Step by Step Guide to an SMS Campaign
SMS is good for: ? Short lead times and immediacy
? Cost effective personalised communication
? Ongoing 1 to 1 relationships
? Automated data capture and compliance
? Direct revenue and uplift opportunities Basic Rules for SMS In addition to permission, there are five key elements that differentiate SMS marketing from traditional marketing. These are also the key success factors for its use. A minimum of 2 factors is necessary for a successful campaign. You need Permission plus: 1: Relevance
2: Location
3: Time
4: Adding Value
5: Interactive Step 1: Planning the campaign Objectives: ? Why are you communicating via mobile?
? What do you want to achieve? Offer plan: ? What's the definition of your offer?
? How are you going to say it?
? When should it be sent?
? Who are you targeting?
? Is viral marketing a possibility? Limitations: ? Do you need to cap the responses?
? Message receipt ?have you systems in place to handle the volume? Step 2: Creating the campaign Some SMS Service Providers enable you to create, test and track your basic campaign yourself via your web browser. This can be very useful for simple push campaigns such as; event notifications, requested information (i.e results, account info), "show this message for a free.." style campaigns, staff memos etc. However, the more complex the campaign, the more likely you will require professional help in both the planning and fulfilment of the campaign. Step 3: Copywriting ? You only have 160 characters-use them wisely
? Be aware of limitations of different screens
? Be personal (it can be an intrusive medium)
? Be targeted
? Talk in the same language as your customers
? Lrn txt spk-especially for youth markets
? Use an SMS copywriter Step 4: Test , test and test again.. ? Test the campaign on different screens
? Test different networks (i.e. Vodaphone, Orange)
? Check to see if the appropriate replies are sent etc
? If it is a competition, plan for unusual/wrong answers and have suitable replies in place.
? Test language, typos and technical (not all symbols will come out as you expect). Step 5: Measurement and tracking Some indicators that you may use to measure success of the campaign are: ? Open rates
? Foot traffic (to website etc)
? Offer acceptance
? Replies
? Redemption rate
? Brand awareness? Do ? Use it as an automated data capture
? Consider timing
? Trial different approaches
? Exploit "landgrab" opportunities by using SMS before your competitors do.
? Use only opt in and give opt out route (the more automated the better)
? Identify yourself Common Mistakes: ? Poor targeting and relevance
? Not identifying the sender
? Poor copywriting
? Targeting wrong audience with wrong offer/message
? Messages sent out at wrong time
? Not allowing recipient to unsubscribe
? Typos
? No personalisation
? Inability for systems/customer service, to handle responses Conclusion ? It's an important marketing medium and it's here to stay
? It's about the experience not the technology
? Plan ahead so you get it right
? Be creative with your campaign
? Keep IT Simple Stupid (KISS) applies Kath Pay is Marketing Director of Ezemail, a web-based e-communications tool, which enables you to create, send and track your email marketing and SMS messaging campaigns. For more information please go to http://www.ezemail.com or contact Kath at: kath@ezemail.com.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Save Thousands on Your Marketing
Marketing can be expensive. It doesn't have to be, but sometimes you will spend more than you should. Usually you'll realise this after you've done it. But here are two tips that can save you thousands of dollars.
How Do You Know Your Clients Cant Pay More?
"My clients can't afford higher rates."
How To Get Business With Your Business Card?
So, you have a business card? And you have given it to a few of your friends as well? Great! But did you get those cards to give to your acquaintances or to get business? Are they getting business for you?? That is the key question.
Loan Officer Marketing ? How Branding Shapes Your Prospects Perceptions
Social scientists have proven that people experience what they come to expect. It's like the first time you watched your favorite movie. Before you saw it maybe you read a favorable movie critic's review, or a friend told you it was a great, or your favorite filmmaker directed the movie.
Everybody Loves Raymond....You Should Too!
Popular TV Series Provides a Powerful Marketing Lesson
Niche And Grow Rich
Unless you've been living under an Internet rock, you've
probably heard the buzz about Niche Marketing. Right now
it's the hottest marketing topic online.
Peek a Boo - We See You -- 7 Trade Show Tips for Marketing Managers
Peek a Boo - We See You
Connecting With Your Clients
Many service professionals tell me that they are uncomfortable with the idea of marketing -- like marketing is a bad word! For some, "marketing" brings up images of telemarketers, aggressive sales people, and feelings of resentment at being invaded. But marketing is really about connecting with your customers. In service businesses -- particularly ones where you are very personally involved with the client -- you must build up a rapport with your prospects before you can ever hope to turn them into clients. Here are seven basic principles to remember if you want to really connect with potential clients and turn them into loyal customers:
Marketing Planning - Preparation and Accountability
We all know the saying, "Failing to plan (prepare) is planning (preparing) to fail." I truly believe in this statement and I hope you do as well. Building your service business, including marketing it must be planned and does take work.
