Bulk Messaging from Text Marketer

Bulk messaging is a somewhat clumsy term to describe the process of sending any number of text messages to customers, prospects or contacts. 

There are a numbers of options for sending messages. The quickest and easiest bulk messaging route is our web-based system called MessageBox. It’s been designed for non-technical folk and from completing the simple signup form, most people can send their first text message in just a few minutes. You can even send a message from just one screen, so no need to spend time reading dull tutorials or manuals. 

Bulk Messaging Supporrt

If you do find yourself wondering what buttons too press, then we do have a series of handy videos that explain in just a few moments how each part of the system works. We also have a team of friendly support people who can help you out, whatever your query happens to be.

So bulk messaging is easy and don’t be told otherwise. Setting up an account is free and you will get some free text credits for testing. Text Marketer aims to be the lowest provider for a high quality service. We’ve even put together a price comparison table so you can see what our competitors charge. Check it out on our prices page.

SMS Marketing will be a flash in the pan, (Let’s sit this one out.)

We are persistently bewildered by how few companies are using SMS in any meaningful way. Our estimate is that about 30% have an ongoing SMS marketing strategy. There seems to be a resistance in some quarters to accept the reality that SMS is massive and it’s here to stay.

It’s horribly clunky, basic and restrictive but those who are holding out for a more dynamic and exciting alternative will have a long wait. You see the thing is that SMS has got under out skin and we’re reluctant or too lazy to give it up. There are perfectly credible alternatives to SMS out there at the moment such iMessage, WhatsApp and BBM. Even Skype with its massive take-up has barely made a dent in the dominance of SMS. The main issue with instant messaging apps is that you have to download them and then convince everyone you know to download the same one and start using it. Free and flexible they maybe but unless everyone starts using the same one they will remain somewhat impractical.

The killer USP for SMS is that every handset on the globe can send and receive texts.

So if you were hoping that SMS might quietly die, I’m afraid it’s looking highly unlikely. Those companies that have been stubbornly holding off, would do well to dive in. SMS marketing isn’t complicated or expensive and the benefits are very tangible.

Mobile marketing…..sounds on trend: I’m going to need a large budget.

One of the delights of mobile marketing is that you can get the ball rolling on a ludicrously small budget. So just how small is entirely up to you. There are no set up costs, contract terms or monthly fees to worry about and with no minimum text credit order, you can simply buy what you need for your first SMS campaign. So there’s no need to get horribly bogged down in budget meetings or go to the financial director with a begging bowl. 

You really can get going with just a few pounds and you’ll be up and running in a few moments. So if you haven’t yet discovered what the mobile can do you for you, then it’s not too late to get started. 

Firstly, get yourself a free mobile marketing account, it’ll take 2 minutes. If you’re wondering what your first campaign might be about, visit our Inspiration Zone. It’s packed full of ideas and advice. There are 2 very useful resources that I would draw to your attention.

The first is a short mobile marketing eBook called The Seven Deadly Sins of Mobile Marketing. It’ll help you avoid some of the most common and obvious pitfalls that could easily derail your campaigns. It’s short and lightweight and will only take a few moments to run through. 

The second resource is our Message Depot. This is designed to give you ideas on how to word your mobile marketing campaigns and may even give you a steer on what sort of offer to put out there. 

We’re always on hand to help out too, so please feel to make touch. Our details are on our contacts page.

My customers and prospects have not expressly opted in to receiving texts from my company. It’s therefore illegal to send them texts

Incorrect I’m delighted to say. If you have collected a customer or prospect’s mobile number as part of your discussions, or they are an existing customer, then you’re entitled to send them a text.

Here is chapter and verse from the Information Commissioner’s Office.

“You must not contact individuals without their prior consent UNLESS you have obtained their details in the course of a sale or negotiations of a sale, you only contact them about your own similar products or services and you give them the opportunity to opt out of receiving further marketing messages each time.”

All Text Marketer customers can use the free unsubscribe tool in their accounts ensuring that their SMS marketing campaigns stay the right side of the law. Each and every Text Marketer account is issued with a four letter unsubscribe code. If someone texts this code to 88802, they will automatically join the stop list. You are then unable to send texts to people on the stop list even if you try. It’s a failsafe system that means you can’t send a text to someone by mistake, who doesn’t want to receive anything from you. 

