consumers now carrying around a mobile phone, businesses can now immediately reach their customers wherever they are. This presents a number of new and exciting opportunities to marketers but innovation and strategy is required to ensure mobile marketing campaigns encourage customer interaction, boost subscription rates and ultimately lead to a rise in sales.

Below is a selection of some consumer-oriented mobile marketing success stories from across the world, providing firms with a fine example of how to develop the perfect campaign.

Miami Dolphins

The American football team have managed to increase their mobile subscriber base by more than 300 per cent over the past 12 months after launching several innovative mobile marketing initiatives.

Throughout the 2011-2012 season, the Miami Dolphins’ marketing team sent in-game score alerts, transfer news, injury updates and information on when and where players would be appearing for autograph signings to mobile subscribers.

Furthermore, the team encouraged customer interaction through mobile by offering fans the chance to ask hosts and guests on the Dolphins’ radio show questions via text messages.

Mobile-exclusive promotions were also sent out to supporters to encourage non-subscribers to sign up.

“Mobile has quickly become an integral part of our overall marketing and fan engagement strategy,” said Wayne Partello, senior director of content and creative services for the Miami Dolphins.

 ”We wanted to communicate with our loyal and passionate fans anytime, anywhere, and in a cost-effective way. We not only increased our mobile subscribers by over 300 per cent, but also exceeded our advertising revenue projections by a wide margin.”

In fact, mobile has become such an integral part of the Dolphins’ operations that season ticket holders now have the option to receive all communications via text, rather than email, phone, or direct mail.

Wiley Publishing

Best known for it’s …For Dummies series of help guides, Wiley Publishing set out to expand its opt-in subscriber base in the US through a new mobile marketing campaign.

In 2008, the publisher began offering potential customers the chance to claim a $5 discount on a …For Dummies book. All mobile users had to do was text in the word ‘Dummies’ and they would then instantly receive a money-off code which they could redeem in a host of bookstores and other retailers.

Those who took advantage of the deal were then offered the chance to further interact with the company via their mobile as they were sent a link to a mobile website. From there, visitors could sign up to Wiley’s Mobile Club, which offered members a host of mobile-only offers and discounts.

Wiley revealed that a total of 1.3 million impressions were garnered from the campaign, while more than a third (34 per cent) of visitors to its mobile site signed up for future updates.

Warner Bros

In 2008, the movie studio was looking to ensure its latest horror flick – One Missed Call – was a box office smash in the UK. A number of other horror films were set to be released around the same time, so Warner teamed up with marketing firm Bluepod Media to develop a Bluetooth-based campaign.

People with Bluetooth-enabled handsets visiting any of 55 selected cinemas were sent a message inviting them to download the trailer for the film.  Users who watched the video were also sent a calendar reminder of when One Missed Call was due to be released.

The campaign was somewhat of a guinea pig for Warner, with the studio opting to only promote the film via the Bluetooth campaign and online. However, it proved a roaring success as market research firm Nielsen found that the trailer had been downloaded 161,465 times.  The film also surpassed Warner’s expectations at the box office.

If you would like to benefit from great results like this for your business why not register for a Dynmark Cloud Portal account today, it’s FREE and you get 10 FREE credits to try it out. Or you can sign up to our FREE to SME proposition meaning your get your messaging credits for FREE.

The Dynmark Cloud Portal is the primary interface for interacting with any Dynmark service. From the portal you can gain access to all services and solutions. You are greeted with a full reporting dashboard to show you exactly how you are using the Dynmark Cloud Platform. From there you can access the solutions by choosing the correct tab and clicking through to the relevant service. It’s also where you can purchase or sign up to additional services.

Phillippa Clark

That’s right Dynmark now have our own YouTube channel. Videos have started to be uploaded and we will continue to add more and more……………….our videos will show you everything you need to know about how to get involved with mobile marketing.

The team here at Dynmark know Mobile Marketing inside and out, whether you’re an giant global company, or a small local business, we want to pass on all of the knowledge and experience our team have here on to you all.

Through our YouTube channel you will be able to access ‘How to’ videos for all of our products, Message Manager, Campaign Manager, Text Chat, etc… we have tried to cover every area of the products so when you get stuck or want to try something a little more advanced and exciting, you can teach yourself. Easy!

We will also have videos on Mobile Marketing in general, how to set up quality campaigns, marketing tips and tricks, how to collect quality clean data, lots of information around the mobile market, your mobile strategy, and general best practice guidelines for setting up your campaigns.

We know it can be difficult sometimes when you try out new software, finding out how to use the product to its full potential can be a nightmare, with the use of our videos we can help you choose the right software for your business, and to reassure you we will also be posting testimonials from some of our existing clients. Coming soon we will have a tour of our offices, and a ‘Meet the Team’ so you can see who your account managers are and really get to know us here at Dynmark.

We feel that videos are the best way to educate and help our customers… the videos can be played again and again, they can be shared, used in presentations, and it’s a really great way to not only educate one individual, but the whole team in the click of a button.

If you haven’t heard already, e-txt is now Message Manager, we’ve given Message Manager a redesign, so if you’re wondering about the changes we’ve made, why not check out our ‘Introducing Message Manager’ Video on our YouTube Channel! it shows you the difference between the old version and the new version and should hopefully help you familiarise yourself with the new design, however if you do need a little more help we also have a more detailed video ‘What is Message Manager’ this gives you a great in depth description of what Message Manager is, what can be achieved using it, and how to get it!

As always, we do have a full team of mobile marketing experts on hand if you ever do need a little extra help.

Happy Watching!