Table of ContentsIntroduction:.............................................................................3

Affordability............................................................................5The opt-in crowd.....................................................................5Real-time marketing.................................................................5Open rates..............................................................................5Paperless marketing.................................................................5

Tips and Best Practices................................................................6Send Coupons.........................................................................6

How do mobile coupons work?................................................7Advantages of mobile coupons................................................7How to use mobile coupons....................................................7Fine-tuning your marketing via mobile coupons.........................7Call It a Club........................................................................8Offer something....................................................................8Keep it simple......................................................................8

Mix up Your News and Offers.....................................................8Send Reminders...................................................................9

Listen to Your List....................................................................9Know your audience..............................................................9Have respect........................................................................9

Use Mobile's Unique Capabilities...............................................10QR Codes...........................................................................10Location Based Services.......................................................10We Know Where You Are......................................................11Maps and Directions............................................................11

GPS Based Apps....................................................................11GPS Enhanced Shopping......................................................12The Challenge of SMS Marketing...........................................12

Legal Stuff...............................................................................15

Introduction:This short report will examine shortfalls and opportunities of small business marketingin the light of fast growing mobile internet trend, and what could be done to make this development work for local businesses.

Learn the benefits and advantages of SMS marketing campaign, and what it can do to help any small business acquire more quality leads, more happy returning customers andultimately - more sales.

These pages are for informational purposes ONLY, and are NOT intended as business advice. See Legal Stuff

Enjoy! And share, if you please?

http://www.mobilesmartwebsite.com/

Drop us a line any time on our siteor send email to

Mobiman@MobiTeckCanada.com

You CAN print, sell, give away, share, post,upload and distribute

this e-book freely as long as you don't make any changes to content and/or links herein.

5 Reasons And 10 Tips For

SMS Text Message Marketing

In todays fast moving techno-centric consumer market, it can be hard to keep up with the latest trends. However, keeping up is exactly what your business needs to be doing to avoid falling behind and off the radar altogether. The mobile market segment is really gigantic and growing at a rapid pace, and you simply cannot afford to ignore marketing specifically to this segment.

A recent study showed that 97% of text message recipients open the message within the first 15 minutes. The rest will open them within one hour.

SMS, or text messaging marketing is one of the latest (and greatest) tools in mobile marketing arsenal, and it doesnt look like it will be going away any timesoon. Nobody will stop betting on the winning horse, will they?

You should get on board sooner rather than later. Think of it this way: your competition is starting to explore this avenue, and most of them will see the might and high ROI of targeted, permission based marketing. Once they corner the market it will be that much harder for you to get in.

Need more convincing? Here are five reasons your local business should be usingSMS text messaging:

AffordabilityAs you well know, advertising can cost a prettypenny. SMS text messaging is relativelyinexpensive to use compared to moreexpensive and less profitable traditionalchannels. A small local business can contract abasic marketing campaign for couple of hundreddollars a month!

The opt-in crowdIn order for you to send an SMS text message tosomeones phone, they must first opt in, and giveyou express permission to do so. That means thatyou will be marketing only to people who have already expressed an interest inyour business, product or the message. There is perhaps no better way to reach your target audience than by using the opt-in method.

Real-time marketingIf you want to get news of a special offer out to your customers right away, then the best way to do that is via text message broadcast. Cell phone users almost always have their cell phones on them, whereas theyre not always checking their mailboxes, or even email inboxes. SMS text messaging is real-time marketing in its truest sense.

Open ratesStatistics show that 98% of all text messages are opened and read. That is a staggering number, considering that only 25% of all emails are ever opened. Simply put, no other form of communication offers such a high probability of your message going through.

Paperless marketingOne huge buzz phrase today is going green. It seems that businesses far and wide are jumping on the eco-friendly band wagon to win a greater following. In addition to saving you money, paperless marketing such as SMS text messaging is a great way to incorporate green ideas into your business plan.

Tips and Best Practices

SMS has been around for some time, and it already entered our vocabulary - text me is common phrase we hear every day. At the same time marketers have developed high performance strategies that are guaranteed to work for any type of business.

Here are some more tips on making the most of your text message marketing campaigns:

Send Coupons

Marketing surveys show that people love getting coupons from their favorite businesses. A coupon can simply be a text message with a code they can use to get the deal. Mixing coupons they can instantly use with other deals and offers is a great way to give your customers what they want and get them into your store.Proof? Mobile coupons get 10 times more action than traditional print and cut paper ones.

Mobile coupons are paperless coupons that are delivered directly to mobile devices. If your business is not using mobile coupons to market, you are missing out on a great marketing opportunity that is inexpensive, effective and super-easy to execute. Are you interested in learning more about mobile coupons and what they can do for you? Here are some ways in which mobile coupons can helpyour business:

How do mobile coupons work?Mobile coupons require opting in, meaning you only send them to people who have already expressed an interest in receiving news of your special offers. They are generally delivered by way of text message.