So thankfully the rules of engagement for SMS marketing are pretty logical and straightforward. If you have someone’s number because they gave it to you, then you can send them a text, as long as you give them the chance to get the hell off your list. 

To see how it all works, you’ll need to set up a Message Box account. This is free and as well as the unsubscribe system, your account comes with a host of other useful tools to help you get the most out of SMS. We’re standing by to help out if you need anything.

This myth tackles the common issue of over estimating response rates.

Myth 2
I can expect response rates of 20 -30% using SMS marketing

Expectations of what mobile marketing can achieve are frequently laughably overstated. While there’s no doubt that mobile marketing enjoys by far and away the highest delivery, read and response rates, it’s a good idea to keep your feet on the ground when it comes to predicting ROI on a campaign.

Essentially SMS is just another communication channel but it can’t transform a poor campaign into a good one. If a direct mailing piece completely bombed and generated zero response, then sending the same offer by text is highly unlikely to prove a resounding success. 

People can tend to get carried away by the use of a new technology. The thinking is that because they’ve never used SMS marketing before, it’s inevitably going to produce amazing results. Set the bar too high and you end up being hugely disappointed. 

The trick is to think like a consumer and be cynical. Why would I respond to this text? What’s in it for me? Could your customers see you message as spam? What would you think if you received a similar text from a different company? 

If you get the offer and tone right though, SMS marketing outstrips all other direct marketing channels hands down. In terms of response you can expect a maximum of about 8%, which beats mail by a factor of 5 and email by 100. 

If you’ve not explored SMS marketing yet, now would be a good time to get started. Opening an SMS marketing account is free and you’ll receive some free text credits for testing.

Seven Deadly Sins of Mobile Marketing and 10 Steps to Mobile Marketing Nirvana are both hugely popular and are definitely worth a read if you haven’t had the chance yet. 

So the world of mobile marketing is full of hot air and flatulence. As with all new technology, mobile marketing has fallen victim to any number of myths and outright bullshitery.

So this blog series will highlight a few of the most common fabrications so you’ll be better armed to get you involvement in mobile right. 

Myth 1
What I really need is an App to kick start my Mobile Marketing

No you don’t. You really don’t. BlackBerry revealed that 99% of apps get used just once. This astonishing fact means that the overwhelming majority of apps out there are completely pointless. The most pointless ones are those that are developed by big brands that more about ego stroking rather than delivering measurable results.

Unless you’re app is genuinely giving something useful or entertaining, then it risks being a liability rather than an asset. An app is often developed as a knee-jerk reaction to not having a properly thought through strategy. So the low-tech SMS is a far more sensible starting point than the funky new stuff. 

So rather than having to spend a fortune and waste countless days pondering what you’re app might do, you could set up a free account and start to use a business SMS service to communicate with your prospects, customers and staff more effectively. 

There is no setup cost or monthly fee. With no minimum order you can get up and running for just a few pounds. Let us know if we can help at all. 

I’m a rather reluctant customer of Brunel Ford, the local main Ford dealership. I may be a bit unduly harsh on them but they annoy me. Perhaps it’s because everything seems to cost so much and getting your car serviced is right up there with gutter clearing for fun and exciting ways to spend your money.

They’ve also been a bit useless with their customer communications. When my service was due recently, they sent me a reminder by post which I completely forgot about. Then silence for about five or six months. I was just starting to think about calling them up and begrudgingly booking my car in, when out of the blue, the following SMS Marketing text arrived…

“Dear Mr. Cazalet, We miss you. Give your Ford S-Max some love. As a special offer we will service your car for £99 before the end of February. Please call Brunel Ford on 08442412788 for details on this amazing offer.”

Before I knew it I was through to service reception where they were efficiently offering me several dates along with a pick-up and delivery service. So until that text arrived, I was huffing and puffing, procrastinating and moaning. The effect it had was miraculously instant. It’s a perfect example of how goddamn effective sending a text can be.

The content of the text itself was also pretty persuasive. The personalisation, addressing me by name and using my model, was a smart idea, adding detail to make me feel I’m being talked to directly. They also chose to send a message that was longer than 160 characters. This used 2 text credits but was definitely worth it, allowing them to get the message across in a more relaxed way, with the space to spell out the offer clearly. My only grumble would be that they failed to include an opt out, which they are legally obliged to do; but all round, I’d give them a solid 8/10 for this SMS campaign. 

