Is Short Code SMS Marketing Suitable for Forprofit as well as Nonprofit Organizations?

Almost all mobile phones supports text messaging – 97% of them and all smartphones do. To this end SMS has the widest reach of any mobile medium, making it an ideal marketing and communications tool for businesses and perfect for nonprofit organizations too.

Perfect for fundraising considering that text messaging has taken off across the world and continues to gain popularity. In terms of mobile fundraising  SMS is also an approved carrier-billing method.

Texting is not just a teen activity… That’s a myth these days with all ages sending and receiving text messages.  Today may brands, nonprofits, associations and businesses realize this and are using text messaging to interact and engage with their customers, employees, members and volunteers.

SMS Short Codes and generally a 5 or 6 digit number or numeric string of letters that spell a name or give a call to action which people text into like “Mobile” with a key word like “donate.”

Increasingly people are becoming familiar with popular brands using SMS short codes in their marketing campaigns. Usage by non profits and government entities are on the increase too,  realizing using short codes enable them to reach more and more people.

Mobile campaigns text messaging can include links to the non profit’s mobile Internet website or mobile WAP page very easily these days. Paving the way for continued engagement via text messaging.

Websites and telephone numbers can be accessed via links in the text message reply. These are most effective when stating an immediate “click to call” instruction and the response can be dealt with via charity’s call center. A "show to redeem" incentive is also widely used for businesses offering discounts and promotions.

More than 97 percent of ALL mobile phones support text messaging, consumers don’t need smartphones or expensive data plans to engage with their favorite charities.

Industry statistics say that on average, texts are read in under five minutes of delivery whereas the average email is read within 48 hours. SMS users are active across all demographics. In the USA 53% of those engaging with short code are over 35 years old.  82% of 18–24 year olds and 72% ages 25–49 year olds send and receive text messages.

There are more than twice as many active SMS users as active users of email and the gap is widening in favor of SMS users year on year.

It’s estimated that  over 65 % of email is spam, less than 10 percent of SMS is spam.

Mobile phones overtake landline services for many people across the world. This mean for permission based mobile communication are becoming ever more critical nonprofit organizations.

In conclusion SMS marketing could mobilize millions of people and dollars if done right! For more information or assistance in your mobile marketing and communication strategies, please contact a representative at MODI$club.

Reference Source: iLocalSearch

Increase Mobile App Discovery and Usage

Marketers must ensure their apps are not only found and downloaded but kept, too

Mobile apps are used as marketing tools by many brands, but they need to be marketed themselves in order for app users to find and then download them. Not only must the price be right, having a right marketing channel that effectively connects Mobile apps to users plays a crucial role in helping them decide which apps to download.

May 2011 research from MTV Networks found that recommendations from people they know and user reviews or recommendations were nearly tied as the top factor in discovering a new entertainment app for purchase or free download. The most effective pier to pier recommendation is still SMS. In Q4 of 2010, Canadians sent 16.4 billion person to person text messages.

When deciding to download a free entertainment app, mobile app users said the app store ratings were most important (50%), followed by personal recommendations from a trusted friend (43%). For paid apps, price was the leading factor (63%), with the availability of a lite version to try for free enticing 49% to download.

Once an app is discovered and downloaded, the question turns to whether users will keep that app loaded on their smartphones. Nearly eight in 10 respondents to the MTV Networks survey said they “often” swapped out old apps when they found new ones that better served the same purpose, so apps are always in danger of being replaced.

Even favorite apps, some used frequently, are often abandoned after a few months. Just 11% of users kept their favorite TV or movie app for at least a year, and only 17% kept their favorite gaming app that long. It was more likely in both categories for apps to wear out their welcomes in less than a month.

The survey indicated that ease of use, updated content and a pleasant look and feel were in demand for TV and movie apps, while gamers wanted a challenge and good gameplay.

