Archive for the ‘mobile advertising’ Category

It’s a great endorsement when a university says that your text message marketing program is good enough to be used by it.  Because, after all, if you work at a university like Princeton, you must be pretty smart!

84444.com has been used by many colleges, universities, and schools for many different reasons.  Here’s just a few:

• Voting — Local American Idol type competitions at the local school have used our text message voting and the students love it!
• Emergency Alerts — Problem on campus?  Texting is a great way to keep students safe and out of harms way.  Wilson College in Chambersburg, PA, knows it.
• Sports Information — Scores, schedules, cancellations, and news are a great way to keep family, friends, students, and alumni informed and in touch with their school.  Our texting site rode along with Virginia Commonwealth to the Final Four a few years ago.  Check out Tiger Text at Princeton.
• Cancellations — School cancelled or early dismissal?  Let parents and students know by text message.
• Cafeteria Menus — Duke University uses us to let students know about specials on campus.
• Advertiser Promotions — Grambling University uses 84444 for advertiser sponsored commercials on the scoreboard during games.
• Book Store — At West Virginia, the student book store runs specials and contests to encourage university merchandise sales.
• Recruitment — At Pierce College in Philadelphia, advertisements on public transportation encourage prospective students to inquire about the college and the leads go directly to the admissions department.  Even Huntington Learning Center has realized how this great tool can be good for business.
• Hospitals — The University of Texas uses text messaging to keep in touch with its student body.

For many years, Japan was seen as the country in terms of mobile advertising and mobile marketing innovation.

A recent study by eMarketer, however, shows that the USA’s ad spending on mobile nearly doubled in 2012, thus surpassing that of Japan.  The United States is now #1 in the world in mobile ad spending at $2.3 billion.

Mobile advertising in Canada is now $188 million.

 

With 91% of consumers having their cell phone within reach 24/7, it’s no surprise that mobile marketing is on the rise.  In fact, according to Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, 33% of consumers are interacting with text message marketing.

Of those interested in mobile advertising, 29% said they would like to receive exclusive coupons, 18% would like information about in-store sales, 12% would like information about new products, 3% would like generally company updates, and 56% would like other information as a text message.

With 94% of all text messages being opened immediately upon receipt, text message marketing is easily the most efficient way to target consumers.

In today’s world of fast-paced rising technology, text messages may be the closest thing in the digital marketing world to a guaranteed read.  In fact, 94% of all text messages are opened immediately upon receipt.  Unlike cyberspace, the SMS world remains to be a spam-free marketing network.  Consequently, the average person responds to a text message within 90 seconds, even a promotional one, whereas e-mails take 90 minutes.  E-mail is just so yesterday!

Since consumers are more likely to read text messages over e-mails, you can’t ignore this one-on-one marketing medium.  Text message marketing allows you to send the right text to the right people at the right time.  These interactive SMS campaigns convert prospects to customers, which translates into profits.

First, your clients must choose to opt-in (receive your text messages).  Whether it’s through a contest, mobile coupon, or voting poll, patrons can quickly type in the keyword and short code, and voila!  In seconds, your consumers have your personalized message right there in their hands.

SMS promotions allow you to increase traffic to your company by providing consumers with text messages informing them of your discounts and/or specials.  Lucky for you, most Americans always have their cell phones nearby, even when they’re sleeping, so you are able to reach them no matter where they are.  Compared to other marketing strategies (radio, TV, or print ads), text message marketing will deliver a better return on your investment.  In addition, this easy to use program allows you to test out different messages daily to see what works best.  Selling a product or service to 18-29 year olds?  They’re the hardest to reach by e-mail, yet 95% of them are texting on their cell phones.

Think about it.  How often do you leave your cell phone behind?  Most likely, never.  Do you know anyone who doesn’t have a cell phone?  Some employees even have two – one for work and one for personal use.  As a result, there are currently more cell phones than people in the U.S.

As the growth of mobile continues to explode, so does your opportunity to reach this vast audience of consumers.  Convert them into your customers with text message marketing that targets only qualified prospects – those who have chosen to receive your message.  These savvy consumers are using mobile to shop, access mobile coupons, do price comparisons, book reservations, and more.  Smart shoppers require smarter marketing.  Text message marketing allows you to deliver information to patrons they way they want it – fast and easy.

