The Mobile Marketing Blog - TellMyCell

Text Messaging Can Improve Clinical Trial Participation

 

In the business of clinical trials, it can be difficult to raise interest and acquire volunteers for participation, due to the challenges associated with patient engagement. The analysis of a recent study of clinical trial patient recruitment has determined that SMS text messaging can produce dramatic results. While there are many ways to garner patient participation – via letters or through email – firms that conduct clinical trials are finding that the most effective way to reach new volunteers can be achieved through the simplicity of text messaging technology. 

The study examined the evidence from the Johnson County Clin-Trials (JCCT), a research facility that conducts between ten and fifteen vaccine clinical trials every year. Primarily using email to reach their volunteers, they have come up against some resistance when trying to reach prospective recruits. Studies regarding the effectiveness of electronic correspondence have revealed that emails have an open rate of about 22% – a far cry from the response rate necessary to conduct these clinical trials.

As a result, the Johnson County Clin-Trials decided to employ SMS text messages as a means for electronic communications, based on the effectiveness of text messages in reaching individuals. As opposed to email, 98% of SMS users read their messages, and 90% of these users open their text messages within three minutes of receiving them. Here are the key findings from JCCT’s method:

 

1) A marked increase in response to messages

The use of text messages to reach potential volunteers produced a response five times greater than that of their previous method, via email. The study achieved a 1% increase in enrollment for every 1.5% increase in text messages sent. This was much greater than the response increase expected in the hypothesis for the study.

 

2) Positive responses to the SMS method

JCCT patients responded positively to the SMS method. The method practiced compliance with HIPAA and 21 CFR Part 11, making sure that the process was validated. Also, all users were required to opt-in to receiving SMS (per FCC regulations). Overall, the individuals who were contacted welcomed the correspondence, and preferred text message to other forms of communication.

3) Effective two-way communication via SMS

Many patients used the SMS platform to respond directly to the outgoing SMS message. Patients expressed their concerns, questions, and queries for more information. The platform, created by Mosio, provided a framework to have both interactive and automated conversations with future patients, and consequently allowing them to enroll directly. This also reduced the burden of JCCT personnel, freeing them up for other tasks necessary for the clinical trial. 

4) A balance of resources for the clinical trial firm

The SMS text messaging method employed by JCCT allowed the firm to free up resources due to the effectiveness of the technology. Not only did the method boost trial recruitment, but there was evidence of cost savings for the firm. Finally, the study benefited from effective scheduling with the technology, as well as a subsequent improvement in the quality of the clinical trial’s results.

Upcoming studies of clinical trials like that of the Johnson County Clin-Trials will compare the SMS method to other common recruiting approaches in order to quantify the effectiveness of each approach. With a focus on trial retention, future researchers hope to reduce attrition rates and increase adherence with existing clinical trial participants using the SMS method. Clearly, the simple technology of SMS text messaging has been a breakthrough for patient recruitment and engagement, and we can expect to see a great deal more communication taking place through SMS and text messages in the future.

 

SMS Helping Kids Get Vaccinated for Flu

  

A new study has proven SMS messaging to be an effective way of ensuring young patients get protected against influenza. 

The research was undertaken at Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University, under the auspices of a team led by Dr. Melissa Stockwell. They studied 660 children aged between 6 months and 8 years old, an age range that requires two doses of the flu vaccine, administered 28 days apart. The first dose primes the immune system; the second dose protects it. Kids who fail to get both doses are not fully protected against the virus, a fact which prompted researchers to find ways of increasing follow-up appointments. 

The team sent text message alerts to remind parents of young patients to bring them in for the second dose. They began by splitting the participants into three groups:

• Group 1 received an educational SMS containing information on the importance receiving two doses of the vaccine.
• Group 2 received a conventional reminder SMS, simply alerting them to the time and date of the second appointment.
• Group 3 received a written reminder only.

The results showed that kids who received the educational text message were much more likely to attend their second appointment. Nearly three quarters of Group 1 showed up for the second dose, compared with less than a third of Group 2. Of Group 3, 57% attended for the second shot.

Feedback from the families was positive, with nearly 61% of parents citing the text message alert as either the primary reason or part of the reason they attended the second appointment.  

