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April 2009

With more than 94% of all SMS messages read by recipients, SMS marketing is a powerful vehicle to promote your product or services to your customers.

It is also a great way to provide value added service, such as a friendly reminder, or a simple customer recognition and appreciation tool by sending a personal thank you message.

There are a number of 3rd party web based suppliers that can database, manage, and send out your SMS messages for as little as $0.20 per message.

Case Study

Hilton uses SMS with successThe Hilton Hotel group has successfully used SMS messaging to increase guest numbers to its hotels and build customer loyalty.

The hotel sent out important marketing messages such as specials and promotions directly to its members’ mobile handsets.SMS allowed the hotel to get the messages out instantly and at the most appropriate time of day.

The use of SMS as a direct marketing tool resulted in a 10-25% uptake of offers sent out by the hotel and proved to be an integral part its direct marketing and loyalty strategy.

In order for your SMS campaign to be successful though - you should follow 9 simple rules.

1. Respecting your Customers

A mobile phone number is a personal connection with your customers that is why permission based contact is so important. Not only should you be adhering the Spam Regulation Act 2003 because of legal reasons, but also because of annoyance reasons. Becoming an annoyance to potential or existing customers is worse than not contacting them at all.

2. Target Your Message

Any good marketing campaign sends the right message to the right target audience. It does not matter how many free offers or the promise of special discounts, if it has been targeted at the wrong market response will be poor.

3. Give the Customer a Reason

If the customer does not have a reason to respond or react to the message, the marketing exercise is pointless. Consider whether you would want to receive the message you are sending and more importantly think about an offer that would appeal to you.

4. Virally Seeking

Viral marketing is the new buzz word in marketing. A viral message is one that is happily spread and forwarded by your audience or the market. SMS by nature is a viral medium whereby messages can be easily forwarded by recipients. If you can tap into the viral nature of the medium with a sensational message or offer watch that promotion spread.

5. Timing

Sending your message at the appropriate time will increase the success of your campaign. Consider what time of the day, what day of the week that your consumers will be more likely influenced by your message. Timing is also important in putting a deadline or call to action immediacy in place. Leave the offer open for too long and it will soon be forgotten about and not acted on.

6. Say it in as few words or less

You have 160 characters to get your message across. Use any more and the message comes in separate parts and becomes disjointed and not consistent.

7. Test test and test again

Test your message before sending it to your database. Correct any imperfections and make sure the message makes sense ‘to someone not expecting it’. A message looks and reads differently when viewing it from a mobile phone.

8. Evaluate your campaign

It is important that you consider the impact of the broadcast on your business. Did it meet your objectives, how could you have tweaked it to make it better.

9. Continually update your database

An out of date or not current database list will ensure your response rate is poor. It is also important that you respect ‘opt – outs’ or people who choose not to receive your message any longer. Besides breaking the Spam regulation Act by not complying with an ‘opt out’ request it is just poor practice, and you will be more likely to upset more people than you attract.

At as little as 20 cents per contact SMS is an effective advertising medium that can give you immediate results.We consult on effective advertising mediums of the 21 st Century.

We has successfully helped many companies integrate SMS advertising in their businesses as an everyday advertising consideration.

If you too would like to implement SMS marketing in your business and you are not sure how call me today for a free phone consultation and implementation plan and cost.

David Caruso 1800 853 390