Unfortunately Brunel didn’t use us for this business SMS campaign but if you’d like to see what our platform can do and how easy it is send a personalised SMS campaign like their’s, please help yourself to a free account. We’ll add some free text credits for testing so you can put us through our paces before you spend anything. Your account will also come with a unsubscribe tool, so that you can allow your customers to get off your list if they want to. 

1. You haven’t really got a mobile marketing strategy

That sounds a trifle patronising but the reality is that the vast majority of UK companies don’t really get involved in mobile marketing in any meaningful way. We estimate that around two thirds of companies remain stubbornly in denial of the meteoric rise of the mobile phone and all its wonders and frustrations. The mobile has genuinely changed the way that we all interact and communicate and now accounts for an ever increasing slice of digital spend.

To us, it seems somewhat baffling that most companies seem to ignore the mobile phone and continue to battle away at more familiar and safer feeling marketing channels. Enough of the ranting, the simple point to make is that most companies don’t do mobile.

2. It’s not joined up

Those companies that have got involved in mobile marketing have mainly seen it as an add-on, a kind of optional extra to their main marketing stuff. Any mobile activity is often run in a vacuum and doesn’t link in any way to existing campaigns. For example, many companies will have tried sending a bulk SMS campaign in an effort to increase sales. So the marketing team will have come with an offer, compressed it to 160 characters and sent it out the door. So the customer receives a text out of the blue with no detail and no additional support material.

We’ve checked and over 95% of marketing bulk SMS campaigns do not contain a link to a mobile optimised website. Even worse, of those that do send a text containing a link, 72% of companies include a URL taking the user to a non-mobile optimised site. The eager customer clicks on the link and then waits minutes for a site to load, or more realistically, rolls their eyes and clicks away.

 3. It’s a flash in the pan

Many companies see mobile as a dangerous experiment; to be tried once or twice and unless it produces outstanding results, to be quietly filed away in the ‘we gave it a try’ folder. The trouble with that approach is that all consumers are not doing the same thing with their mobiles, quite the reverse in fact. We are all spending more and more time fiddling (often rather aimlessly) with our phones. So companies that choose not to interact with their customers via mobile will not only miss out on a tremendous opportunity but risk alienating themselves.

As with any marketing strategy you need to persist. A single bulk SMS does not a campaign make. Companies need to decide to embrace all elements of it, devise a long-term plan and stick to it.

4. It’s one dimensional

When most people think of mobile marketing, one thing usually leaps to mind; bulk SMS. Bulk SMS is just one of the tools in the metaphorical box that marketing departments should be considering. If you are going to take mobile marketing seriously then you need to be looking at a much wider range of ways to interact with customers. So here’s a quick run through some of the key elements that need to looked at.

Bulk SMS – Communicate news and offers to customers, prospects and staff.

Text Response – Allow customers to respond to marketing by text. E.g. ‘Text OFFER to 88802′.

QR Codes – Take customers to rich web-based content directly from your advertising.

Mobile Optimised Website – Vital. Allow customers to use your website on the move.

Mobile Payments – Allow you customers to purchase directly from the mobile site

Opt in and preferences – Capture customer and ask how they would like to receive info from you.

Opt out – Operate a rigorous unsubscribe policy. Make it easy for people to get off your list.

5. You’re half convinced that mobile is a fad.

Stan at Velocity Partners put this brilliantly. “Mobile is the juggernaut that we’re all trying very hard to pretend we don’t see.” But it’s no use, mobile is not going away, it’s actually becoming more and more important. So the time has come to embrace it, plan a detailed strategy and implement it ahead of your competitors. It needn’t be horribly expensive or suck up too much valuable time. I fear that companies that ignore it will regret it sooner rather than later.

Quite surprising then, that Christmas SMS figures prove that SMS is in rude health with volumes of texts sent over Christmas increasing year on year in some countries. Belgium network KPM for example delivered 15% more messages this year than last.

The overall picture though is not at all clear as some countries like the Netherlands and Denmark seem to be embracing a post SMS era, with volumes showing declines of between 16% and 26%. Industry experts will have their work cut out trying to predict future trends with this type of unexplained divergences in some countries.

