‘Mobilegeddon’ is hear! Mobilize your Site By 4/21 or Disappear Never to Be Found

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April 21 Is Your Last Chance for Mobile Optimization Before ‘Mobilegeddon’

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Don’t panic, there is still time for us to help.

According to Google:

“Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results.”

According to Entrepreneur  Magazine, Aside from a “mobile-friendly” tag associated with various sites in mobile search results, it hasn’t been entirely clear which factors Google considers when calculating mobile rankings or how many sites (or which ones) are currently affected. Because of this, many business owners have postponed or avoided optimizing their sites for mobile devices, and have survived to tell about it.

Starting April 21, that’s all going to change.

Scope of the update

If you’re aware that Google already considers mobile usability as part of its ranking calculations, you might wonder why this April 21 deadline, dubbed “mobilegeddon,” is important.

It’s true that many of Google’s “updates” are actually just data refreshes and tweaks that hold little bearing on existing search rankings. However, Zineb Ait Bahajji, a member of Google’s Webmaster Trends team, was quoted at SMX Munich as saying that the new mobile-friendly algorithm change will have more of an impact on search rankings than either Panda or Penguin, two of the largest and most impactful search algorithm updates Google has ever launched.

If you are concerned that this may negatively affect your pocket book and brand, contact us today for fast and affordable solutions.

Changes to Facebook Fan Pages Breathes New Life Into Email & SMS Marketing

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If you are the CEO or owner of a business, or are in charge of your company’s marketing efforts, you are probably already aware of Facebook’s recent algorithm changes and how they are dramatically affecting the reach of your Facebook page. It used to be that you could market your products or service on Facebook virtually for FREE and reach a HUGE audience without paying anything. You simply needed to post content that people would react to and engage with. However, Facebook has throttled down reach SO much that it has become almost impossible to reach the same numbers of people with your Facebook page, especially if you are refusing to pay Facebook for sponsored posts and advertising. It does not matter if you are still creating original and engaging content; yes, it does help a little and you will notice your reach go up a little bit, but there is no way you are going to reach the same numbers of people you did before Facebook’s algorithm change on April 14th. So how do you combat this dramatic change in your company’s brand exposure? You would be surprised where we found our answer.

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Facebook Fan Page Reach Drops to below 3% on Average

First, let’s take a look at the numbers. Due to Facebook’s recent changes to reach, you now reach about 1-3% of your total audience with any given post. That means that if you have a page of 200 thousand Likes, you are reaching a little over a thousand of those people with any given post. That is PUTRID compared to what you used to be able to reach.

In fact, we actually did a data analysis regarding this using our sister companies’ Facebook pages which have a cumulative total of 1.4 MILLION fans. Historically we used to be able to post something on any one of those sites and we would reach a vast majority of our fans, or even more through sharing! However more recently, after finding out the total number of people we reached per post, we then divided that number by the total number of people who saw ANY post we posted during that particular time period. The resulting number is the AVERAGE PERCENTAGE of the people who saw the post who also LIKED the page. We ran this test in the month following Facebook’s change on April 14th and the results have been staggering. Of the five pages we ran this study on, NOT ONE post on any page even hit 3% of our audience! To be specific, the average percentage of the people who LIKED our pages who actually SAW our posts on each page read like this: 2.9%, 1.3%, 1.3%, 2.3%, and 0.069% respectively!!! That is an average reach per post of 1.574%.  No, we are NOT kidding. Also, keep in mind that we changed NOTHING as far as what we posted, when we posted, and how we posted.

Along with this startling information, any post you put on Facebook will die within 2-3 days, or even sooner! So not only are your Facebook posts reaching far fewer people, but they are also being erased from the socialsphere much quicker than ever before. So how do you reach these people when you don’t have the gigantic Facebook megaphone you used to have?

So where do you turn? Many marketing directors and agencies have begun to fall back to Email and SMS Marketing.

Email Marketing Advantages over Facebook

Email marketing has a relatively strong reach, or open rate in email speak, when relating it back to the reach you are currently getting on Facebook. Email open rates are generally 15% of your database, which means that about 15% of the emails that you send to your email database will actually be opened by the receiver. Knowing that you are barely reaching even 2% of your audience on Facebook, email marketing has experienced a rebirth due to its reliability and efficiency relative to the results you will get on Facebook.

