SMS love competition winners announced

Just before Xmas we launched the SO and SO Marketing SMS Love Competition, whereby 3 businesses could win upto £500 worth of SMS marketing goodies, support and advice from good old me.

So I am please to announce the winners:

Advance Insurance from Wiltshire
Print Shop Express from Weymouth
Pebley Beach Hyundai from Swindon

Each business receives 500 free text credits, an SMS keyword and shortcode ie text SOANDSO to 63333 (you can if you want, go on give it a try) a free consultancy from me to discuss the best solutions and applications for their business, then we will set them up and run them.

I will let you know what solutions we come up with and what we have created as we go along and will feedback the results, good or bad, we are all about honesty here.

All of the winners are completely different types of businesses so I look forward to the challenge and seeing what sort of SMS solutions and apps we can create.

For further information on SMS and Mobile Marketing in Weymouth, Dorset and Wiltshire visit www.soandsomarketing.co.uk

You can also follow me on twitter @paulsonso

8 ways to generate your own opt in Mobile number database.

I have long been an advocate of the power of gathering opt in Mobile number databases, and how this type of database is the strongest in terms of marketing response rates.   97% of text messages are read within 5 seconds and response rates to text messages also beat all other mediums hands down.

On a previous blog I mentioned that rather than the short term and costly way of purchasing Mobile data from an agent, it is better to work hard and generate your own, so below I have defined 8 ways  that an opt in mobile database can be gathered.

1. Running a Text Competition.  People love competitions and winning prizes.  By running a text competition whereby the customer texts in via a shortcode ie 63333 to enter, they by accepting the terms of conditions of the competition and thus opting in directly to your database

2. Asking customers for feedback:  This can done via a Shortcode and keyword 

Example: text the word FEEDBACK followed by your thoughts on today's event to 87121 and you will be entered into a prize draw

This can also be done via a manual questionnaire and again you can collect Mobile numbers from these and create an opt in number by writing the Terms and Conditions correctly

3. SMS Text reminders are hugely popular and are a great service to customers.  We work with a number of MOT garages offering this service and there is never a shortage of people taking up the offer of a free reminder text straight to their mobile when their MOT is due. 

4. By putting a mobile Shortcode call to action on your marketing activity not only is this proven to increase response rates but also helps to generate strong leads and some great opt in mobile numbers at the same time

Example:  text the word CARAVAN and your name address to 63333 and we will send you our latest holiday brochure 

5. Via your Email Newsletter sign up. It amazes me that asking for a mobile number is so often missed off when companies gather data via their websites, after all it is just another field.

6. Manual Data Collection.  I love the art of capturing data in person, and often when at events, shows and exhibitions it is by the best way to do it.  Always ask for a mobile alongside your other info.  As long as the customer understands they will receive text alerts, messages and offers from you, and you explain this in print on the sheet they sign up on they are opt in.

7. VIP Club, this works in varying ways for different types of businesses but by getting customers to sign up to receive exclusive content, options to skip a queue  or other Text to gain:

Example:  text REQUEST and your song request to 63333

8. Offers: Everyone loves an offer and is one of the main ways in which people hand over their data.  This can be a manual sign up, via a website or via a text shortcode again, but is the purest form of opt in, so make sure you take those mobile numbers.

For more information on SMS Mobile Mobile marketing and why sending texts to your customers should be part of marketing plan in 2013 visit www.soandsomarketing.co.uk

Follow me on twitter @paulsonso

So and So Marketing is a full service Marketing Agency based on the sunny south coast of England in Weymouth,  Dorset.

2012 Marketing Christmas list, 2013 to do list..

On our recent email newsletter I put the below Marketing objectives which I feel should be on all Businesses Christmas lists, so which of these are you putting into place for 2013?

* AN opt in Mobile Database

* Social Media campaign aimed at your audience

* A defined way to measure customer experience

* A LinkedIn Company page

* A website fit for mobile

* Create Strategic partnerships

* A clear, creative and quantifiable marketing strategy for 2013

For more information on Paul and So and So Marketing visit www.soandsomarketing.co.uk email Paul@soandsomarketing.co.uk follow him on Twitter @paulsonso or sign up to their email newsletter by CLICKING HERE

DON’T SPAM, KERBLAM! Being more effective with your Email, Social Media and SMS Marketing!

It is all so easy to fall into the trap when working on SMS, email or Social Media campaigns of constantly trying to sell to your database and thus really just becoming SPAM. The problem is, this becomes boring to the majority of people, annoying to others, and what initially was a brand you trusted and opted in to be part of, now quite frankly bugs the hell out of you. So you either opt out or just ignore the messages completely, from the brands perspective a connection and possible customer is lost. Now when you send your database about an offer or info on something they really want to hear about you don’t have their attention or you cant reach them as they have opted out.

Back in the day when I was a Commercial agent for Sports teams and athletes I had a mantra that I would always speak to our sponsors at least 4 times during the season without asking for money. So I called them to give them free event tickets, make sure their advert was up to date in programme, ask them if they wanted to feature on our email newsletter ….. or just for a general chat. You can be sure when we needed a Man of the Match sponsored during or at the end of the season and their sponsorship renewal was up, they were always happy to speak with me and answered the phone.