It’s unlikely that either increases or decreases in personal SMS volume will have much impact on the use of SMS as a business mobile marketing tool. There is still no challenger to SMS in the business messaging world. It looks likely that this will remain the case for quite some time. Mobile marketing via SMS is likely to continue to grow throughout 2013 and probably until a credible alternative emerges.

With around 60% of UK businesses having no real mobile marketing strategy, 2013 might be a good year to dip your toe in the water. Please help yourself to a free bulk SMS account, if you haven’t already got one. You will receive some free text credits for your first mobile marketing campaign. There are no setup costs or monthly fee and your text credits never expire.

We are always on hand to offer any advice or ideas you’d like us to, so please feel free to give us a call. You’ll find our number on the contacts page.

Most companies are yet to use mobile marketing in any structured way. Many have sent out the odd bulk SMS campaign, the more adventurous may have even dabbled (usually unsuccessfully) with a QR code on their marketing materials. For most, mobile marketing remains an also-ran activity.

So using SMS as a way of communicating with customers and staff is fantastically effective. But what if anything could come and poison it? Is there anything lurking out there that could kill it stone dead.? We’ve been pondering what nasty venoms could conceivably see it off.

Increased Spam

I personally have received a bit more unwelcome SMS spam lately. It’s the usual stuff from PPI or accident claim companies. It’s not yet reached annoying levels, I receive about two or three a month, but I’d certainly be happier not to receive the drivel.

There are laws in place that should pretty much stamp it out completely. These date back to 2003 and made it illegal to send texts to people that you have no business relationship with. It looks like the Information Commissioner’s Office are starting to get to grips with the problem. The BBC recently reported a high-profile raid on a text spammers office, resulting in a £500,000 fine. That seems like a suitably stern deterrent! With a bit of luck we should see this type of spam reducing soon.

More Bulk SMS Legislation

The rules around sending bulk SMS are there to protect us from receiving SMS spam from companies that we don’t know and don’t want to know. In their current form, they are pretty robust and should prevent us from receiving unwelcome and uncalled for texts from any source.

What could put a fly in the proverbial ointment is if EU law makers decide to introduce a new layer of legislation that could make it more difficult for legitimate mobile marketers to send texts to their customers. Potentially you might be required to opt in to specific services. So if for example a company offered an SMS delivery notification service, the customer might have to specifically opt in to receiving delivery texts in addition to text offers that they had already agreed to receive.

We could end up with a complete muddle, with neither the consumer or the company properly understanding what they need to do. Our view is that the current rules are sensible and don’t require any more fortification. Let’s hope others agree.

A New Free Universal Messaging System

The number of texts being sent by UK consumers is leveling off. After 25 years or so of rapid growth, the graph is flattening out. The total dominance of SMS is being nibbled away at by other messaging apps like Imessage, WhatsApp, Skype etc. Every week there seems to be a new instant messaging tool launched. While these messaging apps are free to use there doesn’t seem to be one of them that’s being universally adopted. It’s a massive bun fight, a race to be the instant messaging winner. It’s win or lose and at the moment there doesn’t seem to be one winner emerging yet and this fact leaves SMS safe at the top of the pile, for the time being.

So the poison for business SMS might come when a victor in the instant messaging wars emerges. When we know what instant messaging product we’re all going to be using for the next few years someone is bound to find a way of adapting it for business use.

For businesses that want to communicate with their customers, SMS remains the only option. Research by Portio recently concluded that ‘SMS is not dead. SMS is still the king and will remain so for some time to come.’

SMS Retains the Crown?

So for the foreseeable future, it looks like SMS will retain its powerhouse status. For such a simple and arguably clunky technology, it’s got impressive stamina. It’s killer advantage is that it remains the only global messaging system. Every handset ever created can send and receive texts; until that changes, the argument for using SMS marketing will remain as persuasive as it is today.

In contrast to some of the reports in the industry press, many are still very cautious when it comes to buying from their mobiles. More than one in four consumers have used a phone to research products while in a high street shop, but just 17% of people have actually bought from a mobile website. It seems that trust is one of the main concerns, with 60% of people being worried about how secure it is. On the other hand, most people who bought things using their mobile found it easy.

