Want to engage consumers on their cell phones? Then you’d better send them a text message.

That’s the gist of an eMarketer report yesterday, which notes that among mobile consumers, SMS gets them more responsive than other types of mobile advertising. That’s a stance we at mobileStorm have long taken, even with the advent of true Internet access on handsets. As eMarketer said, “The simplicity and compatibility of texting is likely to ensure its long-term appeal in the same way text-based e-mail has remained viable.”

The first thing to consider is that despite industry enthusiasm for iPhones and similar gadgets, mobile Web marketing won’t edge out SMS marketing. According to a Direct Marketing Association survey of U.S. mobile users ages 15 and older, 70 percent of people who responded to mobile offers did so because of a marketing text message. That number was more than three times greater than 22 percent of those who responded to mobile Internet ads.

Now, we’re not saying that SMS is the be-all, end-all of mobile marketing. Remember, text-only email has remained viable. Recall, too, that we at mobileStorm have long touted the importance of multi-channel marketing—and the lead role SMS plays therein. Even eMarketer noted, “The medium (SMS) is better-suited for targeting specific audiences, and as part of multichannel campaigns.”

One thing yesterday’s report pointed out was that when iMedia surveyed U.S. online marketers, two-thirds said they would simply “dabble” in mobile advertising this year. That’s because of the relative newness of the platform, especially compared to Internet and non-digital channels.

But there’s no need to fear the new. There are a lot of resources for neophyte mobile marketers, such as mobileStorm’s white papers on SMS and digital marketing. Considering how important text-only messages will remain, it’s time all marketers learn more—and then implement their knowledge.

Eydie Cubarrubia, Marketing Communications Manager, mobileStorm
“I’d rather you text me”

In direct mail marketing, a “Johnson Box” is commonly found at the top of the letter. Its purpose is to draw the reader’s attention to the key message first, and then hopefully engage the reader for the rest of the letter. This view is also sometimes referred to as “above the fold,” in reference to printed material such as a newspaper or other folded item.

The Johnson Box/above the fold scenarios have also been adapted for email. Most email clients today offer a “preview pane” in which readers can see the first 20 words, more or less, of the message. These are the first words a reader will see, and will most likely be the words a reader will use to determine whether or not to read the rest of the message. To that end, it is critical that whatever content is used in that portion of an email contains the crux of the message.

Additionally, from an email delivery standpoint, another common practice for email senders is to include in the top portion:

• A message to recipients to add the sender’s address to their address books.
• A link to a web page version of the email.

In one test, response rate was increased by 220% when a sender modified the top of the content as directed above. As responsible senders, it is essential that you use this preview section of your message to your advantage. Doing so it will help to generate more response to your campaigns, as well as subscriber engagement.

Until next time,

Jaren Angerbauer, Director of Deliverability, mobileStorm
Eat Responsibly, Drink Responsibly, Email Responsibly

It was just two years ago when an episode of Boondocks—the smart, controversial cartoon about social issues—decided to take SMS to task. To paraphrase (and to avoid offending the PC-minded), let’s just say that the protagonist called texting an “inferior” technology. For one thing, pointed out the precocious little boy character Huey, with a cell phone you can’t print out a message all nice and pretty like you can with a computer.

That episode was rerun on TV the other night, and got me thinking even more deeply than the Aaron McGruder creation usually does. It made me realize that messaging technology has, if anything, furthered equality and made consumers of all demographics equally accessible—and therefore valuable—to marketers.

See, even just a couple of years back, the technology divide was something that further defined racial, economical, and social classes—not just within the United States, but between nations, between developed vs. developing economies. I myself have written a few news articles about the need to provide computers to citizens of emerging nations in the hopes of narrowing the education and wealth gap in the world. Indeed, the thinking went, granting Internet access would be a way for the world’s poor to learn what they needed to become competitive in the global marketplace.

But there were lots of problems with this rose-colored view. Top among them is the fact that undeveloped countries have little infrastructure—i.e. electricity and phone lines—to even power these computers.

Mobile technology, however, was a different story. Cell phones take relatively little energy to charge and by their nature do not require physical lines to be installed all over the geography. And as the technology gets more advanced (last week Intel had this exciting news about phone chips), prices for handsets—even multi-media ones—fall, as does the cost of cellular service.

And now the idea of the poor African farmer using SMS to get the best market prices for his crop isn’t a pipe dream—it’s long become a reality. Teenagers from American families of modest means, meanwhile, can join in their peers’ conversations with text messaging (as well as mobile IM; plus they can even access their MySpaces with their cell phones). In turn, marketers the world over are finding that they must embrace mobile campaigns—starting with SMS messaging—in order to reach the most people who actually want to be reached in the first place.

That’s something the normally-astute Huey, and McGruder, couldn’t have imagined.

Eydie Cubarrubia, Marketing Communications Manager, mobileStorm
“I’d rather you text me”

I can still remember a time when cell phones weren’t prevalent, when email didn’t exist, and—unlike my experience yesterday—plane rides meant looking out the window, reading books, and maybe catching a flick on the main movie screen in the cabin of the plane, if you could see the screen at all.

In Text-ing on a Jet Plane, Eydie talks about how SMS has infiltrated air travel. My recent journeys have given me even more confirmation that the digital revolution has reached the “friendly skies.” On Virgin America, I experienced “Red,” the in-flight entertainment system, which gives passengers access to their own multimedia entertainment system—with their choice of premium or satellite TV, movies, games, shopping, interactive chat, music, and more.

As I made my way to the back of the plane to the line for the restroom, the flight began to experience a bit of turbulence. This prompted me to brace myself and turn towards the front of the plane, giving me the perfect view of all the individual video screens in the rear cabin. Immediately I noticed that each screen looked different. Each passenger was watching on-demand digital content, and each digital experience was obviously unique.

Virgin America, despite the woes collectively experienced in the airline industry, succeeds in a key area. It expemplifies how to provide multimedia content to a discerning and diverse audience. The resulting effect seems democratic and liberating, at least initially. Like I’ve stressed in past articles, providing customers with this take-away is invaluable in the digital era. This same principle can be applied to marketing your business digitally. Each of your customers is unique and can feel the same empowerment that I felt yesterday on Virgin, provided you master the art of sending the right message using their preferred form of media. Having a platform that provides you a simple way to communicate via multiple channels can make this concept achievable and efficient for any business.

While the lines of traditional and digital means of communication still seem blurred today, this is by no means the way of the future. On-demand, digital, and multichannel—whether the topic is content, marketing, or communications— are what we will expect from brand operators, content distributors, and any form of commerce. Integrating these concepts in your business today will help you stay ahead of the pack tomorrow.

Shaneli Ramratan, Marketing Manager, mobileStorm