SMS
SMS (Short Message Service) or text messaging has become one of the most predominant forms of communication today due to the high penetration of users. Of the approximately 275 million mobile subscribers in the US, 213 million, or 78% use text messaging. This means more people have a mobile phone than have PC-based Internet access. Overall, 53 percent of those engaging with free (standard rate) short codes, such as those used by brands in marketing, are sent by texters 35 and older. SMS text messaging is a global media opportunity with all languages supported by Unicode, including Arabic, Chinese and Japanese.
Most Common Examples:
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Text to Subscribe
From mobile alerts to news and announcements, when you have information that your audience is hungry for, a subscription solution could be right for you. In August 2008, Barack Obama’s presidential campaign used text messaging to announce Joe Biden as the vice presidential candidate. Nielsen estimates that the Biden text was received by 2.9 million mobile phone users in the U.S. over the course of that weekend, making it one of the biggest, broadest mobile marketing stunts to date. Brands can enlist subscribers by making a compelling offer to provide consumers with timely, relevant information, such as special sales events, coupons or new product announcements.
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Text to Win
Enter-to-win contests are one of the most effective ways to entice consumers to opt-in to receive SMS messages from you. Through our platform, you can name the campaign and assign the keyword and then control the messages, the odds of winning and the number of entries among other things.
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Text to Vote/Poll
Have you ever used your phone to vote for your favorite something? American Idol is probably the most well-known example of viewers engaging with a TV program over text messaging. This kind of simple text interaction is a great way to connect with your audience. A polling solution is also an ideal way to get customer feedback about a product or service or just to let them know that you value their opinion.
Other Examples:
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Text to Order
This example is popular with pizza restaurants but it could apply to other retailers as well. In this example, customers create a profile on the main website, including payment information and details about their favorite order. Then, when they want to place an order, they simply test their order, such as FAV1, FAV2, etc.
