Posts Tagged ‘texting’
Twitter Sued For Confirming Opt Out of SMS List
May 5, 2011
SMS messages offer a unique way to get your message out to those needing a reminder about your products and services. The best way to go about it is through offering real value in the form of a discount or coupon. The customer can click on a link in the message and get the coupon immediately on their phone.
There are limitless things you can do with SMS technology but there are no laws in place to govern this way of marketing and so when prosecuted in courts old land line laws are used to decide court cases. Recently Twitter has shown up in a class action lawsuit simply for confirming to someone that they have successfully been opted out of a list when they text the word STOP to their service.
What Twitter did was send an additional text message back to confirm the opt out was successful which is what is done in email marketing lists as well. Since email lists have laws, rules, and regulations that are well established the SMS industry is simply trying to self police as best as they can by using some of these same norms.
There are substantial dangers associated with SMS text services simply because there are no established laws. The Twitter corporation was sued likely because someone became enraged after receiving a confirmation message one more time after opting out of the SMS list. If you do not have a lot of money and have already been hit with $50 in overage charges anther $1 penalty due to one more confirmation message from Twitter could send you over the top. Important point to remember is never piss off an SMS list.
One day all texting plans will be unlimited but until than people will be very picky about getting one too many text messages especially after opting out. I personally do not believe Twitter did anything wrong here. The person suing opted in to the list to begin with and so they were the ones who started this relationship. I believe this class action lawsuit will be dropped and Twitter may change their terms to make it a little clearer about what happens next after you text stop.
To read more about the Twitter SMS Lawsuit just visit the link and you can also read our advice on other SMS and related website marketing ideas here: Marketing articles
Are Apple And Google Genuine Threats To Blackberry’s Stronghold On The Enterprise Market?
March 3, 2011
The Blackberry has long been recognized as the “must-have” mobile device within the corporate world, not only in the US but worldwide and RIM has thus been confirmed as the leading player in the enterprise market. It has definitely claimed a stronghold that has been hard for others to infiltrate to any great degree for many years. Today, according to Nielsen research, over a third of Americans who own a phone, have a smartphone for personal use with Blackberry, Apple and Google among the top five for sales, but what of the business world? Does Blackberry remain number one here or are Apple and Google genuine threats to Blackberry’s stronghold on the enterprise market?
RIM’s Blackberry range has long since had the lion’s share of the enterprise market, liked for its robust email platform, which is self-described as “…can be customized to meet the needs one person or an entire enterprise, to any scale, in any industry.” It has always been seen as the only option for security purposes too. The Corporate world has always been a fan but that maybe shifting as Apple and Google make inroads into this territory.
Enter Google and Apple and suddenly the enterprise market is flung wide-open? Companies move with the times and that can also mean financially, perhaps needing to make savings. Where cost is an issue some businesses have chosen to allow their employees to use their own smartphones for work, making significant savings. iPhones and Androids are very popular for personal use and for ease of use, what better than to use the same device for work? Apple’s sells itself as making “sense for your business” and has stepped up on the issue of security, which has always been a big consideration for the business sector. Apple’s new facility gives the user the ability to remotely erase a lost or stolen phone, giving better security for sensitive data and information.
The latest OS offering from Android has received some criticism, described as “not as refined as it needs to be for the enterprise market”. Android is apps-centric where Blackberry is business-centric. Judging by current sales, Blackberry is not under any major threat currently from either Android or iPhone. But this is such a fluid market that is can only be a matter of time before both make real inroads into the enterprise market.
Personally, I think that Blackberry has corporate loyalty and will have for the foreseeable future. Corporates still demand powerful enterprise tools which RIM provides and does well and this area may be one where Apple and Google will still struggle, at least in the short term. The battle is interesting theatre for anyone in the smartphone market. It is important for those in mobile marketing to watch carefully how Apple and Google play this one out, as mobile marketers need to know what their target audience is buying and why.
Want to find out more about mobile marketing, then visit www.txt2get.com on how to choose the best solution for your needs.
Are Mobile Applications Taking The Place Of Mobi Sites?
