July 12, 2010 by Jessica Zorawski
It’s a common practice for folks to take their mobile phone along anytime they go shopping. A recent study conducted by InsightExpress reports that 4 out of 5 people reported using their mobile phone during shopping trips. However, who are these “people”? And what exactly is meant by “using their mobile phone while shopping”? (Many of us might be imagining a man in the milk aisle, calling his wife to ask whether she prefers 2% or skim.)
The truth is, that stereotype no longer exists. Men ages 25-34 are now looking at their phone to browse coupons that have been sent to them, and they’re doing this more than any other group of consumers. Here are percentages of men, compared to the general population, that used a mobile coupon last month, by location:
- Electronics store – 30 percent (general population 10 percent)
- Clothing store – 33 percent (general population 15 percent)
- Department store – 30 percent (general population 15 percent)
- Service location – 16 percent (general population 7 percent)
According to a recent article by Dan Butcher titled “Who is today’s mobile shopper – and why it’s not her”,10 percent of consumers made a special trip to the store after receiving a mobile coupon and for 18-34 year olds, the figure jumps to 20 percent. Since a younger generation’s actions typically predict future trends, this is likely an indicator that the acceptance of mobile coupons by the general population has already begun.
These figures show the evolution of consumer buying behavior, something that marketers need to understand in order to properly communicate with their audience.
Even in a world of constantly changing consumer behavior, a few things do remain consistent: people are always looking for a deal and shopping is still a social function. So how can you tie the knowledge of these constants into your mobile coupons?
Providing your customers with mobile coupons makes finding a bargain even easier, a conveniance they’re sure to appreciate. The social aspect of shopping may mean your customer is shopping with a group with whom they might share your coupon, stretching your brand’s reach far beyond your customer base.
The bottom line is this: if you want to convince your customers it’s time to check out your latest offerings, especially males and the younger population, send them a mobile coupon.
July 9, 2010 by Jessica Zorawski
After months of development and testing, sleepless nights and overdosing on Starbucks double shots, Opt It Mobile 3.0, or in human terms, our text message marketing software, has finally been released.
If you ask Team Opt It, what’s the best part about Opt It Mobile 3.0? In a world of complicated software and endless workarounds used to get business done, Opt It Mobile’s new release puts “simple” back into “solution”. The entirely revamped system is the most user-friendly text messaging application for businesses on the market today.
Here at Opt It, we take customer recommendations seriously. Suggestions from our customers, combined with a pretty impressive design and development team, has resulted in a great application. Throughout the process of building 3.0, our top priority was to create an intuitive system with ease-of-use that is second-to-none. We’re sure we’ve succeeded in reaching that goal and are proud to pass it along to you.
We understand that customers don’t need to spend endless work hours trying to figure out a complicated system. With Opt It, that won’t happen. You’ll be focused on what’s most important to you– reaching your customers and building revenue.
There’s a new feel to the Opt It software. As one novice user put it, “When I’m working with it, I know all the old functionality I love is still there, there’s just a more intuitive way of using it to my advantage.” The bottom line is – it’s easy to use. And with fresh features like our filters and Inbox functionality, it’s more effective than ever at helping you to launch and maintain a thriving text message marketing campaign.
We are more than excited to share with you all of the new capabilities and features you are now receiving by being a part of the Opt It family:
- Increased Speed- Our newly updated platform to send out your messages is now even faster when sending, receiving and delivering your content.
- Advanced Filters- We have introduced a new concept called Filters. In all parts of the software, it is now much easier to find specific information using filters, and you can save a filter that you use regularly to search data within your account with great speed and accuracy.
- Message Clone- If you want to send the same message again to another keyword or group, just hit Clone by the recently sent message and it will automatically generate the message again so you do not have to re-type.
- Send to Multiple Keywords- You can now send a message to multiple keywords, so if you have multiple locations that are offering the same special you can save some time and send the same message to all of your keywords.