Marketers must push out their apps to potential users, not rely on simple presence in an app store—even in a “featured” area—to bring in downloads. Using one of cell phone's most basic functions like SMS to market their apps make it easy to bridge the gap. Many brands boost app success by sending text links of free App download, surveys or other similar incentives when app users opt-in via a Short Code. That means not only the app experience must be solid and its function valuable to the consumer, finding ways to keep downloaders interested and engaged longer are also important for the brands.

More information can be found on MODI$club for you learn more about using SMS marketing to boost brands and app success. Or contact a representative at MODI$club for further discussion.


Reference Source: eMarketer

Brands Shift Focus of Mobile Outreach

Agencies say more clients are interested in Android devices and SMS advertising

As more consumers interact with brands via both smartphones and feature phones, marketers are approaching mobile advertising in new ways.

STRATA, a software company for media buying and selling, polled agencies about their clients’ preferences in Q1 2011. When it comes to mobile advertising, 37% of respondents said they are creating display advertising the most, and 25% noted SMS advertising. This is compared to 63% for display advertising and 15% for SMS advertising in Q4 2010.

Location-based advertising also doubled as a priority, with 7% of respondents saying they are mostly creating location-based advertising for clients, up from 3% in Q4 2010.

While the iPhone and Android devices receive a lot of press, the reality is that most consumers still have feature phones. And while smartphone owners are more engaged with their devices, many feature phone owners are also willing to interact with brands via mobile.

“SMS often gets overlooked, but the vast majority of users of all ages are texting,” said David Berkowitz, senior director of emerging media and innovation at digital marketing agency 360i, at the 2011 Public Relations Society of America’s Digital Impact Conference in May.

In September 2010 eMarketer forecast that SMS would be the biggest single mobile advertising format in 2011, with a 38% share of mobile advertising spending.

Not only are marketers shifting their advertising focus, but they are also open to working with various mobile devices. According to STRATA, 76.3% of respondents said their clients are most interested in advertising on the iPhone, down from 80.6% in Q4 2010. Android devices are also popular and 46.1% of respondents said clients were interested in advertising on Android, up slightly from 45.8% in Q4 2010. Interest in BlackBerry as an advertising channel, at 51.4% in Q4 2010, dropped to 35.5% in Q1 2011.

As mobile advertising becomes a bigger focus for marketers, they are diversifying their programs, and working with more devices and various types of ads. As consumers increasingly use smartphones or become accustomed to interacting with brands via SMS, marketers can reach specific groups and target audiences by using a mix of advertising and working with several platforms and devices.

Keep your business ahead of the digital curve. Learn more about SMS marketing and the tools that can effectively help you reach and engage your audiences now.

Referenced Article from eMarketer

58% Of Mobile Web Users Get Their Content Fix Through Browsers

Yes, smartphone apps are still in vogue, and most mobile app stores continue to grow by leaps and bounds. Yet consumers spend more time engaging with the mobile Web on their smartphones than through ad-supported apps, according to STAT (Simple Targeting & Audience Trends) report. It claims more than 58 percent of mobile internet users in the U.S. are getting content through their browser(s), compared to 42 percent via mobile apps.

An explanation for the discrepancy was not given, but I suspect this has something to do with the existence of more websites than there are apps, and that jumping from one app to the next to consume content isn’t as good a user experience as simply opening a new page or tab within your mobile browser of choice.

Additionally, a lot of major Internet services (Gmail, Bing, Google search etc.) tend to function as good or even better through the mobile browser than via native apps.

As for the favored mobile platform, SMS remains the most ubiquitous and effective one that works seamlessly with a mobile browser. Using SMS to bridge the gap between the end user and a mobile Web site should yield the best results.

Partially from Tech Crunch article by Robin Wauters

Press Release - Earth Day 2011

MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PLEDGE AN ACT OF GREEN ON EARTH DAY 2011 THROUGH MODI$CLUB’S PAPERLESS MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONCALGARY, AB, April 21, 2011 – Earth Day is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide. More than 6 million Canadians join 1 billion people in over 170 countries in staging events and projects to address local environmental issues – one such project is MODI$club.

