SMS and MMS Marketing

Everyday across the world several billions of SMS are sent, most of them carry personal messages but in recent years, the popularity of SMS and MMS has spread to business.

Companies have adopted SMS as a cheap and effective marketing tool. They can deliver message direct to their audience in large numbers in one go.

SMS marketing is mainly used by banks, drink firms, entertainment and leisure venues. Along with SMS, the MMS, which includes picture messaging, is also increasingly becoming an essential marketing tool.

All this is possible after the development of software and tools that allow your SMS and MMS to be sent via your desktop through to a web-based service or by using downloaded software.

SMS marketing can be sent when and where you want and it won't immediately disappear like emails. With SMS marketing, your text message can reach the your target market within seven seconds and you can receive an immediate response.

This type of marketing can also help build new relationships and, with regular text messages, you can keep in contact with existing customers and so build brand loyalty.

SMS

As characters in a text message are limited to 160 it’s essential to create a message which is clear and concise.

When using SMS as a business-marketing tool regulatory procedures similar to email marketing apply. Collection of cell phone numbers of users is the first step in SMS marketing campaign.

You get the agreements of each recipient in your target market (failure to do this can lead to pay fine under the Data Protection Legislation) and their phone numbers can then be loaded easily into software. This software then generates the text messages to the list.

MMS

MMS allows delivery of marketing and advertising messages in the form of images, animation, audio, video, and text directly to mobile phone users.

The possibilities are endless and the result is a richer more engaging presentation of a marketing message.

MMS content is delivered and stored in the inbox of a recipient's handset just the same as a text message. This allows the user to recall the message at any time in the future, which presents viral opportunities as the message can be forwarded to friends and family.

Unlike delivering content via wap push or mobile internet with their associated data download charges, an MMS message is entirely free to receive and view.

Advertising and marketing

There are now over 46m adults in the UK with over 56m mobile phones. This provides a unique opportunity to deliver messages right into the pocket of the consumer, it’s the only medium that’s truly portable and always switched on.

Usage is increasing everyday so, SMS marketing is now a very attractive advertising medium for major companies.

As a marketing tool, SMS/MMS messages are used in many ways. Advertisers can send SMS and MMS messages based on the users locality, age, sex, interest, occupation and several other parameters.

To take advantage of SMS marketing, mobile users can register with advertising companies and in turn the advertisers can contact them.

By using a key word similar to keywords used by the consumer, they accept the message you are promoting. The received responses are then delivered to your desk by email.

All-in-all, SMS and MMS marketing is a very cheap and effective way to create, build and maintain relationships, if you know how to use it.

LinkedIn Marketing

LinkedIn is a professional niche social networking site. You can connect with professional colleagues, meet new people, find recommended services and find new contacts in your current network.

LinkedIn is a good tool to reach specific people; it is not so good at mass-market broadcasting.

You can see who your friends know, in order to take advantage of your existing network. You can also find out “who you need to know” to reach your goals.

By using LinkedIn effectively you can: Increase the visibility of your business and brand, Pursue direct sales and generate traffic and support your SEO efforts

Things to Keep in Mind

Everything you do on LinkedIn happens under your real, professional, and company name. So even though the service may be “faceless”, it is wise to behave professionally.

Not only are you easily identifiable, but everything you say and do on LinkedIn is recorded publicly and indefinitely.

LinkedIn Answers

“Answers” is just as it sounds - anyone can ask a question, and anyone can answer. The nice thing about this tool is that you can interact with people who are not in your network - which helps you meet new people and make new contacts.

When you ask a question in the “Answers” area, many people can answer you. When the question closes you are asked to choose the “good” answers. Out of these “good” answers, you are asked to choose a “best” answer. The person who is chosen as having given the “best” answer gets an “expertise point” that shows in their LinkedIn profile.

“Answers” offers a great deal of opportunity to display your expertise. If someone is looking for help on a topic where you have expert knowledge, your answer not only shows what you know, it also opens a conversation. And if you want to keep up to date on what questions are being asked in your category, you can always subscribe to the RSS feed.

At the same time, asking a question can also be helpful. Many people who have an interest in the topic may read your question. This can be a good place to announce new ventures and look for new business partners.

LinkedIn Services

“Services” is basically a system where you can find services that are recommended by others. So for example, you might be able to find a local accountant who is highly recommended.

At the same time, by getting your own clients to recommend you, others who are searching for your services can find your business. The more recommendations you have, the better you can look to prospective customers.

Search LinkedIn

“search” allows you to find people, regardless of if you know them or not. You then have the option of finding someone who knows them to introduce you, purchasing a paid account from LinkedIn to contact them directly yourself, or finding another way to contact them.

LinkedIn Groups

Groups are actually quite simple. By joining a group, everyone in the group basically becomes a connection. Anyone else who is also a member can see the group logo in your profile.

Jobs on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is known as being popular with recruiters. So it should come as no surprise that you can post a job on the system.

Increasing Your Brand’s Visibility

There are several ways you can use LinkedIn to increase the visibility of your business.

You can display your expertise in “Answers”. Frequently people ask questions like “where can I find a consultant”, etc. If you fit the bill, you can use the question to open a conversation.

You can announce your services to others in Answers. Simply answer a question that relates to your service, or ask a question looking for something you need.

You can drive readers to your blog posts. If someone asks a question to which you have blogged the answer, simply point people to your blog post - driving traffic and gaining a quality, relevant link at the same time.

And, you can get your service recommended in “Services”. The more recommendations you have, the better your business looks.

Generating Sales Leads

You can reach potential clients by conversing with people in “Answers”. Not only can you find new business partners and ventures, but you can also answer the questions of people who may be suitable clients.

You can respond to service requests, such as when people are looking for a consultant in your field. Also, you can look for the right person to contact at the organization you are seeking to do business with. And, you can get your service recommended.

Supporting your SEO

LinkedIn is actually a reasonably good, quality site to get a link from. They are also not using the “no follow” tag on their outgoing links.

More and more people are recognizing the need to build a network of quality links to their websites. Not only can these links provide a way for search engines to find you, but they can also drive qualified, relevant traffic.

If your organization has, say 100 employees, and 40 of them have LinkedIn accounts, then why not send out a company-wide email requesting a link back to the company website? If only 20 staff members add a link, you’re still up 20 free, quality, possibly relevant links, simply by sending an email. And remember - each account on LinkedIn has space for 3 links with whatever anchor text you like.

In order to make the link viewable to search engines, it is important to add the “show website” feature to each profile that will link to your site. This can be done in each account by clicking on “Edit My Public Profile“, make sure “Full View” is checked, and that also “Websites” are also checked. This will make the website link public.

You can also respond to service requests and other questions in LinkedIn “Answers”, in which you can post a link to your website as a reference. Many “Answers” pages are also indexed in search engine results pages.