Posted by Jake on September 28th, 2008 in Mobile Marketing and Success in Mobile ·
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Cereality is clearly one of the more innovative franchises of the past few years. Their concept of a mix n’ match create-your-own cereal bar took one of the simple satisfactions of all our childhood’s to the next level. Fixing that Saturday morning bowl of cereal and setting up to watch your favorite cartoons has now made an appearance in our daily routine. Cereality has put a warm and fuzzy feeling into the high octane pace of the marketplace.
So how does such an innovative franchise approach marketing? With an equally innovative technology…Mobile Marketing.
Cereality has partnered with a select few Cold Stone stores to develop co-franchises that combine the strengths of both stores. One such Cold Stone is located in Athens, Ohio and has chosen mobile marketing to help introduce Cereality into its store. Owner Ken Mogle has commissioned EnMobile to help alert his consumers of the new addition to the store. With a opt-in database of over one thousand consumers, mobile was seen as an extremely effective way to immediately and effectively alert consumers of Cereality and drive consumers into the store. A mobile coupon was initially delivered to consumers offering a dollar off a cereal creation and also introducing the store to the public. Mobile will continue to play a vital role in the introduction of Cereality to the local audience; an innovativ marketing solution for an equally innovative franchise.
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Posted by Jake on September 21st, 2008 in Mobile Marketing ·
As an SMS entrepreneur that has been studying and basically immersing myself in text messaging for the better part of a year, I figured that I might as well extend some of this internal knowledge outwardly. This post will give a basic overview of the technology and an explanation of how SMS can and should be used for marketing purposes.
First, SMS stands for short message service, but it is basically what we mostly have come to know as a text message. Each message is allotted 160 characters of space that many marketers have now come to realize can be utilized for marketing purposes. The advantage of SMS or text marketing over traditional, even online marketing, is the direct response that it offers. It is delivered through one of our most closely guarded possessions, but with this direct and personal connections comes issues of becoming too personal. Marketers must respect the relationship between consumers and their phones and make every campaign opt-in (permission-driven) and also deliver each message with an opt-out mechanism that is clearly noted in the message. This will help combat the SPAM effect that many have come to fear from mobile marketing.
SMS marketing is carried out by promoting the text call-to action in your other marketing material. This is important because SMS lists should be compiled and not purchased. If you already have a database of cell phone numbers, you can use this but you must provide immediate opportunity to opt-out from these lists. Consumers should be aware of the possibility of mobile marketing form your company when these lists are being compiled. When consumers opt-in to your consumers through a keyword and shortcode (ex… text abc to 12345) they are consenting to receive these messages, so compiling these lists using a shortcode and keyword for coupons, polls, contest, etc. is a great way to build your opt-in list. Once these lists are captured, you can now market freely to these consumers. Try our interactive demo for a sample mobile message campaign (Text EnMobile to 59925).
There are a number of uses for SMS marketing. Text messages can deliver simple alerts for products or services, coupons and discounts, polls, quizzes, contests, or direct links to a mobile website (WAP-wireless application protocol). One of the core benefits of SMS marketing is the ability for direct response, so providing a direct response and interactive feature in the form of polling or contests is one of the more unique and impressive features of mobile. Also, the ability to directly embed a phone number or web site into a text message again provides direct response that is not possible from many other forms of marketing. It is important that you use the directness of these SMS messages to drive a consumer to some form of fairly immediate action if you want to best utilize SMS.
For more info, visit our website HERE
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Posted by Jake on September 15th, 2008 in Mobile Marketing and Success in Mobile ·
A recent report by Harris Interactive has shown that many teens have replaced texting with talking as their preferred means of communication. Nearly half, 47% to be exact, actually stated that their life would end or be severely worsened if texting was no longer available. There are quite a few reasons why many teens prefer this mode of communication, including speed, the ability to multi task, the 
ability to avoid talking directly, and simply because it is more fun than talking. The fun factor can be seen by the recent advent of a World Series of Texting that was created recently, an event that the thumbs of the most fervent SMSers.
The study found that nearly 4 out of 5 teens carry a mobile phone, taking the number of hip holstered teens to over 17 million. Over half the respondents of the survey also said that mobile has become a new form of entertainment, an idea that certainly sheds light on the need for mobile marketing, although we certainly must take caution with this approach. The study also found cell phones to have a very personal nature for these users (57% of respondents view mobile as their key to life), so we have to tread lightly as we approach this medium as a marketing outlet.
More than 1 billion text are now sent daily around the globe. SMS has taken off as one of the fastest growing technologies and is being adopted heavily by new users every day. This method of communication has shown that it is not just a flash in the pan, but it seems to plan on sticking around for a while. It is essential that we as marketers take aim to embrace mobile, especially SMS, as a viable means for marketing, but as I said, proceed with caution. We can not afford our text message inbox to suffer the same devastating fate as our email inboxes have fallen victim. The industry and the Mobile Marketing Association have done a good job up to know to protect against SPAM and malicious content, but as this marketing method increases in popularity which it clearly is beginning to do, we must heed the warning of our past.
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Posted by Jake on September 14th, 2008 in Mobile Marketing and Success in Mobile ·
We live in a digitized world. Cell phones, iPods, laptops, digicams- there is no denying the fact that technology has taken great strides in just the past few years. This wave of technology has also transformed the typical US consumer. With so many options on nearly every product known to man, consumers continually want it better, cheaper, faster and easier. So how do marketers keep pace?
If these transformations have taken place because of technology, then marketers must embrace this technology to keep in touch. Mobile marketing is still a very new industry, but it is poised to transform the face of marketing. It allows instant connectivity, ease of use, and will likely become the glue that holds together any good integrated communication platform. Text messaging is one of the fastest growing technologies on the planet, and it will soon reach near critical mass levels that will span every demographic.
Fortunately, the industry, guided by the Mobile Marketing Association (mmaglobal.com), has established preventative measures so as not to fall victim to the evils that arose in email as its popularity ballooned. SPAM has been outlawed from day one by requiring that lists be compiled using mobile opt-ins. That means no messages will be sent to purchased list or unwilling users. Also, messages are equipped with messaging that states TO STOP REPLY STOP or some variation of that. This ensures ease of exit in the case that a consumer feels overwhelmed and wants out. The MMA has done a good job in setting up guidelines so the industry can develop into the valuable marketing tool that it will now inevitably become.
So there is really no better time to get into mobile than the present. The method is still new enough to really provide a WOW factor, and also, because the method is young, this is the best time to test your strategy and build your opt-in list. Don’t wait until everyone is doing it and you are already behind the 8-ball. Get out in front. Build your contacts. Be a Pioneer!
Still a little afraid of the prospect of going mobile. Contact an experienced mobile marketing agency such as EnMobile to guide you into this new and exciting field.
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