The truth about mobile marketing

9 replies
Well,

As I've been studying the mobile media market over the past couple of months, it's become painfully clear.

If you don't have mobile media as part of your business plan then your business will become a dinosaur much faster then you might think.

The amount of money that's being poured into companies to be able to position themselves to take advantage of the mobile devices that are out now and that are in the pipeline is staggering.

So....I'm throwing my hat into the mobile media market myself. I'm making any and everything mobile my major focus.

Now as a warrior...you might be saying so what..what does that mean to me?

Quite a lot actually.

Because I've learned so much from this forum I'll be sharing some of my research here with my fellow warriors.

Take for instance...

One of the major areas that I see benefiting from sms texts as well as qr codes are restaurants.

Now that's not to say other areas can't benefit as well, because they can and they will, it just happens that right now online searches for restaurants has become a major part of how people use their phones.

Being in a position to help these owners take advantage of these searches will be big business for you.

However, what I'm also seeing is that you'll do better with getting restaurants to use your sms services if you have more of a complete solution...and not just "hey here's my text messaging services now see ya". You have to have tools in place to answer the questions and objections that they are going to have swirling around inside their head. The main hidden objection is that they don't want to look like a fool for using your services. What do you have that will help them with this objection?

My quick suggestion is that you show them how to start making money with your service in less than 30 days and they'll love you and your services for doing so and will give you solid referrals.

You also have to show you're the expert with some material that educates them on the guidelines for text marketing. Don't just assume they will already know or will take the time to find out themselves. Your neck is on the line here to so don't leave it up to chance.

There are guidelines that text marketing campaigns have to follow. Learn them. So if your customer decides to put on a campaign using your services and they aren't following these guidelines then it can open them up to potential lawsuits. It's your job to make sure they know the rules as well follow them when they use your services.

Here is the paperwork for a lawsuit filed recently against Nascar. The plaintiff says that she never asked to receive messages from them and is seeking $1,500 per message. All together the suit is estimated to be worth 5 million. So you have to be careful about understanding spam, because unlike online, one wrong message can land you in front of a judge.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/08/11/Spam.pdf

Now with all of this being said, I'm off to have a little fun.
#marketing #mobile #truth
  • From the provided information, whether it is a valid argument for a lawsuit is certainly open to discussion.
    Not to defend Nascar, or anyone who violates the TCPA, but two quick rebuttals seem appropriate.

    The FCC's CAN-SPAM Rules

    The FCC's ban on sending unwanted email messages to wireless devices applies to all "commercial messages." The CAN-SPAM Act defines commercial messages as those for which the primary purpose is to advertise or promote a commercial product or service. The FCC's ban does not cover (1.)"transactional or relationship" messages, or notices to facilitate a transaction you have already agreed to. These messages would include statements about an existing account or warranty information about a product you've purchased. The FCC's ban also does not cover non-commercial messages, such as messages about candidates for public office.

    The FCC's ban covers messages sent to cell phones and pagers, if the message uses an Internet address that includes an Internet domain name (usually the part of the address after the individual or electronic mailbox name and the "@" symbol). (2.)The FCC's ban does not cover "short messages," typically sent from one mobile phone to another, that do not use an Internet address. Also, the FCC's ban does not cover email messages that you have forwarded from your computer to your wireless device (but the FTC's rules may restrict such messages).

    (1.) The plaintiff was asked if they wished to opt out of further messages from NASCAR in the first message. They did, and then received a transactional message of compliance.

    (2.) The plaintiff received a message to respond to a short code. The TCPA ban does not cover the use of these codes.The FCC guidelines are unclear in the usage of messages using short codes.

    Plaintiff was sent an unsolicited advertising message with a short code. (1st message)
    Plaintiff was given the option, and opted to not receive further correspondence from defendant.(responded to 1st message)
    Defendant responded to compliance with request. (2nd message)

    They do not appear to have received any further messages past 2nd message.
    If they did, they might have had a long shot of a case.

    Whether the case is valid of course, is up to the Judge.
    IMHO?
    It wouldn't even get on Judge Judy...
    (I wonder if the lawyer is working on contingency...:rolleyes
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  • Profile picture of the author Ouroboros
    How many frickin' messages did she get? Just hit the STOP button already.
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  • Profile picture of the author Celeste Green
    The things people sue over is just sad sometimes, but she's trying to make a point I know. Avoid the very appearance of Spam.

    Anyway, back to the meat of your post, I agree that mobile marketing is growing. It definitely works best at this point to be part of a package of marketing services rather than a stand alone technique.
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    • Profile picture of the author thedealmaker
      Lol...

