Employer relations and negotiations change on a minute by minute basis, so using an sms software package such as Text Marketer’s, means that members are always informed and in touch. The sms software is particularly useful as a tool to let members know about any events or demonstrations that are being planned. Any last minutes changes to meeting points can be instantly sent out via text, so everyone knows exactly where to meet and what to expect.

Using an sms software service is always an incredibly powerful way of communicating with field based staff where plans are likely to change at the last minute. Text Marketer’s sms software is used by a number of field marketing agencies who might have hundreds of casual workers to coordinate on any one day. Where people are working on their own, using an sms software solution makes them feel more included and part of the team.

SMS Software is free to set up and there are no monthly fees. Users simply pay a low cost per text. There are also 10 free text credits so that comanies can test the sms software before making any commitment to purchase. Text credits don’t expire so companies have as long as they like to use the credits that they have bought. This is important if it’s not clear how often the sms software is going to be used.

If you’d like to trial our sms software, please set up a free account. Or if you like to have a chat, please feel free to call us on 0117 205 0202.

“Reminder: Career Development Workshop (Networking Skills) at 2.45pm today. Cavendish Room, Hamilton Centre. Entrance behind HSBC Bank. Refreshments provided.”

So by sending students a gentle text reminder it considerably narrows the scope for extravagant excuses about why they didn’t attend. In this example, an additional incentive of free refreshments is offered. Very generous.

We’ve seen a number of universities such as Sunderland, Southampton and Bristol all using bulk sms service in this way. The main reason for this is that it’s so effective. If you’ve received a text reminder about a specific event, ducking out seems harder and even a bit rude.

Cost is also a significant factor. As there are no set up or ongoing costs, sms services can be up and running for just a few pounds. This means that individual departments or courses can start their own bulk sms programme without having to go cap in hand to the finance department.

Text message services have come down significantly in price in the past few years and there is far more scope for colleges and universities to take full advantage and use sms for a range of different applications.  With over 98% of texts sent being actually read, there’s no doubt that by using an sms service the message will get through. Delivery reports for each bulk sms campaign sent will also show preceisely when the message landed on the mobile.

Please call us on 0117 205 0202 if you’d like to find out how sms might work for you. Whether you’re a business, or a government department, it’s likely that there’s a way that it could benefit your organisation.

NEWSFLASH! Text Marketer launches lowest ever priced Bulk SMS system & updates competitor price comparison chart.

I finally admitted defeat though when I logged on at the weekend and saw that our latest new customer is a company called The London Christmas Tree Company. They are sending out bulk sms campaigns to last year’s customers, encouraging them to place their order with them again.

“The festive season is upon us once more, so order your Christmas Tree today! Order either online or via phone on 02071933039 quoting ‘TEXT’, and you will receive free mistletoe and holly when we process your order. Visit londonchristmastreecompany.com for more details or alternatively, reply to this text and we will call you back!”

With December just 2 days away, the retail frenzy now really begins to hot up. Everyone’s after our Christmas pound and using a business sms service is a very effective way of getting your message heard amongst the marketing clamour. So here are our top 5 tips to getting the most out of your seasonal bulk sms campaigns.

1. Get in early
Now’s the time to be getting your ideas into the heads of potential customers. Leave it much later and some people will have already finished their mad spending and will be relaxing smugly with mulled wine and minced pies.

2 Be clear
At this time of year more than any other, we’ve all got the attention span of gnats, so make sure your offering is clear and that the benefits of it are punchy and easily understood.

3 Make it easy
What people want is an easy life. Don’t make your customers jump through hoops to buy your product or service. See things from your customers’ viewpoint. Be cynical – think why your customers wouldn’t buy from you and fix those reasons.

4 Repeat your offer
As with any direct marketing channel, you need to get your message across more than once. You’ll get a far better return on your bulk sms campaigns if you send your message at least 3 times.

5 Don’t use text speak
Most of us hate it. If you need to use more characters to get your point across then you can send up to 612 characters. (Using more than the standard 160 character will use more than 1 text credit.)

So good luck for you Christmas bulk sms campaigns and if you’d like to discuss how your business might benefit from mobile marketing, please give us a call on 0117 9249207.

