Article  SMS Marketing Involves Consumers Like Never Before Marketing practices have changed a lot since the inception of the idea. It is necessary to do so as the ways consumers retrieve information changes. No longer is the soapbox sales pitch the most desirable way to reach out to consumers. Although such methods still hold some sway in the advertising world, as technology has advanced, so has advertising and marketing. Spreading the word about new products and services has come a long way since the newsboys screaming "Extra!" on the streets. Television brought with it a wave of possibilities to the advertising world and then the Internet took it even further. With the growing popularity of smart phones and text messaging, companies are discovering new ways to reach an even broader audience. Through SMS marketing, companies are able to promote their products to millions of consumers at once. Other forms of advertising rely on the hope that consumers will be around to see it. Marketing via text messaging, on the other hand, all but guarantees that the intended audience will receive the message. Not only that, but it encourages mass participation and establishes valuable brand loyalty. Perhaps the most important result in marketing is brand loyalty. Creating a brand that consumers enjoy and fully support is invaluable. When it comes to building the desired loyal consumer base, very little competes with the power of mobile marketing. There are numerous forms of this marketing strategy, all of which carry with them great advantages. These new marketing strategies allow companies to communicate with consumers in a manner similar to the way consumers communicate with each other. This helps establish a sort of friendship and mutual respect between company and consumer that is rare in this day in age, which is why SMS marketing has been growing in popularity. Recently, text messaging has become the preferred form of communication between friends for millions of people throughout the world. Marketing companies took a cue from this development and created new strategies to reach out to consumers. Companies provide an interactive environment using techniques such as trivia and competitions via text messaging. Getting customers involved with the brand and creating interest in it is crucial, and providing incentives is just one way to do this. SMS trivia contests and other competitions give millions of consumers a chance to earn prizes while learning more about the product. It is no secret that the general public loves to win free prizes, and text message competitions provide the opportunity to do just that. Such competitions come in a variety of forms. They can be as simple as asking people to send a text to a number for their name to be entered in a raffle, or as complex as choosing the person who answers the most trivia questions correctly as the sole winner. While the more simple options are less time consuming for both the company and the consumer, contests that are more involved tend to garnish more support and participation. When the consumer is allowed to be more involved, he or she feels more invested in the company. It is the same philosophy used in everyday life. When an employee is given the opportunity to have a voice in a company, he or she is more likely to remain a part of it long term. Likewise, companies develop a long standing, loyal customer base when they get their target audience more involved. The best part about mobile marketing is that anyone can do it. Whether it is a startup company trying to establish a customer base or a major company trying to retain theirs, any company can benefit from the use of SMS marketing. By instituting an incentive-based marketing campaign through the use of text messaging, companies can reach a wide audience that will continue to be happy to participate and support them. There are many successful marketing techniques out there these days, but few that manage to reach millions of people and develop lifetime supporters at the same time like mobile marketing does. Category Marketing Author Anonymous Add To Favorites Print This Article Email Article To A Friend Post Comments   Rate This Article (1) 1 - Poor2345 - Good678910 - Excellent Added On 12-17-2009