Send Texts Not Spam

Everyone knows that there can be too much of a good thing. The same goes for text message marketing as well. A lot of attention has been paid to this mobile marketing technique lately. Text message marketing has proven itself as one of the fastest and most effective methods of communication with customers. But with all that good comes the bad as well. Many businesses are falling into the trap of sending spam instead of texts.

For consumers, nothing is more annoying than sorting through spam to find the important messages. Whether it comes in the form of an email, a text, or in an envelope, it all ends up in the trash. The message then for marketers is that if they want their messages read, they need to go about sending it the right way.

Legal Considerations

The first thing businesses need to keep in mind about spamming is that it can be illegal. If a company is buying cell phone numbers, or getting them some other way, and then sending texts to them without permission, they are breaking the law.

Before beginning any kind of text message marketing campaign, make sure that all the people that will be receiving texts have given their consent. Failing to do so can lead to a number of legal problems.

Perception Is Everything

Remember that if a consumer perceives a message as spam, it’s spam. To avoid that fatal perception, it’s important that marketers put a lot of thought into the text message before it’s sent. The most important aspect of a good text is that it provides value to the person receiving it. If consumers continue to receive texts that don’t offer them anything, they will quickly get annoyed and take themselves off the list. Another important factor is the frequency of the texts. Sending texts daily is over the top, but wait too long between texts, and customers may forget about the company.

Text Message Marketing Do Me Right

In order to make the most of a text message marketing campaign, make sure it is compliant with the law, done in moderation, and contains value for consumers. Following these few simple rules will keep customers on the contact list happy. Most importantly, they won’t associate a company with spam and will be more likely to remain a loyal customer.

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Source:  http://www.mobilemarketingwatch.com/how-to-avoid-the-sms-spam-trap-35272/#more-35272

Mobile Trends Marketers Should Know About

The mobile industry is constantly evolving and changing. Recognizing those changes and adapting for them is the key to success for the mobile marketer. If mobile marketers want to continue to reach their target audience, they will need to follow the mobile industry closely and recognize ways they can adjust their strategies. Here’s a look at five trends in the mobile industry and how they should be affecting mobile marketers.

Mobile Is Growing

The most important trend, and one that marketers are already keenly aware of, is that the industry is growing. There are currently 6.8 billion mobile subscribers in the world. Studies show that 56% of adults in America own a smartphone. As mobile usage increases, so does mobile marketing and mobile commerce. Mobile ad spending is expected to reach 11.4 billion in 2013. Also, 24% of mobile phone users report using their mobile phone to make a purchase and 38% of tablet users say they have used their tablet to make a purchase. As more people are using mobile devices, and using them to make purchases on the go, a good marketer will adapt by continuing to push for mobile commerce.

Purchases Via App

A popular trend lately has been mobile apps that allow frequent customers to purchase more easily. Starbucks customers for instance, can now pay for their morning coffee by pulling out their phone and opening their Starbucks app. The customer’s phone essentially replaces their credit card by wirelessly sending payment information to the cash register. There are a number of key ways that marketers can capitalize on this. If a company has a mobile app, introducing mobile commerce into that app is a good idea.

More Immediate Consumer Reviews

The ability to immediately review a product or meal on mobile devices is changing things up. When a customer has a positive or negative experience with a business, they are less likely to write about it by the time they get home. Now, mobile users can use their mobile devices to instantly review a product or service. Businesses in the food industry especially would be wise to encourage customers to write positive reviews.

Location Based Marketing And Small Businesses

More and more small businesses are getting in on the location based marketing action. Businesses owners that aren’t at least exploring the idea of location based marketing could be missing out big time.

Apple Passbook

At first, Apple’s Passbook app was that annoying app everyone wanted to delete but couldn’t. Now consumers and businesses are learning to use it. Business owners that learn to integrate Passbook functionality into their strategy stand to gain.

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Source:  http://marketingland.com/5-mobile-trends-marketers-need-to-know-about-55963

Mobile Marketing Is Not An Option, It’s A Requirement

Any smart marketer will tell you that mobile is the future of marketing. That’s partially true. That’s because mobile is also the present of marketing. If your business isn’t implementing mobile marketing into its advertising campaign, then all the business that are have a huge head start. Each year more and more people are using mobile devices. The number of mobile users has been catching up to computer users for years. 2014 is the year that mobile usage will pass up computer users worldwide.

Why Mobile Marketing Is Huge

Mobile marketing is so crucial for a number of reasons. For one it is very adaptable. Mobile marketing entails any type of marketing on smartphones, tablets, readers, and other mobile devices. The forms of mobile marketing vary widely because every device, app, and social media platform has its own unique mobile advertisement options.