The trust issue was a surprise to us. If people are happy and confident shopping on the web why would they feel any different while using a smartphone? A mobile website is after all just a website optimised for use on mobile devices. We think that perhaps consumers are worried that if their phone is lost or stolen, then the thief would be able to rack up huge purchases. Or maybe it’s in some way related to the damage that was done to the reputation of mobile payments industry by the ring tone and games club scams of several years ago. (You will no doubt remember the joys of the Crazy Frog.)

Curious too that while many of us use our phones to research products, just the17% go on to make a purchase. You would have thought that the figure would be higher even if you excluded every site except Amazon.

We tend to forget how long it takes for people to change their buying patterns. It’s similar in a way to how slow most UK companies are in recognising the benefits of using bulk SMS as a communication tool. Even though mobile marketing has been around for more than 10 years, we estimate that only about 30% of UK businesses are using it regularly. Slowly though, things are changing and we have certainly seen a huge rise in the number of customers opening up a bulk SMS account with us in the past couple of years.

Please help yourself to a free bulk SMS account if you wish. You will receive some free text credits for testing. If there’s anything at all that you think we could help with, please feel free to give us a call. Our details are on the contacts page.

Bulk SMS providers Text Marketer have released the results of their in depth survey into consumer attitudes towards SMS Marketing. The survey, the largest of its kind, included a section that asked 1368 consumers specifically about their experience and opinions on receiving texts from fast food outlets. The conclusions from this research will be used to help mobile marketers shape their SMS marketing strategies in the future.

Few companies taking advantage

One of the key findings revealed by the study is that surprisingly few fast food companies are using SMS marketing as part of their overall business strategy. In contrast to the perception that consumers are being bombarded by marketing texts, just 27% have received a text from a fast food outlet in the past 3 months. An overwhelming 71% of respondents then went on to state that they would like to receive text message offers from outlets and brands that they have used before.

The survey also revealed that an impressive 38% of people are likely to respond to an offer sent to them via text. When asked about the types of offers that they would like to receive, 26% said that they would like a discount on their entire order, with 46% favouring a 2 for 1 deal. Just 9% indicated that they would respond to an offer based on drinks or side dishes.

A clear opportunity

These startling results show that there is a significant and currently untapped opportunity for brands in the fast food sector to generate increased revenue from embracing SMS marketing. The fact that we now know what types of offer people are most likely to respond to, makes the case even stronger.

Henry Cazalet, Director for Text Marketer spoke about the findings: “We are really excited with the results of this new three month survey and would like to thank everyone who took part. We believe that companies should be doing more to make the most of SMS marketing and these findings only reinforce this point.”

“It’s clear that a large percentage of people would like to receive text messages from their local fast food outlet and also that a large percentage would react to the information being sent. This in itself is a good indication of the power of SMS marketing.”

We’ve split them by a few industry sectors but do have a look through them all as there may be ideas that you could apply to your SMS marketing campaigns.

 Message Depot

 Retailers

NEWS! EJ Wines are now extending their 20% discount offer until 6 pm this Friday. For amazing offers on all our wines, call us now on 01234567890. www.ejwines.co.uk

A massive 50% off all sports products at Campus Leisure this weekend. Logon now to www.campusleisure.biz. This offer will end at 7 pm on Sunday, so logon now and quote code X13.

Dai Fashions pop up sale starts now! (ends 6.15 pm on Sunday) Use code POP10 on the site and you’ll receive a 24% discount on all purchases. Logon now www.daifashions.com

It’s not too late to get a whopping 27% off all purchases at www.kauldronmagic.com Offer will end on Monday at 1700 sharp. No latecomers please.

Plan for Mothers’ day. Thoughtful gifts available at surprisingly affordable prices. Visit us on the high street or online. (1 High st. ) www.bluejaygifts.co.uk

Great products, outstanding prices. All major body care brands under one roof. Visit us now. www.bodycareshine.com Use code OPP1 to receive 15% discount on all purchases.

Leisure

Weather forecast is cold and wet. Cosy up at The Rock Inn from £125.00 for 2 nights B+B. Roaring fire, local ales, fine wines and dining. Call 0123456789 or reply ROCK to this text.

Beat the queue! Show this text at Metropolis Nightclub before 10pm tonight and we’ll take you through the members’ only entrance. Free single shot at the bar with this text.

Celebrate the great British cream tea at Hoxton Tea Rooms. The ultimate Indulgence. Free scone and dollop of Devonshire cream with every pot of tea. Come today. 1 High Street.