Advantages of mobile couponsAs previously mentioned, people must opt-in to receive your mobile coupons. This is an advantage in itself, as it means that you are automatically marketing tothe people who are most likely to purchase your product or service. Now thats targeted marketing at its best! Another advantage of mobile coupons is that they are extremely inexpensive to use, especially when compared to the cost of printing and advertising/mailing their paper counterparts.

Mobile coupons are also more personal. What does that mean? Well, to send a mobile coupon, you are communicating directly with the recipient, and in real time. In a sense, you are developing an ongoing relationship with your customers via these text messages. You simply cant provide that type of personalized experience using direct mail.

How to use mobile couponsThe idea of using mobile coupons is to get more peopleinto your store. Make them an offer they cannot resist. Once they are in your store, given you provide them witha positive experience, they are likely to come backagain, coupon or not. You can also increase yourcustomer base exponentially by encouraging your mobilecontacts to spread the word. Offer them an additionalspecial deal for referring you to others who will opt in toreceive your mobile coupons. Word spreads quickly in theworld of mobile technology and social networks, and yourbusiness can use that to its advantage.

Fine-tuning your marketing via mobile couponsOne great thing about using mobile coupons (versuspaper coupons) is that they can be tracked. You cansee exactly how many people opened your coupon, aswell as how many customer conversions (sales) yourcoupon brought in, and then you can use that informationto fine-tune your marketing campaigns for the greatest possible effectiveness.Mobile coupons can help your business, and should be an integral part of your

next marketing campaign.

Call It a Club

Lots of people sign up for lists online, and get emails sent to their inbox. One littletwist you can put on your campaign is to call it an exclusive membership club rather than an email/phone list. This makes it sound more desirable and you're not stretching the truth at all it is a membership club full of special deals a family, if you will.

Offer somethingDont make the mistake of bombarding your customers with promotional messageafter promotional message. Otherwise, you risk seeing them opt out as quickly as they opted in. Make sure you are offering them something of value. Coupons and specials are great way to reward those who opt in to get your textmessages, and making the mobile customer segment privy to these opt in only offers is also a great way to keep them loyal, and to ensure they continue to openyour messages.

Keep it simpleWhen it comes to text message marketing, short and sweet is a good rule of thumb. Remember that mobile phone users dont like to scroll, and they are generally on the go while reading their texts. Get to the point, and quickly.

Mix up Your News and Offers

Although you're primarily using your list to offer deals and promotions, it's nice tomix your messages with news, updates, and other content. Give them tips and 'how to' information related to your business. This shows that you're not just selling to them but also a trusted source of information.

If they perceive you as an authority in your field, they will be more likely to buy from you over and over again. They will also be primed to recommend your business to their friends one way or another.

Send Reminders

When you're promoting a sale or limited time offer, send them occasional reminders. People forget, and reminders have been proven to increase ROI.

Messages can be quick and just tell them to remember your deal ends this Friday.

Listen to Your List

Email/SMS marketing isn't just a one-way street. Open rates and other collected data will tell you whether or not you're doing it right, but customer feedback is even more valuable. Seek your subscribers' opinions and find out what they like and don't like. Then, tweak and improve your marketing accordingly. Businesses that are responsive to their customer base are destined to succeed and thrive no matter what the economy.

Know your audienceAre they paying to be able to receive your texts? Are they willing to follow-through with a phone call, or a visit to your website? What time of day or night are they most available on their cell phones and able to respond? Analyze your target market to answer these questions, and you will be able to target your text messaging specifically to them and their needs and, in turn, get higher rates of return.

Have respectDont spam the people who opt in to receive your messages. Its an insult. Whats more is that it increases the likelihood of them opting out. Remember that many people must pay fees to receive texts. Be prudent when deciding how often to contact your customers via text and, as previously mentioned, be sure you give them something of value, if even just a message of gratitude.

Use Mobile's Unique Capabilities

Mobile marketing converts much better than email marketing. There are certainthings about mobile phones and mobile use that are unique. You can really tighten up your campaign by making use of these unique capabilities.

QR CodesOne of the best mobile-centric features is the QR code. QR stands for Quick Response, and it is a black and white pixelated square bar code that you can see all over the place now. Smartphone users canscan it with their phone and it will direct them to webpage with your offer, a sign-up form, coupon code, video, or anywhere else you want to send them.

Just make sure that wherever they land they shouldsee mobile-friendly page, or your efforts toincorporate QR codes in your marketing will bewasted. If your website is not optimized for mobile DO NOT send mobile users there, as they will justclick away from it faster than you can say where'dthey go?Even the large companies with dedicated marketing teams make this mistake too often. It is very frustrating for mobile user to be stuck on the website where they could not redeem an offer, or even find it.

Location Based ServicesLet's say you own pizza place. Your customer ison the lunch break wandering around town, andlooking for a slice of pizza. When they happen afew blocks from your pizza shop, a couponautomatically shoots to their smartphone.It offers a lunch deal for today only, and if theyclick on it, it gives them a map from whereverthey are to your shop.

You do this by designating a certain zone. When they enter the zone, the systemautomatically asks for permission to send them a message.

Interestingly, this original zone system was used to keep track of prisoners and employees in larger companies.

It sounds like a science fiction film, but its real. Businesses can now do this through the magic of mobile. Its called location based marketing.