Daily actions pollute and degrade the fragile environment on which humans and wildlife depend on to survive. Earth Day promotes awareness of environmental issues and is a powerful catalyst for change. A simple change to ones carbon footprint in communication can make a difference. MODI$club provides the opportunity for this positive action.

MODI$club is a service that allows individuals and businesses to send or receive selected coupons, promotions, news, surveys and other messages through text message (SMS). The switch from the traditional print medium to SMS helps reduce the billion tons of garbage filling our land each day.

“In this ever-more socially conscious and digitally focused world, mobile marketing can’t be beat for its ecological benefits and speed of communication,” says Kean Tan, co-founder of MODI$club. “With the widespread adoption of text messaging, to leave SMS marketing and its benefits unattended, will cost many businesses their future.”

SMS marketing and communication has the lowest carbon footprint of all types of mass advertising and alerting. Environmental benefits include the reduction of paper usage, elimination of toxic printing ink, omission of gasoline usage in the distribution of printed materials, and so on. The opportunities to reduce cost and reduce waste through this communication tool represent incredible ROI for marketers and recovery for our environment.

MODI$club is currently being used by many industries to communicate directly with their targeted audiences, regardless of size. The industries include retailers, restaurants, expos/tradeshows, golf courses, distress centres, health and body companies, charities and non-profits.

Canadians sent a total of 4.2 billion text messages in March 2010 and 538 million text messages were sent to mobile campaigns. Clearly businesses need to start investing in SMS marketing to appeal to the technology savvy and social conscious audiences. Mobile giving, an innovative mobile donation campaign and AMBER alerts campaigns are just some of the latest activities in which Canadian cell phone customers are now participating. Also, more and more Canadians are embracing SMS marketing since companies like MODI$club offers its service for free and the industry has established a strict anti-SPAM regulation.

SMS marketing makes sense in this day and age, and MODI$club is here to also offer the tools for free for businesses and organizations to make an impact in many ways. Not only does SMS marketing make a positive impact on the environment, it is also changing the way we save time and money. For more information, visit www.modisclub.com.

- 30 -


FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Kean Tan
MODI$club
403 209 5988
keantan@modisclub.com

The Most Important (and Overlooked) Fact About Lead Generation and Why You Should Care

Digital Marketing World speaker Russell Kern recently spoke about one of his passions: lead generation. Here are some of his advice:

What’s the most important fact (or two) about lead generation that people overlook?
The critical importance of the title of the offer, which motivates a response. The title of a webcast or video or whitepaper can affect the quality of the response given and how an offer is positioned. A title, such as “10 Things You Must Know Before You Buy Software” will attract a different kind of lead than “10 Trends in Cloud Computing Today.”

Why should anyone care about lead generation?
It’s how to jumpstart the revenue-generation process for a company and how to help increase the effectiveness of the sales channels. Its enables highly paid salespeople to focus on proposing and closing deals versus prospecting for opportunities, which can be done through lower-cost lead-generation methods.

What’s your favorite tool/app/idea for lead generation?
I love the use of a survey as a lead-generation strategy. I like how it determines who is in market, what they have currently, and when and why they might replace what they have.

Do you have a favorite story about a lead?
My favorite story about lead generation is less is more. Most marketers think they need to generate dozens and dozens of leads for salespeople. The truth is a good salesperson would rather have one highly qualified lead than 10 unqualified. If the marketer would spend more time with an inquiry, confirming interest and desire before passing it to the sales channel, the sales channel will think the marketing program is more effective.

For more information on effective brand integrated multi-channel demand generation—from data to delivery, visit MODI$club or contact us.

Source: MarketingProfs

Best Practices for Mobile Retail Strategy

Efforts should address each stage of the purchase funnel

Mobile devices accompany consumers everywhere throughout a busy day. Through mobile initiatives, retailers have unique opportunities to engage with consumers as they move through each purchase phase—whether they’re in a store, in transit, at work or at home.

Data from InsightExpress showed that during the holiday 2010 season, smartphone owners used their devices at different stages of the purchase funnel: to receive sale alerts (awareness), look for better prices and product reviews (consideration) and redeem coupons (conversion). This gives retailers many opportunities to connect with consumers and encourage purchase and loyalty.