February 14, 2011
As mobile continues to push the envelope in the advancement of technology, mobile marketers are calling into question the practicality of some of mobiles latest features. Smartphones embody the latest that mobile has to offer, sleek designs, smooth use and an array of impressive features. But do these qualities translate into effective marketing tools? Are mobile applications to take the place of the mobile website?
Although one might initially presume this question can be answered with statistical analysis, the answer is in fact far simpler to come by. By looking at various aspects vital to mobile marketing, we can better answer the question by not only suggesting where the current status quo lies, but also the likelihood of it changing. One of the major steps at the very heart of any successful mobile campaign is clearly determining a target demographic. Specifying a specific target audience is vital for the entire design aspect of a mobile marketing campaign and is heavily influenced by the receptiveness of mobile users and their devices. If marketers wish to embrace a sleek and fresh user experience for their audience, then they need look no further than mobile applications. Their platform specific design allows for smooth use and some mind blowing features.
Determine ones target audience is by far one of the most intricate parts of a successful mobile marketing campaign and mobile marketers will not often choose fresh user experiences if it compromises reach and scope. In which case, mobile applications fall short. As mobile applications require specific platforming for the host device i.e. Blackberry, Android or iPhone, campaigns can potentially miss the majority of their audience if they opt to use a single Smart-device. Campaigns wishing to counter this downfall by developing the application for each of the major Smartphone brands will find that they run in to a wall of significant cost ineffectiveness. Mobisites present the only true remedy to this as they can be accessed via any mobile device, which means a far greater scope and reach. This greatly increases the likelihood of a campaign fulfilling its objectives and thus increases the overall chance of a successful and cost-worthy campaign.
As well as possessing a superior ability to target a large proportion of a campaigns target audience, mobisites also offer much cheaper running costs. A campaign may very well want to run on a Mobile app, but marketers have to consider the cost of hiring platform programmers for each specific device, and the on-going costs and hassle of updating the application when the device receives a software update. Mobisites, as we have seen, run on a variety of platforms that require a single, and relatively cheap, designer. This means marketers cannot only focus on engaging their target audience, but can do so with the assurance that they are maximising cost effectiveness.
Mobile sites are in no way being replaced by mobile applications. The overall functionality of mobisites is far superior from both a customer use and marketing perspective and analysts predict that in the next few years mobile will look to focus on functionality even more. This could very well mean that not only are mobile applications not taking the place of mobisites, but in only a few years, they become obsolete for any form of marketing.
Learn more about mobile marketing. Stop by www.txt2get.com where you can find out all about TXT2GET and what it can do for you.
What Should You Know If You’re Thinking Of A Mobi-Site?
February 13, 2011
The use of mobile web browsing has become very fashionable in recent times. Because of this, many consumer-focussed companies have acknowledged this by adapting their present websites to suit mobile users. To do this effectively, there are some rules regarding the layout, design and construction of the new mobisite which will make browsing by the mobile user straightforward.
Layout is an imperative focus for developers for ensuring a smooth and enjoyable user experience. When planning the layout, developers often place significant information you want the user to see, at the top of the page. This will save time when the user is searching for important information. As well as ensuring users have quick access to the most relevant information, the overall aesthetics of the page layout are important. Many developers suggest a single column layout, and keeping tables to a minimum.
The content of a mobi-site should be designed to provide maximum impact but with minimum effort on the users part. It is vital to design a site which is easy to read, navigate, and understand, because the user is most probably travelling or on the go when they are accessing information. Users will also want content that is easy to see and read without straining their eyes. This means avoiding zooming by altering the text and the typography used. In addition, any images and graphics used are best used in .jpeg, .gif, or .png format. These particular formats take little time to load which saves time and money for the user.
Coding is another vital part of a mobisite. Developers coding a mobile site will often use either XML or XHTML as these offer the easiest and most functional platforms for the site. Target keywords should be used to represent title tags, heading tags and filenames, and description meta tags.
