First of all there are just a few different ‘carrier approved’ methods in which a marketer can collect an SMS database; Enter a phone number online, Click a button on a mobile webpage, Send an MO message containing an advertised keyword and Sign up at a POS location.

Each of these methods of cell phone collection is acceptable by the carriers and falls under the term ‘express written consent’ which is now a strict requirement according to the newly amended TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act).

For this blog post let’s get into the first two methods listed above; enter a phone number online and Click a button on a mobile webpage. These are basically web form opt-ins; a website that has a registration form and there is a space for entering ones cell number. When using a web form in this manner there are two rules you must follow:

1. You must display the proper ‘carrier required language’ in close proximity to the cell phone submit field (box).
2. You must verify the handset (cell phone) owner’s possession for the actual handset number being submitted in your cell phone number ‘submit’ box.

In a nutshell, items 1 & 2 simply mean that you need to let subscribers know some basic program details and then send a confirmation text to the cell number being submitted to you. Number 1 can be accomplished by adding a couple simple lines of text ‘in close proximity to’ the cell submit field. There are several items that you need to include in this ‘carrier required’ language:

• Program Description ( Alerts, News, Special offers etc.)
• Messaging Frequency ( 5/messages a week, 2 messages a month)
• Messaging costs (Msg & Data rates may apply)
• A link to ‘comprehensive’ SMS T&Cs or Privacy Policy
• If the Program is recurring then STOP instructions are required
• Help instructions

All of these items can be summarized very succinctly into a few lines of text that look like this:

• mobileStorm Weather Alerts: News and Forecasts for local weather. Msg&Data rates may apply. 4 msg/mo. Text HELP for Help or text STOP to end messages. Terms & Conditions. View our Privacy Policy.

As far as Item number 2 is concerned, “Verifying handset owner possession” this is simply a matter of sending handset an immediate confirmation text message as soon as a cell number is submitted on your web form. This confirmation message needs to contain all the above bullet points listed for the web form registration and must have a ‘Reply Yes to confirm your subscription’ call to action.

Sounds like a lot of work? Well, the good news is that mobileStorm can do both of these things for you automatically. Our web forms can be easily enabled to send a confirmation message and we have customized boilerplate language on our web forms that include all the necessary carrier required language. This article is just the first in a multi-part series on how to acquire, message to, advertise for and maintain a healthy, opt–in SMS Database. Stay tuned for more!

The post How to Properly Collect an Opt In SMS Database (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

Recent research points to a growing number of consumers using their mobile devices much more often when trying to make purchasing decisions. In fact, more than eighty percent of shoppers now use their smartphones inside of stores. Just as many rely on these devices to search for information about the products they are evaluating.

But aggressively targeting consumers with mobile messages isn’t a practice to be taken lightly.

So how do you protect yourself from unwanted or illegal mobile marketing practices while still giving consumers a pleasant, engaging, and effective mobile marketing experience?

Michael Becker of the Mobile Marketing Association and author of Mobile Marketing for Dummies says the most important thing to be aware of is “the collection, use and engagement of data.”

What this means for your business is that you need to acquire and manage permission from your customers to contact their mobile devices.

In other words, before you can launch a mobile marketing campaign, you must have permission from the customers you wish to target. Seems pretty straightforward, right? Well, according to countless experts in the field, the importance of “opt-in” mobile marketing is still poorly understood by many business owners, but especially those new to marketing in the mobile channel.

For mobile marketing to be compliant with best practices and regulations, consumers must give their consent to mobile marketing.

In order to be entirely transparent, you should ensure that these disclosures are made consciously by your customers and not as part of agreeing to something else (in the fine print, so to speak), mobile marketing veterans advise.

So what steps can you take to make sure you are being as transparent as possible in your mobile marketing efforts? Becker suggests these four simple steps.

• Choice. Give you customers a choice to “opt-in” and to “opt-out” if they no longer want to be a part of your marketing list.
• Transparency. Make sure you customers know how their information will be used before they give it to you.
• Control. Similar to “Choice,” make certain that consumers have complete control over how, when, and in what format they receive your alerts.
• Security. Make sure your customers know that their data will be protected, and then make sure that it is protected in every way possible.

As long as your business is completely honest and forthright with customers who want to be included in your mobile marketing efforts, the impact of your campaigns will be positive and free from concern that you’re committing any form of serious mobile marketing malpractice.

