Most business that utilize applications already have a text message list, and rightfully so. The two go hand-in-hand. One of the easiest ways to get people to sign up for your application is by sending out a text to your opted-in loyal customer group, with a link in the message that leads people to the downloadable app. Also, you can set up a keyword specifically dedicated to getting people signed up for the list, another way to promote your brand or business. You could host a campaign pushing people to text APP to 46786 to get the link sent to them directly, enabling you to easily track the results of who downloaded the app and when.

Depending on the device, once your customers click on the link, it will take them to their mobile browser and to the appropriate page to download the app. This page varies by phone. If they are downloading an iPhone app, it will take you to the app store where you will be given instructions on how to install the app. If they have an Android, they will arrive at the iTunes store and can look at the app from here.

The important thing to remember is that text marketing is not just a single, stand-alone marketing medium like T.V. or radio. It can actually attract people to your other marketing forms, and it can precisely track the interaction that consumers have with it and your advertisements.

The great thing about texting is that it allows you to communicate with your customers before and after they leave your location. This means you can truly lengthen the experience that customers have with your brand. For example, if you are a clothing store, you could send a text message to a customer right after they leave your store to tell them that you found an item that they wanted, and that you put that item on hold for them. Another example could be to send out a text message when you receive new inventory. This can be especially useful for highly targeted groups, meaning a portion of your list that you know loves shoes would be pleased to learn about a new arrival.

Another great benefit that text message marketing adds to customer service is that it can be used to measure the level of customer service being provided. You can simply run a quick survey immediately after a customer visits your facility and ask them about the attention they received.

The time’s, they are a’ changing’ and falling behind on new marketing trends will only cause repercussions as the rest of your industry moves forward. We highly suggest connecting to your consumers via the mode of communication they like best: texting.

This is a pilot program for the bank, and customers can enroll to have the option should their spending desires require larger quantities than the amount they currently have in their bank account. When making a purchase that would put the customer in the red, a text message will instantly be sent to the user and they can accept to make the purchase for a $35 overdraft fee.

Bank of America decided to move forward with the program in order to better inform their customers if and when they were going to be negative in their accounts, and to empower them to make a decision as to whether they really want to make a purchase or not.

The decision has a legal basis as well. Last year, law makers decided to ban banks from enrolling customers in overdraft programs without their active consent. Sending a text message is the most active and accurate way to gain approval, because it allows the approval of a purchase that results in an overdraft fee to be made at the time of purchase. The great part is that if the customer deposits the correct amount of money into their account by the end of the day, they do not incur the fee.

Ninety percent of consumers have said that they like interacting with business in multiple channels. At the top of the list of preferred communication channels is SMS texting. Retailers who want to ensure their customers are engaged with their mobile web sites should add a SMS competent. SMS Texting helps by encouraging people to visit your mobile web site, and it can also help people make a buying decision after receiving a mobile coupon.

It is important to establish a clear link between your mobile URL and text message campaign. To do this, you should insert the URL into a text message being sent out, and recommend that people to add it to their Favorites. Sears, the large department store retailer, has done this with great success. Consider sending out some offers that are only good for purchases made online, directing customers to your mobile site instantly. Also, send out a text notifying your opted in database of users that you have new stock; yet another way to draw them to your site.

Studies have also found that if a user abandons a shopping cart while on a mobile web site, sending a simple SMS message follow up will likely get your customer back on the web page.

SMS is a great tool to use in combination with all marketing mediums, but especially mobile web, as the tools are accessed in the same way and consumers are constantly checking their mobile devices.

Why text message marketing? Text messaging is the best way to reach out to your customer base because 98 percent of the population has the ability to receive a text message. Permission is a big aspect in text message marketing, as all people on your list need to opt in, and people ask to receive your messages. The mobile phone is the most important thing we carry with us, and very little spam is sent to the devices, since the carriers make sure it is a clean market space. Open rates are at 90-98 percent and you can almost ensure recipients will read messages because once a mobile phone buzzes or rings, people check it.

