Customer Wants SMS Campaign ... Any Suggestions?

59 replies
Have a customer who wants me to implement a SMS campaign for her restaurant.

What's a good SMS reseller service (I just know of iZigg and Trumpia)?

How much should I charge (I'm thinking 2-3 x's the monthly subscription on my end)?

How often should I/We send out a campaign?

Any other tips and tricks?

Thanks Guys!
#campaign #customer #sms #suggestions
  • Profile picture of the author myob
    I have tried many SMS vendors, and have been using callfire.com for the least 6 years or so with excellent results for my clients. They are compatible with all platforms and phone companies worldwide, and provide many additional services. Just upload the subscriber list and you're good to go. (Customers need to agree to receiving these messages). Pricing is 3 cents/msg and you can mark it up for whatever your market will bear. Generally my clients decide on the frequency, usually once or twice a week announcing "specials" or new products.
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  • Profile picture of the author traceface
    How cool for you!! I'm a firm believer that TEXT is going to get bigger than Facebook (which is getting tough) and twitter, which is NOISY.

    I read this suggestion for a restaurant in Success Magazine and I think it is superb:

    On Tuesday (Slow restaurant day) send a text out at 11:00 (when people are starting to think about lunch, "Buy one get on free TODAY from noon to 2pm"

    They can't lose the coupon, and it is fresh and most important, Timely. Their stomachs are growling!

    Good Luck, I'd really like to get a text client!

    And, I almost forgot, TextCastLive.Com has an auto-responder for mobiles, like AWeber or Constant Contact for email.
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  • Profile picture of the author advancedyn
    Trumpia wants several thousand dollars to get started. That's great for an established business but it doesn't make sense to shell out that kind of cash if you don't have to for a business that hasn't been proven yet.
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  • Profile picture of the author FreeBird85
    I am in the exact same boat, I want to offer customers SMS Texting but can't find a solid affordable way to do it. I found this WSO:

    http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...cents-msg.html

    But the seller seems to have abandoned his product and people were having issues with it, I'm not sure whether I want to buy it or not.

    If anyone has any other affordable solutions I would love to hear them as well.
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    • Profile picture of the author advancedyn
      The "abandoned his product" part would worry me. What happens when you get a good business built up and something happens? I was looking at CallFire earlier today. They seem to be a good one. I stumbled across Clickatell earlier today. They are very inexpensive to get started with but I'm not sure I like the idea that your clients have to download/install their software instead of using a web-based program like everyone else.
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  • Profile picture of the author FreeBird85
    Well, my idea would be to manage a customers number list for them. If it costs you 3 cents per text message, you can charge them 5 or 6 cents per text message, make a small profit on top of a monthly fee, and it would only take about 5 minutes to type up the message and get it sent out. Doing it this way they can send out as many blasts as they want to pay for.

    They would never have to see a web interface or download and install a product if I'm doing it all for them.
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    • Profile picture of the author advancedyn
      Unfortunately, that option isn't viable for my project.
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    • Profile picture of the author jenifer smith
      i think your client should determine the frequency of the SMS per week and concerning the charge, it all depend on the cost per SMS, you just need to add some cent as profit to the cost.
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  • Profile picture of the author FreeBird85
    Where do you get a long code number to use for sms campaigns? A number you can use with callfire or clickatell? I think I may buy that WSO, even tho I'm really hesitant about it.
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  • Profile picture of the author contentment1st
    Yeez Mobile is a good option as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author ClayFranklin
    I offer clients iZigg mobile marketing with the 90210 short code. I get monthly residuals as long as the customer stays a member. It's a MLM so some businesses join as a affiliate and then I get bonus dollars. It is really fun. I provide training for my team and retail clients. I especially like being able to send out messages from my phone. you can text 90210cash to 90210 to see how it works or cal me if you want to learn more.
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    • Profile picture of the author MarthaD.
      EZ Texting seems to be another good option. They have both monthly packages and a sort of "pay as you go" service for about .05/message.
      The "short code" you asked about is provided by the sms service you use.
      I would DEFINITELY stay away from any service that seems to have disappeared - any customers you get would soon disappear from you as well if you don't have a reputable, reliable service. Stick with a company you can depend on.

      I'm still not real clear on something you mentioned too, that is handling or managing their acct.

