Mobile Ad Campaigns 5 Times More Effective Than Online! *

“Mobile is taking online to the cleaners.”

Only one month in and 2010 has been flush with “mobile marketing is kicking butt” stories. And, yes, for those of us in mobile marketing, it’s fun. It is especially fun a company like, Let’s Text Together, which doesn’t pretend mobile is taking over the world. Rather, Let’s Text Together helps businesses understand how mobile compliments their traditional marketing, how it makes it more productive and more affordable, and how it helps traditional advertising produce better results.

We’ve never compared mobile to radio or television, because they are complimentary. But mobile is less complimentary to online; mobile finds more of a direct comparison with online. And the resent results? Mobile is winning…again.

InsightExpress recently found that mobile marketing ad campaigns norms were four and a half time more effective than online norms. This doesn’t mean online is receding from marketing plans. But this is just one more scoop of proof that mobile is fighting for, and winning, more budget allocation than ever.

Mobile marketing’s entry point is SMS marketing (bulk SMS). This study found SMS marketing/text message marketing to be increasingly effective at improving brand awareness and driving upper level purchases. Mobile is now being brought up sooner in the strategy-planning process.

Whether you own a business, market for someone else, sell media, or work on any level inside of an agency you should be learning all you can about mobile marketing successes. At Let’s Text Together, we sell cheap bulk SMS packages. We do not simply retail bulk SMS packages and hope the advertiser has results. We retail them very affordably, thanks to economies of scale, and also help with strategy and implementation.

See here how affordably you can purchase and implement our bulk SMS packages. Let’s Text Together does not charge software fees or startup fees!

Also feel free to check out our Wisely Asked Questions in mobile marketing.

* Headline from Mobile Marketer and Insight Express

1 Billion. The number of mobile devices that will be accessing the mobile internet by 2013.

SMS marketing is still king. Not every mobile device can access the mobile internet. In fact, not even close to half of all mobile devices can access the internet. Those who are accessing are worth reaching and those who are not accessing still cannot be missed. This may be the most interesting thing about the mobile industry. And, fortunately, there is great news!

SMS and mobile internet actually compliment each other. Unlike most advertising mediums, both SMS and mobile internet are very affordable, work together seamlessly, embrace 99% of your customers, and can often be handled effortlessly by one mobile company. Only one downside: if you’re not on board yet, you’re late.

Shoppers using the mobile web are big spenders and/or frequent spenders. They are early adopters. Basically, they are customers you love to have. In order to get them, you must cater to them.

Luckily, it’s easy and inexpensive. Find a reputable company to build you a mobile website (not a company that builds PC websites). Put what your customers most want while they are on the go, and you’re already ahead of the competition. The mobile web is affordable, fast, and effective.

Now, how about those hundreds of millions of people using mobile devices but not using the mobile web? They are your customers, also, and their numbers are massive! Thankfully, catering to them is also easy with bulk SMS. Implement SMS marketing and watch them thank you for talking on their terms by spending money with you.

With that many people not using the mobile web yet, shouldn’t you just wait to build a mobile website? Nope! As people gradually (seemingly overnight) make their way on the mobile web, they expect you to be there. You have to beat them there, not follow them. Perception is the consumer’s reality; if they look for you and you are not visible, you are perceived as being irrelevant.

Next steps are simple: contact the owners of Let’s Text Together at www.LetsTextTogether.com. We will listen to your goals. We’ll then give you a fast, free mobile marketing overview, a custom proposal to fit your needs, and put the ball in your court. Honest, professional work with amazing results.

*headline quote source: IDC, 2010

SMS and Mobile Service Revenue Expected to Exceed $1 Trillion by 2013

According to Informa Telecoms & Media, data service will also make up for $330 billion that year. We can tell from numbers like this that mobile is not going away and mobile marketing is still in its relative infancy. Mobile marketing, bulk SMS, etc. has a lot of room to grow and is moving full speed ahead!

We often see marketers hesitant to give mobile a full consideration because, believe it or not, their competitor isn’t doing it. Marketers, especially business owners, will never admit it but they stay in a tight pack with their competitors and once 55% of businesses begin mobile initiatives we will see it spike to 85% or 90%. This is because they then feel the “safety in numbers” which they, again, will stop short of admitting.

