SMS Marketing

The only positive experiences I have had with SMS campaigns is while conducting one for African clients. Mobile is huge in that continent and the people seemed to be very open to receiving promotions via their mobile handsets.

Personally, I don't like receiving SMS messages. It would be worth seeing if you can find any sentiment reports on SMS camapaigning in the UK.

One thing is for sure, you must ensure you have permission to send someone an SMS. Opt in fields on your contact forms will help you get this. You could find yourself in a sticky situation if you include someone in your SMS campaigns without their consent.

What are the costs like for SMS marketing? Do you do them yourself or get an external company to send them? I guess most modern phones should be able to open URLs sent by SMS.

I can only really answer this from being on the receiving end of an unwanted SMS and nothing frustrates me more. I don't think I've ever read one, other than from my service provider (orange). I don't think it's as effective as emails, telemarketing or good old face to face sales. But it does depend on your target audience.

i think many see texts as more personal. I guess we all expect a few junk emails (which can be filtered out) but texting feels that bit different. WhatsApp sits somewhere in between :-)

WhatsApp is extremely popular around these parts. Even my eldest has asked if she can get it for her phone. So as a marketing tool I can see merit in it, but can also see it as an annoyance somehow.

I;m not really fond of SMS marketing. its right up there next to cold calling (IMHO). To get a promotional message out of the blue from someone you don't know is a little irritating. We get promotional texts from our celphone carrier (sometimes as early as one in the morning), and it makes one want to take an axe to your phone (seriously). But that's just me I guess.

You more than likely have to be very sure of your target market, and not to blast texts to every number you can muster. Maybe also giving them the option to opt out is a good idea.

This side though, most times when you try opt out it costs you money to unsubscribe from a list you never subscribed to in the first place.

Organisation use SMS marketing to promote their exclusive offers. This way, the customer feels valued. It also goes a step further in improving brand loyalty.

Do you use SMS marketing? or get these promotional texts over where you are? Share your experience with us, and help Alan make a decision about whether or not to try it out.

The SMS marketing plan is infact a good idea if executed properly. If you continuously text and it hinders their work there is a chance that it will give you a negative image.

With smartphones now days its rather easy to access email etc. and a lot of non-smartphones have more or less the same capabilities, so email marketing isn't completely lost.

Have you tried any SMS marketing campaigns? Would love to hear some feedback on how it worked out for you.