How To Let Your Customers Search For YOU! ? Part 2
First I want to welcome you to part two of the article 'How To Let Customers Search for YOU!', where you can learn how to attract new clients at any time you want. The techniques I describe here have proofed to work for me and a lot of other people.
Promotional Freebies
What's a promotional freebie? A promotional freebie is something you can give to your customers, visitors or subscribers. Giving away "freebies" is an excellent marketing tool. Who doesn't love freebies? Having something to offer your visitors or ezine/newsletter subscribers for free can be very helpful. Often giving away freebies will increase your website/ezine numbers.
Using Business and Greeting Cards Effectively
Business cards and greeting cards almost go hand in hand when being used for marketing and business purposes. With a few exceptions. One is bigger than the other, and needs a postage stamp in order to get to it's desired location, as opposed to the business card which is handed directly to a person or dropped into a fish bowl in the hopes of winning an office party.
Getting Into Marketing Momentum ... The Accelerated Way
GETTING INTO MARKETING MOMENTUM: The 5 Power Principles for Getting Your Business into High Gear
Why Instant Gratification Marketing Condemns Businesses To Losing 90% Of Their Potential Customers
Most businesses target only people "ready-to-buy". These hot prospects are "Now Buyers" because they've been inching closer to a decision for some period of time. They're just about ready to spend cash. Advertisers target "Now Buyers" because the pressure is on to make sales immediately. And, they know these prospects are most qualified, from a timing standpoint.
Business Card Design - How to Stand out and Get Noticed
One of the most powerful, yet over looked weapons in your
marketing arsenal is your business card. If designed properly
this little 3 x 2.5 piece of paper will not only let people know
how to contact you it will also tell them why they should
contact you. In order to be effective and get you more business
your Business card must stand out, and get noticed.
Avoid the Duds: 10 Strategies for Selecting The Perfect Speaker
Today, more than ever, the success of meetings relies heavily on the strength of program content and presentation. Nothing can spoil a meeting more than hiring the wrong speaker. That's because speakers do more than just convey the overall meeting message. You look to them to provide insights, awareness, and cutting-edge information in an energetic, motivational, entertaining, and professional manner. What more could you ask for? Well, the right speaker can emphasize an important message, offer inspiration, help people cope with new assignments, and lead the way towards change.
Selecting the right speaker for your event is one of the most important, yet daunting elements for creating a successful meeting. Your speaker can often make or break the event. If he bombs, your reputation not only takes a severe nose-dive, but you also have the pleasure of dealing with the barrage of complaints from a disappointed audience. Yet, if he does well, you can walk away with many of the accolades, compliments, and of course, the rave reviews. By now, you probably realize that this massive responsibility is not to be taken lightly.
Raise Your Expectations
The skill to selecting a great speaker is determining what combination of education, motivation, and entertainment best fits your function. Then set out to find a perfect match. But keep your expectations high, since nothing can spoil a meeting faster than booking the wrong speaker. The following 10 guidelines should help you keep your focus and also keep you away from the "duds."
1. Know the program objectives. Before you can start looking for the right speaker, you must know the program objectives. Begin with the end in mind. What are you looking to achieve? Is this an annual meeting, a training program, an incentive get-together, an awards celebration, or another type of event? This will probably be a committee or management decision, rather than one you will have to make. But you may have to make an intangible concept tangible.
2. Understand the audience's needs. Along with the program objectives, consider the needs of your audience. Does your group need industry-specific or technical information? Will a mix of motivation and entertainment serve your group's purpose? Today's audiences are generally younger, more educated, more diverse, and more sophisticated than in the past. They want content. They want to learn, but they also want it to be fun, so consider the audience needs and exactly what they expect. Consider surveying your audience. Ask them what they want or what skills would most help them in their jobs. For example, sales people may ask for advanced selling skills, but managers may request teambuilding programs.
3. Check for reputation. With countless speakers out there vying for your business, how can you possibly determine which one best meets your needs? Many speakers produce highly professional or glitzy marketing materials to help sell their services. You must look deeper than simply scanning a few brochures and ask pointed questions to find the right fit, such as What experience does this speaker have? How familiar is this speaker with this industry? and, Who else has used this person?
4. "Test drive" your prospects. If you don't have the opportunity to preview a speaker in person, then the next best thing is to request a video or audio recording of a previous presentation. A session that was recorded before a live audience gives you a better sense of a person's real ability.Watch or listen carefully to how the speaker builds rapport and interacts with the audience. Ask yourself if this person would be right for your group. Is the combination of education, motivation, and entertainment appropriate for your needs? Does the speaker have a message that is appropriate, timely, and relevant to the theme or purpose of your event? Does it conform to your company's philosophy and policy? Do you feel the speaker is genuine and has the expertise to deliver a solid presentation?