Mobile marketing is also crucial because people are spending so much time with them. Unlike computers, mobile devices are almost always within reach of users. People will spend about 40% of their internet time on their mobile device. Tablets are even better with people browsing on 70% more webpages and boasting of a 2.2% retail conversion rate compared to smartphones’ .7%. The time to launch a mobile marketing campaign was yesterday.

Mobile Marketing Strategies

There are as many ways to do mobile marketing as there are mobile devices. With app based marketing, advertisements pop up while mobile users are using apps (which is about 80% of the time by the way). These mobile ads also work on the Facebook app which integrates ads so perfectly, many users aren’t even aware they’re looking at an advertisement. Businesses wishing to use app based marketing don’t need to develop their own app. They can pay app developers to display their mobile ads in their apps.
Another type of mobile marketing is QR codes. Mobile users can scan these codes wherever they’re found to be taken to a webpage. Many mobile marketers are using location based marketing to send mobile ads to customers when they are within one mile of the business’s location. Text message marketing is an old school form of mobile marketing that continues to impress with its proven track record.

Different mobile marketing strategies have different strengths and weaknesses and are more effective with certain industries. Experiment with different strategies and find the one that works best with your business, your audience, and your marketing budget. Make sure to track what works so you can constantly fine tune your mobile marketing efforts.

Mobile Technology News brought to you by: http://www.businesstexter.com/

Source:  http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2013/08/19/what-is-mobile-marketing#.

The Advertising Problem

As a small business, you are probably trying to figure out the least expensive way to advertise. Of course, there are herds of people out there willing to offer you a million different advertising services, and they will all work well if you have unlimited funds. I have a better solution though.

Advertising Is Everywhere

Imagine yourself in a typical day. You get up and listen to the radio while you are getting ready. Then you listen to the radio on your way to work. At work, you surf the web or check your email. You check your Facebook and listen to pandora. Then, you drive home with the radio blazing and billboards on both sides of the road. At home, you watch some TV. Maybe you go out to the movies or out with friends. In everything you have done all day, you are being bombarded with advertisements. If you are a small business trying to compete with the hundreds and hundreds of ads out there, you don’t stand a chance. Chances are, your ad will get ignored or it will not be remembered.

How To Beat The Competition

Now, imagine yourself sitting with some friends at dinner. All the sudden, you get a text. What is your immediate response? To ignore everything around you and look at your phone. Maybe that is why most people use texts for sending Birthday messages now, according to the New York Times. No matter what advertising is around or what people are talking to you at that moment, you will ignore it all for the text. This is exactly why small businesses should do a lot more text advertising. It is the one way to guarantee customers will actually see the ad and have to make a conscious decision about what to do with it.

Gentle Little Reminders

One time, I was at work when all of the sudden I got a text telling me about a special at a restaurant nearby. after I saw it, I started to think about it and decided I wanted it. I may not have purchased the dish from the text message, but that gentle reminder that the restaurant existed and was ready to serve me still got me there!

It may be slow today, but maybe that is just because people have forgotten about you. If you can remind customers that you are there and guarantee they see your texts, you are much more likely to get an increase in customers.

Mobile technology news brought to you by www.businesstexter.com

Source:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/20/birthday-greetings-now-sent-over-text-and-twitter/

Test Out The Motorola Skip

Everyone has a cell phone password, and cell phone companies have been striving to come up with new and improved ways to make protecting your phone easier. It started with actual passwords and is now to the point where you draw a pattern with dots. What if you didn’t have to type anything at all? That would be the best option, but then anyone could get in. What we need is a way to access our phones without the hassle of passwords and with the security a password brings.That is exactly what Motorola did for you.

What Is It?

In just a few days, the new Moto X will be released. Though this is a spiffy phone all on its own, and having a custom-built phone is always the best option, there is something else you will find kind of fun with these phones. The Motorola Skip accessory will be released with the phone. Though it costs about $20, according to droid-life.com, it will be given for free with all new phone purchases.

This little accessory is a magnetic chip that will unlock your phone. All you have to do is touch your phone to it, and you have access to everything! Motorola is trying to make it easy on you and take one more step out of your day. The chip can be found in a little band you can wear on your pocket or in stickers that you can stick to your desk, according to droid-life.com. You can connect to as many devices as possible, making it great to have one at home, one at work, one in your pocket, and more. You can also disconnect from your phone whenever you want in case you lose the chip or sticker.