The business owners and marketers we see leading the pack in mobile adoption are also leading the pack in consumer loyalty, brand loyalty, and new revenue sales in a down economy. Normally being a bold, fresh, and gutsy business owner takes a significant investment…not with mobile marketing! Mobile marketing pricing is so affordable it is astonishing. We have customers that spend only a few hundred dollars per month and generate ten times that in revenue!

Whether you are utilizing a Text to Win or Text to Vote campaign or conducting a Mobile Survey, you will see incredible power with SMS marketing. To see mobile marketing success stories, mobile marketing case studies, and mobile marketing pricing, visit the Let’s Text Together website. Then call us and we can tell you exactly what a custom plan for you will cost!

Frequently Asked Mobile Marketing Questions

Ever wonder what others are asking about mobile marketing? We have compiled a list of questions that others have asked and for which we have answers. Check them out here!

M-Commerce and Smartphone Shopping: What is being searched and where is money being spent?

According to Q3 2009 figures from Compete (www.compete.com), 2010 is the year we will see huge m-commerce growth. Almost two-fifths of smartphone owners report having purchased something nonmobile over their phone in the last six months. The three most common activities on the mobile web relating to m-commerce are looking up shipping information, looking up store locations or hours, and product reviews, respectively. As supported by the rank of these activities, it is found the most common shopping-related smartphone activities are research-based.

Every time we receive data concerning mobile internet usage and m-commerce, we see an increase in both. Just like the traditional internet, we also see most marketers and business owners monitoring use to see if mobile web investment is wise. Mobile phones are not going away and neither is their connection to the web. And as the resolution on mobile screens improves, bandwidths increase, and capabilities expand we will see mobile web use accelerate rapidly. We will additionally see m-commerce grow both in the number purchases made and in the dollar value of these individual purchases. As a marketer or business owner, it is important to start investing in mobile websites and m-commerce now. And it can be done inexpensively! The best steps to take initially are to build a mobile website with the pages people search for while on the go, such as directions, hours, contact information, and product offerings/reviews. One thing to avoid is simply altering your PC website to look “okay” on a mobile handset. It is affordable and much better strategy to build a mobile website from the ground up; it will look better, be easier to navigate, and provide a much better experience for your customers.

Visit us at Let’s Text Together and see how affordable mobile marketing can be!

Social Network Marketing Growth Through Use, Not Just Display Ads

As you know, sometimes in business the most common practices are not the best. A September 2009 study performed by MarketingProfs found that to be true regarding both B2B and B2C uses of social network marketing.

Facebook marketing: The most common tactic used in both B2B and B2C marketing was attempting to drive traffic to corporate materials through status updates and friending customers. Popularity does not equal effectiveness.
The most effective method for consumer-oriented companies was creating a Facebook application. And yet less than one-quarter of respondents attempted this. The second most effective approach did turn out to be friending, followed by creating a survey for customers. And the least effective type of social media marketing? You guessed it: buying ads. People on social networking websites are not interested in advertising being shoved on them; the reason for social networking site success and growth is that they feel so pure and organic, so genuinely safe for friends to connect. Ads detract from that feeling.

Twitter marketing: Twitter has become an interesting tool for marketers to talk to other marketers. Often times, we see marketers flapping their gums, assuming people are listening just dying to spend money with the company who sends the cleverest tweet. Not the case. However, the most effective brand use of Twitter has been to monitor PR problems and negative comments made about the brand. The report also showed that driving sales was the least effective use of Twitter marketing.

Some ways we have seen success social network marketing: User-generated content! User-generated content is so powerful because it is essentially word-of-mouth advertising; the only trick is spurring it. One great way is to excel the sharing of views, comments, etc is to create a topic that is engaging and meaningful to fans of your page or customers with whom you have connected. Another great way is to tie your brand in with a charity. After this genuine tie-in, you can invite people to join, ask them to blog about what the charity means to them, and what they think your company can help with next…help them become more loyal. Write us…we’ve got tons of social network marketing strategies that work!

How To Use Mobile Marketing – As a marketer, it is simple and cheap to work with a mobile marketing company. You simply find one, purchase a bulk of SMS credits, use their shortcode, and choose a keyword that fits your campaign.

If your goal is to drive revenue and you currently do some marketing, then mobile is one of the easiest tools you will ever use.

