We're very excited to announce HTML5 based Group Texting mobile APP for sending mass text and group text messages to customers, employees, or members. Now, you don't need to be in front of computer or your laptops to send out a text broadcast to your clients or an emergency text alert.

TxtImpact Group Texting mobile APP enables users to send text messages to any person or a group on any device with a browser. Client can simply send broadcast to a subscription list anytime anywhere from any web enabled device.

With TxtImpact Group texting Mobile APP, registered clients can login with their existing credentials, send message to a group, receive replies, setup new text-2-join campaigns, add keywords, and setup auto responder. Using Mobile APP, you can also chat with individual, send and receive reply. You don’t need to download anything or even register to start texting.

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To access mobile APP, text GroupAPP to 27126* or Scan QR code from your smartphone

*Msg&data rates may apply

The nonprofit sector is new to group text messaging, and because of that, most best practices have yet to be determined. There are some basic guidelines to follow when you are launching and managing your group text campaigns; in the beginning, however, your number one objective should be to begin building your mobile list. It is illegal to buy, sell, or trade mobile phone numbers, unlike e-mail and snail mail addresses. As a result, it takes time to build a list, so the sooner you start, the better. The open rate of text messages is over 90 percent, since those who sign up tend to be your most committed supporters, so making the effort to promote your group texting campaign(s) and build your mobile list now could prove to be extremely valuable in years to come as the popularity of group text messaging continues to skyrocket. That said, the purpose of your group texting campaigns will evolve over time as the technology develops, but initially it’s best to approach group text messaging with the idea of alerting your subscribers to important breaking news that is relevant to your nonprofit’s mission and programs, and as a means of sending your subscribers occasional reminders about getting more involved in your nonprofit’s work.

1. Add a “Subscribe to Receive Text Alerts!” Pitch to Your Website, E-newsletter, Blog, and Print Materials

Create a “Subscribe to Receive Text Alerts!” page on your website that details the purpose of your group texting campaign, how it works, how often text messages will be sent, and, most important, how to subscribe. In addition to information on subscribing by keyword and short code, you should also embed an online form or widget (provided by your vendor) on the page that easily allows people to type in their mobile number to subscribe instantaneously. This new page should then be linked near the e-newsletter subscribe option on your website and blog. You should also add a “Mobile” field to your donation forms and event sign-up sheets, and add your keyword and short code subscription information to your print newsletters. It’s also crucial to add a link to your “Subscribe to Receive Text Alerts!” page in your e-newsletter (80 percent of new group text subscribers come from email lists!) and your “Thank You” landing pages and e-mails. Finally, there are icons for SMS that you can download and integrate with your social networking icons on your website and your blog. Of course, you also want to create a “Subscribe to Receive Text Alerts!” page on your mobile website.

2. Create a “Text-to-Subscribe” Graphic for Social Networking Sites

You should create a graphic that visually compels people to subscribe to your text alerts. Whether it is a custom graphic designed in Photoshop or simply your text-to-subscribe keyword and short code pitch (for example, “Text PETA to 73822 to sign up for text alerts!”) embedded in a powerful photo, you want an image that you can upload to send out in Facebook status updates, link to in tweets, upload to Flickr, and so on. Simple text pitches aren’t enough to compel people to subscribe. Get creative in integrating your text-to-subscribe keyword and short code pitch into photos, slide shows, or even your YouTube Channel banner. Additionally, you should also occasionally link to your “Subscribe to Receive Text Alerts!” page in status updates and tweets.

3. Pitch Your Keyword and Short Code in Check-Ins

When you are checking in to places, venues, and spots on location-based communities, add your text-to-subscribe keyword and short code pitch to status updates and shouts. Your friends on location-based communities will literally have their smartphone in their hands as they read your status updates and shouts, making it much more likely that they will subscribe to your group texting campaign.