Forward-thinking retailers are devising mobile strategies to address each stage in the consumer purchase funnel—awareness, engagement, consideration, conversion and loyalty. For example, retailers are use mobile to aid in the awareness stage, enabling consumers to research and learn about products via SMS and mobile websites. They can facilitate engagement via the mobile channel through targeted coupons and special offers as well as invitations to opt in to sweepstakes and contests. And retailers drive consideration via mobile by offering complete access to product ratings and reviews, promoting free trials or samples and links to social media feeds so that consumers can see what friends have to say about potential purchases.

For many retailers, mobile remains a work in progress. Among US retailers polled in the fall of 2010, 60.7% reported planning to beef up their existing mobile web presence or SMS campaigns. Nearly 40% of those polled planned to launch more SMS campaigns or test various mobile initiatives. “It’s clear that retailers need to do more than dip a toe in the mobile waters.” said Tobi Elkin, eMarketer writer/analyst and author of the new report “Mobile Web: Best Practices for Retailers.”

Also read our blog on topics like:

1. How are businesses using text message marketing to boost sales?
   

2. Five Social Media Projections for 2011

3. Untapped Potential for Mobile Loyalty Programs

For more information and help on starting your own mobile strategy, please contact us or visit our website.

Source: eMarketer

SMS Text Marketing Case Studies

How are Businesses Using Text Message Marketing to Boost Sales?

So you've heard a lot about SMS marketing, but how can your business use this mobile marketing medium to boost your sales. We've examined a few case studies for you to show how some of the world’s largest companies are using text message marketing to build their business.

Dunkin Donuts SMS Text Message Campaign #1

GOALS

• Entice trial of Dunkin’ Donuts hot lattes to high school/college age students in the Boston area
• Drive in-store redemption of $0.99 small hot latte mobile coupon in month of October

MECHANICS
The SMS offer was sent to 7,500 targeted opt-ins. Boston radio DJ’s invited participation; “text in to DD-123” each Thursday morning. In addition, 400,000 Mobile Internet (WAP) ads ran in Boston targeted content. Over 1,000 Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owners and workers were educated with marketing materials about how to help consumers redeem the SMS coupons.

RESULTS
The targeted WAP and SMS messaging coupled with radio created a 21 percent increase in store traffic and redemption of the mobile coupon. The SMS message promoted the viral element of the coupon. This proved to be a very beneficial aspect of the campaign, in that 17 percent of participants forwarded or showed the message to a friend. In the research subsequent to the campaign, 35 percent considered themselves more likely to buy lattes and coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts.

Dunkin' Donuts SMS Campaign #2

A two month mobile interactive ad campaign in Italy has resulted in a 9% increase in sales for Dunkin’ Donuts, according to the two companies that created it.

As a result of an SMS-based marketing campaign, customers were able to get coupons for Dunkin’ Donuts product by using their mobile handsets to respond to advertisements displayed on store signage, billboards and on the radio.

By sending a short message to the published numbers, users receive an immediate reply featuring a free gift coupon or special offer redeemable at local outlets.

Sales were reportedly up 9% within the first three weeks of the campaign. By enticing consumers to request special offers, Dunkin Donuts ensures that they achieve a great consumer push without running the risk of breaking down the client relationship by contributing to the wealth of 'spam'.

The key to the success of campaigns such as this one with Dunkin’ Donuts is ensuring that the power of the SMS medium is put to good use in an ethical way and one which doesn't encroach upon users' privacy

And Dunkin Donuts' Italian franchisee GianLuigi Contin says that the SMS marketing solution has been a positive brand-building experience: "We are directly reaching our targets with a message they can understand. Cellular coupons are not cute promotions, rather they are serious marketing tools that not only extend the brand but are also directed towards the people we want to reach."

Source: Mobile Marketing Association

On-Package Promos

Starburst's "More Juice More Burst" campaign looks to engage teens by using their cell phones to text a unique promotional short code found under specially marked packs of Starburst Fruit Chews.