      Can someone please elaborate on this a bit - if they decide to send out the messages themselves, how or what is it you are providing them? If you are handling it for them, do you receive the responses from customers and forward them to the client or just have them receive their responses directly? And what about tracking responses?

      Hope this isn't too confusing or basic but I just can't seem to get a clear understanding of this process and would appreciate it if someone could explain this.
      Thanks in advance!
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      MarthaD.

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      • Profile picture of the author gomarket
        Thanks for bringing this up pplicon. Very interesting.
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      • Profile picture of the author virginiad
        Originally Posted by MarthaD. View Post


        I'm still not real clear on something you mentioned too, that is handling or managing their acct.

        Can someone please elaborate on this a bit - if they decide to send out the messages themselves, how or what is it you are providing them? If you are handling it for them, do you receive the responses from customers and forward them to the client or just have them receive their responses directly? And what about tracking responses?

        Hope this isn't too confusing or basic but I just can't seem to get a clear understanding of this process and would appreciate it if someone could explain this.
        Thanks in advance!

        For the service I use, I set up a "campaign", which includes a keyword, short code and any text messages you want to send.

        I provide the platform...the software that enables me to set up the campaign for the client, collect the phone no info (when the customer texts the keyword to the short code), and send out the text messages. I also provide the keywords, the short code, and the autoresponder.

        Once I set up a campaign, the client can get access to his campaign back office and can manage the texts him/her self, or I can do it for them. If you allow the client to manage the campaign, make sure that they are actually doing something. They may just not find the time to send out the texts or develop the promotions, and then they will find no value in the program and will just cancel.

        The responses are collected by the autoresponder. The client can access this information himself in the back office.

        The monthly fee that is charged can just include the use of the software and access to the keywords, etc., or it can include a management fee on top of that, depending on how much work you have to put in each month

        Hope this helps.

        Virginia
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        Virginia Drew


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  • Profile picture of the author MarthaD.
    Hi Virginia, thank you for your response but I'm still not clear on a lot of this.

    You stated - “I provide the platform...the software that enables me to set up the campaign for the client, collect the phone no info (when the customer texts the keyword to the short code), and send out the text messages. I also provide the keywords, the short code, and the autoresponder.”
    “Once I set up a campaign, the client can get access to his campaign back office and can manage the texts him/her self, or I can do it for them.”

    I’m not quite sure of what you mean by this – are you using a text messaging service or do you have your own software to do this?
    “…collect the phone info…”??? doesn’t that show up in the autoresponder account?

    How do they access the “campaign back office” ??? Again, is this the autoresponder acct. information?

    If you’re using a text messaging service, which I would need to be using at this point, whose name are you creating the acct. under? I assume it would have to be the customer’s name?

    What about the billing information for the service – is that under your name or theirs??? And if everything’s under their name (with a text message service provider) then all you need to give them is the username and password you used to create the acct.? And if they’re paying the monthly fee, are you then only charging them for a set-up fee maybe?

    Sorry to be so dense, but I’m afraid I’m still pretty confused.

    Thank you again though for trying to help me with this.
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    MarthaD.

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  • Profile picture of the author jasonthewebmaster
    Banned
    Try TextMarks.com - they start as low as $19/mo. and allow to send unlimited messages!
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    • Profile picture of the author edakehurst
      Originally Posted by jasonthewebmaster View Post

      Try TextMarks.com - they start as low as $19/mo. and allow to send unlimited messages!
      This one looks very interesting. I take it eight "group" could be one of your clients? So for 200 bucks a month I could have up to 1000 users spread out amongst 18 of my clients? And then I can just pay the additional fee for extra users and or extra clients, i.e. "Group"?
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      • Profile picture of the author Shane F
        However, the same is not true for Fanminder. Their software is NOT white label, it will contain their name on it. Resellers must tell their customers they are an independent contractor as it will be visible to all who the software really belongs to. i.e. Fanminder
        Hi Lee, I didn't know they stopped their white label program for new customers. You are right though, on new partner sites it says "Powered by Fanminder."
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        • Profile picture of the author Lee M
          Hi Shane,

          They never really had a true white label program from the perspective of software that a reseller could use. Best they offered was something "co-branded" where it was their name plus your logo etc.

          They talked about developing a white label for a long time, but decided not to proceed with it. Apparently most of their resellers offer a full service option to the client so it really isn't necessary. i.e. reseller is the only one really logging into system.

