Let's face it, the image of teenagers texting back and forth is as common these days as YouTube or Iphones. However, I'd like to point out that more and more of us do it. That's right, we Tweet, Facebook, AND text as much as the kids do. Why? Because we LOVE IT!! More and more of this activity is being done via the cell phone - it's the one thing we carry with us at all times. In fact, 91% of cell users claim they are within three feet of their phone 24/7.
As a truck driver, I know what it's like being away from home. My phone has been my lifeline, a way to stay in touch with virtually the world. I Tweet, Facebook, and text from miles away from my "home base," allowing me to stay in contact with those I care about.
Why do I mention this? Because texting, the act of typing on our phones, has literally become a way of life for many of us. How could a small business take advantage of this "proximity" quality of our relationships with our phones? Well, a restaurant (pizza or otherwise, and the perfect client for this kind of service, btw) could just broadcast a text such as "Bring in this text today for a 10% discount," and voila! Instant business!
The mobile marketplace has been virtually untapped by marketers, even though there are three times as many people with cell phones as use the internet. Such potential here! I know, getting grandma & grandpa to text is a pain, but let me tell you, my daughter, who is in college, and who probably texts 10 times as much as I do, prefers this method of contact. It is less intrusive, you don't have to be "there" on a continuous basis. You can send a text, go to the fridge and grab a drink, come back to your phone, and see your reply. This is very convenient for those with a short attention span, or for us multi-taskers.
Having said that, I DO NOT, under ANY circumstances, condone texting while driving. I know of those who do it, and do not judge them. However, it is illegal in most states, and very dangerous.
On my 4-hour drive from Wisconsin to Chicago, I always Tweet: "I will only be available via telephone."
Getting back to "typing on our phones," I have always preferred the qwerty keyboard offered by Blackberry over touchscreens, but that is just me. Everyone has their own personal favorites. A lady I know said she prefers touchscreens because of her long fingernails. C'est la vie! What matters here is not the method, but the overlooked potential of text messaging, and how it can help small, local businesses. I am convinced that the immediacy of a text, which rivals that of radio and television, in itself is a boon to small companies.
Everything else being equal, the cost of text message marketing is competitive with that of print ads, and lest I forget, links can be embedded into these texts, directing the receiver to a website, YouTube video, etc. The possibilities are endless!
Keep on texting!
More soon,
Steve
http://bit.ly/dZTAjJ
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