4. Add Your Text-to-Subscribe Keyword and Short Code Pitch to Your Twitter Background

If your nonprofit has the ability to create custom backgrounds for your Twitter profile, it’s smart to add a text-to-subscribe keyword and short code pitch. Even though Twitter backgrounds are simple images that cannot include hyperlinks to other websites, nonprofits often do add their website and social networking URLs to Twitter backgrounds. If Twitterers are willing to open a new browser and manually type in URLs, then they are just as likely to pick up their phone and send a text to subscribe.

5. Send Text Messages That Are Timely and Relevant to Current Events

Most often, your group text messages should be relevant to current events or important news updates about your nonprofit. They should be timely, should often communicate a sense of urgency, and, when possible, should include a call to action. Group text messaging is primarily meant to mobilize your supporters instantaneously wherever they are located. For this reason, group text messaging is especially relevant to advocacy and activist organizations.

6. Send a Mixture of Informational and Call-to-Action Text Messages

You should occasionally send simple informational group text messages that are not necessarily timely, but are useful or inspirational. Ideas include a powerful quote or statistic, health tips, shopping suggestions, and “Save the Date!” event announcements. A mixture of text message content is good; however, before you send out a text message, always ask yourself whether the message is useful. If it is not, don’t send it! Since the open rate for text messaging is so high, each and every one of your messages should be well thought out and interesting.

7. Send Periodic Text Message Reminders to Donate Online or via Text-to-Give

It’s also wise to send group text messages reminding people to donate on your website or to text-to-give, especially at the end of the year, when most donations are made. It’s likely that in years to come, tens of thousands of nonprofits will be sending text message donation reminders en masse on December 30, so now, before the law of diminishing returns begins to kick in, is a very good time to be an early adopter.

8. Don’t Send More than Two or Three Text Messages per Month

Open, click-through, and unsubscribe rates will clearly guide the frequency of your group text messaging campaigns, but at the beginning, limit your text messages to two or three a month maximum. Subscribers are much more likely to pay attention to your text messages and take action if they are sent infrequently. It’s very easy to unsubscribe from group texting campaigns, so proceed with patience. If you are to retain your subscribers, your text messages have to be good. Most subscribers hear their smartphones chime when your message arrives. If they stop what they are doing, pick up their phone, and see a mediocre text message from your nonprofit, they will reply with “STOP” in two seconds flat.

9. Link to Your Mobile Website in Text Messages!

Your subscribers will be reading your text messages on their mobile phones, not their desktops or laptops. Therefore, do not link to your desktop site in text messages! That said, not everyone will be able to view your links on their phones, but smartphones and data plans will continue to fall in price in the coming years, ensuring the continued rise of Mobile Web browsing.

10. Pitch Your Social Networking Communities in Text Messages

Every few months, send out a text message letting people know that your nonprofit has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare, and other such sites. Ideally, you should link to one Web page optimized for mobile browsing that includes links to all your communities in their mobile format , or to the home page of your mobile website if you have social networking icons featured prominently. Otherwise, mention your communities individually in text messages strategically spaced out during the year.

11. Use Bit.ly to Track Click-Through Rates

The more expensive group text messaging vendors offer useful stats and tracking tools, but if you want to save money and opt for one of the low-cost vendors, then you can use Bit.ly to track click-through rates in text messages. Shrinking the links also allows you more characters in your text messages. It’s wise to create a separate Bit.ly account for mobile tracking only. It makes it easier to track your mobile progress over time if your Bit.ly links are not merged with your desktop click-throughs and traffic.

Source: Non-Profit

Text message marketing strategies that can be implemented by mortgage professionals, mortgage brokers and lenders to inform their clients of the latest rate and loan programs remind borrowers of scheduled closings, announce events and capture satisfaction survey.

With 97% open rates, text message marketing will get lenders’ messages in front of their target market, instantly.

The text message marketing can impact conversion rates, and improved customer relationship the mortgage professionals.

The mortgage professionals, lenders, and broker can use text messaging service for the following

Rate alerts: Send rate alerts to potential customers the interest rate changes or advise of upcoming rate change.

