Monthly Archives: June 2012

Jun 29 2012

Paramount aims to boost Katy Perry movie box office with SMS campaign

Summary: Fans of Katy Perry will be able to subscribe to text message updates about the film Katy Perry, Part of Me 3D

Paramount Pictures is hoping to boost box office takings for its new film featuring pop star Katy Perry with a new SMS marketing campaign.

The film studio has teamed up with mobile marketing specialist Tagga Media to launch the new text message campaign, which will keep fans up-to-date with all the latest news about Katy Perry, Part of Me 3D and give them access to exclusive content.

Interested customers are asked to text the keyword KP3D to the short code 82442 to subscribe to the SMS alerts, reports Mobile Marketer.

Once they have signed up to the messages, customers can then interact with the company’s website and begin receiving texts from Ms Perry herself.

Amielle Lake, founder and chief marketing officer of Tagga media, claimed that the campaign creates an “excellent avenue” for marketers to engage with fans in “an ongoing conversation”.

She told the website: “SMS is an incredibly simple but effective tool to have users opt-in and receive snackable content on the go.

“It’s the only mobile technology out there that is nearly 100 percent adopted by all mobile users with an awareness or message open rate above 95 percent – compare that to industry standard adoption and awareness metrics for  apps, QR codes, email newsletter or a social network profile.

“SMS greatly outperforms all other modes.”

Ms Lake added that SMS still has a key part to play in the mobile marketing mix, despite the rise of new initiatives such as augmented reality applications and near field communication technology.

Many critics of SMS marketing claim that it is overly simplified and offers people merely a text-based experience with a brand.

“I believe SMS will still prevail as one of the most useful tools for marketers and its adoption into the market mix will continue to increase,” she added.

Katy Perry, Part of Me 3D is set to be released in cinemas worldwide on July 5th.

Jun 19 2012

Message Manager Update

Using ‘Response to Message Manager’

As of today, the ‘From’ options when sending a message from message manager will be changing. You will no longer see the ‘Response to Message Manager’ option; instead there will be ‘Pool Number’

In order to make sure that your dedicated number is used as the originator when sending a message, you will need to choose that number from the ‘From’ drop down. If you choose ‘Pool Number’ a number will be randomly selected from a pool to use as the originator, if you are sending to countries outside of the UK, this could mean that your messages won’t be delivered, so please double check!

Within message manager you should be able to see the ‘?’ button which will tell you some more information if you are unsure.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call us: 03333 448 880 or email on sales@dynmark.com

Jun 14 2012

How small firms can benefit from SMS marketing

Summary: Our guide will show small businesses how they can benefit from SMS marketing

SMS marketing can be extremely beneficial to organisations in all sectors.

Whether you are a large restaurant chain or an independent retailer, there are undoubtedly a range of universal benefits available through the platform.

However, many small business owners are perhaps put off from adopting text message marketing as they believe that certain advantages of the medium are simply out of the reach of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Our guide will show that is not the case, with SMS marketing proving to be one of the most effective ways in which SMEs can communicate with their customers and eventually expand their operations.

Cost

SMS marketing is much more cost-effective than many other traditional communication channels, such as phone calls and email. Companies need little up-front investment to start sending out promotional messages to customers as no infrastructure is required, while the cost of sending text messages is much lower than making a phone call - especially when an SMS marketing partner is employed.

In fact, Dynmark is giving SMEs a helping hand with their SMS marketing campaign from June as the mobile marketing giant is offering free credits to small organisations that sign up to one of its bundles.

In addition to free messaging credits, firms that sign up with Dynmark also get free access to its cloud portal and online messaging applications, as well as free educational support.

Furthermore, SMS messaging does not require a great deal of technical expertise to get started so small firms will not have to spend money on a special team to oversee the campaign.

Reach a broader customer base

Small firms are obviously looking for any opportunity to expand their operations and eventually become larger, more successful organisations. SMS marketing allows them to fulfil this ambition by reaching all mobile phone users – no matter what device they have.

A recent report from telecommunications watchdog Ofcom revealed that smartphone ownership in the UK nearly doubled from February 2010 to August 2011. Despite 46 per cent of Britons now owning a smartphone, it means that the majority still only own basic phones which will not be able to access the internet or mobile apps.