It is also important to note that email open rates also experience a diminishing return. This means that with each email blast you send out to your entire database, your open rates will gradually diminish. This is due to people either unsubscribing from your database, trashing your email, or your emails are being sent to people’s spam folders. So you will either have to switch methods again to make up for this loss, or find a way to consistently grow your email database while you are employing email marketing as the driving force behind your marketing campaign. Regardless of how you look at it, it would be extremely difficult for any marketing campaign to survive on Facebook and email alone, so where do you turn next?

SMS Marketing Advantages over Facebook

SMS absolutely CRUSHES Facebook when it comes to effectiveness and efficiency. Think about it; SMS has a 99% open rate and a 97% open rate within 3 minutes! This means that almost literally EVERY message you send yo your SMS database WILL be seen by your subscribers. They HAVE to! Have you ever been able to delete a text message without looking at it? Exactly, you can’t. Additionally, SMS messages NEVER die until they are deleted by the receiver. That means that ANY message you send to your subscribers WILL be read. They HAVE to be read to even be deleted!

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So STOP banging your head against the brick wall Facebook has built when it comes to exposure. You WILL NOT get the same reach you did before, Facebook has made it a point to make that absolutely impossible to attain. Switch your marketing efforts to SMS and send messages that you KNOW people will see! To put it simply; SMS will ALWAYS reach 99% of your audience, NO MATTER WHAT! Can you possibly think of a better medium to market to your audience through?

We couldn’t either.

How to Drive Content Using Mobile Marketing | One Company’s Success Story

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If you are reading this article, odds are you already have a marketing plan in place for your business, or you are thinking about incorporating mobile marketing into your overall marketing strategy. The beauty of mobile is not only that it is incredibly cheap and easy to use, but you can also use it in a number of different ways to benefit you and your company. With how mobile devices have virtually taken o

If you are reading this article, odds are you already have a marketing plan in place for your business, or you are thinking about incorporating mobile marketing into your overall marketing strategy. The beauty of mobile is not only that it is incredibly cheap and easy to use, but you can also use it in a number of different ways to benefit you and your company. With how mobile devices have virtually taken over the world we live in today, one would be considered a fool not to take advantage of mobile marketing and the huge customer base it offers. Think about it, there are 6 BILLION people in the world, but there are EVEN MORE mobile devices. That means there are literally multiple mobile devices (cell phones, tablets, etc.) for each person that lives on the planet. If your business is not currently running a mobile marketing strategy, you are letting this HUGE customer base go to waste. Today, we’re going to discuss ONE of the ways mobile can benefit your company, which is by promoting and driving your already created content through your mobile channel.FandD_MoviePoster

Chipotle recently put together a mobile campaign that promoted their new original video series “Farmed and Dangerous” which educates viewers on how food is prepared and encourages them to start eating healthier and more organic foods. The series is divided up into episodes which feature mobile call-to-actions (CTAs) that spur viewers to text unique keywords to Chipotle’s SMS database shortcode. Anyone who opted-in to Chipotle’s shortcode were then invited to play a trivia game while the show aired. People who answered the most questions correctly were entered to win one of 5,000 weekly buy one, get one free rewards. Each entry also made that customer eligible to win one of the $100,000 prizes. The campaign has been a smashing success because Chipotle has built up their customer database through opt-ins for the show and has also increased the viewership of their video series. All of this exposure was done through their mobile channel. Once they had their content made, which was the video series, they promoted it through their mobile channel and boom, viewership was up and so was their customer database. It was that easy!

Like we said earlier, mobile marketing has so many different benefits and uses that it would be almost impossible NOT to be able to develop a mobile strategy that would work for your company. Chipotle took advantage of the fact that they had some great content in their video series, and ended up turning it into a larger SMS database in which they can continue to develop and maintain relationships with their customers by offering deals, discounts, and special offers. Now their text message blasts are reaching a larger number of people simply because they grew their database by offering incentive for customers who were NOT opted-in to their short code already. The incentive was a chance to win prizes by participating in their mobile campaign while actually watching the show.

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Chipotle, through the power of mobile and content, were able to engage their customers through not one, but TWO channels. On top of that, they will KEEP those customers in their database and will be able to send deals, discount, special offers, and nurture these relationships. It was EASY, it was CHEAP, and it was EFFECTIVE. What else could you possibly ask for from a marketing campaign?

