Proven tips for successful text message promotions

Walk through any mall and you’re sure to see clusters of teenagers with their heads bowed and shoulders hunched, with nary a word being uttered. No, they’re not engaging in silent prayer or telepathy; they’re furiously sending text messages. The act of making a phone call is so yesterday.

In the first half of 2008 alone, 95.4 billion text messages were sent, according to a study by VeriSign. Teens 13 to 17 years old send or receive, on average, 1,742 messages a month. Now, more marketers are getting into the act. The reasons: text messaging is not only a relatively inexpensive medium, but it can quickly drive a high level of consumer response and action. Seventy percent of mobile phone users surveyed by the Direct Marketing Association said they have responded to a marketing text message.

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If you’re considering text message promotions, be sure to:

• Have an opt-in/opt-out policy in place, or your communications will be perceived as spam.

• Target subscribers on a personal level. Let them choose to receive messages that are relevant to them.

• Cut the fluff. Your message must be brief (up to 160 characters), persuasive, and actionable.

• Visit the Web site for the Mobile Marketing Association (mmaglobal.com) and read its code of conduct for the medium.

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