          What I liked best about their system was how they appended a coupon code at the end of a message (several SMS providers can do that) -- but they took it a step further. They required the consumer to reply back with that code in order to redeem coupon. By doing that redemptions can be tracked in their software, independently of retailer's point of sale. Good idea I think!?

          Anyway, I signed up to be on your Early Bird list for your while label program.
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          • Profile picture of the author Shane F
            Interesting info Lee. I can understand why they decided to abandoned the idea. It is proving to be quite a lot of work in development and testing.

            The ability to track redemption's from within the platform is something I like but do you think it would lower redemption rates by requiring that extra step from the subscriber or lead to higher opt-outs?

            Would also have to cost factor in the incoming message fee the aggregator charges. Also, thanks for joining the list, hopefully we will be able to start bringing in testers mid May as soon as a new shortcode gets approved we applied for just for that platform.
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            • Profile picture of the author Lee M
              Originally Posted by Shane F View Post

              The ability to track redemption's from within the platform is something I like but do you think it would lower redemption rates by requiring that extra step from the subscriber or lead to higher opt-outs?
              They came out with that feature almost 9 months ago. So I'm sure it's working well for them. They probably tested exactly what you're saying to make sure it was going to work out. i.e. effect upon redemption rates and opt-outs. By doing so, they can focus more on businesses that are more retail/promotion oriented. Slant their marketing that way as they have a good solution for businesses to track their campaigns and see just how effective they are.

              Which brings me to another point ...

              Text messaging is applicable to so MANY different types of businesses ... yet I have NOT really seen anyone start to develop software which is NICHE oriented. For example, there are over 250,000 Beauty Salons. Over 72,000 Pizza Shops. Over 28,000 Health Clubs. Granted, these figures are nationwide ... however, there are still tons of each type of business per 50 mile radius anywhere in the USA. i.e. MotoMessage for Daycare Centers, MotoMessage for Beauty Salons, etc. Take the existing software platform and customize per niche.

              My background is in direct marketing, so I often look at things from a different perspective. Slice the marketplace up more.
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              Working from Home since 1991
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              “Observe your competitors, for they first find your faults.”
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              • Profile picture of the author ExploringInfinity
                Thank you everyone who has contributed to this thread. I am just getting prepared to begin my business as a mobile marketing consultant for local businesses, and I've found a lot of good info through the links and posts in this thread.

                I'm still unsure as to how I should approach this business for now.. White label sounds great but it's a bit pricey for me at this moment, I need to get my business running and generating more income before I can start shelling out 1000s of dollars for a white label solution..

                So far I have been thinking about using ClubTexting, but I'm now noticing that they are quite expensive compared to some of the others out there. I'm now considering going with ThunderTexting but need a bit more information.. I'm operating out of Canada so I need a service that is available here for SMS solutions.
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  • Profile picture of the author chrisclements521
    Hey guys... This is Chris from YeeZ Mobile. We have the perfect solution for this. Send me a PM and I will get you hooked up! I am not going to post publicly what we are launching quite yet, but if you PM I will let you in on what we have available!
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    Chris Clements, Founder & CEO, YeeZ Mobile Inc.

    The Most Profitable White Label / Private Label SMS Reseller Program available to Offline Marketers! Long Codes & Short Code Keywords, in one account! YeeZ Mobile's SMSResellerProgram.com
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    • Profile picture of the author jasonthewebmaster
      Banned
      Originally Posted by chrisclements521 View Post

      Hey guys... This is Chris from YeeZ Mobile. We have the perfect solution for this. Send me a PM and I will get you hooked up! I am not going to post publicly what we are launching quite yet, but if you PM I will let you in on what we have available!
      Hey Chris, I took a look at your site.. it looks very promising. Love the fact that there is unlimited messages and unlimited keywords!
      Do you guys offer a white label system? I am PMing you now.
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    • Profile picture of the author littleangle
      Hey Chris, I don't have enough posts yet to pm you. would you be willing to email me at do.it.mobile@gmail.com please. I have real estate people that want sms services and have found 20+ sites but nothing that I can resell. only refer. Thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author FreeBird85
    Thanks Chris. I sent you a PM!
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  • Profile picture of the author mouseffects
    Martha:

    I believe, what Virginia was saying that typical text messaging accounts have multiple sections to it:

    1. The short code (typically 3,4 or 5 numbers, which is like a phone number but shorter). Think American Idle where they text the keyword "Vote01" (as example) to short code 12345 (I don't know the real code).