Integrating Mobile Marketing into Your Social Media Strategy

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If you stop for a moment and take a look at the world around you, you’ll notice that the technological landscape and how people interact with it is a bit different than it was 20 years ago, 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago. Everywhere you go people are playing with their phones, fiddling around with their tablets, or catching up on the latest news and gossip through various social media platforms. We have now entered an age of marketing where people have become so numb to traditional outbound advertising that companies and businesses now have to adapt and cater to their customers through these new technologies in order to survive. One of the best ways to do this is by integrating your mobile marketing strategy with your social media strategy.

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Keep in mind that integrating a mobile marketing strategy with a social media strategy requires you to have campaigns for both already in place. You can learn more about mobile marketing and SMS marketing in our text messaging blog or you can learn more about launching a social media strategy by reading our blog on how to integrate social media into your overall marketing strategy. The key thing to remember when integrating your mobile marketing with your social media is how closely they are related. In reality, mobile is very social. A majority of your customers socialize with each other through their mobile devices, whether it be a phone or a tablet. So if you already have a mobile marketing campaign and you know that 98% of people answer their texts within 3 minutes of them being delivered, then why not promote your company’s social media pages through your mobile marketing program?!

The simplicity of integrating mobile and social is what makes it so great. If you want people to opt-in to your mobile marketing campaign, simply post a message on all your social media sites asking people to opt-in to your mobile campaign to receive discounts, deals, or special offers. Be sure to mention the benefits to the customer! Don’t just simply ask them to opt-in, tell them what they will be getting in return for their subscription to your campaign. The same goes for social media. If you are trying to get more people to like or follow you on social media, mention your social media sites through your mobile marketing platform. Again, make sure to mention the benefits of liking or following your company on social media! This can also be done through simple means such as flyers and signs hanging on the walls of your place of business. If you do this well enough and give your customers incentive to opt-in to your mobile campaign and like or follow you on social media, before you know it your overall following will exponentially increase and you will have customers walking through your doors from a number of different sources. Think about it, if you have a sizable following on both mobile AND social media, and your are rewarding your customers for their loyalty to your brand, word is going to get out. Not just on the street, but through social media and mobile as well. So you will ultimately have customers flooding through your doors not just because of your mobile and social media integration, but because you integrated them so well that they started influencing people OUTSIDE of your so called database of customers.

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If you already have a mobile marketing or social media marketing strategy in place, you are probably already experiencing the benefits that one campaign has to offer. Now imagine combining that with another campaign that is just as effective, if not MORE effective. Combining social media with mobile is a lot like throwing gasoline on a fire. Gasoline and fire are very useful by themselves, but when they are combined the results can be explosive!

 

Having Izigg Problems or Complaints?

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If you’re reading this, you are probably already aware of the multitude of benefits that SMS and mobile marketing offer. However, there are companies and businesses out there who try to take advantage of these selling points and turn it into a pyramid scheme that only benefits them and their company rather than their clients and customers. If you are currently a customer of a company that does these things, or you are thinking of launching an SMS marketing program and are unsure where to start, you will want to read this before making any final decisions.

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When it comes to mobile marketing and the selling of the software, you naturally make more money the more you sell of the product. However, if you simply sell the software to your clients without assisting them in the deployment of their campaign, or simply ignore them altogether once you have made them a client, you are setting yourself up for inevitable failure. Mobile and SMS marketing can be unbelievably effective when it is deployed and maintained correctly, but if you do not know how to do this, and the company who sold you your SMS or mobile marketing software leaves you hanging out to dry, it is almost impossible to succeed.

At Anchor, we firmly believe in the concept of UNLIMITED support, training, and coaching for our clients. (We also offer agency user accounts with packages that include unlimited keywords, white label licenses with unlimited keywords, and sub-user accounts for your clients.)  In other words, if you were to purchase SMS or mobile marketing software from us, you would also be getting UNLIMITED support for that software. Anytime you run into a problem or have a question about how to correctly apply your campaign, Anchor is more than willing to help you out. Why? Because we believe that our own success is a direct reflection of our clients’ success. And when you take a closer look, that is how it actually works. If we were to sell you mobile marketing software and give you ZERO support, odds are you will FAIL. This means you are not making any money using our software, so why would you want to stick with us? We’d end up losing your business and you would be extremely frustrated in the process. That is why we offer UNLIMITED support, training, and coaching. If you were to purchase ANY of our software to resell as your own, you would have a full team of mobile marketing experts ready to answer your questions and help solve your problems. Because our success is dependent on your sucess, which is the way it should be.