The essential parts of any mobisite are designed to incorporate the fundamental aspects of modern mobile use; quick, convenient use with relevant information, and data at minimal cost. Carefully planning and encompassing these elements into a mobisite makes for an efficient use of mobile technology and a powerful approach to any mobile venture.
Learn more about Mobile Marketing. Stop by Mobile Marketing where you can find out all about TXT2GET and what it can do for you.
How Powerful Is A Mobile Database?
February 5, 2011
For companies world-wide, data is an invaluable part of informed and successful business. More importantly, the accessibility of data for businesspeople and workers is a vital part of everyday planning, and the overall efficiency of their work. With the world going mobile, the tools and information businesses require to operate with maximum efficiency, need to go mobile as well. This has seen the development and deployment of mobile databases, so in a world demanding near perfection and one hundred percent reliability, one needs to ask, how powerful is a mobile database?
Mobile databases show a clear evolution from the formerly used central databases. Whereas central databases operated on a single data server, mobile databases use what is known as the Cloud Computing Model. This model uses several remote computers working together for data storage and processing. This means that Mobile databases possess a significantly higher level of security than central databases. Central databases are often subject to data loss and compromise in the event of power outages, fires, floods and other disasters. The Cloud Computing Model nearly, completely eliminates this risk by storing the same data in several locations, providing a natural data back-up network.
Mobile databases do not simply possess the advantage of accessibility however, the use of multiple computers for data storage, provides a high degree of security against data loss that can be a major concern for centralised databases. Centralised databases are subject to data loss issues through a number of mishaps including power loss, natural disaster or fire. The cloud computing model provides a network of back up databases for information in various locations, greatly reducing, if not completely eliminating, the risk of data loss and compromise that is often experienced with centralised database systems.
Not only do mobile databases allow for increased accessibility, reliability, security and productivity, but they can also offer significant savings in network costs. Online and browser based applications, and the data costs they incur, can be surprisingly high due to data sets being sent back and forth between host and server constantly. With alternate planning, network costs can be diminished by making changes to the data rather than entire data sets. Although initial costs for mobile databases can seem high, savings on networks costs can make long term use, highly cost effective.
Mobile databases provide all the attributes that businesses could hope for in data access. It is reliable, accessible in a vast range of locations, secure and above all highly cost effective. For businesses where ‘on-the-go’ data access and transfer is invaluable, mobile databases are far more than powerful, they are quite simply invaluable.
Want to find out more about mobile marketing, then visit www.txt2get.com on how to choose the best solution for your needs.
Mobile Marketing And Games – A New Opportunity
February 3, 2011
In-game advertising is fast becoming one of mobiles newest prospects for actively engaging customers. It offers rich, attractive looks to branding, fresh new approaches to increasing customer receptiveness. The potential of the in-game advertising is already being notice by some of the world’s biggest corporations as the implement it in to their marketing strategies, so how has mobile marketing been used with games so far?
In-game advertising is a lot more sophisticated than it may sound. Marketers can take several approaches to incorporating ads in games including “in-game advertising” which takes images in the game and background spaces and fills them with branding images, “Interstitials” which pushes short video advertisements and pushes them to customers between games as well as previews within the actual game. In addition, marketers can use “Ad Wrapping” which displays short advertisements for a product before or after a game is played.
Recently some of the world’s biggest brands including the U.S. Navy, Nestle, Nikon, Kia, Sprint and Yahoo have all invested in in-game advertising the same way. EA Games have released “Lemonade Tycoon”, a business based game where players aim to build a dominant lemonade company from humble beginnings in their neighbourhood to a multi-million dollar corporation. Lemonade Tycoon uses the in-game advertising approach with profound efficiency. Advertisements are displayed within the game as soon as it loads, and every five “game-days” the images are refreshed, delivering fresh and attractive images to capture the player’s attention.
Thus far, EA has offered Lemonade Tycoon as a free download to its customers. This has allowed the success of in-game advertising to be gauged accurately as the free download means a much larger amount of customers are actively downloading and playing the game. In India, large customer scopes proved hugely successful for promoting the Bollywood movie “Jurm.” The simple puzzle game used to promote the movie received 150,000 downloads in the first day of its release and by the end of the week had recorded downloads in excess of 500,000.