The post How to Make Your Mobile Marketing Safe from Malpractice appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

We’ve covered O2 More quite a bit since its inception, it’s one of the first and most successful mobile marketing services that comes directly from a mobile operator.  Surprisingly, carriers have been slow to adopt mobile marketing solutions of their own, even though they control the networks and have unlimited access to a treasure-trove of valuable user-data that can be used for advanced relevance and targeting.  O2 has proven that this can be very successful.

In fact, O2 claims that its targeting abilities are what makes the service so successful.  Those who opt-in for the service are asked about their preferences up-front, and then these are combined with data that O2 keeps on users, such as phone usage and location.  Together these are used to deliver what O2 calls “highly personalized” ads.  In one particular campaign, O2 sent out nearly 300K coupons to its opted-in users for 50% of a coffee at Starbucks.  A total of 14% of the those users redeemed the coupons and, when asked later, 93% of users said they recalled the ad.

The post O2 UK Sees 23 Percent of its Subscribers Opt-In to its “O2 More” Mobile Marketing Service appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

I feel like all of my efforts to curb text message spam within the text message marketing industry aren’t making any progress. I’ve done a post about how text message spam will be the death of text message marketing and written an open letter to the Mobile Marketing Association. Recently I went so far as to commission my own text message spam report to show the industry how big of a problem we have on our hands. The report will come out in early August and without giving too much away, our findings show that text message spam is more than a problem, it’s a pandemic. Even with all of these things I’ve done, it seems like the majority of text message providers don’t give a crap as they continue to engage in shady, borderline illegal activities without any regard to consumers, the industry or the rules put in place by the mobile phone providers.

So instead of continuing to fight what I now see as a losing battle, the next best thing is to empower the consumer and teach them how to fight off text message spam individually. Here are my 6 steps on how to stop unwanted text messages.

Quick Note: The steps below are meant for short code text message spam, which comes from a 5-6 digit phone number. If you’ve received text message spam from a 10 digit phone number (which are sometimes called long codes or long numbers) or a phone number that looks like an email – 2063344012@att.com (which is called SMTP messaging), I’ll be honest, you’re kind of screwed. These types of  text message campaigns aren’t approved by the mobile phone providers and aren’t held to the same standards as short codes are. If you do receive a text message spam from a long code, skip to steps #5 & #6.

Step #1 – Opt-Out

If the short code provider is following all of the rules, opting out of a text messaging campaign should be pretty simple. All you have to do is reply to text message spam with any of the words STOP, END, QUIT or UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the text message. You will know if it works because you should receive a text message back to your mobile phone confirming that you have successfully opted-out of that text message campaign. If one of the words doesn’t work, I would try the others just in case. If this doesn’t work, move on to step #2.

Step #2 – Help Command

Similar to step #1, reply to any text message spam with the word HELP in the body of the text message. If the short code provider is following all of the rules, you will get a message back with information about the short code provider, such as a toll free support phone number, email address and a website. Use that information to contact the text message spammer and tell them to stop. If you don’t get anything back after replying HELP, move onto step #3.

Step #3 – Identify The Sender

Look for any unique identifiers in the text message campaign to help you figure out who is behind the text message spam. Look for things like a phone number, an address, a business name, etc. If you’re able to find any of these within the text message spam, contact the offender and tell them to stop blowing up your mobile phone with text message spam. If you can’t find any of this information within the text message, move onto step #4.

Step #4 – Identify the Short Code Provider

If you are unable to identify the sender of the text message spam, you need to move up the SMS totem pole. You will now need to figure out which short code provider the sender is using to spam you. There are two methods that work really well, which are explained below. Once you find the short code provider, contact them and tell them you’re fed up and want to be removed from all text message campaigns.

Google Method – Use Google and the following search terms with the offending short code number in place of [short code number]. This should point you to the short code provider’s website where you can find contact information.

• [short code number]
• Text [short code number]
• Short code [short code number]
• SMS [short code number]
• Stop to [short code number]
• Help to [short code number]
• SMS marketing [short code number]
• Text message marketing [short code number]

SMS Directory Method – You can search for the short code at the U.S. Short Code Directory, which may have information such as the brand running the text messaging program, and their support contact information.

Step #5 – Call Your Mobile Phone Provider

If you can’t find any information online about the sender or short code provider that is spamming you, now it’s time to call your mobile phone provider. When you call them, be sure to have the short code number and when you received the text message spam handy. Usually mobile phone providers can help resolve text message spam issues, or at the very least give you the information you need to stop receiving the spam. Below are the support lines for the top 10 mobile phone providers in the United States. I tested them personally and they all work, so as of July 20, 2011 these are accurate.

