As individuals become increasingly tied to their cell phones and Blackberries, SMS text messaging is emerging as the quickest and easiest way to market to this mobile audience. SMS campaigns can be divided into two distinct categories; SMS Push Campaigns, where a message of 160 characters or less is originated by the advertiser and sent directly to the recipient's mobile device and SMS Pull Campaigns where advertisers use a key word in marketing literature which recipients can text back to a specified number.

There are several different types of SMS Push Campaigns. The most basic of these is the SMS Branding Campaign. A branding campaign uses the SMS text message to provide people with information about an organization's products or services. A branding campaign can also include a coupon that the recipient saves on their phone for future use. There is no call to action in a branding campaign. The campaign is used merely to heighten a n individuals awareness of an organization. An example of this type of campaign is: CollegeRecruiter.com is the premier site to reach college students.

The second type of SMS campaign is a Click to WAP/mobile site. The SMS message includes a link that the recipient can click on to immediately connect to the advertiser's mobile site. This is used to drive traffic to a mobile site and can also promote an organizations products or services. An example of a Click to WAP campaign is: www.collegerecruiter.com is the premier place to reach students!

Another type of SMS campaign is the Click to Call. A phone number is included in the SMS text creative and the recipient can click on this number and become instantly connected. This type of campaign can be used to provide additional information about your organization or as a sales tool. An example of a Click to Call campaign is: Call 800-835-4939 to find out how to market to college students through CollegeRecruiter.com.

SMS Pull campaigns differ from the push campaigns because the utilize a key word that individuals text to a specified number. They key word can be included in any type of online or print marketing literature. When the key word is texted to the provided number, the individual receives a return text message. This text can be a branding message, a click to mobile site, or a click to call. The advertiser can choose whichever format will be the most effective for their products or services. An example of a key word campaign with a branding return message is: text the word college to 876289 and you will receive a response from us!

SMS text messaging is an extremely flexible and easy advertising medium. With open rates of over 90%, an SMS campaign will ensure that your message is seen! Please contact us for more information about how we can tailor an SMS campaign to meet your marketing goals!

Posted by Betsy Larson, CollegeRecruiter.com on August 13, 2009 at 11:15 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Kmart, to its credit, is making a big effort to reach tweens and teens as they head back-to-school. The retailer understands that kids are big influencers over where their parents shop, what is purchased, and how much is purchased. Nevertheless, Kmart has apparently dropped the ball by failing to incorporate mobile marketing into its back-to-school advertising strategy.

As reported by Mobile Marketer, Kmart's "Be a Schoolebrity" campaign does not include any mobile advertising components such as cell phone text messaging (SMS) blasts, mobile web sites, and SMS keywords. Instead, Kmart is relying on the old style mail-in sweepstakes using forms that customers can obtain when they go to the stores. Seriously, does any tween or teen use the mail? I've heard that 40 percent of college students don't even know their own zip codes. While that seems to be a negative reflection of the students, it really isn't. If you didn't send or receive anything by mail, why would you need to know your zip code? Their subscriptions are on-line, they pay their bills on-line, their written communications are electronic, and they probably couldn't find their way to a post office if their lives depended on it.

But let's give the retailer some credit and assume that they weren't really targeting the kids but instead the parents (mostly mothers) who are paying for the goods. Should they have? No. The teens are the influencers and moms of teens are busy and constantly on the go. Looking up the location of the closest Kmart and getting alerts of specials sent directly to their phones is a much more powerful strategy than promoting a 1980's style sweepstakes through print ads and requiring customers to mail in forms.

Is this oversight afflicting all retailers? Nope. One of Kmart's closest competitors, JCPenney, ran a multichannel, back-to-school ad campaign that involved mobile. They encouraged teens to sign up for text alerts at a special mobile web site. My guess is that a year from now we'll be applauding Kmart's efforts to reach tweens and teens through their most prized possession: their mobile phone. And when that happens, watch Kmart's sales increase.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on August 12, 2009 at 10:51 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Okay, I am going to start with a confession here--if you are reading this article thinking that you are going to learn how to increase the rate at which prospects call you back, then I have deceived you. First, let's re-emphasize a point from a previous article ("Accept it Dude, She's Not Gonna' Call"): if you wait for a call back, you will wait forever. The ball will forever remain in your court.

So whose call-back rate are we talking about? You guessed it...Just as the headline read: It's yours.

We have all been there, especially when it is a part of our prospecting routine. Whether we are making that first phone call to a prospect, or the tenth, making the necessary dials is something many of us sometimes put off until it is too late. I am just as guilty.

Continue reading ...

Keith F. Luscher is author of the book Prospect & Flourish, and is a Marketing Representative with Principal Financial Group. Prior to joining Principal, he served professionals in the insurance and financial services industries as a management consultant. In that role, he advised producers on issues related to marketing and prospecting, and developed groundbreaking educational curriculum. Luscher is also a nationally known author, speaker, and expert in media, interpersonal communication and marketing.

Posted by Candice Arnold on August 6, 2009 at 12:45 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The recession is taking a heavy toll on retailers. Some, like Circuit City, folded while others, like Best Buy, continue to hold on. Jay Galbraith, in his article You're Organized ... How?, suggests that one reason a lot of retailers experience losses - even in boom economies - is because they are more product focused than consumer focused.

Best Buy, Galbraith says, realized its mistake and worked diligently to correct it. By focusing on the needs of the customers, Best Buy was able to provide a more enjoyable shopping experience that - pretty much always - translated into increased revenue.

"Customer-centric organizations essentially become more complex organizations that are grouped around experience, consumer segments, products, services and software," says Galbraith. He goes on to add that the complexity should only be on the organization's side of the equation, never on the customers.

It's not easy for retailers these days; consumers continue looking for more ways to save money. But retailers who remember to focus their energy on satisfying their customers' needs and wants stand a much better chance of surviving these dire economic times.

Posted by Candice Arnold on August 3, 2009 at 3:29 PM | Leave a Comment (0)