The extensive reach and appeal of mobile gaming has unlocked unlimited potential for advertising through games. With many of the world’s leading brand names making long-term investments into the venture, it seems only a matter of time before mobile marketing in-games truly becomes a globally recognised and endorsed marketing approach.
Looking to find the best deal on mobile marketing, then visit www.txt2get.com to find the best advice for you.
Is Apple Too Restricted?
January 30, 2011
The name Apple has become synonymous with Macbooks and iPods, then iPads and of course, the shiny iPhone. Most of us love what Apple produce especially if we are into state-of-the-art gadgets and have plenty of dollars to spend but with every innovation, there seems to always be some controversy and associated bad press. The term ‘restrictive’ seems to find its way into a lot of blogs and articles about Apple, so is it this very restrictiveness that will hurt Apple in the long run?
When it comes to its iPad and iPhone applications, it is true to say that Apple does have a very strict developer policy. Although it did announce a certain easing up late in 2010, it still holds very tight reins on what developers can and cannot do. Apple effectively banned developers from using Flash software and other technology and it created a great deal of debate and disquiet not so long ago. Apple were called onerous among other things. So it did ease up a little but many developers say their rules are still very unclear.
Apple fans and consumers say Apple is justified in its policies and means they have confidence in the apps they buy. Apple’s own Apps store is predicted to boast up to a half million Apps in 2011, which is fantastic. Protection and high levels of quality assurance aside, some writers blog that the restrictions will hurt the iPhone because innovation at important levels can and are being inhibited. The Apple iPhone was outsold by Google Inc.’s Android in 2010 but Apple’s profits remain incredible so financially they don’t seem to be adversely affected. Check out Apple’s latest deal with Verizon too – that’s one to watch.
Criticism is also leveled at Apple by publishers who claim some difficulties relating to and working with Apple compared with other brands saying that Apple could loosen up a little on all of its many rules. Perhaps its deal with Verizon is Apple beginning to do that very thing? iPhone sales are expected to rise on the back of this latest deal.
So will Apple’s restrictiveness hurt in the long run? I predict not. This is a smart company which knows exactly what the consumer wants and delivers a great product. The mobile marketing industry watches Apple closely for consumer trends and to see what its target audience is buying. I suggest there is plenty of room for Apple in the marketplace!
Want to find out more about mobile marketing, then visit www.txt2get.com on how to choose the best solution for your needs.
Will MMS Change The Face Of Mobiles?
January 24, 2011
As mobile begins to take an ever dominant place in the modern world of communications and technology, its capacity for marketing and advertising are also catching the eye of major corporations. Recent developments in Mobile capabilities means previously, relatively unused services such as Multimedia Messaging Services (or MMS) are being revived and used as part of the new mobile revolution. With this revival though, could widespread uptake of MMS revolutionise mobile?
For the vast part of MMS life so far, it has been held back by the limitations of mobile technologies, preventing it from sending engaging and sometimes even coherent messages. Such limitations obviously meant that it was never even looked at as an option for successful advertising. But with mobile technologies now stepping into all new worlds of possibility, MMS is about to take a step in becoming a major player in the advertising game.
Now however, mobile technologies present messaging systems such as MMS with a whole new range of potential. The recent and impressive developments in Smartphone’s especially, means that MMS can now truly deliver multimedia content. On an advertising front it has already gone so far as to be able to deliver messages with voice, music and animations. This alone sheds some light on just how revolutionary MMS could be for mobile. With MMS encompassing all the predominant features of conventional (television and radio etc) advertising, but at a fraction of the cost, corporations may start looking at mobile as their primary means of engaging with audiences.
When we consider mobiles ability to not only target specific demographics, but its ability to do so with immediate efficiency, MMS becomes a more tailored, engaging and possibly even more interactive method of advertising than conventional advertising. Once more, as with most mobile advertising, it trumps traditional advertising further by delivering its message at a fraction of the cost and while consumers are on the go in prime shopping hours, rather than prime television advertising hours.