    2. The keyword: That is the part that goes into the message area of the text message (Vote01)

    Just as an email autoresponder works, people text the keyword to the short code and they become part of the list (subscribers). Then, the customer or you, as the manager of the account, can log into the admin area online and send the subscribers a message. Type it one time, hit "Send" and all subscribers receive it within seconds.

    3. The admin area: As I said, this is the area where your customer (or you) login to type your message PLUS it's where the tracking info is kept (things like: history of messages, when each was sent, etc.).

    The good systems can also schedule messages to go out at a later date so you or your customer can set all messages at the beginning of a period then forget about it for a while (send msg1 on Monday, week 1; send msg2 on Wed, week 2, etc.).

    Some of my customers like doing the messaging themselves because they want to send the specials (like the lunch or slow day specials) at the spur of the moment in which case I may not be available to help. Others want me to do all of the work... they provide the data and I type the messages and schedule them for delivery. For the latter customers, I even print their reports monthly and e-mail it to them. Others log into their admin area to view theirs.

    I am actually a white label reseller for a company and get great rates because of my relationship. In fact, I'm interested in increasing the volume more so I'm looking to joint venture with some other folks who are interested in providing this service.

    I have everything set up for the text messaging and also a QR Code generator and tracking system. The two go over real well with local clients. (I have my own hosting platform and these things reside on or are accessed through my servers.)

    Things that I think are important to your clients:

    * Get/use a system that does not limit messaging. If you send 1 message out to 100 customers, that's 100 messages. That means, if you have an account that only allows you 250 messages per month and you have 100 subscribers, you can only send messages twice (with 50 left over). You want your customers to use their system or they won't see value in it. My customers typically send a message per week so a restricted message system would cause me to pay extra for additional messages pretty quickly. Then I have to charge them more so they would tend to slow down their messaging if I did that (Think cell phones. If you only have X number of minutes, you aren't as free with the usage).

    * Bulk buy your keywords and/or subscribers so you can split the volume up into customer accounts (or work with someone who has the bulk buying - cough, cough).

    * Make sure the company has a solid reputation with expected longevity.

    *Make sure the admin area is simple to understand and use. Remember, these are offline business owners, not tech savvy online marketers.

    If you'd like to talk more about what I'm doing and see if it its your business model, PM me and I'll let you know how to get in touch with me. (I actually have more to offer than just these two things but this isn't intended to be a sales letter. I was just trying to help. I hope it did).
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    Larry Perry
    innovedia
    www.innovedia.net

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  • Profile picture of the author MarthaD.
    Thanks Larry, I appreciate your help. I do understand how text messaging works I think it's just the administration part that confuses me. I think it's just that I haven't been able to word my questions properly.
    Thanks again though, I'll get there - eventually!!!
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    MarthaD.

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    • Profile picture of the author TOM-M
      Hey guys... This is Chris from YeeZ Mobile. We have the perfect solution for this. Send me a PM and I will get you hooked up! I am not going to post publicly what we are launching quite yet, but if you PM I will let you in on what we have available!

      Chris I don't have enough posts to PM ya email me at dctomdctom@yahoo.com

      tks
      Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author Pankaj90
    can some1 recommend a nyc system or course for text msg marketing??
    thanx
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    • Profile picture of the author MarthaD.
      Originally Posted by Pankaj90 View Post

      can some1 recommend a nyc system or course for text msg marketing??
      thanx
      I've been finding a lot of information on this here on this forum but also just went to a few of the service providers sites and called or emailed them with my questions.
      If you Google "text messaging services" you'll find a number of them to check out.
      There's also some members here offering this service just do a search on this forum and you'll find a few threads on the subject.
      Hope this is what you were referring to in your post and that this helps some.
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      MarthaD.