This means that it is still better to focus on creating promotional text messages, which everyone can receive and respond to, rather than developing a mobile website which less than half of your customers can access.

Such internet-based services can obviously be incorporated into your mobile marketing strategy, but text should be the main way in which you communicate with customers in order to reach the largest number of customers possible.

In an interview with the Mashable, Tom Cotney, chief executive of mobile marketing firm Air2Web, highlighted the importance for SMEs to cast their net as wide as possible when marketing.

“If you’re going to provide some kind of customer service capability on mobile phones, you really need to reach as much of the population as possible,” he said.

Higher open rates 

Small firms are going to want to make the most of every marketing message they send, so they will obviously be looking to use the communication channel to which consumers are most likely to respond positively.

Figures from mobile marketing firm Tatango show that 98 per cent of text messages are opened, compared to just 22 per cent of emails. This is perhaps due to the high volume of emails received by consumers each day, with the report showing that the average e-mail user receives more than 1,200 messages a month, while mobile phone users are sent just 178 messages per month.

There are also very few spam text messages in comparison to emails, meaning mobile phone users are more likely to read a marketing text as they believe it will be relevant to them.

Mobile phone numbers are more ‘stable’

Many people change their email address almost as often as they change their clothes, making it difficult for SMEs to keep up-to-date with their consumers’ preferred address and ensure that their messages are being read.

In comparison, mobile phone numbers are much more stable as consumers are tied down by long-term contracts and are therefore unlikely to change their digits on a regular basis. This gives small companies an advantage as they can send messages safe in the knowledge that they are reaching their intended audience.

If you would like to benefit from mobile marketing 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.

Jun 13 2012

How different industries can benefit from SMS marketing

Summary: See how firms in different sectors can use text message marketing to their advantage

The benefits of SMS marketing have been widely publicised.

It is more cost effective than many traditional forms of marketing, it has a much higher engagement rate and it gives customers a direct line of communication with their customers, wherever they are.

However, many organisations may be unsure about how text message marketing can be used to improve their operations in particular and how the platform can cater to their industry-specific needs.

Our guide will shed light on how SMS marketing can be used in a range of sectors to enhance business-client relationships and ultimately boost sales.

Finance

Organisations in the finance sector, such as banks, insurance firms and loan and mortgage providers, all use SMS marketing to keep in contact with both prospective and existing clients.

One of the most common forms of SMS communication within the sector is the secure delivery of confidential account information directly to customers. Firms can keep mobile phone users updated about recent transactions or changes to their account and send related promotional texts.

For example, if a client is consistently in their overdraft or regularly only paying back the minimum amount on their credit card each month, banks could consider offering them a loan in order to clear these debts.

As SMS messages have a much higher open rate than emails or direct mail, and are cheaper than phone calls, financial organisations can also keep clients updated about the progress of their loan application. With greater certainty that the text alert will be seen, companies will be safe in the knowledge that they are providing a useful service to clients and not wasting funds on proportional messages which will not be seen.

If a customer is late with a payment or a payment is due, SMS alerts can be sent in bulk to all affected customers within a matter of seconds to remind them payment is due. A follow-up text can be sent to any customer that fails to take action.

Text messages can also be scheduled to be sent on specific days throughout the month, such as paydays, to reassure customers that the funds have reached their accounts. Automated text messages can save businesses a lot of time that would normally be used to manually send out messages, allowing staff to work on other projects.

When correlated with information in a database, pre-scheduled texts can help boost sales. For example, a text could be sent out to 18-year-olds in education informing them about how they can upgrade to a student account when they go to university.

Financial organisations can also help guard against fraud by informing their clients of any suspicious activity on their account. This can subsequently improve business-customer relationships as clients will be reassured that their funds are in safe hands.

Travel

Travel agencies can use SMS in a number of different ways. Whether promoting last-minute deals, confirming bookings or directing customers to mobile websites, text messages are becoming one of the main communication channels for businesses in the travel industry.

Specific deals can be sent to a target audience depending on their previous travel destinations, providing a boost to sales. Once they make the booking, send out auto-reply confirmation messages and ’thank you’ texts to further enhance your relationship with the customer.