Rate Quotes: Allow potential customers to request current interest rate using text message. With this not you’ll add value to your business, but also this will help you build your text message contact list.

Generate Lead from advertisement: Measure performance of your Print, Radio, or TV advertisement by including text messaging in the Ads. This allows potential customers to request information on the go and also add their mobile number in your database. Also, you can measure effectiveness of your advertisement and optimize it for future advertising efforts.

Status updates

To keep customer informed about their loan process, mortgage processional can send text message to inform customer about major milestone

Ask a question

Customer or potential can send a text message to mortgage adviser simple brief questions. Mortgage advisers can simply answer their questions directly from outlook, or any email client.

Customer Survey

Mortgage profession can send customer satisfaction survey to capture customer experience during loan process. Customer can simply answer few questions using a text messaging.

HealthDay News -- A text messaging-based intervention increasesinfluenza vaccination compared with usual care in a low-income, urban population, although overall rates of vaccination remain low, study data indicate.

In a low-income, urban population, weekly text message reminders resulted in a vaccination rate of 43.6% compared with 39.9% in families who received usual care with just the single phone call reminder, Melissa S. Stockwell, MD, MPH, of Columbia University School of Public Health in New York City, and colleagues reported in the April 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Although the difference was statistically significant, by the end of influenza season it was small at a relative 9% and an absolute 3.7%, according to the researchers.

They conducted a randomized-controlled trial involving 9,213 children and adolescents aged 6 months to 18 years during the 2010 to 2011 influenza season. The primary analysis included 7,574 participants who had not received influenza vaccine prior to study initiation.

Parents of children assigned to the intervention received up to five weekly text messages providing educational information and vaccination clinic information in addition to usual-care automated telephone reminders. Study participants were mainly minorities, with 58% from Spanish-speaking families, and 88% were publicly insured.

At the end of the study period, significantly more participants in the intervention versus usual-care group had received an influenza vaccine (43.6% vs. 39.9%; relative rate ratio [RRR], 1.09; P= 0.001). At an earlier review date, prior to influenza activity, significantly more participants in the intervention group compared with the usual-care group had received the influenza vaccine (27.1% vs. 22.8%; RRR, 1.19; P< 0.001).

The researchers acknowledged that the low-income, urban study population likely faced competing priorities and barriers to vaccination that were not addressed by the texting intervention that contributed to keeping rates low.

In an accompanying editorial, Peter G. Szilagyi, MD, MPH, of the University of Rochester, in Rochester, N.Y., and William G. Adams, MD, of Boston University, said that although the findings were modest, the study still represents an important step forward in delivering preventive health-care services.

"At a population level, an increase of even four percentage points is important," they wrote. "If applied across the U.S., it could represent an additional 2.5 million children and adolescents who receive influenza vaccination."

Szilagyi and Adams pointed out a number of advantages to text message reminders, such as providing a more stable platform for reaching individuals compared with home addresses and telephone numbers, which might change, as well as providing the ability to reach the recipient directly.

They called for additional studies to determine the optimal text message strategies to achieve public health goals, as well as efforts to make information more actionable.

"Future studies might examine the incremental benefit of including a telephone number that could be called immediately to schedule an appointment or perhaps one that could scan an online calendar to propose a few available times for vaccination," Szilagyi and Adams suggested.

jama.ama

Everyone loves a bargain. That's why the coupon industry thrives in good times and bad. There is a core constituency of bargain-hunters no matter what the economic climate, but coupon use tends to skyrocket during downturns as consumers seek new ways to stretch their budgets. The current economic doldrums are no exception. Recent surveys indicate that coupon redemption rates are up 16 percent.

In the midst of the latest surge in coupon usage, the couponing industry is undergoing a fundamental shift that is changing the way consumers access discounts in profound ways. The change began with a shift away from printed coupons and toward mobile coupons. The shift is continuing with the rise of proximity advertising, which enables coupon and marketing-message delivery within sight of the point of sale.

