MMS advertising provides an effective way to reach potential customers.
Captain Morgan consumers can now upload their photos for the contest via cell phones that permit picture messaging. Every major carrier except T-Mobile supports the program. In the past, consumers could send photos of themselves or friends striking the well-known Captain Morgan pose via email. But not everyone has email capabilities on their cell phones. The MMS component, according to representatives at TigerSpike, the New York-based digital marketing agency that designed the campaign, permits customers to act immediately, while they’re thinking of it and when it’s convenient for them. Last year I got a great photo of a friend at a paintball game in the Captain Morgan pose. I had every intention to submit it to the Ultimate Pose Off contest, but never followed up. Had I been able to shoot the photo with my cell phone and send it off right then, my friend might be famous today. Who knows? I’ve taken advantage of other company’s SMS campaigns. For instance, Borders Books sends coupons directly to Rewards Club members’ cell phones as text messages, rather than having to remember to print out the email. Can SMS & MMS Campaigns Help Your Business? Digital advertising campaigns are about more than fun and games and saving money, though. For local business owners, they represent a new way to reach out to potential customers, when it’s convenient for the customer. Businesses like restaurants, realtors, retail shops and more can use SMS and MMS campaigns in a variety of creative ways. Local pizzerias, for instance, can collect customers’ numbers on their first visit, then send a coupon out at 5 PM on a Friday night. Sure, customers may have seen the ad in the Pennysaver, but do people take time to clip the coupons? And then do they remember they have them when it comes time to order pizza? (I’m pretty frugal, maybe more so than the average consumer, and I have a 50-5-0 shot, on any given day, of remembering a coupon.) But if I really don’t feel like cooking and I get that coupon delivered to my phone as I’m thinking “pizza or Chinese tonight?” you know where I’m heading. A bar may send a coupon a few hours later, as people are planning to head out for the night. And once your customers are in your doors, why not make the campaign interactive? Offer an additional coupon for a return night to anyone who uses their phone to submit a photo of themselves enjoying their favorite drink. Or photos with the bartenders. Or the shot girls. You can share the photos on your venue’s website (driving traffic). You’ll also be collecting additional cell phone numbers for future promotions. The limit is your imagination but, as with any advertising campaign, engaging customers is the key. The software to manage SMS and MMS campaigns is affordable to even small businesses. You can find shareware versions available for as little as $50. Google (or Bing!) “SMS Marketing Software” for several options. The Best Way to Advertise? I won’t say SMS or MMS is the be-all, end-all to digital advertising. It’s just one piece of a larger puzzle, one more way to reach customers. It can work in conjunction with your Web-based social media, radio, television and print (yes, print!) advertising to make timely and creative impressions on potential customers.
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