Constant communication with customers in transit is crucial for businesses to reassure them that their flight is on time or to immediately inform them of any delays. This will help soften the blow of any changes to customers’ travel plans.

Furthermore, all SMS communication should also feature links to your company’s mobile website to attract more people to online resources where they can book their holiday.

Food and drink 

Restaurants and takeaways are among the biggest users of SMS marketing as they regularly run discounts and meal deals to attract customers.

The immediacy of text messaging enables eateries to send out such offers just before meal times and during special events such as Valentine’s Day, when they are likely to get the biggest response.

Cross referencing with a customer database system will also help provide extra impetus to marketing campaigns as special offers can be sent to clients on their birthday. Moreover, if you are opening a new outlet closer to a customer’s home address, why not let them know?

Order confirmation texts can also be sent to clients to reassure them that their food is on its way and their payment has been received.

If you would like to benefit from mobile marketing 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

Jun 12 2012

SMS is still the mobile messaging king

Summary: SMS remains the main form of mobile messaging despite the rise of alternatives

For years, SMS messages were the only way firms could reach mobile phone users while they were out and about.

However, that all changed with the proliferation of smartphones and the growth of mobile internet. Now, there are numerous ways in which marketers can communicate with customers on the go.

BlackBerry developed its own instant messaging platform (BlackBerry Messenger), with Apple quickly following suit with its own so-called Over The Top (OTT) messaging service iMessage. Both are free and are seen as key challengers to the SMS marketing throne.

Traditional text messaging is also having to battle with social media giants Facebook and Twitter, as well as apps and mobile-friendly websites, to keep its position as the most effective mobile marketing platform.

Our guide will look at the facts behind SMS messaging use and why it is likely to be favoured by consumers for years to come.

The facts 

A recent study conducted by consultancy firm Vanson Bourne on behalf of mobile messaging company Acision looked at what messaging platforms US smartphone owners favour.

They found that 91 per cent of respondents surveyed actively use SMS on a regular basis, despite having the ability to access different OTT or instant messaging services on their devices. This figure is almost two-and-a-half times higher than the most popular social media app (Facebook) and over eight times higher than the most popular smartphone OTT messaging services.

On average, US consumers send 107 SMS messages per week – the highest of all the messaging services analysed for the study.

Why SMS is set to rule for years to come 

So, we know that smartphone owners are more likely to use SMS messaging, but why are they still drawn to the platform despite the rise of numerous alternatives? 

When asked why they favour SMS over more complex messaging services, smartphone owners cited its speed of delivery, reach and reliability. The free instant messaging services are also less of a draw to US smartphone owners as 62 per cent of users have unlimited SMS bundles. With price taken out of the equation, many still favour text messaging.

“The ubiquity, simplicity and reach of SMS continues to make it the messaging service of choice among mobile users today – even for smartphone users that have easy access to SMS alternatives,” said James Israel, senior vice president and general manager for North America at Acision.

“We can also determine there is a long and healthy future for SMS, if operators get the pricing right and enhance the user experience.”

The simplicity of SMS messaging is undoubtedly one of its biggest draws for users. It is intuitive and can be used wherever there is sufficient reception. The same cannot be said for OTT services, which require a Wi-Fi or mobile broadband connection to function.

This means that marketers can not guarantee that their messages will reach their intended audience when they want them to. With many retailers providing real-time offers through their mobile messages, this could render some promotional campaigns conducted through OTT services redundant.

Furthermore, many consumers are still to progress from traditional phones to smartphones, meaning that those running OTT messaging or mobile internet-based campaigns have a smaller pool of customers than those sending promotional SMS messages.

The maximum audience for OTT campaigns are further limited by the fact that they can only be sent to owners of a specific device. For example, firms looking to communicate through BlackBerry Messenger can obviously only reach users of the Research in Motion-manufactured devices.

Meanwhile, mobile apps are often only used by customers for a short period of time. A study by Localytics, which makes analytics tools for mobile apps, found that a quarter of all downloaded apps are only used once before being discarded. The disposable nature of apps means that it is a risky strategy to rely on them as a permanent method of communication with their audience.

So, with SMS a long-established method of communication and many yet to progress from traditional phones to smartphones, text messaging is likely to be favoured by consumers for years to come.

If you would like to benefit from mobile marketing 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.