Non-attendeance at lectures is no longer a comfortable option with regular offenders receicing text alerts asking them to contact their tutors. The sms service is also proving particularly useful to remind students about important meetings and tutor appointments.

“Just to remind you that a meeting  will take place at 4pm today in Fleming Room 101 to discuss the issues you’ve recently raised.”

One of the main benefits of using sms services in a university is its cost effectivess. There is no set up fee or contract and the cost of bulk sms credits is just a few pence per text. We’ve seen a number of colleges and universities recently taking up our web to sms service as a way of keeping in touch.  Universities are now looking  at new ways to reduce their costs and using an sms services can certainly help reduce their communications spend.

Setting up an account is free and there is no monthly rental charge or contract. As there is no minumum order, universities can trial the sms service with a spend of just a few pounds. Text credits, once purchased, never expire so universities can take as long as they wish to use up their credits.

Call us on 0117 9249207  if you’d like to chat about how your organisation could us an sms service.

Sports clubs have been hard hit of late, with normally loyal supporters choosing to stay at home and save the cash. This has made it even more important that clubs find new ways to drive people through the turnstiles.

Using an sms service is an obvious choice for achieving this. There’s no communication channel that’s as responsive or instant and the overall cost of an sms campaign is delightfully low.

A good example of this is Preston North End Football Club, who recently sent out an sms campaign aimed at parents with young children.

PNEFC Young North Enders Club special activity v C.Palace this Sat. Children can watch live Premiership footy in 3D, pool, games, fun, food + match ticket for game v Palace all for £13 over 8′s or £10 under 8′s. Children fully supervised throughout the day by YNE staff. Call 0844 856 1964 to book on now!

This is a great idea of how to combine low cost childcare with supporting your local team.

One of the additional benefits with using sms services in sports clubs, is that you can react very quickly to a situation. If you needed to fill seats very quickly, you can set up an sms campaign in minutes with an offer. The results of this can be measured in a matter of hours.

So accounts are free to set up and you can buy as many or as few text credits for your campaign as you need. SMS credits don’t expire either so you don’t lose them if you don’t use them. Please call us on 0117 9249207 if you’d like to discuss any aspect of mobile marketing.

On that note, I think I’ll contact Bristol Rugby Club and see if we can help boost their fast dwindling crowds with a timely sms campaign.

I love this idea, never mind a product offer or discount code, let’s get some people through the door and we can present our special offers while they’re munching a free sandwich.

“DONT FORGET IT’S FREE BUTTY MORNING AT TRAVIS PERKINS RETFORD UNTIL 10.00AM EVERY MONDAY !!!”

Innovative mobile marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple sms alert with an offer of a free sandwich is something we can all be tempted by. We tend to be so wrapped up in our own product or service we forget to see things from our customers’ or prospects’ perspective. This mobile marketing campaign is a great example where the objective of the campaign has been honed down  to one simple objective; i.e. drive as many people to the site as possible. How can we do that? Offer them some free grub. Simple.

The costs for this sms marketing campaign are spectacularly low. There are no set up or running costs for the sms software. Text credits are purchased either by credit card or invoice and there is no minmum order. This sms campaign went out to a few hundred customers and the campaign overall came in at well under £20.00 + VAT.

Open rates for sms campaigns are in a different league to email at over 97%, so when a message is sent you can be pretty certain that it’s been read. Using the delivery reports, you can also clean up your mobile data and remove any dead numbers that are no longer active.

If your business hasn’t yet seen how mobile marketing might generate more profit, feel free to set up a free test account. It comes with 10 free test credits so you can give the service a try. Alternatively please call us on 0117 9249207 and we’ll happily discuss some ideas with you and suggest a strategy for your first mobile marketing campaign.

The data held on their database includes the postcode of the customer, allowing them to send news alerts to subscribers in specific geographic locations. So sms alerts can be sent out to readers in just one postcode sector which typically containes between 2 and 4 thousand households. (e.g EH13 2)

For example, a recent text informed local residents about a planning decision on a block of flats that would have an impact in the area.

“Fountainbridge flats set to go ahead. Read about controversial plan in today’s News. To stop, txt EXIT to 88802.”

