August 2, 2010 by Jessica Zorawski
Now that you’re well versed on what a sub-keyword is and how to use it as a Subscription, we will continue our miniseries with detailed instructions on how to manage a sub-keyword type Contest.
Contest
Choosing the sub-keyword type Contest will provide you with a multitude of options to completely automate the Contest process.
Start by giving the Contest a name and description. This is solely for internal purposes and will help you utilize our reporting tools later on.
You can set the Start and End dates for your Contest, down to the minute. There is a setting to adjust time zones as well.
Next, chose the number of Entries per Phone you want admitted into the contest. Then, chose whether you want the Winner Selection to be Manual or Automated. If you select Automated, you can choose to have multiple winners. If you choose the Manual selection option, you can manually select the winner from the poll of available entrants.
The next five fields are the Pre-Contest response, Post-Contest response, General/Losing response, Winning response, and Already Entered response messages. All of these messages, if left blank, will not be sent out. However, it’s in your best interest to fill in at least some of these, especially if people will be joining your list for the first time so that they receive some sort of confirmation that they text in properly.
The language you use within these messages is up to you, however, we’d like to suggest some potential language that has worked well for others:
Pre-Contest Message
“Thank you for joining the ___ contest! We will notify you with the results shortly.”
*If a person texting in is NOT yet a member of the keyword, texting in for the contest does not add them to your keyword list. Consider offering them a way to join by adding “Reply [YOUR KEYWORD] to receive future promos & coupons”. This line can be added to any or all of the messages.
Post-Contest Message
“Thank you for participating in the ___ contest. Check back with us regularly as we love offering savings and coupons to our loyal customers!”
General/Losing Response
“Thanks for being a part of our __ contest. Unfortunately, you did not win this time, but feel free to try again next time!”
Winning Response
“Congrats- You WON!!!! Come to ____ & redeem your reward!”
Already Entered Response
“Thanks for texting in, but you are already entered in to this contest. We’ll notify you soon regarding the results!”
Last but not least, hit Save. Create awareness for your contest through your advertising and employees and sit back while Opt It Mobile 3.0 takes care of the contest!
Check back tomorrow for information on the Forward and Response type sub-keywords.
June 26, 2009 by Molly Anderson
With Opt It Mobile’s expanded contest features, users can create and manage their own contests. Opt It Mobile users are able to establish a contest by simply entering start and end dates and times for their upcoming event. They may fine tune contests by controlling the number of times a customer joins; allowing for unlimited contest entries per customer, or a specific number of entries per contest, hour, day, week or month.
The Opt It Mobile contest feature also allows for manual or automated winner selection – for example, winners can be chosen to be the “xth” entry, first “x” people or every “xth” person. The number of winners may also be capped to lower your risk.
All contest entries are integrated into Opt It Mobile’s upgraded reporting system, so business owners can see real-time results of their ongoing contests.
Consider how our upgraded contest features can work for you to drive business through your door.
May 26, 2009 by Molly Anderson
There is no more powerful tool than mobile marketing when it comes to reaching customers, especially in the bar and nightclub industry. According to the CTIA – The Wireless Association, 95 percent of all text messages are read, giving bar and nightclub owners a prime opportunity to communicate with members of their key demographic of 21 to 30 year olds. So why should you get your business involved with this mobile marketing surge? How can you take advantage of Opt It software to pump up your client reach and grow your business? And how do customers benefit from your mobile marketing efforts? Read on for the answers to these questions and more.
The number one advantage of mobile marketing for bar and nightclub owners is the immediacy with which customers can be reached. There’s no more waiting for snail mail or for ad spots to run on various media. Your message is sent instantly to all customers in your client base, giving them real time knowledge of your latest promotions, events and contests. What’s more, you’re reaching out to targeted customers with their permission – they have requested this information to be sent, allowing you to speak directly to clients who are anticipating information about your business, wherever they are, via their mobile device.
Consider the various applications for mobile marketing in your world. Utilize Opt It features to provide information on upcoming offers, promotions and contests. Send invitations to special events and have clients text keywords as RSVP to build guest lists. Run on-premise contests, in a moment’s notice, by sending texts to customers in-house. By utilizing the Opt It software, texting becomes the main communication tool between owners and customers, which can happen anywhere and at the customer’s discretion. Uses for mobile marketing in the bar and nightclub industry are limited only by your imagination.
We’ve talked about why Opt It and mobile marketing is a prime way to reach your target market and how you might put it into action for your business. But how do your customers benefit from your text messaging marketing efforts? Receiving text messages is a low cost and simple way for customers to stay informed about what’s going on at their favorite establishments. Not only will customers be up-to-date on the latest events and information, but they’ll be notified of and able to participate in any and all discounts, promotions and special offers – a big draw in tough economic times. With the permission-based technology that Opt It offers, customers can control what, when and how often they receive and send information about promotions through their cell phones.
Becoming part of your VIP list of customers is very meaningful to many clients and provides a sense of belonging and membership to an elite group of patrons. This is an advantage to both the business owner and client, establishing a lasting relationship through the reach of the real time mobile channel.
Look for upcoming posts with details on how mobile marketing can transform various other industries, like restaurant and retail.