In any field, a basic understanding of the language and terms involved are necessary. We define some of the terms here .
Mobile Marketing Glossary
SMS: Short Message Service. SMS is the global protocol for sending and receiving text messages. SMS is generally used interchangeably with the word “text.”
Campaign: A Marketer created message that is sent out to more than 1 subscriber at the same time with the intent of achieving some sort of result be it provide information, click or response.
MMS: Multimedia Messaging Service. MMS marketing is similar to SMS marketing however MMS messages possess longer character limits and can be augmented with other digital assets such as pictures, audio sound files and even video.
Text Alerts: This Marketing methodology is aimed at reaching multiple people simultaneously and is generally used to send an alert or quick burst of informatioon to a large group of recipients. Most modern platforms such as Accessing Technologies will allow you send thousands of texts at once with a text alert.
Keyword: The keyword is the most important component of an Opt-In subscriber. It is a Marketer defined word or phrase that a subscriber will text in order to interact with your campaign. Generally, the keyword is the way a user subscribes to your campaign but in some cases keywords can have other uses, such as prompting two way interactivity or the like.
Opt-In Confirmation: This is a confirmation message that is sent to a new subscriber confirming their intent to join your Marketing campaign. The message will confirm to the user their willingness to subscribe and reinforces basic things like the business entity and that message and data rates may apply. Usually this Opt-In message also provides directions to the user on how to opt out. Accessing Technologies will generally send confirmations for you automatically when utilizing our platform.
Opt-Out: The action of a subscriber unsubscribing from your list of messages.
Short Code: A 5 or 6-digit phone number as opposed to a long code 7-10 digit number that users sends messages to in order to join your list. It is similar to a keyword in that they are generally unique however they are the actual number being texted to.
Call To Action: The primary goal of Mobile Text Marketing is to induce a response (action).
Compliance: The practice of continual following and adherence to business regulations laid out in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
Carrier: A wireless service provider that gives mobile phones and other devices cellular connectivity. Accessing Technologies’s services support all major US and Canadian carriers.
Some Common Use Cases for Mobile Marketing
Businesses generally utilize Mobile Marketing to drive traffic and increase conversions in their campaings. That is the primary reason why Marketers use SMS Marketing however campaigns can serve other purposes such as increasing mindshare in the customer, customer retention, dissemination, education, follow-up, two way communication, lead generation and reminders to highlight a few.
The 7 Types of Text Marketing Campaigns
SMS campaigns can be classified by their purpose as well as their method of engagement. In the majority of mass texting campaigns, communication is one-way. But all campaign types have the option to engage in two way-communication through your inbox.
The point is, there’s more to text marketing than just pushing out content! Explore some of these campaigns in a little more depth:
1. Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the most common type of campaign. It entails sending your customers relevant information about the business or organization, such as announcements, discount offers, or limited time promotions. Alternatively, you can broadcast non-marketing information, such as regular tips, advice, or short pieces of content.
Keep in mind that when customers interact with broadcast campaigns, they expect to receive ongoing messages. Therefore, you should keep the text blasts at a consistent level, so your customers don’t forget about the campaign or fail to see the value in remaining subscribed.
2. Appointment Reminders
Instead of a broadcast to everyone, appointment reminders are targeted to specific people at specific times to remind them of their scheduled appointments. You can also prompt clients to confirm, cancel, or reschedule their appointments, in order to cut down on no-shows.
3. Text-To-Collect Info
With a text-to-collect-information campaign, businesses ask customers to respond with certain information. These campaigns can serve to fill out missing customer information.
4. Text-For-More-Info
In text-for-more-info campaigns, customers can text a keyword to a 5 or 6 digit number (SMS short code) to receive information about a business, such as open hours, a link to the website, or a phone number.
5. Text-To-Vote
In certain promotions, customers vote to determine a winner. In these campaigns, customers can send in their vote by texting an SMS short code.
Normally, a customer wouldn’t expect to receive ongoing updates after texting to submit their vote, so if you plan to add them to regular text blasts, you must offer that disclaimer upfront.
6. Polling
In a user poll, you broadcast a question to your existing subscribers to gauge their opinion on your product. The key difference between a user poll and a text-to-vote campaign is that a user poll is sent to existing subscribers, whereas new users sign up to vote on text-to-vote campaigns.
7. Text-To-Win
In a text-to-win campaign, customers text an SMS short code to enter a sweepstakes or other contest. Again, customers wouldn’t normally expect to receive ongoing updates after enrolling in a contest, so be sure to include a disclaimer if you plan to contact them again.