R U Text Messaging?

Text Messaging, or SMS (Simple Messaging Service), is a means of sending messages via mobile devices to other mobile devices and/or computers, and vice versa. Texting has become such a widespread activity in the last few years that everyone from your mother to your daughter to your employer probably spends a large aggregate amount of time texting daily. And, although texting began as primarily personal, one-to-one communications between friends, people now use it to access appointments and schedules, flight information, package tracking, and driving directions, to name just a few things.

SMS Marketing: Blowing Up or Blown?

Text/SMS marketing, (a.k.a. mobile marketing), has caught fire as the new way to reach consumers and business people on the go. But you may still harbor a few misconceptions about it, namely, that mobile marketing is just spam, that nobody will read it, that your business doesn’t need to use it because it’s costly and provides little value. But, in fact, the opposite of each of these misconceptions is true.

In fact, SMS is a lot like email marketing, which despite sometimes getting a bad rap, is highly valuable. Both SMS and email marketing let you send targeted messages to people who have “opted-in” to reading your message. This means that your contacts want to read your text messages. Reputable SMS marketing providers, like reputable email marketing providers, will give you the ability to send “permission-based” messages, which means that you have sought prior permission from the message receiver before continuing to message him/her. Reputable SMS marketing providers, like reputable email marketing providers, don’t like spam.

According to a leading SMS marketing provider, mobileStorm, “[a] brand that disregards SMS could lose potential customers—possibly to competitors who do utilize the technology.” So, don’t blow it—start utilizing SMS marketing and get the edge over your competition.

Why Use a Mobile Marketing Service?

Sophisticated Tracking and Reporting: A great advantage of using SMS services is that they provide merchants with reports of tracked information (such as bounced messages, click-throughs, etc.). This information helps the sender to remove information that could get deleted, to see which links are visited and are generating money, and who opted out. The information aids in the tailoring and targeting of future mobile message campaigns. Also, most services allow you to track an exact Return on Investment, or ROI.

Helps Ensure Repeat Business: Most SMS marketing services provide a means to opt-in (sign-up texts), as well as a means to opt-out (unsubscribe instructions). Some services can automatically set up follow-up text messages to be sent to recipients to help establish and maintain customer relationships.

How to Use TextThings.com

To get started with mobile marketing, first do a bit of research. You’ll want to select a mobile marketing service that best fits your needs. Take a look at our Service Providers section to view the leading mobile marketing services and what they offer. You’ll find that several mobile marketing providers offer email marketing solutions as well. Also, visit our Blog section to read about useful texting tools for personal use.