The findings could ultimately improve flu vaccine coverage, which is low among young children. Dr. Stockwell equates failure to receive both doses to ‘wearing half a bicycle helmet’ and says many kids are ‘unprotected when the virus begins circulating.’

Previous studies have shown that appointment reminders issued by mail or telephone are ineffective, especially among low-income, urban families - precisely the demographic most at risk for under-vaccination.  

Mortality rates are hard to accurately gauge, but CDC estimates anywhere from 3,000 to 49,000 flu-related deaths occurred in the United States between 1976 and 2007. The most at-risk groups are the elderly and the very young, but because seasonal influenza often leads to death from other causes, the virus is rarely listed on death certificates. Experts agree that counting only those deaths where flu is listed on the death certificate would constitute a gross underestimation of the true impact of the virus.

Dr. Stockwell’s controlled trial provides the medical community with valuable information for establishing best practices for influenza vaccine reminders. It seems that text messaging is a highly effective method, one that is already being used with increasing frequency in other areas of medicine.

Six of the Worst Group Text Messages

“Techiquette” is a continual struggle when it comes to email and social media, but what about text messaging? There’s no hitting ‘unsubscribe’ or ‘hide’ when a group chain message is coming through, no matter how annoying it is. Check out six of the most inconsiderate types of group text messages to avoid sending.

 

1. Late-Night Text Chains

It’s not exactly polite to send text chains after 10pm, is it? This particularly applies to weeknights. Trying to go to bed and repeatedly dealing with a buzzy phone is never fun, especially when the subject is hardly life-altering. There’s also time zones to consider—for example, a midnight text in California is a 3am text in New York. Unless it’s a dire emergency, skip the late-night texts. 

2. Big Announcements

Announcing a wedding? A baby? Something else of significance? That’s great—just save it for a phone call, email or individual text message, rather than giving people the “reply all” option. Some may know to change their settings to ‘reply,’ but others blindly ‘reply all’ and send to everyone on the message chain (including people they don’t even know) message after message.

3. Mid-Day Chains

Sure, it may seem like a good idea to send a group text message during the day when you’re bored at work at school, but it’s best to save such texts for after 5pm. You don’t want to annoy friends sitting in meetings or class, or have their phones go off and irritate bosses and professors. And what if recipients are giving presentations or doing other important work-related tasks? There’s a time and place for everything, and midday is not that time for group messaging.

4. Droid-Only

iMessage is only available on--shockingly--iPhones. Droid phone users will therefore not receive group texts, which gets complicated when planning events and the like. Remember, blue text bubbles mean texts are getting sent, while green bubbles indicate at least one group text member uses Android. Also check the top of your screen for “Group MMS” instead of “Group.” Make sure you know who you’re reaching and who you’re not.

5. “Data Killers”

Not every person on your contact list has unlimited data, and videos, Emojis, photos and GIFs consume enormous amounts of data. Rather than forcing friends and family to pay higher phone bills every month, save the data-hungry stuff for social media and similar channels. Everyone can enjoy that funny dog video for free when it’s posted in an email or on Facebook. 

6. The “Cliffhanger”

Another group text message no-no? Sending a mass text about an event or other happening, then failing to respond when everyone asks where it is or what time. If sending a group text, remember to follow up. Don’t be that person who leaves everyone hanging.

 

 

And Begin Again: How One-to-One Marketing Came Full Circle Via Mobile

 

The modern face of advertising appears on small screen devices. It streams video directly to the palm of your hand. It can tell where you are and what your preferences are. With sophisticated tools like geo-targeting software and mobile apps, the barriers between consumer and business are being torn down.

This is great news for small businesses. The one man bands and mom n pop businesses of this world have been restored with the power to engage directly with consumers, just like they used to before the mass media age. One-to-one marketing is back in a big way.

This is a revolution in the truest sense. An enterprising sole trader may not literally knock on your door, but you can engage with them directly from your home. The same sense of accountability and transparency exists. You can put a face to the brand, which is something we all crave after decades of faceless corporatism.

The digital rebirth of direct consumer engagement is part of a wider trend. Entrepreneurs are catering for increasingly niche markets, not unlike the sales reps of old, who would visit a few hundred customers over the course of a year, displaying their wares and developing relationships as they went. The advent of mass broadcasting technology, and the proliferation of national print media during the 20^th Century, made an anachronism of the travelling salesman.  In his stead was a culture of grabbing huge market shares – bordering at times on monopolization – via glossy television, radio and magazine commercials. The big guys got bigger, the little guys littler.