The Biggest Problem

The biggest problem with getting this neat little accessory is access, according to ARSTechnica. Anyone who gets a hold of your chip will end up having access to your phone. Though people use passwords on their phones to keep away the prying

eyes of everyday thieves, many people also use it to keep siblings, roommates, spouses, and children out of their phone. It would be very easy for someone living with you to grab and use the Moto X and Motorola Skip together. Even if your loved ones don’t do it, someone else at work could easily grab your phone and unlock it with the sticker on your desk.

Though there are definitely some security concerns associated with the Motorola Skip, you should try it out if you aren’t too worried about it!

Mobile technology news brought to you by www.businesstexter.com

Sources: http://www.droid-life.com/2013/08/19/quick-look-motorola-skip-accessory-for-the-moto-x/

http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/08/motorola-skip-password-security-without-the-hassle-key-restrictions-apply/

The Evolution of Text Messaging

Texting is a modern part of everyday life for both individuals and businesses. Successful businesses will target their audiences very specifically, which in this day and age, means communicating through text messages. But how, exactly, did texting become the main form of communication?

In The Beginning

Though the very first text message was sent in 1992, texting didn’t really become popular until the early 2000s. Kids were all over it. The idea that you could send an instant message to someone through their phone was amazing! It seemed way easier than calling and leaving a message because you didn’t have to wait while the phone rings. Then, if you were to leave a message, you would have no quick confirmation that they got it, unless they called you back and left you a message too. On top of that, it is way easier to communicate times, dates, names, and places when you can just type them in a text instead of hoping the person on the other end of the line heard the right information. Communicating is just easier when you can instantly send information to someone.

Making It Easy

The ease of texting information led to a huge decrease in phone calls. In fact, in 2007, more texts were sent than phone calls for the first time ever, according to Rebtel.com. Now, we are to the point where texting is our main form of communication. It is used between people for conversation, and businesses now use it to offer deals and bargains to their loyal customers.

Why Use Texting?

For individuals, using texting means you will get the right information to your friends. It means you can check something very quickly without having to make the other person on the other end of the line wait for you. It is a much more efficient way to talk to friends and make plans.

For businesses, texting is the best way to tell your loyal customers that you appreciate them. It is the best way to offer a quick deal when they need a pick me up. When there is no business, you can encourage people to come in. Talk to your customers and get them excited about what you have to offer. No matter what you are trying to sell, texting will benefit you.

Mobile technology news brought to you by www.businesstexter.com

Sources: http://www.rebtel.com/en/International-Calling-Guide/Texting-SMS/The-Evolution-of-the-Text-Message/

Mobile Payment Crucial For Small Businesses

Many businesses have done away with the old clunky cash registers in favor of smaller, easier payment options. Now any tablet or smartphone can be a point of sale device when a card reader is attached. You see this kind of technology in stores across America from widely known department stores to family run bakeries. While everyone stands to gain from such technology, it’s the small business owner that benefits most from mobile payments

The Mobile Payment Advantage

Any good businessman knows that the more ways there are to pay, the more people will be able to pay. While almost all major businesses have card readers in their stores and websites that allow for online payments, many small businesses are limited to cash and check. Even if they have a card reader in the store, sales can only be done at that location. If a business offers delivery but only accepts cards at the business location, they lose the business of everyone who may not have cash but wants delivery. That’s where mobile payment options come in.

Equipped with a smartphone and card reader, each employee can act as a point of sale wherever they go. Independent traveling merchants such as those that frequent county fairs and flea markets don’t have to be limited to customers carrying cash. Since just about everyone carries a debit or credit card these days, every person becomes a potential customer.

Niche Business

When it comes to mobile payments, some niches are especially poised to benefit. Antique sellers for instance often participate in fairs and community events by setting up a booth. Rather than going through the hassle of setting up a cash register and card reader everywhere they go, antique sellers can simply bring their phone. Craft sellers can also benefit from mobile payments. Flea markets and fairs always have booths where people are selling homemade crafts. Their ability to succeed in making a living off their merchandise depends on whether they can process mobile payments.

Whatever niche your business is, chances are, it can benefit from having mobile payment options. Next time you have to take your merchandise to set up shop outside your place of businesses, you’ll have one less thing to worry about. As long as you don’t forget to bring your phone, you will be able to sell your product to anyone who has a credit card.