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      • Profile picture of the author Pankaj90
        Originally Posted by MarthaD. View Post

        I've been finding a lot of information on this here on this forum but also just went to a few of the service providers sites and called or emailed them with my questions.
        If you Google "text messaging services" you'll find a number of them to check out.
        There's also some members here offering this service just do a search on this forum and you'll find a few threads on the subject.
        Hope this is what you were referring to in your post and that this helps some.
        actually i am interested in learning how to approach businesses and how to convince them...how to fix charges,campaigns etc... i m really a noob in this....so want to learn...
        thanx
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  • Profile picture of the author TOM-M
    Larry I wouldn't be put off if you emailed me also...lol

    Thanks
    Tom
    dctomdctom@yahoo.com
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  • Profile picture of the author JTDrew
    Since your familiar with izigg, I would recommend getting in touch with a local rep in your area so you can see the benefits of branding a short code and how to market with that for results.
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  • Profile picture of the author Just Jarius
    Can anyone give an example of an SMS "package" and what you would charge for it?
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  • Profile picture of the author DaniMc
    Mobile Marketing | Moto Message Text Message Marketing

    Shane is a member here, his packages seem very reasonable to me.
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    • Profile picture of the author Shane F
      Thanks for the mention Daniel.

      There are just under 400 SMS marketing companies out there that have their own shortcodes, not to mention the too many too count that send messages via SMTP.

      I'm not looking to get into a pro vs cons of the best way to send text messages but please whatever company you choose to work with be sure they are sending messages out via SMS, not just collecting subscribers that way.

      You want to be sure your text is actually getting delivered and buffered and the delivery rate output can handle your needs. In general a program with unlimited text credit capacity or does not charge for each outgoing text message to each subscriber is sending messages via SMTP. They are not incurring a cost to send a message to each outgoing subscriber. SMTP messaging is also not MMA compliant.

      Both Fanminder | Social Media and Mobile Marketing for Small Businesses and Trumpia have excellent white label programs at this time and we have recommended their services in the past.

      Thanks, Shane
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      • Profile picture of the author Lee M
        Originally Posted by Upstate Cowboy View Post

        Both Fanminder | Social Media and Mobile Marketing for Small Businesses and Trumpia have excellent white label programs at this time and we have recommended their services in the past.
        Trumpia has a true white label ... where the software can be branded your own. No mention of them anywhere. However, the same is not true for Fanminder. Their software is NOT white label, it will contain their name on it. Resellers must tell their customers they are an independent contractor as it will be visible to all who the software really belongs to. i.e. Fanminder
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        • Profile picture of the author TrumpiaTim
          Originally Posted by Lee M View Post

          Trumpia has a true white label ... where the software can be branded your own. No mention of them anywhere. However, the same is not true for Fanminder. Their software is NOT white label, it will contain their name on it. Resellers must tell their customers they are an independent contractor as it will be visible to all who the software really belongs to. i.e. Fanminder
          Thank you for the mention Lee, as this is ultimately what marketers need if they are looking to resell a product. If the product is not a true white label like Trumpia is, chances are that over time your clients will go directly to the source itself which puts you out of the equation.
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          Trumpia: The Most Completed SMS Text Messaging Software & API Solution.
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  • Profile picture of the author equity9200
    Just a few things you don't have to be a reseller for anyone you can setup a system on your own. Some work involved but at the end of the day worth it you control it. We pay $.02 per txt.

    I am interested if anyone wants to partner or jv some clients with me. We will work the technology and you do the sales, their will be absolutely no cost on your end.

    We are not using short codes. Most customers and users honestly do not care about the short code. We provide a local number. The customer actually likes this they see it as branding. Plus with this option we are not fighting over keywords we can give them any word they want to use and as many that they like.

    The UI can be customized to brand your business or the customer. If you are interested check out my signature or scan my pic.

    Thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author sandalwood
    Since you asked for a site that you want to look at for text messaging check out my site: Oinker Media | Mobile Marketing & Information Services | Text Message OINK4 to DOTCOM (368266). You can also PM me for more details.
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    • Profile picture of the author ltplenus
      Originally Posted by sandalwood View Post

      Since you asked for a site that you want to look at for text messaging check out my site: Oinker Media | Mobile Marketing & Information Services | Text Message OINK4 to DOTCOM (368266). You can also PM me for more details.
      Hey sandalwood,

      I can't PM yet so , can you send me a message containing an email or another way to contact you ?