For what kind of business does this make more sense for? Anyone trying to reach their customers in real time; such as a restaurant with supplies expiring or a retailer who needs to get rid of the winter collection to make room for spring merchandise. During a slow time, such a business might send a text to rev up sales in slow period or to get in customers within hours.

How do businesses get people to give permission to send them text messages? The way to start is to pick a text message vendor that has a short code approved by all carriers to deliver the messages into the networks. Then the business must define what it is trying to accomplish. Once this is clear, marketers can put together signage, offers or value propositions that will inspire customers to send a text to allow that group to deliver text messages to them. A great thing about Opt It’s system is that we have taken those best practices and built it into our software. Opt It knows the laws, like how customers should remove themselves, the charges that coincide with these messages, all information the business owner needs to know so that they can create offers that are most valuable to them and their customers.

How often should a business send text messages? This depends on content being sent out and the business itself. Retailers and restaurants typically see success by sending 1-2 texts a week, other businesses can send more as long as the offer is clear and upfront and fits into the daily life of their customers.

What makes Opt It different from others? Opt It’s experience inside the text message marketing space is immense. With almost 7 years under our belts, we are some of the most experienced and have seen much growth and change happen within the industry. Opt It has a deep understanding on how to use the tool to drive business results. We’ve built a strong text message platform from the ground up and are able to offer it to our customers, along with our effective service offerings, at a great price.

Click on the following link to listen to the entire show: RSS Ray Free Podcast: Why Your Business Should Be Using Text Message Marketing

Want 25 percent off your next order of Street Moda footwear? Just sign up for their SMS list and the discount is yours.

Street Moda has had tremendous success in using an introductory offer to grow their text list. Once a customer opts-in to their SMS list, they receive an immediate offer of 25 percent off their next purchase by using a coupon code at the checkout. This code is trackable in the Street Moda system, allowing them to measure redemption rates, as well as time-to-redemption rates.

In addition to this welcome offer, Street Moda is sending out a variety of different offers to their member list with discounts and promotions. These promotions can be based on each customer’s individual interests (for example, a message to gals might include the word “high heels”, whereas guys would be more interested in seeing a discount on their next pair of Converse). They are able to send these promotions based on individual or group preferences by using sub-keywords.

“Our SMS list is a great way to receive our most exclusive deals because there aren’t many of them. We don’t bombard your message inbox like some companies, you’ll get two a month maximum and trust me, they’re worth it,” said Matt Kubancik, Founder and President of Street Moda.

Again, all offers and promotions include a code that can be used at checkout through their ecommerce system to give their most loyal customers, the members of their SMS list, an extra added benefit, and simultaneously help them understand their customers preferences all at the same time.

The study used “functional magnetic resonance imaging” or MRI, to pin point the specific parts of the brain that cry out for nicotine. In order to gather data, Elliot Berkman, a University psychology assistant professor, choose a text message marketing platform like Opt It’s. He selected text over handing out PDA’s to all participants because “such devices are also relatively costly, since palmtop devices typically used for ecological momentary assessment can cost more than $300 each, while 86 percent of U.S. residents already have cell phones and 91 percent of those are SMS-enabled.” (Emily Falk, University of Michigan.)

The research study was able to gather facts on how many cigarettes were smoked each day, and also information on the associated emotions and behaviors. What they found is that when an individual is craving a cigarette, they need to do something that they consider self-controlling, and sending a text message is a self-controlling action. Study findings suggest that the behavior of texting may help ward off a smoker’s impulse to smoke.

The research scientists involved in the study praised the text messaging system because they feel it is a mode of communication that is very intuitive, that people are used to writing their emotions or thoughts within this intuitive means of communication, and that people always have their cell phones on them, which is ideal for a study that needs to gather information on a 24-hour basis.

In our monthly newsletter our customers will learn about using this feature, but we also wanted to make sure that we inform all potential users of Opt It Mobile 3.0 of this cool new capability.