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When navigating the SMS and mobile landscape, it is important to watch out for companies who try to take advantage of their customers, especially if you are still learning about the medium. Make sure you know who you are working with before you jump into anything and understand that the PEOPLE you work with is oftentimes much more important than the product or service you are selling.

COMMENT in the thread below if you have had issues with Izigg or have experienced firsthand the problems that surface when companies leave their clientele out to dry without helping them.

 

How Can Mobile Marketing Help Your Company?

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There are many ways mobile marketing can help your company. One way is that it will help you reach more of your customers.  For instance, if you own a restaurant, you can schedule text messages to go out to your customers about promotions that you have going on. If you are running a special for a normally slow night, you could send out a message letting them know that you are doing a promotion on buy one entree, get a second entree at half price. Almost all text messages are read within minutes of receiving them. By sending a text message to your clientele, you are reaching a higher percentage of customers than sending them an email or snail mail. Keep in mind that 97% of all text message are open and read, while only 5% of emails are opened and read. See the opportunity here?

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If you know your customers and know you haven’t seen some of them in quite some time, you can send them a message offering them a particular special, such as, “We haven’t seen you in awhile, please show this message to receive 15% off your purchase today!”

Be where your customers are. The majority of your customers always have their mobile phones with them and look at them frequently. Make sure that you are using keywords that pertain to your business for your customers to opt-in to the campaigns.

Your company may be old school as far as marketing is concerned, but it should also looking for ways to attract new customers and make more sales from your current customers. You need to look at the marketing that has been working for years and as well as new marketing plans. Mobile marketing doesn’t have to stand alone, it can also be used in addition to your current marketing plan. In fact, it usually works better when your mobile marketing campaign is integrated into your overall marketing campaign.

Mobile Marketing works! Look at all of the “name brand” companies that run mobile marketing campaigns and are successful with it; i.e. Coca-Cola, Papa John’s, Jack in the Box, DirecTV, Dunkin Donuts, and McDonald’s for example. Now relax for a minute, I do hear and feel the hesitation here. Yes, these big companies have a lot of money to spend towards their marketing campaigns. I also understand that small companies and mom and pop stores do not have the large amounts of money to spend on marketing like the large companies. But if you were and are willing to try it, it will bring you more customers and more revenue to spend towards your marketing budget. In fact, mobile marketing campaigns cost pennies to the dollar when compared to larger, outbound marketing efforts that are continually becoming less and less effective over the years. Why is this? People are becoming inundated with advertisements, commercials, and marketing EVERYWHERE they go.

Mobile campaigns do not take up a lot of your time. If you know that you are going to run certain specials throughout the month, you can go in and schedule the messages to go out on a specific day and time. You can also always go back and edit your message before they go out. Let’s say you notice some items in your store that used to be big sellers and now they are not selling anywhere near what they used to. You can send a message out to your database letting them know that you are running a one day or two day special on these particular items. Once you get them in your store, you have the ability to upsell them.

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As you can see, the benefits of mobile marketing are vast and numerous. There are already hundreds upon hundreds of companies who are already reaping the rewards of a mobile marketing campaign, and they’re doing this while spending considerably less money than if they were using traditional outbound methods. Jump on the mobile marketing revolution today before it’s too late and you are left in the wasteland of all the other companies who refused to integrate a mobile marketing campaign into their marketing efforts.

Mobile Marketing Trends 2014

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It’s no secret that the mobile revolution is charging head first into the future, and with over 6.8 billion mobile phones being used globally, it is time to start considering your mobile marketing strategy. Here are some mobile marketing trends of 2014 that are sure to have you calling in the marketing team to switch gears towards a mobile marketing campaign.

Statistics to Consider:

  • Email open rates increased 300% from 2010 to 2012. (Tweet This!)
  • Ad revenue for mobile has quadrupled since 2009. (Tweet This!)
  • 27% of people feel there is no benefit of text ads, 27% think they are fine, 29% like text ads as long as they have opted in, and 18% love text ads no matter what. (Tweet This!)
  • 30% of companies use mobile coupons. (Tweet This!)

