The Mobile Marketing Blog - TellMyCell

What Are Long Codes

You probably know all about short codes (if not, click here to learn what they are), but what are Long Codes? Before we go any further, let's clear up some terminology. Long codes are also called virtual mobile numbers (VMN), and long numbers. So what are they? They are special phone numbers that can send and recive text messages.

You can use long codes for SMS marketing campaigns the same way you can use short codes. Keywords, two-way texting, etc. So how do you get a long code? While TellMyCell exclusively uses short codes we can recommend Group Texting, who provide shared and dedicated long codes.

The Mobile Marketing Association Grabs Former CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau

The Mobile Marketing Association just appointed a new President and CEO. mocoNews has the details:

In a statement, Stuart acknowledged the organization’s rebranding efforts: “My sense is that the need to evangelize the channel has changed to a need to educate brands and agencies on how to apply the reach and personal and powerful effectiveness of mobile for their brands.”

Stuart will be based in New York and will oversee the MMA’s global operations. He will focus on increasing marketing spend on mobile and supporting media, technology companies and carriers to develop and prosper from the mobile marketing ecosystem.

Read more @ mocoNews.

Getting Personal: Location-Based Text Messages

Thanks to a new program designed by Placecast and Location Labs, companies such as North Face can make their mobile messages more personal through location-based SMS messages. Smartphone users are not the only ones who have access to this program, users with standard telephones can use this as well, which means that potentially 180 million people in the United States have access to this. The North Face is the first retailer to use this program. They have created geo-fences around their stores and hiking areas which are popular among their customers. When a customer, who has opted in for their SMS messages, has entered a geo-fenced area, they will receive a message tailored to their whereabouts.

"If they're near a store, customers may receive a message about a new item in the store. But, if they're at Lake Tahoe, and they have noted that they are a biker, they might get a msg about a great biking trail. A different customer may receive a msg about a great swimming spot, based on their preferences," according to a representative from Placecast.

To read the entire article, click here.

To learn more about mobile marketing, visit TellMyCell.

The Use Of Mobile Is Rising In Popularity For Numerous Reasons

Mobile marketing has grown so quickly for more than a few reasons. For one, it allows people to act on impulse -  no more planning your days down to the exact detail, now you can make arrangements on the go. People have began to rely on their mobile devices for almost everything they do. Mobile phones have essentially become private secretaries, with alarms and alerts reminding you of dinner plans or business meetings. So what's the upshot?

“Mobile has trained consumers to expect speed. Brands and the media cannot be slow to react when people can consume and produce content anytime, anywhere.”

To read the entire article, click here.

To learn more about mobile marketing, visit TellMyCell.

Scotiabank Enhances Their Revenue Stream Through SMS Alerts

Scotiabank, one of Canada’s largest banks, has launched a customized email and and SMS alert service to gain an advantage over other leading banks. For a nominal monthly fee of $1.50, Scotiabank customers have the ability to create more than 15 alerts related to their account, security and more.

“Scotiabank has a range of ways to reach out to customers, and they decided to provide proactive notification as well,” said Christy Murfitt, senior manager of solutions marketing at Nuance, Boston. “We provide fully automated and personalized notifications driven by business rules within the organization."

To read the entire article, click here.

To learn more about mobile marketing, visit TellMyCell.

New Trends Due To The Popularity Of The Mobile Phone

In recent polls, people have said that they would rather lose their wallets than their mobile phones. And now, with numerous smart phones on the market, people can do just about anything with the click of a few buttons. Here are some new growing trends due to the popularity of mobile phones.

1-Bargain Hunting: “Bargain hunting has become extremely popular with apps like RedLaser that allow users to scan product bar codes and discover its various prices at different retailers.”
2-Mobile Ticketing: “Mobile ticketing transactions are expected to exceed $100 billion world wide by 2012, according to a study released this month by Juniper Research.”
3-Marketing: “Text message marketing, where customers opt-in to receive news about deals or offer coupons, has been a widely adopted practice as it’s a direct way to engage with consumers that has a high likelihood of being read.”

Want to learn about more mobile trends? Read the entire article here.

To learn about mobile marketing, visit TellMyCell.

SMS Marketing Campaigns: How To Succeed

TellMyCell empowers anyone -- from Fortune 500 Marketing Directors to small business owners -- to easily and affordably run SMS marketing campaigns. If you don't already have a TellMyCell account, you can open one now (it's totally free to try the service out). We're proud to offer a do-it-yourself service that is powerful, flexible, and dead simple to use. That said, if you're new to SMS marketing the lingo can be discouraging - which is why we've put together our easy-to-read ten minute guide, SMS Marketing With Keywords. Our guide to SMS marketing with Keywords will have you marketing like a pro in ten minutes flat:

• Learn about Keywords
• Learn about Short Codes
• Learn how to integrate Keywords, Short Codes & Text Messaging to quickly and inexpensively launch SMS marketing campaigns using TellMyCell.

Want to learn more? Learn how to run successful SMS Marketing Campaigns using Keywords on Short Codes now.

JCPenney's New Marketing Technique

JCPenney is embracing new technological trends with their "New Look. New Year. Who Knew!" back-to-school campaign. They created an iPhone  application which allows teens to upload their own looks and to vote on their favorite outfits. For those teens without iPhones, they can opt to receive text messages which allows them to view the newest styles from the tip of their fingers.

“Through our mobile marketing initiatives, we able to reach teens where they are and provide them exciting, media-rich, interactive content that allows them to explore and discover the JCPenney brand,” said Kate Coultas, a spokeswoman at JCPenney

To learn more about this new marketing approach click here

Want to learn more about mobile marketing for retail? Visit TellMyCell

Mobile Phones As Loyalty Cards. Mobile Couponing Here We Come.

We’d like to draw your attention to an article published in the New York Times yesterday about the rise of using mobile phones as electronic loyalty cards. Companies like Loopt, CardStar, and CardBank are using scannable bar codes as a way to store loyalty cards in smart phones. Mobile coupons in the form of text messages are and continue to be extremely popular; this concept is being elevated by these start-ups to “turn existing customers into better ones.”

Learn more at The New York Times

Memo To Marketers: Texting Is Best Medium To Reach Teens

Mobile Marketer reports on the results of a recent survey by ChaCha - teens and young adults were asked how they like to communicate. If you're relying on email, well, you're in big trouble:

The company polled about 1,500 teens and young adults on their favorite way to communicate. Sixty-eight percent responded that they prefer SMS, as opposed to 10 percent who chose mobile calls, 9 percent who opted for Facebook, 3 percent selected instant messaging and 0.3 percent liked email.

If you haven't launched your first SMS marketing campaign, maybe now would be a good team to learn a bit more :)

Read more about the study @ Mobile Marketer.