Text message marketing is a burgeoning industry and continues to be one of the fastest growing trends in 2012. Businesses big and small are looking to expand their marketing campaigns to mobile devices to better reach their busy, on-the-go customers. There is always new research that emerges to show us that, indeed, marketing with text messages is the way of the future.

The 2012 Channel Preference Survey found that:

— 68 percent of online consumers use text messaging at least weekly.

— 16 percent have made a purchase after receiving a text marketing message.

— 25 percent prefer text messaging over all other channels for real-time travel alerts.

— 9 percent of consumers ages 25-34 prefer text marketing over all other channels for delivery of event tickets.

A Recent TextMarketer Survey found that:

— Businesses are getting an average response rate of 29 percent from their SMS messages.

— The five industries that use text marketing the most are: Recruitment, Software, Marketing, Retail, and Financial Services.

— Mobile U.S. ad revenue is expected to grow from $3.3 billion in 2011 to $20.6 billion in 2015.

— 45 percent of customers notice all mobile advertising.

Mobile Marketing Tips

While the statistics we’re seeing are very encouraging, there is a right way and a wrong way to approach this engaging new medium.

• Keep the message simple. Just present your offer and tell customers what action they need to take to get the deal!
• Avoid hype, lingo and sales-speak. You want your offer to sound genuine and nothing like spam!
• Offer immediate value. Give people something they can use right away — before they forget about it!
• Brand each message. There’s nothing worse than a message from God-knows-who! Let them know it’s you.
• Make your mobile club special. Deliver information and coupons consumers can’t get anywhere else in store or online.

Are you looking for text message marketing software? Call AvidMobile to learn more about our user-friendly platform!

It’s easy to get started with a mobile marketing campaign once you have the right tools! Most companies sign up with a mobile service provider who covers the technology side of things, allowing marketers access to campaign-generating software. The best companies charge a monthly access fee, but do not charge annual renewal rates or other nickel-and-dime fees. Typically, companies can receive training on how to craft text campaigns, as well as back-end support and educational materials to help them get the ball rolling. Free trials are a great way to test-drive text message marketing software before you buy it, so visit www.avidmobile.com/free-trial to give ours a whirl.