By alerting readers to local stories, The Scotsman is engaging with customers in an innovative way and is proving a successful strategy in driving  newspaper sales. The Scotsman is also making good use of Text Marketer’s unsubscribe tool that allows readers to easily remove themselves from the list. Once a customer has unsubscribed, the sms system will no longer allow messages to be sent to that number. This is a failsafe function that means that a customer cannot accidentally send out a message to someone that has already unsubscribed.

Text Marketer is delighted to be working with The Scotsman and looks forward to helping them further develop their mobile marketing strategy.

For more information about how sms soutions could be used in your business, please feel free to call us for a brief chat on 0117 9249207.
Setting up a bulk sms account is free and your account comes with 10 free text credtis so you can test the service before you spend any money. Compare our prices with other providers using our price comparison table.

Choose your bulk sms supplier with care

If only sourcing the right sms software company was as easy as finding the lowest price and signing up. As usual, it’s a little bit more involved than that. Companies package their products and pricing in different ways that make differentiating all the possible suppliers a tricky business.

So here’s a list of simple questions that you should be asking of your potential sms software company. You’re after straightforward, waffle-free answers that give you confidence that they can deliver.

Is the bulk sms pricing transparent?

We know that some companies have a complicated credit system where it takes more than one text credit to send to a UK mobile. So what on the face of it appears to be a great price could actually cost you up to 50% more. Are there any set up fees, minimum orders of ‘price plans’? You should be able to set up a free sms account and then purchase as many or as few sms credits as you need. Also, watch out for expiring credits that get removed if they haven’t been used in 12 months.

Does the company use a direct connection to the UK Netowrks?

This is a popular topic amongst us sms software companies and has been covered thoroughly in a previous article. All you really need to know is that non UK sms gateways suffer reliability problems and often have poor or non existent delivery reporting. So a UK connection is the only option.

Where are the sms software company’s systems hosted?

How reliable are the servers that your business sms service will run on? What back up procedures are in place? Are there any guarantees on ‘up time’?
Granted this is all dull technical stuff but it’s important that you can rely on the service being up and running 100% of the time.

Does the sms service have an opt-out / unsubscribe tool provided at no cost at the point of setting up the account?

The best practice guidelines issued by the Mobile Marketing Association state that you need to have a text opt-out option on your text campaigns. This means that customers who no longer wish to receive your sms alerts can quickly and easily remove themselves from your list. If the sms software company is not offering this as standard, then you could find yourself on the wrong side of the law.

What are the payment options?

Flexibility is the key here. You should be able to make payments for sms text credits online and automatically. Are the text credits added to your account automatically or does someone have to add them manually. Can you pay by invoice if you wish without a price penalty?

What experience does the sms software company have?

How long have they been about and who have they worked for? Mobile marketing is not just about having an efficient sms solution but it’s also about getting the advice in getting the strategy right. Choose a company that want to get involved in helping your sms campaigns succeed.

The charity has put together a Quizaid Pack that contains quiz questions and all the materials needed to publicise the quiz event. In order to make it easier for fund raisers to apply, Christian Aid are using Text Marketer’s SMS software to allow people to apply for their pack by text.

The process is simple. Applicants simply text the word QUIZ, followed by their name and address to short code 88802. The sms software then captures the person’s mobile number and their details and sends them an automated text response letting them know that their pack is on its way. By making it easier for people to apply, the charity is maximising the response, resulting in more fund raising events taking place throughout the country.

Lower costs drives increased use of sms software

SMS software and text response services have become increasingly affordable in recent months. Text Marketer’s sms software is completely free with sms credits at the lowest rate in the industry. A text response service costs just £25 per month and there is no minimum period or contract. The service even has a 7 day trial so that companies can see that the service is right for them before spending any money.

With such low costs, many more companies are incorporating an sms service into their marketing and communications strategies. By including a text response on advertising and marketing materials, companies can expect uplift in overall response of between 15% and 20%. Additionally, by giving customers the option, around 50%, choose to make contact with the company by text. (source Mobile marketing association)

To find out more about how sms software can benefit your organisation, please give us a call on 0117 9249207. Alternatively, you can set up your sms response service by following the simple wizard.