When developing a mobile marketing system for your business, your most valuable asset is without doubt the database of mobile subscribers you’ve earned. Our first part of this article series looked at how getting the basics and being upfront from the get go was an integral part to maintaining a successful mobile database. In this part, we’ll look at the actual content of messages and the role they play in minimizing opt-outs.

Key to maintaining a successful SMS database is maintaining relevance. That includes keeping the content of the message needs to be short and simple and to the point. Some people struggle with trying to remain formal and yet adding a personal touch to the message. Texts need to be concise but avoid text speak unless it is relevant to the demographic being targeted as it can be perceived by some as annoying and can lead to opt-outs.

A big problem with too many marketers is that the time period allowed on their offers is too short – be it due to poor planning or technical issues with your chosen marketing company. Research the business who will win your mobile marketing business to ensure that they have a high level of technical competence and reliability. Also, plan the length of your offers accordingly. Too short and customers won’t have the chance to use it, whilst too long and customers are likely to forget about the offer.

Rewarding users in your database is a great way to minimize opt-outs from your mobile marketing database. High value coupons and exclusive offers not only build positive rapport with your existing customers, but will often generate new subscribers through word of mouth advertising.

By following basic principles, guidelines and best practice dictated both by common sense as well as by law, it’s easy to maintain a consistent and valuable database of customers. For more tips, make sure to look out for other articles in the series.

Looking to find the best deal on mobile marketing, then visit www.txt2get.com to find the best advice for you.

[I:http://yourmobileinfo.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/AlexSpeirs28.jpg]There’s little doubt that Apple’s iPad and recently released iPad 2 are revolutionary pieces of technology, transforming the tablet market as we know it and putting touch screen computing in the hands of millions of new consumers. But can the iPad and Apple’s iAd also change the face of mobile marketing?

Mobile Marketing has experienced a golden age of sorts in the previous five years, growing at an exponential rate as marketing department’s worldwide struggle to remain on the leading edge of rapidly evolving technology. But one problem has been hindering the medium – the lack of screen real estate. This is one area in particular where tablets have a major advantage, featuring substantially larger screens than even the largest of mobile phones.

What sets the iPad apart from other avenues of tablet marketing is the ability to standardize and integrate advertising through Apple’s hugely successful App Store. Apple’s monopoly on applications for the iPad has led to the creation of their own advertising network – iAd. iAd allows developers to incorporate advertising into their applications, opening options for developers and marketers alike in regards to designing and selling their applications.

So far so good you might say and the iPad is or should be a game changer but there are still challenges in its path and the mighty dollar is one such obstacle. The iPad is not cheap especially if you compare it to the price of a mobile phone, even a middle range smartphone and thus it remains out of reach for many consumers. For advertisers, too, Apple’s start up prices for iAd are extremely expensive when compared to traditional mobile marketing.

So, in conclusion, whilst the iPad has the kind of functionality that allows for super-creative, compelling mobile advertising campaigns, it still has certain obstacles for some. However, I believe it could be a game-changer for mobile marketing and it will certainly have some effect in both the short-term and the long-term future of the rapidly emerging world that is mobile marketing.

This article was written by Alex Speirs of TXT2GET, an SMS mobile marketing company. For more free reports on mobile technology such as the iPad and fresh news pieces on the mobile marketing industry, visit the TXT2GET blog.

[I:http://yourmobileinfo.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/EmmaRoseSmith30.jpg]Mobile marketing with SMS may be sometimes seen as the least sophisticated type of mobile marketing. But that is about to change, in light of luxury automaker Jaguar’s recent success with SMS mobile marketing.

Jaguar promoted their 2011 Jaguar XJ model and offered test drives using SMS mobile marketing (Luxury Daily: http://www.luxurydaily.com/jaguar-taps-sms-for-test-drive-offer/). Jaguar’s advertisements utilised a mobile marketing call-to-action that encouraged customers to SMS ‘JAGUAR’ to the number 524 827. In reply, customers received an SMS link to Jaguar’s mobile Web page.

SMS mobile marketing made it as easy as possible for customers to access the videos and information on Jaguar’s mobile Web site. This is because the Web site link was sent directly to customer mobile phones. Accessibility has always been a key benefit of SMS mobile marketing, but in the past, many of its uses were for products targeted towards the average consumer. Jaguar’s mobile marketing shows us that SMS mobile marketing can indeed be targeted towards ‘luxury-seeking’ audiences.