Email for Mobile

Email open rates increasing 300% is huge. This is brought on by the fact that over half of all email is opened on a mobile phone or device. So even if the email opened is just glanced at, it is still exposure for your company. It is also expected that email will change from a desktop PC focused channel to a mobile focused channel in 2014, further driving home the death of PC. Since the success of mobile email open rates, a shift in optimizing email marketing for mobile is expected.

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Ads for Mobile

Ad revenue quadrupling since 2009 means the advertising world is yet again changing. Companies will continue to purchase ads on mobile as revenue continues to spike. Adapting to the times, new ad formats will emerge through social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest who are already rolling out formats including in-stream ads and promoted Tweets. Soon to be gone, are the days of the 30 second mobile video. Expect 5-10 second video spots to increase in popularity as the production costs decrease with technology advances.

Text Ads

The jury is still up on mobile text ads. Are they beneficial? 27% don’t think so while 27% think they are fine, 29% like them as long as they opted to receive them, and 18% love text ads no matter what. In any case, there is no doubt more mobile marketing strategies are using text ads. They serve the benefit of reaching out to people who may otherwise not be reached through other outlets like social media or email. Everyone these days has their mobile phone with them at all times. Whether it be for emergencies or to have communication constantly available, people are easier to reach via mobile.

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Mobile Coupons                

With 30% of companies using mobile coupons, this trend is sure to rise. In whatever form, people love coupons. Remember the suicide JCPenney went through when they got rid of coupons? I think it is safe to say that everyone learned from their mistake. Mobile coupons require less action from the consumer making them easier to use and less likely to forget at home. Industries already in on the trend include grocery chains, and clothing retailers.

Whether your company is just getting into mobile marketing, or have already embraced it wholeheartedly, it is time to strategize your mobile marketing for 2014. Keep these mobile marketing trends in mind while considering your next approach and remember that in order to stay up to date in the world of advertising, your company needs to adjust and adapt with today’s technology.

3 Reasons Businesses and Consumers LOVE Mobile Marketing

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Lets start off by clarifying exactly what mobile marketing entails. Mobile marketing is a way businesses can directly communicate with consumers via handheld devices. These devices, usually smartphones and tablets, can provide information to customers by promoting goods, services, and ideas. There are several different approaches to mobile marketing. Today, we’re going to show you 3 ways mobile marketing is LOVED by businesses and consumers alike!

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Convenience

When it comes to reaching customers quickly, efficiently, and in a way that is convenient for them, there is no method that compares to mobile marketing. Consumers today have higher expectations for their devices and expect to find the information they need on their mobile devices instantly, without hassle. Consumers shopping for products and services often want to access the information in a mobile-friendly format while on the go. For example, an in-store shopper spots the latest laptop and is very interested. So the shopper pulls up the company’s website on a smartphone to get more details on the device. To help capture the sale, the retailer’s site should be optimized for mobile browsing, otherwise the sale could be lost. Businesses that are not accessible on mobile phones are losing to their competitors who DO have a strong mobile presence. Along with this, many companies are also using mobile apps to boost brand awareness. Mobile apps can be downloaded right to the home screen of mobile devices. People tend to download apps for things they do regularly or for things that tie into their lifestyle. For example, many smartphone users download the Facebook app instead of using the mobile version of the website because the experience is better. Convenience matters! Retailers who have an app available for their customers make it much easier to search for products and their customers appreciate them for this. Mobile apps and mobile website are both equally important because, based on reports, consumers are split on what they prefer with 58% preferring mobile optimized sites to mobile apps. Consumers have indicated that downloading and regularly upgrading applications is not convenient. However, mobile apps are still a great way to engage customers and create a loyal following. If you lack either a mobile app or a mobile optimized website, you are essentially cutting your audience in half.

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Location, Location, Location

Location-Based Services (LBS) are informational services that utilize the geographical position of a consumer’s mobile device. Rarely will a consumer have their phone not within arms reach, so LBS applications can reach virtually anybody, at any time, regardless of where they are located. In mobile marketing, LBS applications are used as an advertising or marketing service that uses specific location information of customers to deliver the right message to the right person at the right place AND the right time. Consumers are happy to receive mobile marketing messages if they are relevant, personalized, and offer some kind of benefit or reward. SMS marketing is great way for businesses to make consumers feel special. Especially when they think they’re part of an exclusive group of people who receive deals and discounts via text message.