The evolution from paper to mobile coupons is a good thing for consumers, marketers, and the environment. And new developments in mobile coupons delivered with proximity marketing technology promise additional benefits for both consumers and merchants. 

Coupons You Don’t Clip, Sent to Your Cellphone 

Mobile coupons -- discounts delivered online and accessible via mobile devices for point-of-sale redemption -- are experiencing explosive growth across all demographic sectors. Daily deal mobile coupon services like Groupon and LivingSocial are leading the charge, allowing consumers to sign up to receive offers for discounts on goods and services in their local area. According to Juniper Research, total mobile coupon redemption value -- which topped $5 billion in 2003 -- will grow to $43 billion in 2016.

Unlike paper coupons, mobile coupons are distributed electronically, so the production and distribution process consumes far few resources and has negligible environmental impact. Mobile couponing also more efficiently targets consumers since it is generally permission-based, meaning consumers opt-in to receive offers and services that are relevant to their interests.

The demographic for mobile couponing also tends to skew younger and more affluent, making mobile-coupon users an attractive target audience for brands of all types. In addition to the demographic allure of mobile couponing, the digital nature of the medium increases the coupons' potential to generate new business since users can easily share coupons with family and friends.

Permission-based mobile couponing is far more efficient than traditional couponing since it virtually eliminates production and distribution costs. It also more effectively targets consumers, reaching audiences who have already expressed their interest by signing up to receive offers. However, mobile coupons delivered via proximity advertising are poised to take mobile couponing to a whole new level.

The shift from traditional print coupons toward mobile coupons is well underway, and proximity advertising is a growing sector that holds great promise. The transition toward mobile messaging is a win-win-win situation:

Mobile couponing and proximity advertising deliver a win to consumers by providing savings opportunities and relevant offers at no charge, and in close proximity to the point of sale. Proximity advertising delivers an additional advantage by providing interactive tools that allow consumers to give feedback, get directions to locate merchants, view product details, and gain instant access to loyalty program rewards.

Imediaconnection

The folks at Text Marketer, a firm on the other side of the pond in the UK, have put together a neat infographic charting the rise of business text messaging use:

Inbound text messaging service allow businesses to receive text message from mobile subscribers. This is cost effective way of communicating with customers, employees, field sales, marketing, polling, etc.

To receive a text message carriers provide 5-6 digit number which is capable of receiving and sending only Text or MMS messages between mobile subscribers and an web, or desktop application. The short code needs to provisioned with carrier after their approval of your application, this is known as dedicated short code. It takes 10-12 weeks for getting your own short code number provisioned and certified. Text message marketing company like TXTImpact can provide you with shared short code, which you can use immediately without any wait time.

The other way to receive and send text message is a virtual phone number also know as long code or number. You can still receive and send text message from applications, but there are still some of major drawback of using long numbers. 

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! Contact sales if you're interested in using long number for your text messaging services.

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

A HEALTH trust has been successfully piloting a text messaging service to remind patients of upcoming appointments.

Since July 2011, Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which provides specialist health and social care services for people with a learning disabilities, mental health issues, and drug or alcohol problems, has been piloting the SMS text messaging reminder service for outpatient appointments.

Each year, hundreds of service users miss their appointments simply because they forget when it is and each missed appointment costs the Trust £160, on average.

Text reminders have been tested by other NHS organisations around the country and have been proven to substantially reduce the number of missed appointments.

Trust business manager for general adult mental health services, Martin Vokes, said: “Sending out text reminders has proven to be a great way of reducing the number of missed appointments for other NHS organisations.

“Reducing the number of missed appointments can reduce service user waiting times as cancelled appointments can be reallocated to others. By reducing the number of missed appointments, waiting times for appointments can be reduced too, as cancelled appointments can be reallocated to others.”

The service is currently being tested with two areas of service and will be evaluated in March before a trust-wide roll out is agreed.

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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