A leader among text message marketing companies, Advanced Telecom Services is your one stop mobile shop delivering a program tailored to meet you and your consumers needs.  Try out our do-it-yourself text message marketing solution at www.84444.com or take advantage of our concierge service where we put our expertise to work for you.  Whether you want to implement an interactive text message campaign, mobile website, custom QR code, or mobile app, ATS has the experienced media professionals you need ready to get you started immediately.

(Sources: CTIA.org 2012; Pew Research 2011)

Sometimes, you just never know where an advertisement for 84444.com will pop up.  While on my way home from the Jersey Shore this weekend, I saw this outdoor advertisement on I-95 southbound near the Ridley Park, Pennsylvania exit and the entrance to Route 476 North.

Mobile ad spending in the USA is expected to grow to $4 billion in 2015.  That is up from just $790 million in 2010, according to the latest forecast by BIA/Kelsey.

One of the key drivers of that growth will be local mobile advertising.  These are Mom and Pop stores that are just getting into the act with text message marketing, mobile web sites, and apps development.  By 2015, local mobile advertising will be $2.8 billion, or 70% of the total mobile ad pie.

Most local restaurants and businesses simply don’t know that mobile advertising is so cheap with the most important aspect of local mobile being text message advertising.  But, once local advertisers try it, they continue using it.

Pizza is big business and small pizza businesses are hoping to get a bigger slice of the pie with text message marketing.

There are nearly 65,000 pizzerias in the USA.  Of those, the top 50 chains make up 42% of the pizza stores and 48% of the overall industry sales.  That leaves a lot of room for small single shop pizzerias to make a significant impact on the industry.  Unlike other industries where the super-stores have taken over and made it difficult for entrepreneurs to compete, pizza shops are of a different flavor.

But, what is the secret sauce for increasing sales at pizza shops?

Certainly, the large chains have discovered that mobile marketing is one way to help sales mushroom.  Little Caesar’s, Papa John’s and Domino’s have used text message marketing to offer mobile coupons to drive pizza sales in this sluggish economy. Papa John’s went one step further and developed an iPhone app to entice its fans to order any item from its menu via the app.

And, Americans are eating it up.  $38 billion worth of pizza were sold in 2009–52% by small pizza restaurant providers.

Many of those pizzas are now being sold with the help of a special topping–text message marketing.  The US pizza industry spent $545 million on advertising last year and an increasing part of that advertising investment is going to text message marketing.

Savvy pizzeria owners like Main Line Pizza in Wayne, Pennsylvania are jumping on the mobile marketing bandwagon.  Main Line Pizza encourages its customers to text MLPIZZA to 84444 to get the special offer of the week.  Advertisements are on its pizza boxes, on the door to its restaurant, and even on the local Little League field outfield fence.

Main Line Pizza, like many other privately-owned pizza restaurants, maintains a database of its customers who have sent a text message to its short code offer.  Then, Main Line Pizza sends special offers via broadcast text message to its database.  Its a great way to keep Main Line front of mind and a great time to reach Wayne, Pennsylvania pizza fans when they are most likely to buy: just before lunch or dinner or during a big game like the upcoming Super Bowl.

Sounds like a winning game plan.

Blog site Mobile Marketer quoted Advanced Mobile Solutionsin its article about Buick’s mobile marketing campaign.  Advanced Mobile has had tremendous success with its Cars To Go mobile marketing solution for auto dealers.

Drive more customers to your store this year with text message marketing solutions from Advanced Telecom Services and 84444.com. Merry TXmas.

Or, should we say: 62% of retailer are still NOT using mobile marketing.

According to a study from Aberdeen, only 18% of retailers were using mobile at the end of 2008.  Since then, however, the increase in the use of smartphones and improvements to other mobile technology has increased a retailer’s excitement for mobile.

The study surveyed 129 retailers this summer to find that 38% are using mobile.  Another 50% are not far behind, said the study, and do plan to use mobile marketing some day.  15% said they would employ mobile within the next year.

Retailers are anxious to begin to employ mobile for merchandise promotions, mobile coupons, mobile advertising, and retail loyalty programs.  Of course, at the core of any mobile program is text message marketing.

And, with Black Friday on us, what could be a better blog post than one that discussed mobile marketing for retailers?