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Social Media

Some of us can’t go a single day let alone a few hours without using our smartphones or tablets. Now if that isn’t enough, social media has also established a grip on our daily lives. Social media has played a huge role in how people interact with each other in today’s day in age and has actually revolutionized the entire social landscape. From a business perspective, social media, paired with a mobile marketing campaign, creates multiple new channels for your business to bring in new leads and customers. Social media is an important marketing strategy for businesses that provides a way for consumers to connect with businesses and brands via mobile. Companies can create social media fan pages that consumers can access and engage with to get information about upcoming events and specials. Businesses can also use this opportunity to convey the company’s voice and become a trusted source of information for consumers. Once you’ve established a trust with your consumers, you start creating relationships that can last a lifetime.

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Mobile marketing can work so well for so many different businesses on so many different levels. On top of this, mobile marketing is much cheaper than any other form of marketing and has been proven to be equally, or even more effective than outbound marketing methods. Several companies have already seen the benefits of mobile marketing for themselves and have already implemented extremely successful mobile marketing campaigns. Don’t be one of the companies who fall by the wayside simply because you were too stubborn to adapt to modern marketing methods. Adapt and survive! Adapt and THRIVE!

SMS Marketing Statistics 2013

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They’ve always said, “Numbers never lie.” Here at Anchor, we strongly believe in this concept along with the fact that metrics are the best measurement to prove that ANYTHING works. Luckily, we’ve been able to come across a ton of information directly related to the success of mobile marketing and SMS marketing, and we’d like to share this information with you. These SMS marketing statistics and numbers are a great way to get a better illustration of the mobile marketing landscape we see today, and how consumers are using their phones, smartphones, and text messages to access information, get deals and discounts from brands, and research and communicate in general. So, without further ado, let us launch into the numbers!

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SMS Marketing By The Numbers

-The average person looks at their phone 150 times per day! (Tweet This!)

-SMS produces 6-8 times MORE engagement than email! (Tweet This!)

-Only 20% of all emails are read. (Tweet This!)

-Only 12% of Facebook posts are read. (Tweet This!)

-Only 29% of tweets are read. (Tweet This!)

-A whopping 98% of SMS messages are read! (Tweet This!)

-70% of people in the United States have stated that they would like to receive offers from brands on their mobile devices. (Tweet This!)

-68% of people in the United Kingdom have stated that they would like to receive offers from brands on their mobile devices. (Tweet This!)

-The average response time for an email (business to community) is 2 days. (Tweet This!)

-The average response time for a text message is only 90 seconds! (Tweet This!)

-Email only experiences a 4.2% click-through rate. (Tweet This!)

-SMS experiences a whopping 19% click-through rate! (Tweet This!)

-SMS coupons are 10 TIMES more likely to be redeemed! (Tweet This!)

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If you would like to get the inforgraphic with all of these statistics on it, then be sure to check out ourinforgraphics page. These SMS marketing statistics can be used for a number of things, especially to give statistical and numerical evidence that SMS marketing DOES, in fact, work. It isn’t a secret anymore that everyone is using mobile devices, so if you’re not mobile yet, you are only asking to fade into the sunset, forgotten by anyone and everyone who is relevant in the industry, including your customers. Go mobile TODAY and harness all of these people who are using mobile. These numbers don’t lie, so you don’t have to either.

SMS Marketing Best Practices 2013

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Let’s face it. As a society, we have become immersed in the simplicities that technology has graced us with, and we’re completely okay with that. Who isn’t opposed to simple? Take communication for example. Nowadays, when you’re looking to quickly get in touch with someone, typically a text message, or SMS, is the method of choice. Not only is this a quick way of getting your message across, but it’s convenient for both the sender and the recipient. In the field of marketing, texting has become an essential part in promoting brand efforts. People are busy and always on-the-go. So, as a marketer, reaching out to those busy individuals in a quick, yet effective way, is ideal when looking to promote your brand. Take a look at these SMS Marketing Best Practices to help you kickstart your campaign.