As consumers grew more alienated from the people behind their brands, the first cracks in this monolithic corporate culture began to show. Cable television dealt a blow by targeting specialized audiences. Instead of appealing to the broadest market possible, advertisers were reaching fewer people, but with a higher percentage of conversions. Narrowcasting was gradually superseding broadcasting. 

What began with cable television was taken to new heights with the arrival of the internet. On a modest budget, businesses could establish an online presence that allowed them to disseminate different messages to different demographics, ensuring only the most relevant content was seen.

Just when you thought direct marketing couldn’t be refined any further, SMS messaging improved on the web model by only communicating with consumers who had expressed an interest in a company. This development eliminated the millstone around the neck of email marketers: spam. 

Because of the opt-in approach taken by SMS marketers, the text message remains the most trusted form of communication. More than 90% of text messages are opened and read within minutes.

This new, consent-focused iteration of 1:1 marketing is allowing businesses to talk to customers on their own terms. Personalized marketing is back, and it can only be a good thing.

Africa: The Mobile Continent

Research conducted by communications firm Ericsson has predicted an explosion in Africa’s mobile market that will dwarf the current boom. By the end of the year, forecasters say mobile subscriptions in sub-Saharan Africa will exceed 635 million. That figure rises to around 930 million by the end of the decade. Data usage is predicted to grow at twice the anticipated global rate.

These figures are way beyond previous forecasts and have prompted analysts to completely revise their approach to what is the fastest-growing mobile market on the planet. It’s safe to say that Africa is undergoing a bona fide communications revolution.

There are a few reasons for this dramatic growth, not least the plummeting costs of mobile technology. A new generation of smartphones costing as little as $50 have put internet access within reach of people who can’t afford an iPhone (let alone a MacBook), and content-rich apps - many of them free - are grist to the mobile mill.

Another key driver of Africa’s mobile boom is the nature of web connectivity in the present decade. Cellular networks have vastly improved their wireless coverage and speed in recent years, allowing remote populations to access the web without a physical connection. The combination of portability and affordability explains why 70% of users in African countries studied by Ericsson browse the web on mobile devices, compared with just 6% who use desktops.

To put this into context, let’s take a little history lesson. Just 20 years ago, a Kenyan businessman did not have access to the kind of communications infrastructure common in the west. Much of the country lacked even copper telephone lines, and the internet - fast taking root in developed economies - was a pipe dream. Contacting suppliers was difficult, and lag times between customer orders and deliveries could be monumental.

It took until 1999 for the first mobile operator license to be granted in Kenya. Since then, sub-Saharan Africa has exceeded all expectations. Impoverished entrepreneurs can literally run a business with nothing more than a smartphone and an internet connection. The impact has been real, and massive. Supply chains have cut days off delivery times. Rural farmers can receive text messages on the latest global market prices to ensure they get a fair deal. In a continent where people are used to travelling many miles to conduct business, only to be disappointed when they get there to find no inventory, it’s now possible to save them many hours - days, even - by dint of a humble SMS message.

The rate of change is staggering. There are 35+ tech hubs in Africa, providing jobs and opportunities for start ups to get a foothold in the global market. The continent is, perhaps, ‘the last blue ocean’ of consumerism, and big tech is sitting up and taking notice. Investment is increasing, and many of the big tech brands - including Google and Samsung - have set up camp. Hopes are high for Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Egypt and Kenya. The more these tech pioneers flourish, the better things will get for their poorer neighbours. Considering how much Africa has exceeded expectations over the last decade, the next decade is going to be very exciting indeed.

The World’s First SMS Tutor is Here – And It’s Getting Results

An innovative new service aimed at helping second-level students bump up their grades was launched to great fanfare this week. Developed by Irish music director Frank McNamara, SMS Tutor reaches out to pupils in a way they can all understand, via their beloved smartphones, and claims to improve exam results by up to 40%.

The service sends regular, bite-sized morsels of curriculum content during the run up to Junior or Leaving Certificate papers. Students can learn a few knew things each day without getting overwhelmed by reams of content. Pertinent bits of information relating to their studies are issued via SMS as a way of complementing formal education.

