I often receive special offers from AT&T via text message, naturally, but all other retailers send their coupons and sale announcements by email. I have often missed out on sales and coupons that I might have used because I didn't check my email soon enough. My phone, on the other hand, is usually somewhere close by, so any message sent to there is apt to be read right away. And how cool would it be to get a 15 percent off coupon from Macy's texted to you ... when you're already in the mall?

According to Helen Leggatt in her article, Consumers Unhappy With Lack of Mobile Marketing Messages, marketers are missing out on a great opportunity to promote their brands and increase revenue. And since consumers are saying they want to be marketed to in this manner, it seems like the obvious choice.

Continue reading "Going Mobile Will Make You Memorable" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 9, 2009 at 7:31 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

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.

Continue reading "Back-to-School Retailers Using Mobile -- Mostly" »

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

In this the age of computers, effective advertising on the Internet has become very important. One technique is keyword advertising, the use of a word, or set of words, in your content that best describes the product or service you're trying to sell. The most important consideration is that you use the most relevant words or best example of what you are trying to promote. The more relevant the word or words you use, the better your promotion, and the greater your chances of attracting the attention of your target audience.

More and more frequently, we see billboards, television shows, print ads, and on-line ads urging us to use our cell phones to text a keyword such as "college" to a cell phone short code number such as 876289. For example, text the word "college" (without the quotes) to 876289. You'll receive an automated response from CollegeRecruiter.com and we'll instantly receive an email notification of your request.

Continue reading "Use Cell Phone Keywords to Connect With Consumers" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on June 23, 2009 at 3:48 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Telephones have been around since at least 1876 and perhaps even 1,000 years before that but it wasn't until the 1990's that the telephone became a portable device. Cordless and cellular phones became popular and as the costs for cellular phones dropped, the need for a regular, land line also decreased.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control released a study showing that we may have reached a tipping point. For the first time in history, the number of households which have only cellular / mobile phones was greater than the number of households which have only land lines. According to the study, some 20 percent of U.S. homes only have mobile phones while only 17 percent only have land lines. That ratio has changed dramatically. As recently as 2003 the number of mobile-only homes stood at just three percent while 43 percent only had landlines.

Continue reading "One Third of 18-24 Year Olds Don't Have Land Lines" »

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on May 12, 2009 at 7:31 AM | Leave a Comment (0)