Posted on 18th January 2013 by Reinhard Siedel
The start of a new year is a good time to remember that seemingly delicious SMS and other mobile marketing campaigns must be prepared responsibly and served up wisely.
Failure to do so can have unanticipated results. For example, a recent $250 million spam lawsuit filed against Papa John’s has taken a big bite out of the pizza chain’s mobile marketing strategy. The suit alleges that some franchises sent out unwanted text messages offering pizza deals. Plaintiffs complained they had not opted in to receive the SMS ads, and that Papa John’s had never asked for permission to send mobile advertisements.
Although Papa John’s is vigorously fighting the allegations, the suit provides food for thought to all mobile marketers that best practices should always be followed in any SMS or other mobile campaign.
Here are a few lessons we can take away from the Papa John’s case:
1) Opt-Ins – always ask for consent to send mobile messages and deals. If permission is granted, re-confirm in order to obtain “double opt-in” approval.
2) Customer Engagement – gather customer preferences and other helpful information during the opt-in process. This can be used later to engage your customers by providing news and specials that match their wants and needs.
3) Message Timing – be sure to schedule mobile message delivery during appropriate times. Off-hours, such as the middle of the night, are generally not recommended.
4) Responsible Messaging – keep customers happy by applying best practices, following industry guidelines and complying with applicable legislation.
5) SMS Technology – use technology that offers a full-range of mobile marketing tools that can be built into your SMS programs or apps.
Clickatell’s Mobile Campaign Manager (CMCM) employs powerful, user-friendly marketing technology designed to enable businesses of all sizes to deliver mobile services that engage new customers and deepen existing customer relationships. The CMCM platform can be accessed from any web browser and provides simple, straightforward setup and operation. It is available under two licensing options.
The standard license option is ideal for local businesses including restaurants, retail franchises, entertainment and hospitality venues, as well as boutique advertising agencies. The enterprise license option is perfect for larger organizations that require advanced services and customization to meet business specifications.
CMCM campaign tools include text for info, text-to-win contests, mobile couponing and question services for customer polling. Other tools help clients administer programs, manage subscription features, and maintain a dashboard for campaign tracking, analysis and reporting.
CMCM uses a 5-digit U.S. short code origination address to send text messages to U.S. mobile phone numbers. Most importantly, SMS and mobile marketing guideline compliance is built into the product, with systematic safeguards against spamming, including a double opt-in feature, help and managed stop features.
Clickatell SMS solutions will help you sweeten your mobile advertising campaigns throughout 2013 and beyond. Remember to follow the recipe of lessons learned (above) to ensure desired results!
To find out more about the SMS messaging solutions provided by Clickatell, go to our Mobile Marketing Services web page.