FREE entry to the Yorkshire Paintball Centre through the whole of August. Just pay for any paintballs used. Keep the kids happy this summer. www.ypc.co.uk

Looking for something different to do this Friday? Come to COCKTAILS & KARAOKE at Bar One. 2-4-1 Cocktails EVERY Tues – Fri. Karaoke starts at 9pm. See you there.

We’d hate to see you leave. Re-join The Gym before Sunday 13th Nov to get a free month. £299 for 13 mths Call now 012345 67890.

Financial

Insurance renewal time comes around so quickly – make sure you get your best deal and call ABC NOW on 001234 45678 for great service and affordable terms

It’s car insurance time already. Reply YES to this test and we’ll call you to make renewing with ABC insurance as painless as possible. Or call us on 01234 56789.

Insurance is dull. Let us do the boring stuff. We’ll get you best deals for house, car and contents insurance. Call Oakey Insurance on 012345 45678.

Your Van Insurance Renewal is due. To save money call us now on 1234 56789 and quote offer reference VANTXT www.yourvaninsurancerenewal.co.uk

Reduce the cost of your insurance and have more money to spend on the fun stuff. Call Birchwood Insurance today and put more money in your back pocket. Call us on 012345 6789 or reply SAVE to this text.

Insurance time again. Renewing will take just a few minutes. Reply RENEW to this text and we’ll get back to you in next couple of hours. Or call Woods insurance now on 01234 567890.

Fast Food

Uninspired by the contents of your fridge? Let Pizza Land take the strain. Order any normal sized pizza and get a second absolutely free. Call us now on 0123 56789

An exciting week of sport ahead. Watch with your mates and we’ll look after the food. Order any 3 or more pizzas and get 2 for free . Order now on 0123 456789.

Our chef has created 4 completely new pizzas! We’ve all tried them here and unanimously agreed to trial them on the menu. Please call 0123 56789 to try them.

Hungry yet? Treat yourself to a pizza from Pizza Land, buy one large pizza and get one free. Order now on 01234 56789.

Rubbish weather again. Time for a pizza? We’ve got a buy one get one free offer on until Sunday evening. (All large pizzas from Pizza Land) Order now on 01234 56789

How about a midweek pizza treat? Two for one on all large pizzas from pizza land. Offer open until Sunday. Order on 01234 5678.

Pizza News! Free extra pizza when you order any large pizza from pizza land. Order yours now on 01234 67890.

A brilliantly honest summary.

Curiously this is not what happened with SMS marketing. Despite producing response rates over 10 times that of direct mail (Source – Mobile Marketing Association), bulk SMS has remained somewhat in the shadows. Bulk SMS as a marketing tool has been around for well over 10 years but only around 30% of UK businesses use it in any meaningful way. It’s never really moved centre stage and taken its place in the marketing spotlight. It’s an intriguing conundrum that we mobile marketing types can’t really get our collective heads around.

Perhaps in some strange way, people believe that SMS is somehow a temporary communication channel that will be superseded by something newer and more exciting than 160 characters. Maybe the notion remains that SMS is only used by younger target markets. Whatever the reasons, SMS remains perhaps the most untapped of all marketing communication channels. Marketers seem to be focusing on a whole host of shiny new social media platforms and smart phone apps. All too often poor SMS isn’t getting a look in.

Grasp the SMS Marketing Nettle

For those prepared to look beyond the gloss of new media stuff, the retro SMS represents a great opportunity to generate some great response and real customer engagement using something that we all use every day. So if your company is one of the 70% that don’t really do much with bulk SMS, now’s a good time to dive in.

Test accounts with Text Marketer are free to all.. You’ll find the web based system an absolute doddle to use. Using Quick Send you can even send texts using just one screen. Just copy and paste a list of numbers, type in your message, select the date and time and press send. There are no set up costs or monthly fees, it’s a simple pay as you go service.

As with any marketing activity, there needs to be a plan, an objective and a way measuring whether it’s worked or not. So we’re not only on hand to help with the button pressing but we can also support you in putting your mobile marketing strategy in place. We’re keen to help so please make contact with us in any way you wish. Our details can be found on our contact page.