• Verizon –  (800) 922-0204
• AT&T – (800) 331-0500
• Sprint/Nextel – (800) 639-6111
• T-Mobile – (800) 937-8997
• Tracfone – (800) 323-2366
• MetroPCS – (888) 863-8768
• Clearwire – (888) 253-2794
• U.S. Cellular – (888) 944-9400
• Cricket – (866) 384-4425
• Simple Mobile – (877) 878-7908

Step #6 – Call Your Attorney

I’m completely serious on this one. If you arrive at this step without a resolution to your text message spam issue, it’s now time to teach the spammers a lesson, and the only way to do this is to hit them where it hurts; inside their wallets. With past multi-million dollar text message spam lawsuits, you can be sure to find an attorney very quickly that will fight for your case.

The post How To Stop Unwanted Text Messages appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

The following is a guest post from Gary Bury, Managing Director at Mediaburst Limited — A UK based mobile marketing provider.

The problem exists for many.  You fancy getting into SMS marketing but you haven’t got any mobile numbers, you’ve got nobody to send a message to.  So where do you start.

Ultimately you want a list of followers who are genuinely interested in your product or service.  People who are happy to receive your message and are likely to buy your goods.

It’s called permission marketing, loads of books have been written on the subject, if you want one try Permission Marketing by Seth Godin.

Don’t buy them.

First and foremost; never, ever part with money for a list of mobile numbers.  Purchasing a list of mobile numbers and then firing out messages is regarded as spam.

You won’t win many friends this way and you will upset a lot of people.  Expect to receive responses containing a range of four letter swear words; and don’t expect to get any new customers.

I’ll give you an example, we know a charity who bought 40,000 numbers.

With a modest 1% response rate you might expect 400 new donors.  But, no, they got ONE.  That’s right ONE.

And complaints, they got thousands.  Messages like, “Where did you get my mobile number?” and “Do not send me anymore SMS, ever!”

They also got complaints via phone as well, some of the recipients rang their network providers and complained, who in turn spoke to the charity.  Dealing with the fall out was messy; don’t fall into the same trap.

The short and long is this: no one wants a text message from someone they don’t know.  No matter whom you are or how cool your offer is, they don’t want it.  End of story.

Put a notice up.

This is simple method number one.

Signup for some SMS marketing software and get what we call a “long number” (it’s just a mobile number), then put a sign up — nothing fancy, just print something on a sheet of A4 asking people to subscribe to get free stuff, offers, promotions, or whatever it is you are going to send them via SMS.  Something like:

To receive great offers from us just send a text to:
07712 345 678

Stick the notice somewhere nice and prominent.  On a wall behind a counter, in front of the till, on card on the table, on the menu, on the receipt, on your website, just somewhere it can be read by as many people as possible.

Everyone who texts in will be recorded in your SMS software, and presto, you have a database.

And people will text in, put that notice somewhere prominent, you’ll be surprised.

Ask people.

Next on the list is asking people.  Seems obvious really but you’ll be surprised at how many either forget this or don’t have the confidence to ask.

If you own a restaurant, ask your diners.  If you own a shop, ask everyone who comes in.  If you own a hotel, ask everyone who stays over.

You could make it part of the sales patter,

“Thanks for visiting, did you know we send out offers occasionally by SMS….would you like to receive them?”

If you are uncomfortable with this idea try this: don’t think of it like you’re asking for their mobile number, consider you’re doing them a favour, letting them know there are discounts and offers to be had.  No one will be upset with you if you are informing them of possible discounts.

If you want more proof then look no further than this case study: Hotel gets a 5,000% return on investment with SMS Marketing.  They got all their numbers by asking guests.

Keywords & Shortcodes

Finally, it’s worth mentioning shortcodes and keywords.

We discussed long numbers above.  Shortcodes and keywords are easier to remember and hence easier for your customers to text, use a shortcode instead of a long number and you should get more subscribers.

An example would be:  ‘Text “SHOP” to 84433’

The same principles apply, you need to draw people’s attention to the keyword and shortcode.  You can do this by asking or advertising.

Shortcodes and keywords are commonly used on large billboard advertisements, on radio and TV.  But don’t let that put you off; they aren’t expensive if you’re serious about building a database.

The post How To Get Mobile Numbers For Bulk SMS Marketing appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

Users who text the keyword HAITI to 90999 to donate their $10 receives a confirmation text which asks them to respond with word “yes” to confirm their donation.  Once the donation is processed and the $10 charge is added to their wireless bill, the user is sent a thank you text which also includes an opt-in to receive further communication from the Red Cross.