Using the code J-U-I-C-Y (58429) across any cell phone carrier, and online at starburst.com, users can find out instantly via a return message if they’ve won juiced-up technology prizes like a 42-inch flat-screen TV, i-Pod Photo and more.

With more than 60 million on-pack impressions, the Starburst Brand More Juice for More Burst contest was, at the time, the largest short-code, cross-carrier campaign for a consumer product goods company in U.S. history. Using packaging to drive the promotion, the company reports that online daily visits have nearly doubled since its April debut. Text messaging has accounted for 40 percent more traffic than anticipated.

Source: InsideBrandedEntertainment.com

McDonalds Text Message Holiday Promotion

McDonald’s makes everyone a winner - Just send a text to Santa & get your gift within seconds.

GOALS
Create a new mass market sweepstake mechanism for McDonald’s Italy where consumers can participate and win directly in the restaurant. Bind winning a prize to the purchase of the product & activate POS to increase response.

MECHANICS
Print unique codes on cups for consumers to send in with 1 text message – right in the restaurant. The revolutionary idea: Every code wins - for the first time even physical prizes. Presents ranged from mobile content such as personal calls from Santa, sending postcards to friends, personal photos with Santa to attractive physical prizes like prepaid credit cards with 20.000 Euro, 13.000 x free airtime and 150 mobile phones. This innovative prize pyramid combining physical prizes with millions of digital presents was shown on TV and in the restaurants (on products, traymats, menu boards, etc.). SMS & WIN granted customers a very Merry Christmas!

RESULTS
A stunning 25% response rate - with more than 1.5 million participations in five weeks. The best result of a McDonald’s mobile marketing campaign ever.

Source: Mobile Marketing Association

Walgreens Debuts New Mobile Site, SMS Alerts

Walgreens announced today the launch of several new mobile features including Prescription Text Alerts, which notify customers via text message when their prescriptions are ready, as well as a brand new iPhone app and mobile site.

“We strive to lead the market in bringing new and innovative technology to our pharmacies and pharmacy patients,” said Mark Wagner, Walgreens Executive Vice President of Operations and Community Management. “Text alerts are a valuable time-saving tool, and the latest example of how our mobile applications are further connecting the Web to Walgreens stores and pharmacies, giving customers on-the-go convenience wherever they are.

The company is now offering special offer texts, which allow consumers to find deals and coupons using their mobile devices, as well as the addition of Blackberry and Android apps that bring the full power of Walgreen’s mobile site to a quickly-accessible mobile app.

Source: www.mobilemarketingwatch.com

Hilton Uses SMS With Success

The Hilton Hotel group has successfully used SMS messaging to increase guest numbers to its hotels and build customer loyalty.

The hotel sent out important marketing messages such as on-site specials and promotions directly to its members’ mobile handsets. SMS allowed the hotel to get the messages out instantly and at the most appropriate time of day.

The use of SMS as a direct marketing tool resulted in a 10-25% increase in offer redemptions sent out by the hotel and proved to be an integral part its direct marketing and loyalty strategy.

Source: www.EmailMobileMarketing.com

Just What The Doctor Ordered

A Queensland-based chiropractor, long plagued with no-shows of appointments made perhaps weeks earlier or by last minute cancellations, now sends SMS reminders to patients of their appointments that day and asking they notify the clinic if they cannot make the appointment. This has increased the successful appointment rate and also allows opportunities to fill cancelled appointments.

Fight Against Swine Flu

Bulk SMS is being used in an attempt to both contain and combat Swine Flu in the United States. Although some of the initial public panic around Swine Flu seems to have died down, more people are becoming infected throughout the U.S. every day; a country that now has the second highest infection rate in the world.

In this campaign, US citizens can text PIGFLU to 41411 and receive regular updates about Swine Flu. Sponsored by cellphones.org as a public service, the only charge is the regular cost of receiving text messages. Bulk SMS messages will be sent to subscribers with World Health Organization updates, information about new outbreaks and information from national health authorities.