McNamara’s brainchild has had dramatic results under test conditions. SMS Tutor hired educational psychologist Deirdre Griffin to establish the effectiveness of the service on two counts: learning and recall.

The results showed that participants who received the text messages achieved significantly higher results on 14 facts. Comparing results for text recipients versus non-recipients, the difference in scores equates to a C3 to B1 grade improvement at Leaving Certificate level. SMS recipients averaged a score of 40% higher than non-recipients, and on the more detailed bonus questions, the results were up to four times better.

McNamara says the idea came to him when he noticed mobile phone usage was beginning to encroach on his kids’ study time. Rather than kick against it, he decided to try combining the need for exam revision with his kids’ habitual use of mobile devices. Says McNamara:

“I said to a friend one day if only we could get students heads out of their phones and into their study books, we’d be onto a winner. And that’s when the light bulb went off and I had a ‘eureka’ moment, why not bring the study to the mobile phone. Our motto is you learn something new every day.” 



Students – and no doubt their parents – interested in trying the service can sign up for one text per day for the entire school year for €40 per subject for the academic year. The service provides every subject from the school year at a cost of €5 per month per subject.

As of the launch date, SMS Tutor caters to students on Ireland’s school curriculum. Whether the service is rolled out internationally, or further across Europe, will depend on its success at home. Watch this space – TellMyCell will keep you posted on how well this innovative idea is doing in the Irish market, and it’s chances for going global.

‘Smell-O-Vision’ a Reality with Scented Apps

 

Like 3-D before it, Smell-O-Vision began life as a fifties novelty, dreamt up by movie execs who didn’t quite have the technology at their disposal to make it work as intended. Hissing noises distracted audiences, and scents didn’t reach all parts of the theater until well after the corresponding on-screen action. Voted one of the ‘Top 100 Worst Ideas of All Time’ by Time magazine readers in 2000, Smell-O-Vision definitely stunk up the place – just not in the way its creators hoped.

Cut to 2014, and a handful of canny app developers may finally have solved the challenges of transmitting odors to remote audiences. The latest is called oSnap, and it’s about to launch at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, with a scented message sent across the Atlantic from Paris to NYC. Clearly, this is no flash in the pan.

Created by a team of Harvard University students and their professor, the iPhone app takes photos and sends accompanying scents to the recipient. Users snap shots and tag the photo with a choice of scent notes. Got a picture of your nightly hot chocolate? Send some cocoa bean aromas with it. Showing off your posh new case of wine? Add some subtle notes of fermented grape to your message to give your recipients a fuller experience.

Of course, smell-o-vision is not an inbuilt piece of hardware in any smartphone just yet. To use oSnap, recipients must purchase a scent-transmitter called an oPhone before they can smell a thing. That might sound like quite a catch right now, but the developers are raising funds to mass-produce the oPhone for home use. The planned price tag is $199 – not a small amount of money, but depending on how realistic the smells are, it could take off.

The oPhone and oSnap are not the first modern technologies to harness the power of scent. The Scentee app uses scent cartridges that plug into smartphones and emit luxurious smells like ribs and buttered potatoes. Based on the understanding that aroma has a huge influence on the eating experience, the app aims to improve a bland dish with twelve fancy olfactory options including strawberry, cinnamon roll and even curry.

Group Text Opt Out Coming to iOS 8

 

This month’s Worldwide Development Conference keynote saw Apple unveil several new features coming to iOS 8. The trick that’s prompted the most enthusiastic response from the Twittersphere (and beyond) isn’t the improved photo storage. It isn’t even the ability to turn your phone into a remote control for your entire home. No, the thing that’s got the internet all aflutter is Apple’s announcement that users will now be able to leave group text messages.

There was celebration from anyone sick of hearing the constant vibrations from their partner’s handset as the family group text about the current episode of Game of Thrones rumbles on. Short of hiding the phone in a closet, nothing could be done to quell the nightmarish spectre of endless back and forth texting. The update allows users to mute the notifications if they want to catch up on the conversation later, or just leave the group chat altogether.

The fuss surrounding the opt out option has more to do with the fact it’s taken this long to add such a simple feature than because of any great technical innovation. For that, iPhone users are looking to some of the other new features coming to their devices as the fall release date approaches. Features like app icons popping up on the lock screen according to location, allowing users to easily access, say, the Starbucks app while in store. It’s not just major retailers - one Twitter reporter saw a lock screen-displayed app for a train station while standing on the platform.