We Know Where You Are

The Global Positioning System (GPS) was originally developed for military operations. It actually shoots a signal to space that bounces off satellites and triangulates to tell exactly where someone is. Now we can use this state-of-the-art science fiction technology to offer a slice of pizza at just the right time. Pretty cool, right?

Location based services use GPS, which is a standard feature of smartphones. They connect your customer to your product or service based on where you are physically located.

Maps and Directions

Most people use the smartphone's GPS capabilities tofind places. With the click of a button, they can getmaps and directions telling them exactly where to go.You can help them find your place by integrating yoursite with Google Maps.

Once they are on your page with Google map on it your business location will be clearly marked, andposted directions will show them the fastest way fromwhere they stand to your front door. That is justshort of leading them by hand!

GPS Based AppsSome mobile apps take full advantage of GPSfeatures on the smartphones by collecting anddisplaying local information relevant to userspreference.

For example, if theyre looking for a gas station, they can click one button and their smartphones show them all the gas stations in the area, and offer detailed directions, prices, etc.Some social networks like Foursquare, Google +, and Facebook offer the option of check-in, and letting your friends know that you visited certain

business or an event.

GPS Enhanced Shopping

Another app idea is to help them shop. Lots of people these days use their smartphones when theyre window shopping or browsing. While looking at products in stores, theyll check online to get a price comparison ormore product details (nearly half of all mobile users do this today). You can create an app that helps them do that. It could be asearch function that looks for prices or reviews online.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more things you can do, and youre only limited by your imagination. Location

based services offer a whole new way to market to customers directly.

The Challenge of SMS Marketing

Remember that SMS stands for 'SHORT message service', as these messages can have a maximum of 160 characters. That's not a lot. Just to give you an idea, thisparagraph is over 200 characters long. Your messages have to be shorter than that!

It takes a bit of skill to craft such a tiny message and also give it some impact. The best way to do this is to focus each message on only one thing. If you've got a special sale and a new product line to tell them about, turn that into two broadcast messages. The best messages contain 3 bits of key information:

The details of the deal, promotion or sale How it benefits them What they need to do to get it (the call to action)

SMS Marketing Checklist

In North America alone, there are over 250 million mobile phone users. Using SMS to follow up with, build connection with and market to consumers is becoming more and more crucial in todays information age.

Here are a few of the most important things you should consider when youre setting up your SMS marketing.

Price. SMS marketing platforms, software and services can range from under $30 a month (you run your own lists and campaigns) to thousandsof dollars a month (large corporations with country-wide audience). The precise package you choose depends on your needs and the size ofyour customer base.

Fair disclosure of privacy. Users who opt into your service should be crystal clear on what theyre opting in for. Anti-Spam laws around SMS messages are stringent.

Easy opt out. Users should be able to stop receiving text messages at will.

Segment your lists. Instead of having just one SMS list, try to have several different lists that cater to different audiences.

Market to both businesses and consumers. People often assume that SMS marketing only applies to consumer-oriented businesses. In fact, marketers have found that SMS marketing can be incredibly effective towards a business audience.

Send only one message per SMS. Dont over crowd your messages.

Give your users a reward for signing up. Upon receiving your first text message, they should receive a free gift of some sort. This gets them in the habit of wanting to open your texts.

Set clear expectations about what messages theyll be receiving. Stay on topic. Messages that are off topic or go against your customers expectations will cause your messages to be perceived as spam.

Identify yourself at the beginning of each message. If they dont recognize your number, theyll delete your message if they cant figure out who its from.

Have a clear call to action in each message. Tell them exactly what you want them to do.

Use a web page if you want to give more information. Use a URL shortener to put your sites URL in the SMS itself.

Start your first SMS campaign today, and get in on the ground floor.Click the GO button for special pricing.

Legal Stuff

The information presented in this E-Book represents the views of the publisher as of the date of publication. The publisher reserves the rights to alter and update their opinions based on new conditions.

This E-Book is for informational purposes only. The author andthe publisher do not accept any responsibilities for any liabilities resulting from the use of this information. While every attempt has been made to verify the information provided here, the author and the publisher cannot assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions.Any similarities with people or facts are unintentional.

Pursuant to the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines:

MATERIAL CONNECTION DISCLOSURE:The publisher of this book may be or does have an affiliate relationship and/or another material connection to the providers of goods and services mentioned in this book and may be compensated when you purchase from any of the links contained herein.You should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

Go Back

Introduction:AffordabilityThe opt-in crowdReal-time marketingOpen ratesPaperless marketing

Tips and Best PracticesSend CouponsHow do mobile coupons work?Advantages of mobile couponsHow to use mobile couponsFine-tuning your marketing via mobile couponsCall It a ClubOffer somethingKeep it simple

Mix up Your News and OffersSend Reminders

Listen to Your ListKnow your audienceHave respect

Use Mobile's Unique CapabilitiesQR CodesLocation Based ServicesWe Know Where You AreMaps and Directions

GPS Based AppsGPS Enhanced ShoppingThe Challenge of SMS Marketing

Legal Stuff