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Listing posts tagged with: multichannel

SMS Marketing And Dynamic Data Management

Today we look at another one of SMS marketing’s intricacies: dynamic data management. Somewhat more complex than integrating zip codes or unique codes into message flows, but that’s what makes working at a technology company fun. Within dynamic data management, we’re going to explore two concepts

in particular: making SMS conversational and integrating with external data inputs.

Conversational SMS

As we all know, SMS continues to run rampant in the U.S. One of the main reasons for this we can find out by talking to anyone who uses text messaging: it’s easy to have an interactive conversation, oftentimes even a better experience than calling up someone on the phone.

The challenge for brands then is to replicate this experience for their particular audience (shades of the Turing Test here). Fortunately, integrating dynamic data management with SMS allows for this type of functionality. Here’s one example: imagine that a brand wanted to engage folks during the holidays where long lines are the name of the game. Rather than making consumers wait without respite, what about offering them an interactive conversation that replicated the experience of texting back and forth with friends? Here’s an example message flow:

  • (mo)  bored person texts BORED to 44144
  • (mt)  You must be 21 or older to participate. Reply with your birthdate in the following format MMDDYYYY (e.g. 11051973)
  • (mo)  02051973
  • (mt)  Get Ready for The Waiting Game. Rply SKIP to get the next Q. HELP for help. Msg&Data Rates May Apply. More: URL.com
  • (mt) What’s the funniest thing that someone is buying right now? Rply SKIP ToGetNextQ
  • (mo)  I see my friend Kurt buying a Litter Robot, but he’s a freak!
  • (mt)  What’s the weirdest thing that you bought today? Rply SKIP ToGetNextQ
  • (mo) Deluxe Prism Glasses

As you might imagine, brands can offer as many questions as they see fit. It’s also easy to design the application so that a unique mobile number won’t receive the same question more than once.

But where it gets really interesting are the integration points. Each response can be written to an xml file to do with whatever a brand or agency wanted, whether it be post to a website, use for future product ideas, post to social networks, etc. Brands could even dynamically update users’ profiles with how many questions they answered and use this information to better engage subscribers with SMS messaging in the future. And it’s all possible because of the ability to customize data management with SMS.

External Action Integration

Similar in execution, SMS’s dynamic data management capabilities can be used not just in conjunction with an SMS conversation, but in conjunction with information pulled from other user actions. For example, imagine a product release that took place over the course of one month. Throughout the release, parts of the product could be unveiled each day online (e.g. through advanced searching) and offline (e.g. on billboards or signage). Participants in the campaign could try to find these product pieces wherever they might be hidden through a type of decoding system. Once decoded, people could then text in to see if they were successful. Here’s what the message flow might look like:

  • (mo)  player texts CODE to 44144
  • (mt)  You’re the 1st person to decode today’s product piece. Well done, you’re officially on top of your game. Txt Help for help. Txt Stop to end. Msg&Data rates may apply

Again, similar to above, this information could be added to each participant’s profile and used for future marketing purposes. For our example project, the success information could be aggregated over time, published to a website for consumers to view (updated in real time), and the sponsoring brand could offer incentives according to end of campaign results.

I guess where I am going with this is that SMS’s dynamic data management capabilities really allow for the creation of some amazing applications that go beyond a simple send an SMS message to a consumer. It’s up to creative minds to push SMS to its limits. Doing so will distinguish campaigns from others in terms of creativity, uniqueness and, ultimately, competitive advantage.

Have other ideas of cool dynamic data management campaigns? We’d love to hear about them in the comments.

Published January 26, 2012 – 9:41 am by kane

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Comments: 2 Comments

How to Create a Viral Sweepstakes With Social Media: Post to Social Media Examiner

Today we posted a another article to top ten Ad Age marketing blog Social Media Examiner. The post, How To Create a Viral Sweepstakes With Social Media, examines the concept of a viral sweepstakes from both an economic and practical perspective.

And, in case you missed it, please also check out our previous post on Viral QR Codes and social and mobile opt-ins. If you have comments on either article, please post them below or to the SME site.

Published January 5, 2012 – 11:56 am by kane

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December Art Of The Call To Action Buzz Awards

The Buzz Awards are back! It’s that time again to take a look at the Art Of The Call To Action gallery to see which calls to action are sparking people’s interest. And again, for those who haven’t checked out the Art of the Call To Action, a complete description of the site appears in an earlier blog post.

To refresh your memory, buzz is tracked in the form of “Notes,” which are reposts or likes of each call to action. This means that Notes can denote both positive and negative feedback from the Art of the Call to Action viewers.

Here are the top five calls to action right now according to “buzz”:

  1. Dallas Fort Worth ATM And Guest Services (43 Notes)
  2. MTA Subway Customized Email and Text Service Alerts (30 Notes)
  3. FEMA Facebook SMS Call to Action (26 Notes)
  4. John Deere Online Email and Mobile Sign Up (24 Notes)
  5. eCart $25 Instant Coupon (21 Notes)

What I find interesting about this list is that two transportation-related calls to action occupy the top two spots. Clearly mobile has huge relevancy for travelers who live by that mobile device accompanying them wherever they go.