Say you need to sell more widgets and you currently run some radio commercials. Call us and purchase 5,000 bulk SMS credits. Then implement the phrase “Want to win a free widget? Text WIDGET to 72239!” into your radio ads. This will result in several things:

1. Your radio advertising will stand out and work even better
2. You will build a database of people interested in widgets and you can follow up with each person individually for a strong and unique one-to-one customer relationship
3. When each person texts in to win, they will instantly receive a message back that reads “You’re registered! Why wait to win? Call 555-5555 now, mention this text, and SAVE 20% on your widget! To stop, rply WIDGET STOP”

You have successfully engrained your company into the minds of all consumers looking for widgets and created a database of warm leads for your sales team. Additionally, you have let your customers know you are making a real effort to communicate with them on their terms…they will thank you for this by giving you their attention and business. Finally, you can send mobile coupons, widget updates, widget sales announcements

All of your interaction with these consumers is controlled through our web-based software. You would have a username and password and can access your database, change your bounceback messages, and send push messages at any time.

If you send an email to sales@letstexttogether.com, one of the owners of the company will receive it and contact you back to set up a live demo.

The Mobile Internet and Mobile Websites: Why are Consumers Using it?

According to Deloitte’s recent 24th Annual Holida Survey, of the mobile shoppers identified in their survey: 55 percent said they will use their mobile device to find store locations, 45 percent to research prices, 40 percent to find product information, 32 percent to find discounts and coupons, and 25 percent to make purchase.

Now let’s look at mobile internet usage predictions: Mobile Marketer recently reported that consumers will increase their average browsing time from the 4:40 (min:sec) average in 2009 to the 5:30 range. Also, average page views will increase from approximately 105 to 120 per month. According to Nielsen, the mobile web grew at an average of 2 percent month over month for all of 2009. This makes it one of the few things growing for the year. It is predicted that, at this rate, combined with the accelerated adoption of smartphones and mobile-specific sites, the mobile web will reach more than one-half of the consumers on the wired web. That is huge news!!

Most business owners slept when it came to building a website. When they finally got around to it, there was no strategy…they just knew they “needed one.” Years later, most all businesses have caught up to working with and on the web. Now here’s mobile web coming at us like a locomotive at breakneck speeds. And what are most businesses owners doing? Relaxing and “seeing what the competition does” just like the internet’s last go-round. Astonishing. Now, for those businesses who are embracing mobile web, it is helping people on the go find their location, find their offers, and with few competitors utilizing the mobile web space it makes comparisons thin and immediately betters that businesses chance of making the sale.

So, no more sleeping! The time for a mobile-specific website is now. Work with a mobile marketing company on building a mobile website for your business. You can certainly have it built by the designer of your pc website, but it’s not the best idea. Mobile web strategies are different, the build is different, and although your website developer inherently knows this, sometimes old habits are hard to break. Inquire with a mobile firm and see what they can do for you. Any reputable mobile marketing firm should be able to help you create a fantastic mobile internet presence and you will be leading the pack in no time.
Our firm is just one of the few you should look at. Go ahead…call or email the owners of our company directly. You will get an almost immediate response and any mobile questions you have will be answered without a sales pitch. Click here to see how affordable our bulk sms packages are and reach us to get started.

