SMS Coupons - Is The Next Major Marketing Platform Already In Your Pocket?
2 comments | Posted in Marketing-General, Mobile, Offline Marketing, Online Marketing, Technology
Picture this. It is almost five o’clock. You are just getting ready to get off work and are starting to think about what to do for dinner tonight. Suddenly your phone vibrates, and you pull it out to find the following text message:
1/2 off all entrées at
Joe’s Steakhouse 5-7 tonight.
Show msg to server to redeem.
Promo code 1234. Text Help
for more. Stop to quit. Std.
rates apply
Welcome to mobile marketing. Sound interesting? Would you be surprised to learn that this type of marketing is already being successfully used in Europe and the UK? SMS coupons, and their big brother MMS coupons, have been in place for several years now overseas, and are starting to become more commonplace in the US. SMS stands for Short Messaging Service, and is the communication standard behind text messaging. MMS, which stands for Multimedia Messaging Service, gives mobile devices the ability to send and receive multimedia messages, like photos. Almost all phones produced now have the ability to send and receive both types of messages.
SMS/MMS coupons can be effectively employed in two ways. The first way to use them is to create immediate interaction with a potential customer. Imaging a banner ad at a college football game, or in a mall, that instructs people to text a specific keyword (i.e. HUNGRY) to a number. When they do, a SMS/MMS coupon is immediately sent to their phone. The potential customer gets immediate gratification of receiving the coupon, and the company gets something even better - a voluntary lead. And by using different keywords on different ads, the company can track which ads generate more leads. Is the football game worth the extra cost, or does the mall ad bring in as much positive revenue?
The second way to employ SMS/MMS coupons is to send out timed coupons to existing leads, similar to the coupon shown above. Software can be created to send out single use promo codes that can again be tracked and analyzed. What times are best to send out promo codes? What kind of leads are most likely to respond? Etc.
Think this is effective? Case studies overseas show that it is. But it will get even better as the mobile market expands. SMS/MMS coupons are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to mobile marketing. Wait until you see the next big thing to hit the mobile market…
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Comments
I live in Fargo and I have a sms coupons sent to my phone from Arby’s/ So it is used in the USA all ready.
Thanks for the comment jess! Yup, it is being used more and more frequently in the US, but in comparison to Europe, it is still relatively rare. Some of the newer technologies allow for 2D bar codes to be displayed and entered right at the point of sale, which not only makes it easier for the consumer and retailer, but also allows the brand to gather substantial usage data.
In the past two years, we have seen US usage grow exponentially, fueled largely in part by the increased awareness of mobile marketing via mobile apps.
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