Mobile Technology News brought to you by: http://www.businesstexter.com/

Source:  http://www.mobilemarketingwatch.com/for-whom-are-wireless-payments-most-essential-35267/

Eternal Marketing Truths

A lot has changed in the marketing world since the days of radio and print advertisements. Today marketers can reach thousands of people in seconds by using email and text messages. Despite all the changes however, some basic truths about marketing remain and always will. Mobile marketers who think they can break those rules should think again.

Ten Basic Lessons

Here’s a look at 10 marketing lessons that mobile marketers would do well to remember:

1.      The customer is king or queen. The customer must be the center of all your marketing efforts. In all your mobile communication make sure your customers are becoming your friends

2.      Relationships take time. Don’t be in such a hurry to shove information down your customers’ throats. Take time to listen to them and hear their feedback. When you do send messages to them, make them as concise and simple as possible. Confused customers don’t buy

3.      The customer says what the brand is. Marketers shouldn’t try to control the brand image, the customer is in charge of that. The marketer’s job is to steer customers in the right direction not try to control how they view the brand

4.      What you say may not be what they hear. Do more listening than talking, make sure that the message they’re hearing is the messaging that you’re intending to send. A good marketer is constantly fine tuning the message to reduce the opportunity for miscommunication

5.      Creating buzz can be good and bad. In other words, create good buzz, the type that generates awareness of your product or service. Avoid bad buzz that tends to just annoy people

6.      It’s easier to hit a big target than lots of little ones. Don’t try to break your audience down to many tiny groups and create separate messages for each of them. Try to find commonality in your audience and create one message to reach all of them

7.      Numbers lie. Most research is done only to confirm what you already believe. Try to be open-minded about research and rely heavily on customer input

8.      Satisfaction is a starting point, not the end goal. Don’t settle for satisfied customers, seek to create passionate, even fanatic, customers

9.      Rome wasn’t built in a day. Be patient with customers as you grow your brand. Don’t expect customers to be loyal and trusting right at first

10. Immediacy can be bad. Just because you can send out a message that can be read by thousands in just a few seconds doesn’t mean you should. Think long and hard about what you say and how you say it before putting it out for everyone to see

Mobile Technology News brought to you by: http://www.businesstexter.com/

Source:  http://venturebeat.com/2013/08/12/10-old-school-marketing-lessons-for-mobile-marketers/

Why Local Businesses Should Consider Text Message Marketing

Text message marketing has already proven itself an invaluable tool for large companies around the world. But what about small businesses operating at the local level only? Currently, text message marketing is poised to be the next big thing for these local businesses as well. Many business owners are hesitant to jump on the bandwagon however, and for good reason. In the business world people are always shouting out what all business owners need to be doing.

Between search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media, text message marketing and all the other things business owners are encouraged to do, it can be difficult to decide just how to divvy up the advertising budget.

Text Message Marketing Statistics

Despite all the advertising options out there, text message marketing is still taking center stage. That’s because after all the talk, the numbers speak for themselves. Statistics continue to show that no other marketing tool gives as much bang for its buck. Here’s a look at just a few statistics that are speaking for themselves:

· 91% of Americans have cellphones. Half of all cellphones currently being used are smartphones

· 96% of all smartphone users are texting

· The average text message will be read within 5 seconds of being received

· 97% of texts will be viewed within 7 minutes of being sent

· 70% of customers enjoy getting promotional offers via text

· Coupons sent via text are 9 times more likely to be redeemed than other coupons

No form of marketing is as immediate and effective at reaching the intended audience and spurring them to action.

How Local Businesses Can Profit

The benefits of text message marketing for small businesses are huge. A carefully executed text message marketing campaign can pack the house and bring in thousands of extra dollars in revenue in a single night. Text message marketing is relatively cheap and doesn’t require a lot of work once it’s going. That means that for very little cost, businesses can see a dramatic increase in profit.

The Future Of Text Message Marketing

What has been observed about successful marketing tactics in the past is that over time, people become desensitized to them and they rapidly lose effectiveness. Time will tell if the same will happen with text message marketing and mobile users will be more prone to ignore texts. In the meantime, business owners hoping to capitalize on this marketing tool should strike while the iron is hot.

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Source: http://www.newswire.net/newsroom/pr/76141-sms_marketing_mobile_phone.html

The Mobile Marketing Advantage

If you think mobile marketing is for big businesses only, think again. In fact, small businesses have more to gain from mobile marketing than anyone else. That’s because their customers aren’t likely to hear about them any other way. Today, nearly everyone in America has a cell phone, many of these are smart phones capable of connecting to the internet from anywhere. This constant internet connection is changing consumer behavior drastically. Gone are the days when customers need to visit a business or call them up to ask questions. A quick Google search on their phone or tablet tells them what they need to know. Companies that aren’t innovating are being overlooked by these consumers.

