SMS Advertising, USA customers

Deploy leading SMS advertising and SMS marketing campaigns into the US market via txtNation's award winning Control Panel solution. Read more extracts from a recent PR about the new features.

As part of Control Panel 5.1, customers will have direct access to the new Support Site (txtNation SD) and also the revised Knowledge Base, an online resource for complete mobile commerce business management. The updated Support Site provides real-time, consolidated reporting with detailed information on messaging and financial transactions processed through txtNation systems. It also includes a new Message Centre where customers can view the latest news and announcements.

CP 5.1 offers expanded support for clients so communication issues are kept to a minimum with fast-track ticketing.

Another significant benefit to both txtNation customers are the enhanced billing capabilities in CP5.1 that ensure that the right transactions are processed while preventing billing to deactivated or recycled users.

"With CP 5.1, we are providing clients a huge step forward from legacy solutions they've had to rely on in the past. Our customers will have the same robust features as the original version, as well as a set of unique new capabilities that can directly improve their business growth and profitability," said Michael Whelan, Director of txtNation. “We are about one to two months away for full release.”

Premium SMS Sweepstakes -- are they a deal, or no deal?

txtNation using the innovative Control Panel Platform, helps media companies and carriers continue lucrative premium SMS sweepstakes programs made popular by hit television programs from NBC, ABC, Fox and others. txtNation provides value commensurate with the cost of the premium SMS and hence helps satisfy the legal requirements of a sweepstakes.

"Premium SMS sweepstakes represent an estimated $3 million per week (Telephia, June 2007) in revenue for major media companies. This service allows media companies, SMS aggregators and carriers to offer premium SMS sweepstakes, and continue to grow this valuable source of revenue and consumer interaction."

Premium SMS sweepstakes, through which customers enter a contest through text messaging on their mobile phones and are charged a premium -- typically $0.99 -- above the standard text-messaging rate, have become an integral part of media programming in the United States in recent years. Reality and game show TV formats such as Deal or No Deal, American Idol and The Apprentice have made such promotions a substantial revenue generator for media companies and mobile operators. However, concerns that these promotions may be legally classified as gambling have resulted in class action suits in Georgia (February 2007) against The Apprentice, and in California and Massachusetts (May 2007) against Deal or No Deal, American Idol and 1 vs 100.

Mobile Marketing Common Examples

Mobile Marketing Campaigns can be in the form of any of the following examples (SMS Marketing USA):

• Broadcast Messages
• Two-way Messaging
• Auto Responders
• Mobile Coupons
• SMS Polling & Voting
• Sweepstakes
• Text to Win
• Reverse Auctions
• SMS Alerts & Reminders
• Subscription Services
• Ringtones & Wallpapers
• Data Relay

Campaign Messaging with SMS Marketing
Connect with your customers via SMS messaging. Send to one, send to millions. Set up campaigns to target specific customer demographics or send a message to every customer on your list. Campaign Messaging provides you the versatility to do what you want, when you want.

• Personalize messages
• Intuitive User Interface
• Extremely Fast
• Gather responses
• Schedule Message deployment

Mobile Marketing and more specifically SMS marketing campaigns can easily be setup and deployed with mFUSION, a txtNation powered solution.

The History Channel's Mobile Marketing Future

Do centuries-old facts warrant delivery via a medium built for expediency? A new mobile advertising initiative promoting The History Channel is proving they do. The channel has launched a mobile Web site. It allows viewers to access quizzes, trivia, and programming information via their smartphones and PDAs.

The History Channel's primary audience of "information-seeking men between the ages of 25 and 54" are mobile device users demographically similar to AvantGo's existing user base of over 7 million unique registered users. According to AvantGo, mobile users are typically well-educated, affluent professionals "that look to stay connected and informed," like those who routinely tune in to The History Channel either on TV or online.

With the mobile site's launch, the channel joins a long line of players who have hooked up with AvantGo for mobile marketing and advertising programs.

Consider your own mobile device usage habits and you'll see why mobile is all the rage. Mobile marketing is on the verge of a major explosion in North America, largely because marketers are realizing clutter and convention needn't hold them back from creating effective ad campaigns. Fact is, this medium isn't limited to SMS.

Hybrid marketing and media channels like the one developed for The History Channel (it also delivers house ads) are only one opportunity. Advertisers can obtain on-device home page banners, mobile newsletter sponsorships, customized research surveys, and content sponsorships (AvantGo delivers up-to-date content from Wired, The New York Times, USA TODAY, and dozens of other branded media publications), generally all for CPM (define) rates.

As far as audience is concerned, access to a young, professional, tech-savvy user base isn't mobile advertising's only advantage. Because users tend to view online content while commuting or during their spare time, they're very focused on what they're seeing. This means they're more likely than their stationary counterparts to request information about companies and products, and to complete surveys. Not only are they a great demographic fit for many advertisers, they're also prone to noticing promotional content and ads.

Add to all that the medium's propensity for encouraging higher click-through and conversion rates (AvantGo says the former are 5 to 10 times higher than traditional banner ads, the latter 10 to 20 percent above the industry standard), and you've got an appealing supplement to an on- or offline campaign.

Advertisers trying AvantGo will also benefit from the company's new wireless synchronization capability. It eliminates the need for users to synch mobile devices with their desktop computers for new content. This new system is expected to allow marketers to reach consumers in the middle of the purchase cycle. If a person's shopping for a new car, for example, she can get branded dealer-locater information on the spot.

It's too early to gauge the success of The History Channel's initiative. But if it goes as expected, campaigns that don't include mobile advertising may soon become ancient history.

Find out more at mFUSION: www.mfusion.net. Contact us at: sales@txtnation.com.