Source: www.CellPhones.org

ELLEgirl Magazine Text Message Magazine Promotion

GOALS

• Encourage ELLEgirl readers to focus on advertisements
• Provide readers with reasons to buy, keep and read the magazine
• Capture the interest of media savvy, ad-saturated, instant-gratification-driven Gen-Y readers
• Authentically link print magazine to the mobile and online space

MECHANICS
A full page spread introduced the instant win calendar. Each day of the month a different advertiser is featured in the calendar. Readers are instructed to find the ad in the magazine, snap a picture of the advertiser’s ad using their mobile phone and send it to Mobot to get a chance to win a prize and get more information about the advertiser’s products. The Mobot visual search technology recognized the pictures sent in and responded back with notification of whether the reader won a prize along with product information from the advertiser. Examples of prizes include Target $100 gift certificate, Sweetooth handbag, and a Split tube dress.

RESULTS
A follow up survey revealed that purchase intent was on average 14% higher, advertiser favorability was on average 18% higher, and aided recall was on average 15% higher among participants compared to non-participants. Readers enjoyed the promotion and entered on average of 22 times during the month. Instead of throwing out the magazine after a few days reader participation actually increased as the month progressed.

Source: Mobile Marketing Association

Pepsi Co. SMS Super Bowl Promotion

In the run up to the 2007 Super Bowl, Pepsi unveiled 15 new can designs and created a range of promotions as part of a major new branding initiative. Its Super Can contest gave fans the chance to win Super Bowl tickets for life and a jewel-encrusted can valued at $100,000. Alongside traditional and online promotions, Pepsi also became the latest brand to deploy a mobile advertising program on the Sprint Mobile Media Network, and one of the first to incorporate video into its campaign.

GOALS

• Expand the promotion of its Super Can contest
• Increase awareness of the 15 new Pepsi can designs
• Drive traffic to its mobile web site
• Increase video and wallpaper downloads

MECHANICS
Pepsi was able to cut through the noise around the Super Bowl as the exclusive advertiser on the Sprint Mobile Media Network’s homepage in the days leading up to the big game. And, as a result, drove consumers from four different banner display ads to Pepsi’s branded mobile web site, where consumers engaged in a variety of actions.

Pepsi enabled users to download a custom wallpaper of the “blinged-out” Pepsi can, click to see the video spots featuring the new Pepsi can designs, and click through to Sprint Power View -- the only made-for-mobile video programming network in the United States with original sports and entertainment shows -- where they could view live Super Bowl video clips, sponsored by Pepsi.

RESULTS

• 9 million impressions
• An average click through rate of 4.5 percent, with the most popular creative achieving an 11.5 percent average
• 175,000 Pepsi wallpaper downloads

The program was one the first to integrate several engagement mechanics, including content downloads, click-to-view a video ad, and click to see a live TV broadcast. At a time when advertisers are vying for consumers’ attention across multiple media channels, Pepsi built awareness and engagement for a major marketing initiative using the Sprint Mobile Media Network – leaving a lasting impression with the 175,000 people that now see the Pepsi wallpaper every time they look at their Sprint mobile phone.

Source: Mobile Marketing Association

Guinness Beer SMS Text Marketing St. Patrick's Day Promotion

GOAL
In March 2008, Yahoo! conducted a study to measure the brand impact of a mobile campaign on the Vodafone Live! platform.

MECHANICS
Using the Guinness St. Patrick’s Day campaign, we surveyed those exposed to the campaign and a matched control sample, to understand differences in:

• Brand awareness
• Mobile ad awareness
• Brand favourability
• Purchase intent

RESULTS

Campaign results for the target audience, men age 25-44, were extremely positive as a result of exposure to the campaign on Vodafone Live!. Exposure led to:

• 2.5 million impressions
• 25%pt lift in mobile ad awareness
• 12%pt lift in brand favourability 9%pt in purchase intent

Benchmarked against online norms, these results emerge as above average or excellent campaign impact. Additionally, irregular/non-drinkers of Guinness reacted well with a significant impact on purchase intent.