Other improvements include Healthkit, a developer API that gathers and consolidates users’ health information from multiple fitness apps like Fitbit. The tool will help users accurately monitor health metrics by pooling date from third party apps. Healthkit has been tested with the assistance of the Mayo Clinic, giving it a doctor-approved credibility whilst helping to bridge the gap between patients, physicians and health-tracking wearables and software.

Siri is receiving the usual slew of updates. She is now available on voice command (with the phrase “Hey, Siri”) and has also added the popular Shazam song recognition software, 22 new dictation languages and streaming voice recognition. App security has been radically improved, too. Developers will now be able to access Touch ID for the first time.

Despite these major leaps forward, the subject on everyone’s lips is the ability to leave group messages. It just goes to show, you can come up with the most sophisticated voice recognition tool in history, but if you really want to impress your customers, give them the simple thing they’ve been asking for all these years. If it means they can switch off their family text marathon, they’ll be eternally grateful.

 

 

 

Police Add Texting to Crisis Training

The potential applications of SMS messaging appear endless. Apart from it’s obvious uses as part of a mobile marketing campaign, texting has increasingly been employed by government authorities and emergency services as a tool to improve communication and social security. Emergency alerts, hospital appointment reminders, traffic updates – they’ve all been improved via SMS.

Now it’s the turn of America’s police departments. Experts in hostage negotiations are being trained in text messaging, according to a recent AP release which cited several examples of police officers who have already used SMS to communicate with suspects.

In March of this year, negotiators in Buffalo, New York were embroiled in a text message conversation with a suspect who had shot at police officers when they responded to a domestic call. The man had been communicating with relatives via text. Police said he preferred this method of communication.

Another case concerned a suspect who had held up a gas station and kept pointing a gun to his own head. Negotiations by phone call broke down, but the man eventually surrendered after texting the police his girlfriend’s number along with a plea for them to call her.

Texting is not appropriate in every situation, and law enforcement representatives have been quick to point out the potential pitfalls, such as an increased risk of being misunderstood. Highly stressful situations combined with limitations on certain nuances (in terms of tone of voice etc) inherent in typed communication. Most negotiators still prefer to talk to a suspect – but if that isn’t an option, or a suspect is simply unwilling to communicate in any other way, text messaging can help officers engage.

Apple CarPlay: Is it Safe?

Earlier this month, Apple unveiled CarPlay, which allows drivers to operate their in-dash display using their iPhone. A number of manufacturers - including Volvo, Mercedez and Ferarri - have already integrated the technology into their latest models.

Mobile marketing strategists are understandably excited about the possibilities for communicating data to consumers. Some uses are immediately obvious: linking auto diagnostic information to the web could guide drivers to the nearest repair shop in the event of a technical failure, for instance.

In the midst of all the buzz, safety groups have expressed concern that the bells and whistles of the technology may be a distraction to drivers. In an interview with CNN, David Teater, senior director at the nonprofit National Safety Council, said he was ‘very, very concerned’ by the technology. He described the rise of infotainment dashboards created by car manufacturers and tools developed by the electronics industry as ‘an arms race to see how we can enable drivers to do stuff other than driving.’

Phone use has been identified as the main factor in the majority of distracted driving incidents. Naturally, Apple claims to be making us safer by allowing almost every function to be performed with Siri voice commands. But a number of studies dispute the notion that hands-free phone usage is safer. Research conducted at Texas A & M Transportation Institute found driver reaction times doubled if they were texting – irrespective of whether it was hands-free or manual. A University of Utah study came to similar conclusions.

A few states have tried to tackle the problem by introducing phone bans, but such legislation is notoriously hard to enforce. Carmakers and tech companies suggest more technology is needed to improve safety, not less. Systems have already been developed to automatically brake cars or pull them back into the right lane. ‘Vehicle-to-vehicle’ technology promises to cut accident rates by allowing drivers to communicate with each other.

Another argument coming from pro-tech corners is that advances like CarPlay actually wallow passengers to help drivers concentrate on the road. Where second parties are in the vehicle, all navigation and other duties can fall to them. This, perhaps, could be where the potential lies for mobile marketing strategies.

Whichever side you’re on, and whatever the law in your state is, be safe on the roads: don’t text while driving.