The same applies to your database, send messages that show you care, are informative, useful, funny and not just the blatant sale, that way when you have something really great to sell, KERBLAM you have your contacts full attention and you have a good chance to bag a sale…

For more information on Paul and So and So Marketing visit www.soandsomarketing.co.uk email Paul@soandsomarketing.co.uk follow him on Twitter @paulsonso or sign up to their email newsletter by CLICKING HERE

Find a buddy and share the love - Generate your own database rather than purchasing one!

Pretty often we get asked by companies about purchasing databases of mobile numbers to send SMS messages to.  Yes of course we can, and have strategic partners whereby databases large and small can be purchased as well as owning some ourselves, but for the below reasons I would always recommend steering clear of this option.  Instead I would go for the option of working hard on creating your own opt in database, and/or buddying up with fellow companies who also have opt in databases.

Reasons against purchasing mobile numbers

·        -  PURCHASING A DATABASE IS EXPENSIVE

·       -   YOU WILL OFTEN BE CHARGED PER FIELD SO TO PURCHASE A FULLY TARGETED DATABASE WILL COST YOU

·         - YOU ONLY GET TO USE IT ONCE

·         - MANY OF THOSE YOU TEXT WILL NOT BE SPECIFIC SMS OPT IN (and will not be expecting promo texts from strange companies)

·        -  YOU RUN THE RISK OF ALIENATING THE VERY PEOPLE YOU ARE TRYING TO WIN OVER

·         - SOMETIMES THE DATABASE HAS NOT BEEN CLEANSED AND THERE CAN BE WASTAGE

·         - YOUR COMPETITORS MAY HAVE ALREADY USED THE DATABASE

Work hard to reap longer standing rewards

It takes longer, its hard work, but creating your own opt in Mobile number database is very rewarding.  In terms of marketing there is no comparison in terms of immediacy and response rates to that of sending  SMS text messages  and in particular when it comes to engaging via that form with your own opt in database.  These people are expecting to receive SMS messages from you, they are waiting to hear from you, and are interested in the content and offers you send to them, and a good % will utilise the call to action and take up your offer.

** The average response rate to a text message is 28%

** 50% of those who respond make a purchase

Find a buddy and share the love

An alternative way to use mobile data and reach new audiences is to form strategic alliances with other companies, which is something I have done with many of my clients to great degree of success.  In return for you texting your database an offer promoting your partner business, they will also do the same to their database, thus promoting the products to new people, adding value to your customers (make sure you don’t just send a blatant sales text so that you don’t alienate your customers. Send them an offer or add value to them in some way). 

TIP:  Always begin and make the Originator your company name so the customer knows that the text has come from someone they trust and who they have opted in to hear from.

An example is:

Ie:  Hi SO and SO customer, we are proud to share with you this exclusive buy one get one free offer in Cafe Weymouth on Coffee when you show this text!

In return an offer or voucher can then be sent to you partner businesses database which reaches a new audience, has been received by a trusting recipient who receives value from a trusted source thus endorsing your brand, and bringing in potential new customers.

For further blogs, insights and information on SMS text messaging visit  www.soandsomarketing.co.uk email Paul@soandsomarketing.co.uk follow him on Twitter @paulsonso or sign up to their email newsletter by CLICKING HERE

The Biker FM Speedway Show. 0 – 40000 listeners in less than 15 weeks!

When we first started working with the UK’s biggest online motorbike related radio station Biker FM, little did we know we would help them to create one of the biggest ever online radio shows, and the most listened to show in the stations history.

The Speedway Show was launched in February 2012. We had been working with Biker FM on their marketing strategy and text competitions for almost a year when we worked with the station to launch the Speedway show that we suggested, due both to our knowledge and contacts within the sport, but also due to the large untapped audience the sport had with no Audio outlet for news and content.

On show One we went big, by having former British GP Champion and the UK’s biggest Speedway Star Chris Bomber Harris live on the show, alongside the sport’s most controversial Team Manager Alun Rossiter, and an excellent competition to learn to ride speedway with myfirstskid.com.

Although only ranked number 10 in the station’s rankings, with a marketing push, new presenters (one of them being me surprisingly, believe me, it wasn’t my intention) and continually good guests with World Champions, young hot talent, the sport’s top administrators all mixed in with some controversy, the show started to gain media coverage within the sport and a social media following which saw it rise to number one in the stations rankings by week 10.

On May the 13^th the sport of Speedway was hit by the tragic news that British Speedway ace Lee Richardson had been killed in a track crash in Poland. The speedway family was in mourning and only two days after his sad passing we ran a tribute show to Lee with the blessing of his family. Email and social media tributes came pouring into the show, with some of Lee’s closest friends and racing colleagues coming onto the show to pay tribute to a great family man, rider and friend the word about the show spread worldwide.

The show received over 46’000 listeners, being a station record and crashing the server. Creating further national coverage, not just in the motorcycle press, but also via such media sources as the Daily Star a podcast was released. Again due to such huge demand the server went down but was eventually fixed for many people to listen to one of the most emotional shows broadcast, ending with an interview with Lee recorded right back in show number 2.

The show continues to be Number 1 on the station and with many more ideas to grow this show and the station weekly audience numbers station wide are expected to rise.

So and So Marketing’s first venture into radio land has been a rollercoaster; emotional, tough but rewarding and we look forward to working with BIKER FM into the future and continuing to see listener numbers rise and the profile of the station increase!