MMS could by all means revolutionise mobile. It could extend mobiles use amongst major corporations for marketing, it could outstrip conventional media for the top spot in advertising and with it already being the primary way in which many of us communicate along with new Smartphone web, gaming and music playing capabilities, could become an ‘all-in-one’ king of the hill mobile device.
Want to find out more about mobile marketing, then visit www.txt2get.com on how to choose the best solution for your needs.
Is There Room For Apple And Android?
January 22, 2011
Smartphones; they are the mobiles that have everyone talking and sales are taking off at a phenomenal pace. The humble mobile phone just isn’t what it used to be, that’s for sure. It’s now a great all-in-one device – like a mini pc/cell phone/organizer all rolled into one and once you own one, you may wonder how you ever managed without it. In the US, there are five major competing smartphone platforms but it is the Apple v Android debate that seems to be the one that most talk about. So, is there room for Apple and Android?
2010 saw a total of 60.2 million smartphone users in the United States and by 2011,that number will grow to 73.3 million smartphone users, according to eMarketer. Apple’s iOS platform now accounts for about 25 percent of total smartphone subscriptions in the U.S., compared to a 26 percent share for Google’s Android platform. So, that’s over half of the market share between the two companies with Android just ahead.
Apple has a fantastic range of Apps amounting to over 300,000, whilst Android trail with 200,000+. However, with Android’s open system for developers, Android may soon catch up. Openness is the key to Android, with its multiple carriers and open handset alliance, it is this very trait that sets it apart and is the very essence of the difference between Android and Apple. Some say Apple is far too restrictive and that this will be its ultimate downfall.
Does it have to be Apple or Android or is there room for two? The more competitors in the smartphone market, the more investment we are likely to see by these two respective companies and a faster rate of development of goods and services is likely to follow. Good competition is favorable for the humble consumer and it usually leads to competitive pricing which will allow more people to afford smartphones.
Personally, I think there is room for both Apple and Android. Customers will welcome these two big players competing in the marketplace with more money invested into technology and development which should lead to more consumer choice and value for money. This debate is certainly interesting to those in the Mobile Marketing industry who closely watch the smartphone trends as it relates to their target audiences and demographics.
Want to find out more about mobile marketing, then visit www.txt2get.com on how to choose the best solution for your needs.
categories: Apple, iPhone, Android, smartphone, mobile marketing, text marketing, sms marketing, marketing, advertising, mobile, sms, texting
Gaming In The Mobile Sector
January 19, 2011
Mobile and gaming are quite possibly the two largest sectors in today’s technological industry. With video games racking up over $9 Billion annually in the United States and mobile phones being used by over 70 percent of the world’s population, it seems only fitting that the two are now working together to integrate their success. So how is gaming developing in the mobile sector?
If we first address some of the main reasons gaming may have been incorporated into mobile, we can better see how it may be developing for mobile users. A key point to highlight is that the average age for video gamers nowadays is 35 years old. This may prove contrary to conventional stereotypes of the biggest gamers, but it points out how gaming may reach a wider range of participants on mobile than expected.
Mobile gaming is now working harder to improve what’s known as a ‘concurrent garbage collector’ which minimizes application pauses and allows for smoother animation and increased responsiveness in gaming. Android 2.3 has been released with the promise to offer increased efficiency in its handling of touch screen and keyboard responsiveness across all applications which obviously benefits touch screen games especially.
Not only are developers looking at touch screen control, but they are looking at how the mobile device can be the control in a whole new way. A range of sensor technologies have been developed for mobile gaming whereby the motion of the mobile device directly influences movement of a character or vehicle in the game. This offers a whole new level of player-to-game interaction and offers a level of game play not yet seen on portable gaming consoles.
Mobile gaming then is certainly moving at leaps and bounds and offering state of the art technology and gaming experience for the latest games on mobile. This means that although gaming on mobile may not be as advanced as other portable gaming devices, it offers increasingly smooth game play and gaming experience for mobile users which makes it a stunning feature for mobile.
Want to find out more about Mobile Marketing, then visit www.txt2get.com on how to choose the best solution for your needs.