Your cell phone is so much more than just a phone.
You can call or text your friends, check your email, listen to music and even watch TV with some cell or smart phones. It seems a cell phone is now a necessity as opposed to a luxury.
Just look around and see how many people are using their cell phones, in their car, in the grocery store, in restaurants, etc.
But a cell phone is much more than a way to communicate with friends or entertain yourself.
Text message marketing is becoming a popular trend especially in this tech-advanced world. Many business entrepreneurs regardless of their type of business find this marketing tool perfect in boosting their sales. As Bob Greenberg said in an article for ADWEEK, “One area of particular interest for retailers and brands is mobile.”
So who is using text message advertising? McDonald’s, 7-Eleven, Domino’s Pizza, and Wendy’s to name but a few among national advertisers.
Consider this, in 2008 when President Obama announced his running mate, he did it via text message and as Garrett Graff of the New York Times pointed out, making a savvy play for phone numbers to add to his contact list. You can do the same with your customer base. More recently the American Red Cross raised over $5,000,000 from text messages alone.
According to the New Brunswick Business Journal, Moosehead Breweries Ltd. hit the mark with its most recent Alpine Lager campaign, which saw 12 packs decked out in a camouflage print.
More than 25,000 people who bought cases of beer used cell phones to text message codes found on the inside of each pack for a chance to win a 2009 Yamaha Grizzly all terrain vehicle - out of 163,000 cartons sold.
Sarah Tippett, assistant brand manager for Alpine said the 16 percent response rate was massive. One – two percent of consumers read and use printed coupons. Three percent pay attention and respond to TV or radio ads. Three – four percent will respond to an email offer.
Wendy’s fast food chain announced a new cell-phone text-message coupon program in the Northeast.
To take advantage of the program customers just sign up, then discounts with a UPC bar code will flash onto their mobile devices. Customers can then show the bar code on their cell phones to a Wendy’s cashier to redeem the offers.
The program will be available at select Wendy’s locations before the company extends it to other parts of the country. Wendy’s isn’t the only big fast food franchise to embrace some high-tech marketing sizzle. Domino’s Pizza is also on a cell-phone coupon drive, according to BrandWeek, and 7-Eleven has launched its own effort in San Diego.
Wendy’s new program is an “opt-in” promotion, meaning customers must consent to receiving coupons and advertisements for discounts at Wendy’s locations.
Coupon advertising via portable devices began appearing from many traditional advertisers in the latter part of this decade. In 2005, McDonald’s started texting coupons to boost sales of its McFlurry dessert in the West. In 2008, they launched another text-coupon program to introduce its iced coffee.
Important facts to remember is to not “Spam” your messages to unsuspecting cell phones, you must setup an opt-in text club. To get potential customers to sign up you must offer some sort of enticement like Moosehead Breweries did. It doesn’t have to be a Yamaha Grizzly all terrain vehicle, it could be a 25 percent discount. With each message have an opt-out option. Most importantly, don’t over use the text messages or they will lose their appeal and your customers are more likely to opt-out of the program.
The bottom line is your customers have gone mobile. So should you. It may be very effective but not if you don’t know how to use it. Luckily there are companies that will do all the work for you. You run your business while they run your text message advertising campaign for you.
If you have questions you would like answered in the column or have any comments you can reach me by email at Mitch.SunTimes@gmail.com.
(Mitch McCracken has been involved in the music business for over thirty years working in both the radio and records industries. His first book, Off the Charts, about his experiences will be released later this year.)
Heber Springs, Ark. —