Stay tuned next month to see which calls to action receive the most buzz, as we had considerable turn around from last month (only John Deere’s online sign up remains from last month’s top five). New calls to action are added to the site every single day.

Be sure to check out artofthecta.com to buzz about your favorite (or least favorite) calls to action. We also encourage you to leave any comments or Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down on those posts which you think are particularly effective or ineffective.

And, as always, if you have or have seen calls to action that you want to see hit the buzz awards, please submit them!

Published December 29, 2011 – 9:51 am by kane

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Bronto Blog Post: 7 Last Minute Mobile Marketing Tips For the Holidays

Today we posted the latest in a series of mobile marketing articles to the Bronto Blog. The post, “7 Last Minute Mobile Marketing Tips For The Holidays,” highlights best practices for email and mobile marketers alike.

Pop over to the Bronto blog and check out this post, along with all the other great content from the Bronto Blog. Happy Holidays!

Published December 6, 2011 – 5:28 pm by kane

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What FTC’s Facebook Decision Means for Opt-ins

Big news this week as Facebook settled with the FTC over various privacy issues (did you know your identity is worth at least $5K?). Here’s a quick summary of the terms agreed upon:

  1. Facebook is required to obtain consumers’ consent  before making any privacy changes
  2. Facebook must submit to privacy audits every 2 years for the next two decades
  3. Facebook must bar access to deactivated accounts’ content
  4. Facebook must never misrepresent privacy or data security to users

The most important piece of this agreement in my mind is point #1. The FTC is basically saying to Facebook, “you need to operate in an opt-in environment.” This puts Facebook firmly into the same shoes that marketers from other digital channels know so well.

And I don’t think that this will just apply to Facebook. It’s going to apply to any marketing channel/business model, whether freemium or give-us-your-data-so-we-can-sell-it. Consumers just aren’t OK with unknowingly allowing companies to track their every move. And the FTC is taking note.

Recently, I wrote about social media opt-ins at length. One of the interesting things about follow-up discussions I had with people was that so many were amazed that social media opt-ins were even something to think about. Well they certainly have come to the forefront now.

And all I can say to social media companies is (granted Facebook has been dealing with privacy issues for a while), welcome to the party. Mobile marketing, whether SMS, IVR, push notifications, location-based services, etc. faces constant opt-in compliance hurdles. This settlement from the FTC says to me that all companies are going to have to do the same from here on out.

So for all you marketing technology entrepreneurs out there, take note: opt-in to opt-in. The times of relying on lengthly privacy agreements to get carte blanche have come and gone.

 

Published December 1, 2011 – 3:06 pm by kane

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Top 5 Buzzed About Calls To Action From Artofthecta.com

With November coming to a close, it’s time to check in on the buzz rankings from our Art Of The Call To Action gallery. For those who haven’t scoped it out yet, you can find a description of the site here.

Each month we’ll post a list of the top five calls to action, according to buzz in the form of “Notes.” Keep in mind that Notes can represent both good and bad feedback, so the more Notes for a post the more reactions it has received. Hence “buzz.”

Given that this is the inaugural post for Art of the CTA buzz recognition, we wanted to bullet out two months, September and November 2011. Without further ado:

September 2011:

  1. Gamestop Grand Theft Auto Text To Win Sweepstakes (20 Notes)
  2. Austin Capital Metro Transit QR Code For Info (20 Notes)
  3. John Deere Online Sign-up Form To Join Email and SMS List (18 Notes)
  4. KTBC Channel 7 News Text Poll (16 Notes)
  5. AT&T Bracket Town SMS Poll (14 Notes)

November 2011:

  1. Groundhog Day Text Update From Punxsutawney Phil (21 Notes)
  2. Candie’s Britney Spears Text To Win Sweepstakes (15 Notes)
  3. MTA NYC Text For Subway Times (14 Notes)
  4. Forever 21 Times Square Text To Join Mobile Club (11 Notes)
  5. ALS Therapy Development Text To Donate (7 Notes)

Check back at the end of each month for future updates and go to artofthecta.com to buzz about your favorite (or least favorite) calls to action. We also encourage you to leave any comments or Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down on those posts which you think are particularly effective or ineffective.

And, if you have or have seen calls to action that you want to see hit the buzz awards, please submit them!

Published November 29, 2011 – 12:10 pm by kane

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Comments: 1 Comment

Evolution of The 4Ps of Marketing

The way mnemonic devices help people process and remember information fascinates me. I mean, I still remember small details about Kingdom-Phylum-Class-Order-Family-Genus-Species thanks to “Kings Place Cushions On Five Girls’ Seats.” I honestly feel like I could lecture on biological classification just by repeating my King Place Cushions line a few times.

