April 2009

Text 2 c results
In the marketing world, the time is now to
take notice of this powerful tool. By Brian Perry

If you haven’t already noticed, text messaging has taken the world by storm and has now surpassed voice calls as the most preferred method of communication in many countries.

So, how did all this happen? What makes “texting” such an alluring communication medium? Well, we can partly thank (or blame!) the wireless carriers for their foresight and business acumen in recognizing the power of the technology. It also doesn’t hurt that text messaging is a nice little added revenue stream for them. We can also thank some of the early adopters that recognized the sheer power of texting when combined with the right traditional marketing medium and demographic target. Case in point: American and Canadian Idol television shows. Millions of viewers each week send text message votes for their favorite idol during the competition.

Now, the obvious question is: “How can I use text messaging to help me better market my products or services?” The possibilities are endless but perhaps an overview of how text messaging works will help you understand the answer better.

Text messaging, or technically speaking “SMS” (Short Message Service), was part of an industry collaborative effort in the mid-1980s and it started to become popular in some countries in the later 1990s. By the early 2000s, many countries around the world were using text messaging. Each country independently controls and regulates the use of “Short Codes” (the numbers people text to) and all are somewhat unique in their standards and allowable content. For example, in Canada, the total number of characters permitted within each text message is 136.In the US, it is 160. As a result, text messages are somewhat limited in size but as most people can appreciate, the true value of text messaging is the ability to send and receive short messages without requiring access to the Internet. They provide instant communication through a cell phone—a device which is almost always with us (unlike a computer).

Widely used application
SMS text messaging is the most widely used data application on the planet, with 2.4 billion active users, or 74 percent of all mobile phone subscribers sending and receiving text messages on their phones. Canadians send 54 million text messages per day and this number continues to increase significantly month after month. Clearly, text messaging is here to stay and more companies are beginning to take notice.

Text messaging has been successfully used in numerous marketing campaigns internationally and in North America. Texting can create interactivity within your target market for almost any campaign. Most importantly, it can help target your campaign by delivering to you an audience that has specifically asked to receive your messages (”opt in“). In addition, text message marketing campaigns have experienced higher response rates than traditional marketing methods.

As text messaging use continues to increase at an exponential rate, so will the understanding in the marketing world that the time is now to start taking notice of the medium. In spite of text message marketing being in full bloom in many countries around the world, Canada has lagged behind in the uptake (mainly because of the carriers’ costly infrastructure).

Mobile marketing text campaigns
Increasingly, companies are starting to use various text marketing services and creating mobile marketing text campaigns. My company has quickly rolled out TxT2Look.com, an application for Realtors, auto dealers, and anyone else wanting to sell and promote an item for sale across Canada. This service illustrates the simplicity of the process, and how powerful text message marketing is. “Consumers today want instant information. Home buyers leave their computers at home and start driving around neighborhoods in search of a new property to buy. By placing signs with a keyword and our short code on each property and creating the ability to text for instant property details, TxT2Look fills the gap between where the Internet leaves off and the cell phone catches up. Because our application allows a user to access instant information from wherever they are 24/7, all parties involved in the equation clearly see the value in the service,” explains John Gallinaugh, president of TxT2Look Inc. TxT2Look also provides a mobile marketing solution for companies looking to create customized text campaigns.

Does text message marketing replace other, more traditional marketing media? Absolutely not. But text message marketing beautifully complements all other media and helps to connect the dots. One of the most exciting aspects of any text marketing campaign is that the effectiveness, response rates and metrics are all captured and measurable. There is really no other medium that so effectively pushes out a call to action and returns a direct and measurable response back to the advertiser.

Brian Perry, vice president and a cofounder of TxT2Look Inc., can be reached at brian@TxT2Look.com.To learn more about either text message marketing for property or to discuss mobile marketing campaigns customized to your company, please contact TxT2Look Inc. at www.TxT2Look.com.