We have recently added option to receive Replies directly to your text message broadcast using Group Texting or Broadcast text message feature.

How it work?

• Reply option applies to Text message broadcast and Group Texting features only
• Should you have Reply options configured and enabled, all replies from recipients to any text message sent from Broadcast or Group Texting tools, will be forwarded to configured email and mobile phone.
• Text message credits will be deducted for all messages forwarded to your mobile
• All replies will be available online in Received Messages regardless of forwarding option

How to enable Reply Forwarding to Mobile and/or Email?

• Logon to management console using your credentials
• Click on Reply Settings menu.
• Enter mobile number and/or email where you like to receive replies.
• Press "Save"
• Should you like to receive replies to email or mobile only, then enter only email or mobile number.

How to disable Reply Forwarding to Mobile and/or Email?

• Logon to management console using your credentials
• Click on Reply Settings menu.
• Enter mobile number and/or email where you like to receive replies.
• Press "Disable"; Disable option only available if you had configured the forwarding options.

Though not seen much on the campaign trail, mobile strategy is expected to be important for attracting younger voters.

Social networks played an important role in the last U.S. presidential election, but the explosive growth in smartphone usage and the introduction of tablets since 2008 could make or break the candidates for president in 2012.

As the Republican primaries heat up, the major contenders show on their official websites a strong recognition of social networking and connecting in digital ways via desktop computers. But the GOP and President Obama's campaigns are not yet making many mobile-specific connections to supporters via smartphones or tablets, analysts noted.

Some campaigns have special links on their websites for getting updates via SMS to a phone, but they don't appear to have candidate-specific downloadable mobile apps on Apple's App Store or the Android Market so far.

"Smartphones and tablets are much more mainstream now, and these devices are literally driving the Occupy movement and the revolutions in the Middle East," noted Rob Enderle, an analyst for Enderle Group. "The ways we connect to one another have changed quite a bit in the last couple of years. Candidates need a good social media campaign to win, and social media done right includes mobile, because mobile allows candidates to loop in supporters in the moment and stay in touch and respond in real time. Mobile makes social networking more important."

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By Sandeep Gulyani

Continue with our Text Message Marketing series, today I like to talk about Text message marketing using Auto responder also known as Text-for-Info. Our clients have been using auto responder campaigns from past 5 years. It works exactly as our text-to-join text message marketing campaign.

Text-for-Info Text message marketing campaign

With Text-for-info campaign, customer receives an auto response a predefined text message when they text your mobile keyword to the short code. The auto response may include

·     Business contact information (Business cards)

·     Store Directions with link to Google map

·     Event organizers can provide Event registration details, exhibition direction, customer service number etc.

·     In Political Fundraising or Non-profit, patrons can text to receive contribution details

·     Product brief along with mobile or web site link or details

·     Customer care/support information

·     Song/Ringtone download link given as reward

·     iPhone or Android App download link very popular with VOIP providers

·     Realtors can use Text-for-info to provide property information along with house photos.

·     Car dealership can use it as off-hours sales tool. Prospects can text unique code found on windshield stickers and receive car details.

Possibilities are end-less, you just have to think and plan, rest we'll do for you.  

How it works?

·     Setup Text-to-Info campaign using our mobile marketing platform. You can choose your desired mobile keyword on our shared short code or on your dedicated short code hosted with TXTImpact.

·     Promote the keyword in your adverting material, at point of sale, flyers, etc.

·     Customer send text message to short code with your company mobile keyword.

Now, this is great tool for providing customer instant on the spot information while business put your contact details in their hand; business can also capture customer's mobile number and built their opt-in list. Businesses may follow-up with customers using mass text messaging and include promotional codes, special offers, deals, etc.

"To go further level Mobile Coupons feature can be added to your text broadcast, or a mobile web site or simple mobile page to provide customer more information."

Through TxtImpact effective and affordable Text Message Marketing and group text messaging services now businesses will be able to launch their mobile marketing campaigns without any hassle!

Click here to contact TxtImpact sales and learn more about current promotions and their text sms marketing services

How campaigns can reach supporters through one of the fastest growing forms of communication.

Ambitious political candidates are now using text messaging to communicate with their supporters in the hope of replicating President Obama's 2008 social media strategy. But these imitators may not enjoy the same success, in part, because they’re not developing a mobile marketing strategy around their text messaging effort.

Text marketing needs to be part of an overall communications strategy that includes print, online, radio and TV advertising. Moreover, campaigns need to have a strategy in place for collecting supporters’ mobile phone numbers and using those numbers to push for action.

The Obama campaign, for instance, built its enormous mobile phone database by promising to break the news of his vice presidential pick via text message. Obama’s campaign messaged more than 1 million mobile phones with the announcement that then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) had been chosen.

Obama’s strategy also included running a Super Bowl ad in February 2008, asking supporters to text “HOPE" to 62262 (or O-B-A-M-A) on their mobile phones. The campaign collected the mobile numbers and used them to inform supporters—particularly elusive young voters—about speeches, local volunteering opportunities and, eventually, get out the vote (GOTV) efforts.