- Advanced Help Section- You now have 40 new pages of Support documents, all made to address specific questions and topics. Use these and save yourself time in getting your questions answered.
- Assigning Members to Keywords- It just got easier to assign a member to a keyword- if you want to add a member manually, it is now a much easier procedure to do so.
- Sign Up Form Widget- you can now set any of the optional fields you want to obtain from your customers as required, increasing the amount of information you can acquire through this process.
- Phone Status- Now you can see the status of a members phone number so that you can monitor whether all of your members have good, working numbers. Delete the phone numbers that are no longer working to save money.
- Message a Single Person- Now you are able to send a message to a single person, which comes in handy when someone responds to your message with a specific question. This really allows you to carry on a direct one-to-one conversation.
Stay tuned for more exciting details about Opt It Mobile 3.0.
Enjoy – Team Opt It
March 24, 2010 by Molly Anderson
Here at Opt It, we understand the power of text message marketing. Our experience allows us to harness this power for our clients and get them the results they need. It was no surprise to us when CTIA – The Wireless Association released survey results this week showing the continued growth of text messaging to be “explosive”.
The survey, which looked at the second half of 2009, determined that wireless data service revenues grew a whopping 25.7 percent from the second half of 2008 to the end of 2009. Text messaging continued its exponential growth, with more than 822 billion text messages sent and received on carriers’ networks during the second half of last year. This translates to 5 billion texts per day and an unprecedented opportunity to get your brand or business information in front of your customers.
As more folks make texting a part of every day life, launching a mobile marketing campaign for your business is the smart thing to do. The time is now to reach clients with ease, using the medium that they prefer and to give them the information they desire. The time is now to grow your business and your bottom line. Give us a call to hear more about how Opt It helps businesses like yours launch mobile campaigns and increase both your reach and your revenue.
We look forward to hearing from you.
July 14, 2009 by Molly Anderson
No one can deny the popularity of the iPhone. Everyone’s had the experience of being at a gathering or party recently when a friend or co-worker has pulled out their iPhone just to demonstrate new functionality or the latest downloaded app. Its user-friendliness and sleek, sexy look are second-to-none. iPhone apps even have their own distribution channel built in, adding to a top-notch user experience. This next generation device is certainly an industry leader that is ahead of its time. But at Opt It, we’re concerned that the iPhone might not be the most effective venue for your mobile marketing campaign. Here’s why:
Currently in the U.S., 87 percent of the population has some sort of mobile device. Of that percentage, only 2.4 percent own an iPhone, limiting the reach of any business looking to establish a mobile marketing campaign. In terms of text message marketing campaigns specifically, texting can reach a whopping 98 percent of cell phone users, making it a very powerful marketing tool. When it comes to getting your important message to the largest audience, text messaging is the most successful tool available.
iPhone Applications Advantages
- Next generation device securing its place as an industry leader.
- Slick user interface design allowing for ease-of-use.
- iPhone features allow applications to have a very unique user experience.
- Apple has deployed a built in distribution channel for iPhone applications.
Text message marketing advantages
- Text messages can reach 98% of cell phones in the U.S., which is 88% of the total U.S. population – only 2.4% of U.S. mobile phone users have an iPhone.
- Text messaging is enabled on all phones bought today – no applications to download.
- It is supported on all carriers – iPhone is only supported on AT&T (12% of AT&T subscribers have an iPhone).
- Deployments on shared short codes can be immediate – no waiting for an application to get approved and loaded into the distribution channel.
Here’s the bottom line: when it comes to user experience and next generation devices, we here at Opt It love the iPhone. But for businesses looking to launch a mobile marketing campaign, text messaging is the most effective and immediate way to reach your audience, hands down.
February 4, 2009 by Brian Stafford
For those of you who are new to text message marketing, we have created a page to give you a short overview of how text message marketing works. This is meant as an introduction for beginners that provides background information and defines some of the commonly used terms.
Please read A Simple Guide to Text Messages…
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