Growing a business with mobile marketing

By 2015, close to 9 trillion text messages will be sent on an annual basis, according to Informa Telecoms & Media.

It's one of the fastest growing mobile marketing mediums and will continue as such as more marketers use it to reach their core audience via coupons, offers and incentives.

The key is creating a text messaging campaign that keeps users engaged and doesn't become more irritant than incentive, say experts.

"The customer has to find it valuable or they'll just opt out," says Robert O'Regan, media director at Harrison Leifer DiMarco in Rockville Centre. "It's just so easy for them to stop listening and accepting your text messages."

The consumers are in control here from the onset, he notes.

For starters, they have to agree to opt in to receive a company's text messages. One way is by typing a keyword to a five- or six-digit code (texting pizza to 54321), and they can easily opt out at any time by replying the keyword "Stop," notes O'Regan.

That's why you must treat the relationship "almost like gold," he says. 

Perceived value
A mobile device is a personal object, and consumers can't feel like they're being overwhelmed or harassed, says O'Regan. They need to feel there's some benefit in agreeing to opt in in the first place, he notes.

Coupon offers and discounts are always a draw, says Lindsey Myers, social media officer at WordHampton Public Relations in East Hampton.

"Just make sure the offer is relevant to the largest amount of your audience," she notes, adding you can promote your text campaign various ways, including via your website, e-blasts and a corporate Facebook page.

That's what Phao Restaurant in Sag Harbor has done, says Barbara Manning, business manager for Phao, which has been working with WordHampton.

For instance, on its Facebook business page, it says, "Want to receive text message updates from us? Just text "Phao" to 244326 to sign up for our text message blasts."

"We want to promote the brand and produce foot traffic and let people know of the deals and the specials we have ongoing," says Manning, who's also business manager for the adjacent Sen Restaurant.

She says they'll be "judicious" in how they use it, trying to avoid overwhelming customers with too many messages.

"You definitely want to think about the frequency in which you're sending text messages," says Myers. Think how frequently your regular customers are coming, she says, noting this will vary depending upon the type of establishment. 

Being relevant
Also, consider the types of messages you're sending.

For instance, don't waste their time by texting, ''Hey, we're open tonight,'' she says.

Make sure it's something they'll care about like a special event, deal, etc.

"It has to be very concise, succinct and to the point," adds Mary Wilhite, aka "The Mobile Marketing Queen" and owner of PassionProfitMarketing.com, an Atlanta-based mobile marketing strategist.

After all, you don't have a lot of characters to get your message across, so it must immediately get to the core information such as what's being offered, percentage off, etc.

You may not hit the mark immediately, but testing can help you come up with the right campaign or message, says Wilhite. "One word can make a big difference," she notes, adding you can't know what's working and what's not unless you test.

Also, always measure important parameters of your campaigns (for example, how many messages you send out, what the response is, how many people took your offer), she explains.

This will help you craft a better campaign and perhaps entice more subscribers.

"Just don't abuse it, because you will lose customers," says Wilhite.