Consumer Views on Non-Marketing Text Alerts

An important finding was that there is a huge demand for non-marketing based bulk SMS. Appointment reminders, delivery and order notifications were delivered to consumers less frequently, but are in fact hugely popular.

As the graph indicates, only 29% of those surveyed had actually received an appointment reminder by text message in the past 3 months, meaning that a staggering 71% of consumers had not. In addition, 84% and 74% of those consumers have not received order confirmation texts or delivery notifications respectively in the past three months.

When you couple these findings with those in the graph below, it’s clear that there is a huge, but unfulfilled demand for non-marketing based texts. In fact, 84%, 61% and 89% of consumers would like to receive appointment reminders, order confirmations and delivery notifications respectively via text message.

So when you’re pondering your next  bulk sms campaign , don’t just think about what you can sell your customers by text, think about what service you can offer by text.

Your customers will be relieved that every sms you send them is not just about trying to part them with their cash. Providing a useful service by SMS such as appointment reminders or delivery notifications makes your customers feel valued and that should lead to greater loyalty and spend in the long term.

None of this is complicated or technical to set up and run. Stage one is to set up a free bulk sms account. This is a web based system that allows you to run all your text campaigns. On set up, you’ll receive some free text credits so you can test the system before you spend anything. After logging in, the first screen that you arrive on is ‘Quick Send’. From here you can send out your first bulk sms campaign simply by copying and pasting your mobile numbers, writing your message and pressing submit. All from just one screen.

We’re always on hand to assist with any button pressing help you might need, so please feel free to call us. Our number is on the contacts page.

Before the results were in, our collective gut feel was that generally, opting out would be viewed as pretty important. We were slightly taken aback by the overwhelming strength of feeling about being able to unsubscribe from a mobile marketing list.

Do you need to include an SMS opt out?

We asked the following simple question. ‘How important is it for you to be able to opt out from marketing messages?’ 92% of respondents stated that it was ‘very important’. When asked: ‘Would you ever buy a product or service from a company that didn’t include an opt out message in their marketing text?’ an overwhelming 85% of consumers said ‘no’. Additionally, companies that use an opt out in their mobile marketing campaigns are trusted more than those that don’t. 79% of consumers trust companies more if they include an opt out.

So while mobile marketing is undoubtedly the most responsive direct marketing channel available, it needs to be used with caution. Omitting an unsubscribe option is one of the seven deadly sins of mobile marketing which we highlighted in our ebook.

Text Marketer accounts come with an unsubscribe tool that makes it easy for customers to get off your list if they wish. Once unsubscribed, you are then unable to send a text to that person even if you tried. It’s a fail safe system that means you can’t mistakenly send a text to someone that has unsubscribed.

If you would like to see how the SMS unsubscribe tool works, please set up a free account. You will receive some free text credits for testing. There is no setup, monthly fee or contract; it’s a simple pay-as-you-go service. If you would like to speak to us, we’d love to hear from you. Our details are on the contacts page.

We commissioned a survey that asked 1358 UK consumers what they think about receiving texts from companies and organisations. We were slightly anxious that we might find out that everyone hates being sold stuff by SMS, so we were hugely relieved that the reverse was actually the case.

The headline stat that we think all marketers should take notice of is this;

68% of UK consumers would like to receive text offers from companies that they have purchased from. So that’s a strong endorsement of the popularity of SMS as a sales channel.

Compare that with how many marketing texts people actually receive and there’s a monstrous chasm of an opportunity that’s not currently being filled. A paltry 12% of people had actually received a text offer from any company that they had bought from in the past 3 months. So the message seems to be loud and clear. Most people want to receive offers by text but hardly anyone is actually getting them.

People were equally strident in their opinions on the importance of being able to opt out of mobile marketing texts. 92% of consumers believed that it was very important to be able to opt out and 85% explained that they would not purchase from companies that did not include an opt out on their mobile marketing campaign. So mobile marketers be warned. Include the opt out or risk losing your customers. (Text Marketer customers have a free opt out tool in their accounts.) We’ve compiled all the key findings from the survey into a nifty inforgraphic, so you’ll find it easy to digest.

So 68% of people want to receive mobile marketing messages only 12% currently do. It’s a good time to get involved. If you’d like to explore mobile marketing, help yourself to a free account. It’s far less complicated than you might think. Your account comes with some free text credits for testing. We’d love to hear from you too. Our details are on our contacts page.

