Nikekey.com

Sms marketing - recent trend in 2011

SMS MARKETING.

H. Shamina, Head and Assistant Professor OF MBA, Rathinam College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore.

Introduction:

In the present scenario, there is a paradigm shift in the strategies of marketing and every concern has to focus on the prevailing trends that are suitable to them. As mobile has become inevitable and people cannot even walk out without out nowadays. Marketing on a mobile phone has become increasingly popular ever since the rise of (Short Message Service) in the early 2000s in Europe and some parts of Asia when businesses started to collect mobile phone numbers and send off wanted (or unwanted) content. Mobile marketing via SMS has expanded rapidly in Europe and Asia as a new channel to reach the consumer. SMS initially received negative media coverage in many parts of Europe for being a new form of spam as some advertisers purchased lists and sent unsolicited content to consumer's phones; however, as guidelines are put in place by the mobile operators, SMS has become the most popular branch of the Mobile Marketing industry with several 100 million advertising SMS sent out every month in Europe alone.

SMS – A MEDIA:

A new communication mode , text messaging or Short Message Service provides an additional and extraordinary opportunity for organizations of all industries to differentiate themselves. The expansion of mobiles let SMS to evolve from conveying simple need based messages to friends going all the way to downloading pictures and tunes and mails , thus reaching a dynamic position in communication. Today the consumers experience the emerging usage of SMS for brand communication, in the most personalized manner possible.

Although there are various definitions for the concept of mobile marketing, no commonly accepted definition exists. Mobile marketing is broadly defined as "the use of the mobile medium as a means of marketing communication" or "distribution of any kind of promotional or advertising messages to customer through wireless networks". More specific definition is the following: "using interactive wireless media to provide customers with time and location sensitive, personalized information that promotes goods, services and ideas, thereby generating value for all stakeholders".

Many companies have now taken SMS as one of the most effective media of advertising. SMS as a medium enables the companies and its advertises to reach to their target customers at all times. The other media such as television, newspaper etc might not reach customers all the time as it depends on the consumer to read the paper or to switch on the TV. SMS is personal. SMS is acceptable to the consumer as a means to communicate information on various products and services. Customers are not disturbed at odd hours and they are free to go through the message when they are free.

SMS marketing is essentially the same as e-mail marketing when you grow an e-mail list and you market to that list, except that now you are using text messages instead of e-mails. SMS advertising is when you purchase short 20 or 30 character advertisements that are appended to third party informational messages. That's the equivalent of purchasing an advertisement at an e-mail newsletter.

SMS has become the most popular branch of the mobile marketing industry and has the best reach, the lowest price and the fastest setup.  In the age of the smart phone you can expand the list of mobile marketing services starting with ads for the mobile web. Web banner advertisements are very low cost. However, the mobile display ad is even less effective than traditional banner ad on web sites.

Also there is mobile search, which has great potential. If you already have a search engine marketing campaign you'd like to be on the top-place results then the profit is guaranteed. There has been a tremendous growth in the mobile usage and the use of SMS. This has given the companies an opportunity to reach the customers via this media. Some media experts believe that users prefer text mode of SMS as a substitute for the existing mode of communication as it fits their socio linguistic maxims like brevity or speed. Contact via SMS can be automatically triggered , and a message can be sent to notify customers of anything from an overdrawn account, to automatic deposits , to on-line bill payments, provide a unique opportunity to add value and boost customer loyalty.

The most common way is to let people submit a key word or a short code. It's quick and easy. How can you start your own SMS marketing campaign? You can do it yourself with companies like EZ Texting. It's easy but it's also powerful and effective. It has the broadest reach at the lower cost. What else can you do with short text messaging? Coupons are a great way to add contacts to your list. Reminders are great for appointment-based businesses, such as salons, medical or dental offices. Special events or sales-related messages are a good way to attract traffic to your store. You can communicate with your costumers through poling and voting. Engaging costumers and getting feedback from them is always valuable. The give-away text messages are another good way to get your costumer's attention.
Are there other ways to build your contact list? Use your existing ways of advertisement to put your key word or short message through them. Give your potential costumers a good reason to sign-up. If people want to unsubscribe from your list: it could be because you are texting people too frequently or you are giving them information that they really don't want to receive. A general rule is - don't text people more then once in two weeks. If you do - give them something that they'll enjoy and use, like a coupon code.

Conclusion:

For business users, as well, the mobile phone has similarly become a highly personal instrument. They also individualize their mobile phones by saving contacts, messages and important dates. Furthermore, the user of each mobile phone and each user's personal instrument are identifiable through the SIM (subscriber identity module) card. The mobile phone therefore appears to be the ideal medium for direct and personalized customer communication. Mobile marketing seems to be gaining  importance rapidly.  International market research institutes also consider mobile marketing as a highly promising marketing instrument. Leading international brand manufacturers - such as BMW, McDonald's and Nike have already launched campaigns using the mobile phone as a means of conveying commercial content to customers.

 

 

 

About the Author

H.Shamina,

Head and Assistant Professor of MBA,

Rathinam college of arts and science,

Echanari, Coimbatore.

Email : hshamina@gmail.com

Hot Rod Gift Card and 15% off Coupon Promotion Call 310.446.5527