“Our core demographic tends to skew a bit older, but the text platform gives members of Generation Y another channel in which to express support in charitable giving,” said Attie Poirier, public affairs contractor for American Red Cross.  The younger demographic is much more in tune with SMS and more receptive to mobile opt-ins as well, especially from respected sources like the American Red Cross.  So far more than 130,000 users have opted-in to further communication.

“The Red Cross will then contact those users up to four times per month,” Poirier continued.  “However, those retargeting efforts have not yet begun.”   What’s interesting is that the Red Cross conducted a similar SMS donation campaign during Hurricane Katrina in which it raised a total of $120,000.  It proves further how far SMS donations, mobile payments and mobile communications in general have come in recent years.

The Haiti relief effort marks the first attempt by the Red Cross to build-out a mobile SMS database using SMS donations as a driver.  With the help of a massive media campaign driving call-to-action, the ease of donating via SMS and the outpour of generosity seen across the country the Red Cross has again risen to the task at hand, and solidified a bright future for its mobile initiatives in helping those who need it.

The post Red Cross Building Massive Mobile Database With Haiti SMS Donations appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

The new mobile network, dubbed “The Club Mobile,” is an extension of GGP’s already successful “The Club” program, which is an online consumer marketing program that sends email notifications of mall sales and events to an exclusive list of opt-in members.  The Club Mobile extends the value of The Club by delivering discounts and offers to on-the-go consumers through text messages.

The new program is powered by MOBISIX and its proprietary messaging platform, which is designed around “consumer-controlled preferences and data” as well as “analytics-driven decisions.”  The underlying technology allows consumers to get relevant and personal offers pertaining to malls operated by GGP.  In addition, the platform acts as a key enabler of green marketing by allowing brands and consumers to take advantage of shopping incentives and coupons without printing.

“This type of marketing innovation is a great example of how we are meeting the needs of today’s consumer,” says Keith Maladra, vice president of Consumer Intelligence at General Growth. “We believe this provides a unique tool for our retailers and gives value to our consumers by allowing them control of what type of offers they receive and how they receive them. The bottom line: we want to help our retail tenants drive store traffic, and this is a great way to accomplish that.”

While this may be nothing new- a parent company adopting SMS and other mobile techniques to drive results-it’s significant in the fact that General Growth Properties presents a massive platform in it’s extensive network of malls, which each represent a large amount of smaller brands and retailers that can benefit from the various mobile campaigns that GGP can now provide to them all.

The post First “Mall-Based Mobile Marketing Network” Launches appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

While still being completely opt-in, Digital Sidebar uses the otherwise useless whitespace on your cell phone screen to serve it’s interactive advertising instead of the more traditional methods like SMS. An example would be while you’re making a call, the white space that usually displays the outgoing call number, name and possibly a call-time counter could be replaced with an interactive advertisement for a new movie that’s coming out. While you’re waiting for your call to connect, you can cycle through relevant advertisements based on the preferences you’ve already laid out in your profile. Same goes for other tasks like sending and receiving SMS, opening and closing mobile applications and more.

Like other opt-in services, you have to visit their website, fill out a form that discusses your advertising preferences, etc. as well as download the application to your mobile device. Like I’ve said before with similar advertising applications, I don’t like the fact that a user has to download the application to be served advertisements. Even though the messages are intended to be well targeted, most people don’t want to be bothered, and especially don’t want to download a special app just to be bothered some more.

That aside, I still think it’s a great new way to reach mobile consumers, and utilize space that has gone wasted for so long. In a study led by M:Metrics during testing, it showed that 20% of respondents went from ‘adverse’ to ‘favorable’ in their stated perception of mobile advertising after viewing the Digital Sidebar demo. In addition, consumers aged 16-24 and 25-34 responded that they were 59% and 43%, respectively, likely to use Digital Sidebar if it were installed on their mobile phones.

The company looks to be off to a great start. They’ve already closed a $5 million round of series A funding back in 2007, and will soon launch a pilot program with a “major national wireless carrier” to start promoting their new platform. I think the idea is well executed, and does prove to be less obtrusive and annoying than SMS or bluetooth advertising, but I wonder how truly effective it will be for advertisers in the network, using this new “white space” medium. I guess time will tell, so I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes on these guys…

The post Digital Sidebar Turns Dead Mobile Space Into Content appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.