Textlocal

Textlocal’s top tips on how to use the Olympics to boost your profits and make mobile work for you

Lessons in mobile messaging with Textlocal

With the continual rise of smart-phone usage, and more people accessing information online via their mobile phones, it becomes clear that businesses operating in the education sector need to be ‘top of the class’ when it comes to engaging with new audiences on a larger scale through mobile messaging.

Recent research by network firm Cisco even states that by 2016 there will be more mobile phones on the planet than humans, so common sense would suggest that over the next few years people will use their mobile devices to research education establishments, for parents and staff to communicate and to aid studying. The rise of online study centres, and young people becoming more technology focussed, have also played their parts in the education sector embracing the digital age.

So the question is, how do you rapidly reach out to a mass audience on the fly? How do you capture their contact details and communicate targeted messages to them in seconds about updates, alerts or news? Mobile messaging is the answer.

Textlocal Managing Director Darren Daws said, “Mobile messaging is the only medium that has an open rate of 97.5%. It gives a campaign the added power to communicate with targeted customers and build on the relationship you have with them, based on permission and trust. Adding Bulk SMS to a campaign allows consumers to text for more information, making the follow up activity more targeted. But it isn’t just about driving sales. It’s also about efficiency and being able to effectively run your business internally like our client Liverpool University. The University of Liverpool’s Careers and Employability Service needed an effective way to communicate with students and graduates regarding reminders for up and coming appointments and updates within the service. Using Textlocal’s award winning messaging platform, they were able automatically text students the evening before they were due to attend an appointment.”

The key advantage of mobile messaging is the flexibility it gives you to engage with a mass audience instantly. Whether you need to grow a database of students, send appointment confirmations, send urgent updates about changes within your establishment, or send exam results, the uses for the education sector are endless with mobile.

Using short codes, and even QR codes so that people can opt-in to receive your communications is powerful. No other SMS marketing tool can do this while students or staff are on the move, instantly and as cost-effectively as mobile messaging.

Combine this with the growth in the use of Smartphone technology, and it’s clear why campaigns are benefiting from improved targeting with SMS. No longer are you limited to 160 characters of text, the use of Smartphone technology and the public acceptance of tiny URL’s on social media platforms, means that SMS can be used as a tool to link to a bigger picture. SMS can now be used as the ‘hook’ needed to direct the reader to where they need to be online, faster than if they were left to their own devices. Links to apps, videos and web pages are easily incorporated into an SMS message, making SMS a vital tool working hand in hand with other mobile marketing tools to achieve greater ROI for every mobile campaign.

The overwhelming advantage that mobile has is its capacity to reach people virtually instantly wherever they are; a key benefit to the education industry. We can see here the vital role that mobile plays for businesses in the education sector, and with the ever continuing rise of smartphone and mobile internet usage they need to capitalise on it now.

Businesses parted with a pound

MALVERN businesses joined in St Richard’s Hospice’s Part with a Pound Day to help raise thousands for the Worcester charity.

Across Worcestershire more than 50 firms and individuals took part in the effort and in Malvern these included Britannia Bennetts, Westbridge Foods, Pendragon Packaging, Waitrose, Morgans, Gaynor-Smith, Owen & Co, Textlocal, the Malvern and Malvern Hills District Council staff.

St Richard’s corporate fund-raiser Rachel Jones said: “We were thrilled with how so many people got into the spirit of the day. There were lots of easy ways that firms came up with to encourage staff and customers to Part with a Pound including raffles, cake selling, dressing up and dressing down on the day.

Thanks to everyone who took part we are hoping to have raised more than £5,000 towards our work at the hospice caring for adults with life-threatening illnesses and supporting their families.”

Malvern-based Textlocal supported the day through text messaging and by giving St Richard’s a donation for each picture message sent.

How mobile marketing is helping the travel industry explore new territory

As anyone working in travel services knows, this is an industry that never stands still. In the modern business arena, the marketing channels we use to tell people about our products need to be just as flexible and dynamic as the services themselves.

With consumers continuing to feel the economic pinch, finding and developing new channels for promoting value going forward is crucial too. Experts say mobile messaging can provide many of the answers, helping firms of all shapes and sizes boost sales, engage travellers and enhance their marketing activity.

With customers happy to switch between online and offline channels when they make bookings, talking straight to their mobiles is a canny move – especially when it’s to alert them to best prices.

A recent Thomas Cook survey revealed that a fifth of UK families now plan to reduce their holiday budget this year, with 5% admitting they will be choosing trips much more carefully.

Interest around this summer’s Olympics could herald a new influx of visitors too – all of whom are keen to bag the best London deals. It means travel agents need to be more competitive than ever, with mobile marketing offering endless opportunities to help them stand out from the crowd.

And as our phones become ever more central to all our lives – backed by more reliable and technologically-advanced handsets – communicating with clients via their mobiles can bring immediate, tangible benefits.

A staggering 97.5% of text messages are now read within five seconds, and research company Portico estimates eight trillion text messages were sent last year alone. While email promotions can languish in an inbox, one in three consumers now say they respond positively to SMS promotions.

For an industry that prides itself in putting its customers first, this type of marketing is ideal, providing a range of offerings to suit all sizes and types of clients and businesses. Bulk-buying means texts are available from as little as 2.4 pence a time making them affordable for even the smallest retailer.

Using a trusted company like Textlocal.com makes the process a smooth, simple one. It only takes ten minutes to register your details and the in-house technical team are always on hand to guide you through the process. Bundles can be tailored to suit businesses’ needs but there are some other key areas of opportunity that are worth considering.

Jason Palgrave-Jones, business development director at Textlocal, is sitting on the Question Time Panel at the Travel Technology Event. He says, “Discounts, introductory offers and targeted discount deals all offer clients new reasons to engage and help agents maximise opportunity, while payment and check-in reminders can boost efficiency without costing a fortune.”

Mobile activity can also be tailored to dovetail with existing social media and QR code campaigns. And as phones continue to be central to managing our personal and professional lives, for the travel industry especially the possibilities really are endless.

Greenpeace Uses Textlocal QR Codes for Ship Launch

Greenpeace has worked with mobile marketing company Textlocal to promote the launch of the Rainbow Warrior III ship using QR Codes. Greenpeace sent 90,000 supporters in UK an invitation to the event containing a QR code, which was scanned on arrival to track attendees.

Molly Brooks, digital marketing coordinator at Greenpeace, says: “Using QR Codes meant that Greenpeace staff could easily use mobile phones to track who attended. Being able to track everyone electronically through the Textlocal reporting system worked perfectly for us, as we were able to follow up with our supporters accordingly to say thank you for coming, or reach out quickly those that couldn’t make it with a separate message. Mobile made the whole process fast and accurate, and without doubt this method reduces the need for paper forms at the event and is therefore kinder to the environment which is what we’re all about.”