Before we dismiss this as twaddle, the research deserves closer investigation though as it is comes from OFCOM, the much loved regulator for communication industries. They found that the average UK consumer now sends an average of 50 texts a week, an astonishingly high figure and twice as many as four years ago.

Not surprisingly, it’s the 18 – 25 age groups that are the most active, with 96% of people in this category using some form of text based application to communicate with friends or family on a daily basis. In total, over 90% use SMS and nearly three quarters use social networking sites. In stark contrast, talking on the phone really has become less popular, with just 67% of people talking daily and 63% talking face to face.

Anyone considering SMS marketing now has yet more evidence that they should get involved. The popularity of SMS as a universal communication channel only seems to be growing and mobile marketers have a great opportunity to tap into its undimmed popularity.

Despite this popularity, most businesses in the UK have yet to use SMS Marketing in any meaningful or strategic way. We estimate that around 27% of UK companies use SMS marketing as a communication channel and even fewer doing so on a regular basis.

If you’d like to find out how mobile marketing might work for you, feel free to set up a test account. There are no set up costs or hidden nasties and you’ll receive some free text credits so you can test your ideas before buying any text credits. We’re always happy to chat through your mobile marketing plans, so please call us if you’d like. Our details are on our contacts page.

As SMS unit prices have dropped to us, we took the decision to pass on those savings to our customers. Not I hasten to add as some act of altruistic benevolence but as a pure hardnosed business decision. The thinking behind this is pretty obvious and straightforward. If we drop our prices to all our customers, then we are more likely to retain them in the long term but also we’ll attract a swathe of new customers looking for a high quality bulk sms provider at low cost. The plan worked and our customers are now sending 12 times as many texts per month as they did 3 years ago.

No Compromise on  quality

The price lowering has not in any way come at the expense of quality or service. We only use direct connections to UK networks and never ever use grey or international routes. Part of our job is to make it as easy as possible to choose us and we’re always standing by to help out when we’re needed.

The wholesale price that companies like us pay for bulk SMS has come done by about 35% in the past 3 or 4 years. So if the price your company pays for business sms has not reduced, then your provider is making more margin out of your account than they used to.

Reliability is not an ‘add on’

Our approach has ruffled a few feathers in our small world of SMS providers. I think we’re seen as slightly dangerous or reckless, with a cavalier ‘win at all costs’ attitude to pricing. To some extent that is true, if a customer’s main buying motivator is price then we’ll do our best to accommodate that. Whether the industry likes it or not, SMS is now a commodity. You shouldn’t have to pay more for reliability; that should be part of a standard product. At Text Marketer, we only use direct connections to UK networks as do most of our main competitors. I think that using reliability as a key benefit is wearing rather thin now.

Feel free to open a bulk SMS account and try us. You’ll receive some free text credits for testing. We’d also love to hear from you, so please don’t hesitate to give us a call. Our details are on our contacts page.

To be described as an SMS marketing campaign, there needs to be a little more strategy involved. For starters, how does the SMS campaign fit in with all the other marketing activities that the company gets involved in? What are the objectives of the sms marketing campaign? How are we going to measure whether it’s worked or not? Is there a common and logical connection between the different communication channels? Is the offer presented by the bulk SMS campaign reflected in any of the other activities?

SMS Marketing – Not a stand alone solution

SMS marketing as a way of communicating with customers and prospects should never be seen in isolation. While the tools that you use to send an SMS marketing campaign are stand-alone, companies need to take a more joined up approach to see the real benefit from the channel.

For example, one of the most effective ways of using SMS is as an alert for e-mail campaigns. Open rates to e-mail marketing campaigns can be dramatically improved if a text is sent shortly before the e-mail lands, alerting people to what’s in their inbox.

We’ve recently launched an SMS auto responder system that allows customers to bring a little more planning to what their customers receive by text. The tool allows you to set up a series of SMS marketing campaigns in advance, based on when someone joined a list or was uploaded into a group. So rather than receiving a one off SMS blast, members receive a more rounded series of texts over the course of weeks and months.

We’d love to help shape your SMS Marketing strategy. If you think we might be able to help, please feel free to give us call. Our details can be found on our contacts page. You may prefer to dive right in and manage your own programs. You can set up a free SMS marketing test account, which will come with free credits for testing.