      Thank you
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      • Profile picture of the author jayspann
        Have you looked at the Traffic Geyser peoples' Monster Follow Up? I have been using it for about 3 months and it's 3.5 out of 5. Maybe a little better. It has auto responders for email, sms, you can do voice messages, webinars, and quite a bit more. It doesn't do short codes for text you can set up local numbers for each campaign. That way if people call it, you can have it forward somewhere, or have a voice recording. If they text then it goes into your auto responder. If they txt you their email address that goes into email responder as well.
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    • Profile picture of the author littleangle
      Hey Sandalwood, would you be willing to email me more info re Oinker. I don't have enough posts yet to pm you. Thank you, do.it.mobile@gmail.com
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      • Profile picture of the author frontrunner1
        Originally Posted by littleangle View Post

        Hey Sandalwood, would you be willing to email me more info re Oinker. I don't have enough posts yet to pm you. Thank you, do.it.mobile@gmail.com
        Oinker Media | Mobile Marketing & Information Services | Text Message OINK4 to DOTCOM (368266)

        Oinker Media is the SMS White Label website offered by Textcomedia.com ... the shortcodes are owned by dotco.com ... the problem however is that dotco will NOT give you access to your (or your client's) list ... thus if you have any problems and want to change SMS text messaging providers, you're totally stuck ...

        Two other issues: (1) looked into Textcomedia and had problems with them being responsive and returning phone calls when promised, (2) dotco requires you to enter an ADDITIONAL word as part of your text messages ... so for example, instead of the customer texting JOESPIZZA to 98765, the customer must type: XXXXXX JOESPIZZA to 98765 (where XXXXXX is a string of characters identifying YOUR texting service ... e.g. BOBTXT) ...
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        • Profile picture of the author Luke Bishop
          Hi there, sorry to take away from the thread.

          But can anyone recommend any decent SMS services in Australia??

          Thank
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        • Profile picture of the author sandalwood
          Originally Posted by frontrunner1 View Post

          Oinker Media | Mobile Marketing & Information Services | Text Message OINK4 to DOTCOM (368266)

          Oinker Media is the SMS White Label website offered by Textcomedia.com ... the shortcodes are owned by dotco.com ... the problem however is that dotco will NOT give you access to your (or your client's) list ... thus if you have any problems and want to change SMS text messaging providers, you're totally stuck ...

          Two other issues: (1) looked into Textcomedia and had problems with them being responsive and returning phone calls when promised, (2) dotco requires you to enter an ADDITIONAL word as part of your text messages ... so for example, instead of the customer texting JOESPIZZA to 98765, the customer must type: XXXXXX JOESPIZZA to 98765 (where XXXXXX is a string of characters identifying YOUR texting service ... e.g. BOBTXT) ...
          frontrunner1,

          Thank you for the publicity. If anyone is interested in learning how to use the sytem I offer plus get invaluable training, PM me. To date, haven't experienced any of the problems you mention. Truth is, I get more calls then I want from the company. Plus, if I have a problem, they provide instant remedy. And, to boot, if I am having a difficult time selling the customer, I put them on speaker phone and they complete the sale.

          BTW, if you use my service, you don't pay any fees to join, I don't have any text costs, no short code fees and generally speaking, no cost to you at all. All you have to do is get the client and accept the check. Ask anyone else on this or any other forum to do that for you.

          Again, thanks for the publicity. I hope you are enjoying as much success as yours truly.

          Tom
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          Get 30% or More Retirement Income If you are serious about your retirement, you'll love this product.

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          • Profile picture of the author RandyRandola
            Not enough posts to PM. Please pm me. Thanks! (With your email addy)
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  • Profile picture of the author Transcripts
    Any recommendations for a service to test the waters with? I have a friend that owns a business that SMS would be a good match for. I'd like to test this, learn the mechanics, and everything while doing it for somone I know, before moving forward.

    I can't PM anyone yet either.

    Thank you.
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    • Profile picture of the author MarthaD.
      Originally Posted by Transcripts View Post

      Any recommendations for a service to test the waters with? I have a friend that owns a business that SMS would be a good match for. I'd like to test this, learn the mechanics, and everything while doing it for somone I know, before moving forward.

      I can't PM anyone yet either.

      Thank you.

      You might want to try EZTexting - looks pretty good and has lots of videos showing you how to use it. Also has the option of starting with a pay-as-you-go plan which might be good to start with.
      I'm not an affiliate but I've been looking at a few of the "numerous" services and think I might start with this one myself. There's no contract so you can easily change services if it doesn't work - most importantly, I'm pretty sure you can export any lists you may have built using their service - definitely want to have that available!
      Good luck, hope this helps.
      Signature

      MarthaD.