Gain Permission

Before your SMS marketing campaign takes off, it is required by law that you gain the permission of your prospects via opt-in through SMS. The FCC, Federal Communications Commission, recently amended the TCPA Act of 1991, which takes into effect October 16, 2013, stating that consent is required before messages can be sent. Consent is defined as “written permission”, further explained as notification of intent to send commercial content in a conspicuous manner prior to subscription or through an online form submission process that is “E-Sign Act” compliant.

It should be noted that there is no need for written consent in cases where your SMS message is transactional or relation-based, such as informational alerts, reminders, or notifications.

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Disclaimers

At the end of an SMS marketing message, there are a few things that are required to be there. “HELP” is listed in order to ease the experience the recipient has with the campaign. This will provide the prospect with further information about the campaign they’re subscribed to. “STOP” or “STOP ALL” is listed in order for the prospect to discharge out of the campaign so that they will no longer receive messages from the sender. For more information, check out SMS Marketing Compliances.

In relation to the amended TCPA Act of 1991, it should be known that if an organization is allocated a short code that is being shared with another organization, any opt-out by the recipient will result in an opt-out of all organizations with that same short code.

Provide Significant Value

The essential focus of your SMS campaign is to attract leads in order to convert them into customers, and life-long customers at that. The key to doing that is to create exceptional value to those individuals that they wouldn’t be able to take advantage of otherwise. Take a retail store for example. Let’s say you’re a big fan of a local department store. Periodically, stores will use promotional offers to attract customers in to buy. So, this week, the store’s promotion is 15 percent off of your purchase when you bring in the flyer that was sent through the mail. But oh, wait, in the midst of your rush this morning, you left that flyer at home. Do you drive back home to get it, or do you just make your purchase without it?

The value that can be offered to combat this would have been an SMS from the department store offering you that same discount, but instead of bringing the flyer, showing the text message at the counter. Our mobile devices have nearly become the center of our universe. The chances of forgetting your mobile device in comparison to the flyer are much lower.

Be Exclusive

Any customer can take advantage of promotional offers from an organization. To bring success to your campaign, try to offer those customers that are subscribed to your campaign deals that other customers wouldn’t normally be able to take advantage of. So, that 15 percent off coupon that the department store was offering could be doubled to 30 percent to add exclusive value.

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Timing is Everything

Regardless of the organization you’re running, you’re going to need to take into consideration the schedules of your SMS recipients. Sending a text message to your customers at 2 AM probably isn’t the greatest idea. Daytime hours and weekends work best for most interactions. Also, if you’re sending texts out to the younger school-aged generation, think about the times in which those individuals would be in class. Even if they did get the opportunity to sneak and read it, chances are your message’s information may not be retained throughout the rest of the school day.

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Frequency

You’re not going to want to overwhelm your customers by bombarding them with text messages. A general rule to follow in terms of how often to send SMS offers is at least once a month, no more than once a week. Consider it “The Rule of Ones”. If you disturb your customer with an abundance of messages, they’re more likely to opt-out of your campaign, losing you potential business.

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Watch Your Language

Although “text speak” is becoming more socially accepted, there are still individuals out there who aren’t following the trend. Try to limit text speak as much as possible when sending out texts to your customers. A typical text message will allows for 160 characters, about 98 after including the required disclaimers, so sometimes shortening messages is required. Shortened forms such as “u”, “txt”, and “msg” are generally understood and are acceptable.

Also, if there is an opportunity where your customer is required to reply back to the message that was sent, make sure that the reply word given for them to use is one word. Using two or more words can create confusion with your customer or your SMS marketing database and may result in the customer not receiving value from the message.

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Relevance

No one likes getting spam, and there’s no need for it. When your messages are delivered, make sure that the content within the message is relevant to what the customer subscribed to initially. So, if you subscribed to that department store’s SMS marketing campaign wanting exclusive offers and notifications about shoes, you wouldn’t want to be getting text messages informing you about the promotions on children’s clothing. If your customers find value from the messages they’re receiving, they’ll continue to subscribe.

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Follow-Up

When a customer replies to a text sent via your SMS marketing campaign, be certain that a reply is sent back to them acknowledging that their reply was received. Don’t let your customers feel neglected.

SMS Marketing campaigns can benefit your organization exponentially. Providing ease and convenience for you customers during their busy schedule creates long-lasting relationships that will drive your organization to success now and in the future. These SMS Marketing Best Practices are simple, yet effective ways to keep communication strong, while ultimately, providing exceptional value to your customer.