Until next time,

Mobile Search Companies: 2010

In 2010, many are predicting to see a tremendous increase in the number of companies utilizing mobile search. And for good reason! Some experts are posting that the number of mobile web users could approach half that of web-based users by the end of next year.
As a marketer or business owner that is certainly something to recognize and something to which should be responded to appropriately. So where should marjeters turn? Their standard ad agency? Not likely. The standard ad agency, although forever having claimed creativity and ingnuity, often worked/works solely based on getting a businesses cost down…less per spot, etc. Often times, these schedule end up being garbage and the business owner ends up spending more per efficiency, but since there is no guide for that the agencies are able to hole up their rouge. Please note: these are my opinions and I do know there are some amazing agencies in existence…just not most of them. Where you should turn is either a firm that SPECIALIZES in mobile (not just claims to offer it because they know they were caught off guard and are trying to play catch up) or your current search provider, if you have one.
There are pro’s and con’s to going with a mobile search company and in going with your current search provider. If you’re looking to work with your curret search provider, you can benefit from having one contact and one bill. Additionally, you may also be able to get single report. Finally, it means you would be working with a company who already knows our business.
However, in going with a mobile search company specifically there are many benefits to be had. First, although having one bill can be nice, having one same contact can be a detriment. Think about how hard people work to ge your business initially. On the increases or upsells, many don’t work as hard. By beginning your mobile search endeavour with a separate company will put you in position to have someone workin extra hard to secure and retain your new business. (If they are not, you chose a complacent company and you need to move on.) Then there’s that enticing single report: this may again seem like a good idea and time saver, but the more pc search and mobile search phyisically get lumped together, the more they mentally get lumped together. Then the person working on your strategies starts lumping those together and then you might as well not be doing mobile search anyway. The idea is that mobile search is very different and should increase the tangible business you are seeing driven by the web. Work witha separate company and you will find that the strategies they develop are wildly different and better because they are not thinking about your pc search at all. Finally, I mentioned that by choosing your exisiting search provider to perform mobile search, you would be working with a company that already knows your business. Atface value, this seems like a benefit. However, you will often find that the company you work with now has fallen into certain patterns and perceptions and misperceptions regarding your business. Begin with a specific mobile search company an you will have a chance to get a brand new set of eyes an hands on your company. Assuming you choose a good partner, this almost always leads to productivity and growth in business.

Go ahead…call or email the owners of our company directly. You will get an almost immediate response and any mobile questions you have will be answered without a sales pitch. Click here to see how affordable our bulk sms packages are and reach us to get started.

The Mobile Coupon, SMS Coupon, or Text Coupon. Call it what you will, but the recession has brought the coupon back.

It’s a fact…with the combination between the recession and the mobile handset, the coupon is at an all time high! It’s prime time for the coupon, Baby! Many couponites, I call them, are the Baby Boomers and the older tip of Generation X. But coupons were lost amongst Gen Y, Z, and Millennials. And using mobile coupons for your business is incredibly simple and cost effective

Please note: if you’re unfamiliar with mobile coupons, this is not equitable to direct mail or email. In no way is a mobile phone list purchased and a message blasted out. If someone is offering you this, they are damaging the industry.
Mobile is always permission-based and, thus, amazingly effective.

Now that coupons no longer require clipping and can be carried in the most sheik of fashions, they are no longer a young demographic faux pas. As a marketer, this presents very exciting opportunities. During the early 2000’s, spending was at a pinnacle and many business owners reaped the benefits simply by opening their doors. As spending slowed, consumers held tight to their wallets before most businesses began offering discounts. In that time, many companies found it difficult to attract new customers. Businesses reacted by discounting slowly in an attempt to wean back lost interest. In today’s economy, however, it seems offering steep discounts is almost a prerequisite to even having an operational business. As many do not want to, and cannot even afford to, discount any further they find themselves again on the same playing field as their competitors.
If you’re running neck and neck with competition and everyone is at their bottom dollar, what do you do? Move to a better location? This might be a relevant option in a great economy, but now not. Spend more on advertising? Good advertising always helps, but it’s also expensive and since many (small) business owners make the attempt to purchase “super affordable” advertising, it’s mostly junk and ineffective anyway.
So what to do? Offer something your competition isn’t. Don’t discount any further and don’t worry about big time out-of-pocket advertising. Instead, offer your current discounts and incentives through the mobile medium. This will separate you from your competition in the minds of your potential customers. They will appreciate you and remember you for making the effort to communicate and do business with them in a manner that they like and is on their terms. It will break through to new customers who were ignoring your old marketing and discounting attempts (most businesses that run discounts through mobile see at least 30% of the redeemed offers come from someone who had never done business with them before). You will also be able to reach out to them for just a few pennies per person…no production costs, no printing costs, and no postage. And don’t let the coupon magazines fool you; they are not using any good strategies when delivering mobile. Work with a reputable mobile marketing company and we will help you design and execute campaigns that inspire the viral effect, lead to more sales, help create higher profit margins, and we will help you analyze your ROI after every campaign.

Go ahead…call or email the owners of our company directly. You will get an almost immediate response and any mobile questions you have will be answered without a sales pitch. Click here to see how affordable our bulk sms packages are and reach us to get started.