Now our system is automatically able to check each individual number on your list to make sure it is still a good, working number that can receive your messages. If the system identifies a non-working number, it will unsubscribe it from your keywords in real-time. You can track this within the system very easily. No numbers will be deleted from the list; instead, you will see the number on your list without a phone icon next to it. This means the phone number is no longer subscribed to any keywords in your account, and you can still track the history of the particular number.

So, what about all the people that switch network carriers because they purchased an iPhone? Good question. If any number on your list does what is called “number portability” (switching carriers but keeping the same number), the system can recognize this and update it within your list so that it stays subscribed.

This new feature benefits you in many ways. You will have up-to-date, accurate information that is easier to analyze. You will have the peace of mind knowing that you are only sending messages to working numbers, which in turn leaves a few extra pennies in your wallet each month. All of this equals more bang for the buck, which is always good.

Check back for news about other cool new features!

Nowadays, things have changed. Does anyone even remember what pay phones are or that back in the day, you had to return home to make a call on your landline? Not really, and especially not if you’re a tweens, teens, or young adults. Conversations take place via Facebook chat, BBM, instant messaging on Gmail or MSN messenger, or by text messaging. Along these lines, the Today show ran a recent story entitled “The death of the telephone.”

Since 2007, the length of a call has been steadily declining and is half of what it used to be. Voicemail? It’s pretty certain that if you leave a voice message, it will not get checked. Why is this? That’s a great questions and one that the Today show decided to investigate. They questioned three twenty-something college students who said that they liked that you can control your conversation better through this communication medium. With text messaging, they can take their time to reply and strategize as to the best possible answer to a tricky question, whereas when on a call, they would have to respond immediately. One of the participants even commented that he thinks he sounds “better” via text.

Times are a’changin’, and since the young are an indication of trends to come, this is one trend that is not stopping. We suggest joining the massive conversation taking place via text messaging as soon as possible.

http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2011/03/10/6218785-dont-like-to-call-youre-not-alone?GT1=43001

The full name of the term “short code” is Common Short Code (CSC). A common short code is a 5 or 6 digit number for the use of text messaging marketing campaigns. Think back to the last time you watched American Idol and you were asked to text in your vote to a 5 digit number- that was a short code!

Opt It’s official definition of a short code is as follows: A short code is a 5 or 6 digit number used to send and receive SMS and MMS messages on cellular networks. Companies that use short codes are approved by the carriers to send text messages into their networks. When you sign up for the Opt It Mobile service, all of your messages will be delivered using short codes, ensuring that your message is received by the cellular carriers and delivered to the intended recipient.

The way that people join your short code is easy. They will text a keyword into your short code number. The keyword is a word that you have chosen as your account or list name. There can be hundreds of different keywords under one short code. So, your keyword is sort of your account name that specifically identifies you within the short code. Every time customers receive a text from you, this keyword will show up, an indicator that this message came from you, so it’s important that this keyword says something about your business. (For example, if you are a restaurant that serves pizza, your keyword could be PIZZA.)

Using a short code versus a regular phone number offers many advantages. Your customers control whether or not they are on your list at all times. They can text in to join your list, and they can also text to be out of your list by texting the word STOP to your short code. This is advantageous because it empowers customers with making the decision of whether they are on your list or not. This way, you will only have people on your list that truly want to be there.

Also, you can watch for trends in the opt in and opt out rates. If you see a lot of opt outs, you can evaluate sent messages and offers to ensure they were applicable and appealing, and then update future messages accordingly.

You can text people one-on-one with a short code as well. If people have specific questions, you can answer them via this system. Using a short code also allows you to sub categorize your list of participants. (Check out the blog post entitled “Intro to Sub Keywords” for more details) This will allow you to send more individualized messages to specific target groups within your list.

Basically, a short code is a number within which you set up your text message marketing campaign to facilitate your mobile marketing campaign. It allows for a more seamless and efficient communication link between you and your customers.