      How many messages do you think this lady received in order to piss her off bad enough to make her want to sue nascar?

      Take a guess...I'll wait.

      Hmmmm.....

      50...nooooooooo

      25.......noooooooooo

      Ok c'mon how many?

      Try 2 messages.

      She received this message first:

      FREE NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile lets you watch the action from Daytona live on your phone. Download now: Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile(TM) Reply END to stop.

      Then she replied with end to stop and that's where she received the second message confirming that she was removed from the program.

      It was turned into a class action lawsuit so that's why the estimates were so high.

      But maybe it's just me...I didn't see the phone carrier in the complaint. The message came from a sprint short code. (2222)

      What I also find interesting is that in sprints terms and conditions it says that both parties waive the right to join or bring any class action against each other. This may be the reason why Sprint wasn't named as a defendant.

      However, another question pops in my head.

      Does this mean that Sprint has a free pass to spam its customers?

      Anyhow....

      If you're marketing sms services you need to make sure you're aware of the industry guidelines. You can get them here. (you might want to bookmark it)

      http://www.mmaglobal.com/bestpractices.pdf

      Also..what I've found is that I've been able to use these guidelines as a way to open the door for me with customers who are currently using sms services other than mine.

      It's a conversation starter.

      By knowing the guidelines I can spot when someone is in violation of them. And I just start a conversation about their program and how it's doing. If it's doing great, then I position myself as the expert by acknowledging their success and asking if I could make a quick suggestion that could save them from any headaches that could derail their cash cow.

      And then I just run off a few fast points about the guidelines and where their campaign needs to plug the holes. I'm not saying to them that their campaign is doomed. Just how they can make it stronger. That's it. Not selling...just helping. When you know how to help people you will see plenty of opportunities to offer your services.
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      • Profile picture of the author phillimac
        Originally Posted by thedealmaker View Post

        Lol...

        How many messages do you think this lady received in order to piss her off bad enough to make her want to sue nascar?

        Take a guess...I'll wait.

        Hmmmm.....

        50...nooooooooo

        25.......noooooooooo

        Ok c'mon how many?

        Try 2 messages.

        She received this message first:

        FREE NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile lets you watch the action from Daytona live on your phone. Download now: Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile(TM) Reply END to stop.

        Then she replied with end to stop and that's where she received the second message confirming that she was removed from the program.

        It was turned into a class action lawsuit so that's why the estimates were so high.

        But maybe it's just me...I didn't see the phone carrier in the complaint. The message came from a sprint short code. (2222)

        What I also find interesting is that in sprints terms and conditions it says that both parties waive the right to join or bring any class action against each other. This may be the reason why Sprint wasn't named as a defendant.

        However, another question pops in my head.

        Does this mean that Sprint has a free pass to spam its customers?

        Anyhow....

        If you're marketing sms services you need to make sure you're aware of the industry guidelines. You can get them here. (you might want to bookmark it)

        http://www.mmaglobal.com/bestpractices.pdf

        Also..what I've found is that I've been able to use these guidelines as a way to open the door for me with customers who are currently using sms services other than mine.

        It's a conversation starter.

        By knowing the guidelines I can spot when someone is in violation of them. And I just start a conversation about their program and how it's doing. If it's doing great, then I position myself as the expert by acknowledging their success and asking if I could make a quick suggestion that could save them from any headaches that could derail their cash cow.

        And then I just run off a few fast points about the guidelines and where their campaign needs to plug the holes. I'm not saying to them that their campaign is doomed. Just how they can make it stronger. That's it. Not selling...just helping. When you know how to help people you will see plenty of opportunities to offer your services.
        Wow, 2 messages and she got annoyed and decides to sue because of it? Seriously people cease to amaze me these days. Wow I can't believe some people, just sad.
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  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    This is why those people who take advantage of mobile NOW (right now) will be the real winners. By the time mobile catches on and the majority of businesses are using some type of mobile marketing, it will begin to lose its effectiveness. Much the same as happened to email.

    It's a lot different when you have one or two of your favorite restaurants sending you a message or two per week but when you end up subscribing to a load of local businesses people will get sick of the messages pretty quickly. I would always encourage businesses to not only get people on their sms list but also on to some form of email list as well - the same people on both lists. That way if people unsubscribe from one method you still have another way to reach out to them.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aero69
    If you don't have mobile media as part of your business plan then your business will become a dinosaur much faster then you might think.

    I totally agree with you, it's the 21st century, one cannot not only work but exist without it.
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