5. Don't be star-struck. If you are considering celebrity speakers, make sure they can speak! TV personalities do a great job on the air, but sometimes have little public speaking expertise, and you should be aware that the skills needed for being on TV and for speaking live are very different. However, many well-known personalities make excellent speakers and can add enormous value and clout to your event. Politicians and sports, media, or entertainment celebrities often share life experiences, offer advice, or have an inspirational message to impart.
6. Be wary of grandiose claims. Speakers who claim to be all things to all people are probably desperate for work. Avoid them. True professional speakers, on the other hand, usually have certain areas or topics of expertise. They would much rather refer potential business to a true expert than jeopardize their reputation by trying to do a program outside of their knowledge zone. Also, beware of the charismatic and fluffy speaker as your audience wants good, solid take-away value.
7. Provide and ask for good information. Reputable speakers want to find out as much as possible about the meeting objectives, the audience, industry challenges, and so on in order to tailor their presentation to the group. Share information on your organization and audience to help the speaker design a program to fit your specific needs. provide them with newsletters, catalogs, or any other publications that highlight industry trends, key people, industry jargon or buzz words, and insider news and views.
Also include as much information as possible about the size and demographics of the audience such as age, gender, and positions.
8. Ask for an outline. Ask prospective speakers for an outline of the presentation to make sure they will be covering the material as you discussed. This will clearly lay out what's expected as verbal communication is subject to being misunderstood or misinterpreted. Seeing exactly what speakers plan to cover in the sessions should help to ensure that the material is tailored to your specific needs.
9. Maximize opportunities. Look for ways to maximize opportunities with your speakers. Discuss different ways they can add extra value and be a significant resource to help improve your meeting's success. Brainstorm ways that you feel they can assist you in planning, preparing, promoting, and presenting. Some suggestions include serving as an emcee, conducting special sessions or roundtable discussions about current issues for select groups such as company executives or the board of directors, and participating in a spouse program.
10. Trust your instincts. Through your communication with the speaker, you will quickly form an opinion or have a feeling about this person. First reactions count here. "I like this person" or "I don't like this person," or "I feel comfortable or uncomfortable working with this person," are strong indicators. These responses usually comes from your gut - a very trustworthy organ. Have confidence in your instincts and trust that so-called sixth sense. If you experience any kind of negative feeling, think about looking for someone else or get another opinion from a colleague. You want to make sure that you can work with this person and that both of you are on the same wavelength.
The true objective of hiring a professional speaker hinges on establishing a partnership where a mutually beneficial relationship grows and flourishes. When this happens, you know you've chosen well.
The Perfect Match
Overwhelmed with the plethora of speakers to choose from? You may want to turn to a speaker's bureau for advice and guidance. A good bureau should act as a consultant and partner to help your event succeed. Even though many hundreds of bureaus are out there, the numbers pale in comparison to the thousands of speakers. A bureau's sole purpose is simply to make your job easier and provide you with solutions. They want to find the best possible match for your event within your price range. So, where do go looking for one of these bureaus? Here are a few places to start your search: the phone book, chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, the Internet, industry colleagues, and friends.
A Final Note:
Look for CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) or CPAE (Council of Peers Award for Excellence) designations. Both these are conferred by the National Speakers Association and are considered the speaking profession's international measure of professional platform skill (http://www.nsaspeaker.org).
Armed with these guidelines and resources, your search for the perfect speaker will be more fruitful. And with a little effort and some time, you will connect with a speaker who will fulfill your goals- one that will be both inform and enlighten. Your audience will thank you.
Tricks of the Trade: Design your Booth for Maximum Impact
The fight for your customer's attention at a tradeshow has never been so intense. Budget cutbacks in the travel sector means that buyers spend less time than ever at shows. To make the most of their time, they pre-plan their agendas and do their best to stick to them. The rules of the game are forever changed.
Directional (Not Direct) Marketing
Those who believe the web is not a direct response medium should think again. A recent study conducted by AdKnowledge and published in their recent "Online Advertising Report" suggests that 60 percent of total website conversions occurs in the first half-hour. In other words, based on the study the bulk of your visitors will likely buy within the first 30 minutes.
Choosing Networking Functions
Time is a concern for all of us. We only have so much of it to give to our work, and then some to our families, our churches and some to ourselves. In today's business climate it is essential to spent our time wisely to maximize our productivity and satisfaction with our lives.
How Your List Affects Postage Costs
HOW YOUR LIST AFFECTS POSTAGE COSTS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!
|