[Quick side note for any biologists out there: I found myself trying to think about whether any other animal uses mnemonics. I think dogs using scents to remember where they’ve been is analogous. Is it? Any others?]

Back to the blog: the issue with memory recall via mnemonics is that memory vividness only applies to information we learned/discovered along with the mnemonic. We unfortunately don’t download brain software updates automatically (at least no virus risks!), so new learning about a mnemonic-ized concept seems harder to retain.

Take for example my biological classification example. I can’t remember for the life of me what else I learned about biological classification other than my 1992 classes and homework assignments during the discovery of Kings and Cushions. But I am positive that I did learn more, it just doesn’t have that mnemonic context.

Which bring us to the 4Ps. AKA, one of the best mnemonics ever. Using the 4Ps we can describe a complex concept (marketing) in just 4 words: promotion, place, price, product.

But, as some people are pointing out, perhaps the 4Ps are actually just a really cool mnemonic that has unfortunately passed its fifteen minutes of fame.

The basic argument is that three of the Ps are no longer relevant. Massively successful companies like Facebook, Google, and Zara spend/do nothing with regards to advertising (sorry Promotion). Two Blue Chip IPO companies from this year, LinkedIn and Pandora, are free to use (no more Price). More and more companies are pulling budgets away away from traditional outlets like television, print and radio, opting instead for all online (there goes Place). Product is the only thing that matters any more.

So can it be true? Have these 3 Ps really become irrelevant/extinct, when at one point they were three fourths of the most famous marketing mnemonic known to students nationwide?

In my opinion, the short answer is no. Apple has been pretty succesful and is revered for its promotional acumen. Price gaffes can still be hugely detrimental for business. And “online” is just too big to be one place (just ask any marketer juggling Social, Mobile, Blog, Email, Website, Mobile Website, SEO, SEM, etc.).

That said, I don’t think these 3 Ps as we originally learned them still work. Promotion is becoming much more tactical than strategic. Price has become more about business model (e.g. Freemium) than how many dollars and cents to charge. And place I think has become much more like a river than an ocean (i.e. less static, more targeted, more integrated/interconnected with other bodies of water – work with me). In short, these 3 Ps have evolved.

But, they still start with P. So for marketers relying on a mnemonic taught to them years ago – be warned. It’s time to update your assumptions. And for students studying up for their next big exam? I think you’ll be just fine.

Well, for now.

Published November 11, 2011 – 2:02 pm by kane

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Comments: 1 Comment

Government Mobile Marketing Industry Guide

Enormous opportunity exists for government agencies to take advantage of mobile. But tackling this endeavor without a roadmap can be overwhelming.

That’s why we put together our Government Mobile Marketing Quick6 LookBook. It answers three questions:

  1. Why government and mobile?
  2. What examples are out there that government marketers can learn from?
  3. What are best practices for government mobile marketing initiatives?

Click here to download this government mobile marketing guide. For more resources about government mobile marketing, we also encourage you to take a look at Art of the CTA for government-related social and mobile calls to action.

 

Published November 10, 2011 – 11:32 am by kane

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Mobile Marketing Web Tracker Enhances CRM For SMS To Mobile Web Campaigns

Here at Msgme HQ, we are constantly trying to figure out ways to pack more punch with our approach to mobile marketing CRM. As marketing communication continues to move more and more toward targeted messaging (as opposed to pray and spray blasting), brands, agencies and technology companies require tools to effectively engage and interact with their constituent/customer base.

One of the biggest communication focal points for our clients and campaigns we have seen in the marketplace is using SMS communication to drive mobile web traffic. People’s frustration is that SMS oftentimes could use some of the CRM-ification that makes email effective – in particular the ability to track links clicked within a message.

This is how Msgme Web Tracker came into existence. We figured out a way so that marketers could actually send unique links to each person that interacts with a campaign (as opposed to one standard link that everyone clicks on) – automatically.

“Cool!” we thought. Our next step was making it even better. Well, maybe activity on this link could instantly sync to a subscriber’s profile within a mobile marketing database. Why? Ultimately mobile marketing success comes down to the strength of your mobile database since success in mobile is maximizing customer lifetime value. So by syncing web clicks to a subscriber profile, you can understand how active your consumers are (helps you figure out when to send), what types of links they end up clicking (helps you figure out how to send), how often they click on links (when you should send again), etc.  The potential to be successful increases considerably.

One last thing: now that we had a unique-to-person link with activity that automatically updates to a subscriber profile, what was out next step? Automated messaging. As we mentioned, having more information about your subscribers affords deeper insight into a subscriber’s preferences. But that shouldn’t be the end of the line. Using the Msgme API framework, we were then able to automatically trigger messages or actions depending on those subscriber profiles.

Now that’s CRM! Take a look at our one page overview for more information. And if you come across any cool use cases of developing mobile applications using the Msgme APIs please let us know!

Published November 9, 2011 – 12:14 pm by kane

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