A New Type of Customer
Before the smart phone, a person that was out shopping would have to base their decision solely on the price and what they could determine from having the product in front of them. Now, it is perfectly normal to see a customer looking at a product, talking to a salesperson, and searching the web for additional information. This type of comparison shopper is the new norm. In many instances, a company’s web presence makes or breaks a deal.

The Importance of Immediacy
What a lot of the research is revealing is that the appeal for mobile devices is the immediacy. A person can see an ad on TV. Then, without even getting up from the couch, that person can pull out a smart phone, do a little comparative shopping, and make a purchase. Likewise, a person who is shopping for a particular product doesn’t have to do research beforehand. They can head out with smartphone in hand, ready to do any research they need while in the store.

Sink or Swim
As with all business ventures, success is determined by the willingness to take risks. Business owners willing to take the step into mobile marketing will be rewarded so long as they do it right. Meanwhile, businesses that continue to resist are most likely doomed to remain stagnant. Consider this statistic: small businesses that are using the Web are growing 40% faster than the businesses that aren’t. Despite the huge advantage the internet offers, 50% of small businesses still have little to no Web presence. If you’re a small business owner still on the fence about mobile marketing, it’s time to decide which half you want to side with, the side that’s swimming, or the side that’s sinking.

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Source:  http://www.lvb.com/article/20130729/LVB01/307249995/Making-mobile-marketing-work-for-you

SMS Marketing For The Small Business

Text message marketing has grown to become one of the most powerful advertising tools in existence. A common misconception however is that text message marketing campaigns are for big businesses only. Nothing could be further from the truth. Text message marketing can work just as well for smaller businesses as well. Many small business owners are already experiencing the value of integrating mobile marketing into their advertising campaign.

5 Reasons To Take Your Business Mobile

Here’s a look at five reasons your small business should go mobile:

·         It delivers your message directly and quickly. If you have time sensitive information for customers such as an appointment alert or expiring promotional offers, there’s no better way to inform them than through text. The majority of texts are read within five minutes. It is far more effective than email or snail mail.

·         It builds brand loyalty. SMS marketing is the perfect way to include customers in your business via loyalty programs. Use texts to send your loyal customers special promotions.

·         It’s easy. Launching a mobile marketing campaign may sound technical and difficult but in actuality it can be very simple. There are many mobile marketing companies who have created tools to make it easier for business owners to launch their own marketing campaign

·         It’s cheap. No form of advertising is as cheap as SMS marketing when you take into consideration its effectiveness. The cost of reaching so many customers so quickly through any other method would be far more expensive

·         It allows you to target mobile users based on their interests

Mobile Technology News brought to you by: http://www.businesstexter.com/

Source:  http://www.mobilemarketingwatch.com/5-reasons-why-sms-marketing-is-smart-for-small-businesses-33306/

Mobile Technology Advancing Small Businesses

As more and more large companies reap the benefits of mobile marketing, smaller businesses are no longer able to ignore the benefits mobile marketing can provide for them. In fact, mobile technologies can help business with more than just marketing. Mobile technology is helping business owners manage their company with greater ease and effectiveness than ever before. There are many ways that mobile technology is changing the business world.

6 Ways Business Owners Can Mobilize Their Company

Here is a look at 6 ways that business owners can mobilize their small business and become more successful:

·         Mobilize payroll. Currently, a third of small businesses end up paying penalties for payroll miscalculations. Mobile payroll solutions allow businesses to automatize payroll to eliminate miscalculations and speed up the payroll process

·         Mobilize marketing. Mobile marketing is a tremendous opportunity that many small businesses are missing out on. Mobile marketing allows businesses to connect with customers in a new and exciting way

·         Mobilize scheduling. Smartphone apps can help business owners juggle a busy schedule, important meetings, and to-do-lists allowing them to be more effective at running their business

·         Mobilize payments. Today’s mobile technology allows for smartphones and tablets to replace clunky cash registers. Customers can pay for services or products anywhere

·         Mobilize meetings. Mobile technology makes it even easier to hold virtual meetings. People can attend from the comfort of their home or from the back of a cab, or anywhere via telepresence apps

·         Mobilize customer service. Mobile solutions can manage customer service by automating complaint response and connecting customers with resources they need to resolve their issue

Mobile Technology News brought to you be: http://www.businesstexter.com/

Source:  http://www.mobilemarketingwatch.com/6-ways-to-mobilize-your-small-business-33728/