Even as little as two years ago the very idea of Text message marketing was not on the radar of most businesses. Marketing plans were focused on the traditional mediums of print, radio and if you had a big enough budget, advertising on television. However there has been a change in the way business marketing is done and the areas these marketers are now focusing on.
However technology is creeping into these markets and changing the way of doing business.
The growth of new mediums of Bebo, Facebook, Myspace and countless others have proven to organisations that internet marketing can play its part. Many companies are building these media into their general marketing strategies. They are writing on blank sheets as there is little history in this area and the rules are still evolving.
The report also suggests the text channel is seen as untainted by spammers and general junk mail. This is in direct contrast to the more traditional electronic medium of the email system. Because of the cleanness of the text market almost all text messages are opened. The same can not be said for the equivalent email market.
With these changes and growth marketing professionals are brainstorming to see how they can utilise these new opportunities. Older methods will continue to be used but these new developments will be used alongside, ideally in an integrated manner.
Innovation is happening constantly and new methods are being offered and adopted. A trial is currently underway in New Zealand for store vouchers to be sent to new customers who sign up to mailing lists via their mobile phone. The text message is then taken into the store and the discount applied to the purchase made. It is not yet clear if this attempt will be successful. While it is cheap to do, consumer reaction is still being monitored. The evolution of mobile phone technology also means what can be done on a mobile phone is ever expanding.
Many companies use text messaging currently to provide real time information to consumers. Texting them their train will be five minutes late is a valuable practical and accepted usage. Airlines have even started to introduce the use of boarding passes sent to mobile phones and read on scanners as the passenger passes through.
One important factor for the marketing professional is the knowledge most people keep their phones close to them at most times and therefore are ready to be marketed to at the appropriate time. The evolution of text message marketing may be the next natural step, but its usage and acceptance are not yet guaranteed.
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