Source: Mobile Marketing Association

Five Social Media Projections for 2011

According to projections done by Forrester Research reported by MarketingProfs, as social media marketing matures in 2011, a host of new challenges will likely confront marketers, including increasingly cluttered social platforms and growing privacy concerns. Thus, even more than content, personality, or responsiveness, social media's new currency in 2011 is likely to be trust.

Consumers' privacy fears are increasing: 36% of surveyed adults—and 50% of Older Boomers age 54-65—say they are very concerned about their privacy on social networks, up from roughly 30% a year earlier. Such growing mistrust will make it harder for marketers to gather friends and followers, or to engage users in social programs in the coming year, according to Forrester:

1. Marketers will therefore have to work harder to earn confidence and involvement from consumers in 2011.
2. More social media clutter will make it harder for marketers to connect with their target audiences. Clutter is even a greater challenge among younger audiences: 80% of Gen-Y adults are Joiners and have an average of 220 Facebook friends. Activities on social channels will continue to grow, not just with messages from friends but via a growing stream of check-ins, deals, sweepstakes, and loyalty program updates from marketers.
   
3. More marketers will jostle for attention. Nearly 60% of marketers are already using paid or created social media, and another 25% plan to do so within the next 12 months, leaving just one in six companies absent from social channels one year from now.
   
   More than two in five (43%) marketers surveyed say their interactive budgets will increase in 2011. Mobile and social budgets will increase the most: 48% will increase social budgets and 53% will increase mobile budgets.
   
4. Facebook won't own social media. Facebook is just one piece of the social pie. Although 59% of US adults are Joiners, only 45% of men age 45-54 have Joiner behaviors. So the most successful marketing programs won't simply be contained within Facebook; successful marketers instead will "think outside the Facebox." Marketers will continue to use traditional forms of communication and promotion with more and more creative products generated by companies like Sharper. Also, marketers will keep exploring the hottest strategies now in mobile marketing.
   
5. Paid social media may become an important tool for marketers. With 16% of marketers surveyed saying they have no plans to use either paid or created social media in the next year, will paid social media become a legitimate tool for marketers to overcome social media clutter or will there be an even more emcompassing media that reaches audiences more directly and readily? The answer could be in mobile. Mobile marketing is slated to be marketers' next best friend in years to come and marketers are now already combining the technology with traditional and social medias to create winning campaigns, measure ROI and reach audiences in new and exciting ways.

About the study: Combine mobile with your social media presence or other traditional strategies, contact us today for more information.

Source: MarketersProf

Untapped Potential for Mobile Loyalty Programs

Interest is high, but few brands take loyalty to mobile devices

As smartphones and the mobile internet increase penetration among Americans and Canadians, shoppers are relying more on their phones while out and about to get product, store and price information to help them make decisions. Loyalty programs can also be tied to mobile, giving customers an easy way to access points and coupons—and retailers an easy way to capture customer data.

When surveyed in October 2010, more than a third of US mobile phone owners said they would be interested in a mobile loyalty program from a trusted brand. But just 9% were already participating in such a program. Majority of respondents said their favorite brands did not market to them at all on their mobile phone, suggesting companies may be leaving valuable opportunities on the table. Shoppers already involved in mobile loyalty programs were highly satisfied: 90% said they had gotten value from being a member.

Overall, interest in mobile loyalty programs was about the same found in 2009, but respondents’ desire for mobile coupons had gone up over the same period. Nearly two in five US mobile phone owners were at least somewhat interested in receiving mobile coupons, up from 18% the year before. And nearly half were at least somewhat likely to redeem them, a rise of 3 percentage points.

A September 2010 survey of US shoppers by the In-Store Marketing Institute found a similar level of interest, with 34% of respondents interested in mobile coupons—likely somewhat lower because the survey included consumers who were not mobile users. That poll also found a third of shoppers were interested in mobile coupons that could be sent to their loyalty card, and half wanted coupons that could be sent to their loyalty card in general.

For more information on how your brand can instantly go mobile offering mobile coupons, sales alerts, event reminders and more, visit MODI$club.

Source: eMarketer