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      • Profile picture of the author Transcripts
        Thanks, I like the pay as you go idea.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mo Goulet
    Hi everyone. I have just completed an new guide covering Facebook Developer Coding and one of the sections is dedicated to a simple solution to what many of you are questioning here. You can download this section free at the following URL. No optin required. Just download it and let me know if you have any questions.

    Developers | S.M.A.R.T Business Solutions
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  • Profile picture of the author jayspann
    I'm using Monster Follow Up. It isn't like your typical SMS service with short codes. It's a auto responder that happens to have a SMS model. Each client gets his own local number and email address. If people call the number they get a recording... I set mine up to say something like 'Please leave your name and email address for a blank" You have then captured there phone number name and email address. There are humans out in space somewhere that intercept those VM's and enter them into your list. Or you can do the same by taking pictures of business cards with you smartphone (off topic). I like it because you control the list. You can move people from one list to another list. Or add the people to more then one list. It has bugs for some people but has been rock solid for me.
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  • Profile picture of the author sandalwood
    Originally Posted by pplicon View Post

    Have a customer who wants me to implement a SMS campaign for her restaurant.

    What's a good SMS reseller service (I just know of iZigg and Trumpia)?

    How much should I charge (I'm thinking 2-3 x's the monthly subscription on my end)?

    How often should I/We send out a campaign?

    Any other tips and tricks?

    Thanks Guys!
    Your customer could actually implement their own SMS campaign if they have the right type of phone and plan. Their only cost would be their monthly service fee. It isn't very complicated to do and nobody talks about it because they can't make a monthly income once they show the restaurant how to do it.

    I offer an SMS service. If I find a restaurant owner w/the above parameters, I offer to teach them how to do it for a fee plus comps. On the surface that looks like I am cutting my own throat. However, referrals and building mobile sites pay quite well.

    It's like John Durham and ScottH were saying in their posts - you simply have to keep an open mind and present what is best for the customer. Doing it the above way means you never lose the trust and respect of that business person. Do you think they will gladly pay you for the next proposal you bring to them?

    Not lecturing just passing out my in the field sales philosophy. You make more money by helping others get what they want. At least according to a guy named Zig...

    Just my 2¢...
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    Get 30% or More Retirement Income If you are serious about your retirement, you'll love this product.

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  • Profile picture of the author mouseffects
    if anyone wants to demo a sms system PM me and I'll provide demo access on my "generic label" system. I can only provide a few demos because it's a working system and I don't want to saturate it with a bunch of people looking at the same time.

    If you already have a system, let the ones who are trying to understand how these things work demo it please.

    I will be happy to answer any questions regarding how to sell text messaging too (as long as that doesn't get out of hand as well). I have a sales team selling text messaging and QRs (generator and analytics) and we're doing rather well with them so I have practical knowledge of what it takes to get the sale (although I'm sure many others do on this forum also).

    I'm not trying to say that my system is for anyone/everyone nor am I indicating that other systems aren't as good as mine. I'm just offering a look-see for those who are trying to learn. I wish someone would have done this for me when I first started out. I had TONS of questions and no answers.

    If the requests get too excessive, I can do a quick (free) video that could also explain things. We'll cross that bridge if we have to.

    PS. I do not sell online (WSOs, ebooks or anything like that). I'm strictly an offline consultant so please don't get on my case for offering this. Notice that my sig below is one of the few that does not say, "buy this from me" (although there's nothing wrong with those that do). And, if you go to my website, you'll not find a sales letter directed at you anywhere.
    Signature

    Larry Perry
    innovedia
    www.innovedia.net

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  • Profile picture of the author msgpals
    You can setup a very simple sms campaign through DKText.com as a white label solution.
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  • Profile picture of the author stone2010
    I personally like LIME CELLULAR, their white label its pretty good and you don't pay license fee. $2/month per keyword, $9.99/month per active account, $0.15 per text. They also offer a free DEMO which included 10 free text messages, so you can get familiar with the platform. Let me know if you would like more info so i can send you the link.
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  • Profile picture of the author stone2010
    i meant 1.5 cents per text...
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    • Profile picture of the author Pmac721
      What method/Gateway are you using that allows you not to have a per text message cost? Are you using a true SMS Gateway or are you using SMTP?
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