“Many luxury brand customers lead on-the-go, connected lives that put the mobile device within a few feet of them wherever they travel,” said Jeff Hasen, chief marketing officer of Hipcricket (a US/Mexican mobile marketing company). “Also, because the price of goods and services is higher, affluent mobile subscribers often want to go further than a traditional ad.”

Mobile marketing is any kind of marketing on or with a mobile device. SMS mobile marketing increases the accessibility of advertising by letting customers respond to advertising via text message. In past examples, SMS mobile marketing typically increased ad response levels by 2-3 times (see http://cms.txt2get.com).

SMS mobile marketing also brings accountability to advertising, because organisations can view the exact number of responses and the time and date they came in. This means that for the first time, advertising effectiveness can be measured exactly. So while Jaguar’s budget and ROI may not be their primary concerns, SMS mobile marketing is a solution for many SMEs who have more limited resources.

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This article was written by Emma Smith of TXT2GET, a global leader in SMS mobile marketing for SMEs. For more industry trends and free campaign information, visit the mobile marketing website and click on the TXT2GET blog.

When developing a mobile marketing system for your business, your most valuable asset is without doubt the database of mobile subscribers you’ve earned. Whether this is an SMS program, email opt ins or even location based subscribers, the ability to push targeted advertising out is invaluable. With that said, this series of articles will look at ways to avoid mobile marketing opt outs.

Start off on the right foot by getting the initial opt-in consent right! What this means, is explicitly gaining the consent of consumers by informing them exactly what they are signing up for. By being completely upfront with your audience, there aren’t any surprises which are going to result in people opting out of your service.

Secondly, , it is vitally important to ensure to stay the path – in other words, don’t bait and switch. Too many marketers make the mistake of changing the content, the format, or even the frequency of the advertising they initially promised and that will lead to disappointed customers and an overall negative experience.

Maintaining a consistent frequency for messages will let users become more accustomed to them and less likely to opt out from your programs. Determine a schedule by which you will push your content to users and stick to it. Find a solid middle ground – too frequent and customers are likely to be driven away, whilst too infrequent messages will lead customers to forget about your program ergo decreasing the value of your messages or encouraging opt outs.

Three simple but highly effective tips which amount to basic principles, guidelines and best practice dictated both by both common sense and by law. Your customers are invaluable to you and should be treated with the utmost respect. Get it right the first time and you’re already onto a winner. Watch out for Part 2 in this series for more useful tips.

Looking to find the best deal on mobile marketing, then visit www.txt2get.com to find the best advice for you.

[I:http://yourmobileinfo.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/AlexSpeirs17.jpg]In the first of this article series, we looked at how common mistakes such as how using SMS marketing only once or bombarding customers with text messages could be counter-productive in your bid to run successful mobile marketing. With the rapid emergence of SMS marketing, some companies have rushed headlong into it without really thinking it through properly and some common mistakes have surfaced. Before you begin, it is recommended to educate yourself and reading the Consumer Best Practices document put out by the MMA would be a great starting point.In this second article, we’re going to look at more common mistakes used by marketers, so that you can avoid the pitfalls with your mobile marketing.

Let’s begin with the first tip : Avoid not having a prevalent call to action. Some marketers fail to add mobile, or even any call to action on their advertising. In order to be effective, advertising needs to not only engage consumers, but it needs to make sure they are able to interact with the advertising in order to move them on to becoming customers. This will create an instant and lasting impression of the advertising as being innovative and creative.

Another tip to remember is that when using mobile, it doesn’t even have to be the sole call to action used in your advertising. Whilst mobile may be the most immediate and effective call to action that can be placed on your advertising, you don’t need to limit yourself. Why not try experimenting with different combinations of calls to action to seeing how they compare with your mobile calls to action? It is all very exciting!

A very common mistake is with the SMS message, itself. Too many mobile marketers send the same, impersonal, generalized text messages as push messages. Remember that SMS marketing is direct, needing a unique and personal touch to it. Simply put, it’s all about having an ongoing and lasting relationship with consumers using messages that are short and simple and interesting and that make an impact. Text messages that can break the business to customer barrier and interact with customers on a personal level are far more likely to resonate. Use a trusted provider to show you how.

Mobile marketing has a uniqueness to it that needs to be recognised and treated as such. Used correctly and your success in business is limitless. Do your research and use a provider who can help you make it work for your business.

This article was written by Alex Speirs of TXT2GET, an SMS mobile marketing company. For more free insights into SMS marketing and how to best use it for your business, visit the TXT2GET blog.