Making text messaging interactive and requiring supporters to engage is the real key to success when it comes to utilizing this communication channel.

Take Wisconsin’s Russ Feingold (D), whose 2010 text effort showcased one example of how to successfully capture cell numbers. On opening day for the Milwaukee Brewers that April, his Senate campaign asked people to text them predictions of who would win the infamous mascot sausage race—Bratwurst, Polish, Italian, Hot Dog or Chorizo. The Polish sausage won, by the way, and while Feingold didn’t it was undoubtedly a clever and successful text marketing technique.

By some estimates, there are 4.3 billion text messages sent every day to the some 330 million mobile devices in the United States. Here are a few ways for campaigns to harness this fast growing medium:

Develop a database of supporters’ mobile phone numbers. It is essential that these lists are formed of supporters who have specifically opted in to receive text information from the campaign. Use meetings, monthly publications, newsletters and other events to gather this data. Don’t wait: start developing this list today, even if you don’t plan on investing in a text strategy until next year. This is crucial to the success or failure of your text campaign. 

Choose the right partner. This is extremely important. Sending large volumes of texts requires specialized messaging infrastructure and an experienced messaging provider to ensure successful delivery. If delivery cannot be guaranteed, campaigns have no way of knowing their messages were received and voters don’t know if campaigns received their response. Your service provider should be able to deliver real-time confirmation.

Decide how often to send messages to supporters. Text is a timely channel, but in some cases constant and repetitive messages do more harm than good. Some frequent messages turn into spam and annoy people. Text is still considered a spam-free channel. 

Once the data is collected and the text strategy is in place, campaigns can do everything from conduct surveys, inform supporters about voter registration and absentee ballot deadlines, promote down-ballot candidates or make a GOTV push.

It’s a powerful tool to send supporters a text message to remind them to “VOTE TODAY” or “BRING A FRIEND WITH YOU TO VOTE.”  In 2012, elections will be won by the candidates who get it.

Source:Campaign Insider 

Movie rental merchant redbox has rolled out a gifting option in time for the holiday season that lets movie lovers gift DVD rentals to friends and family through the company’s Web site or MASS SMS.

Why start with Text Messaging?

Here are three good reasons:

1. Cost-effectiveness

It’s not news that in many marketing departments these days money isn’t always easy to come by. Coming up with the budget for a mobile app, on one platform let alone two, is not always easy.

Creating a mobile website, depending on size, scope, and content management system, is not cheap either. Text messaging marketing can be extremely budget friendly, especially if you’re already printing signs for something or running traditional media.  Just revise the creative to add a “text-in for this or that” call-to-action and you’ve just started a mobile marketing campaign.

Best of all, almost all SMS marketing providers charge based on the number of messages or subscribers in your database. The cost starts small and when it increases that means your campaign is working!

2. Biggest Audience

When marketing dollars are tight everyone likes to see “good numbers” at the end of the campaign. Because text messaging is available on essentially every phone and used by just about everybody (over 70% of adults), you’ll have the best opportunity to reach the most people and build the largest opt-in database.

Every other mobile marketing technology has an inherit “audience-limiter”. Mobile websites; must have an HTML-capable phone.  Apps; must have a smartphone. QR codes; must have a smartphone and a QR reader installed. The more things your audience needs to participate, the smaller the numbers get. Start with the biggest audience and then target the more technology capable groups later.

3. It will “launch” the other ones

At the end of any text message marketing campaign there will be a database of mobile phone numbers (the people who texted-in). Launching a mobile app or website? Send out a text and tell them.

They’ve already had one mobile interaction with you so there’s a good chance they would be open to another. Instead of counting on the app store or mobile searches to drive traffic you can generate that initial burst of activity on your own. Think about it, it’s a lot easier to drive traffic to a new website when you already have a big email list of people who would be interested.

Ok, so you agree text messaging might be a good place to start mobile marketing.

But where do you start with text messaging? 

1. Traditional media

As mentioned above, this is an easy one. Instead of telling your audience to “call now” or “visit our website”, have them send a text message. Maybe they’re entering to win something or getting an instant “show this message on your phone for something” coupon.

2. Events

Are you still using clipboards and sign up sheets to gather data at your events? Still putting out that plastic fish bowl for business cards? Try having your event attendees get out their phone and text to vote, answer a question, put a message up on a screen, sign a petition, win something, or get a discount. It’ll be more fun for you and your audience, and in the end you’ll get a valid mobile number instead of an email address you can’t read anyway.

3. In-store

Many businesses have more people passing through their doors everyday than visits to their website. Those people also have phones in their pockets and purses. Print out a sign and create a mobile loyalty club by having visitors text-in for a discount on their next visit. They’re in your location so you know they have an interest in your business. Give them an easy way to offer up their valuable mobile phone number so you can bring them back later.