Texting (SMS) is Like Dating

Texting (SMS) is no doubt the preferred method of choice when communicating with friends and family these days. Although it loses it's personnel touch, it is most definitely a non-intrusive, most direct, and more efficient way to communicate.

I have implemented different marketing campaigns since the beginning of the year and building a Mobile database is definitely like Dating. You have to go through the same life cycle of picking up your next relationship. Here are the comparisons:

#1 Pick your Mate - Just like hanging out at a party or going to a bar, you have to scope out the place to find who might be of interest to you. Once you have identified that individual your goal is start a conversation and get them to stay engaged with your discussion.

In Mobile Marketing, you have to identify your customers and then get them to engage in some kind of related dialogue (i.e. Text to Win, For more Information). You want your mobile customers to engage and to get their curiosity juices flowing.

#2 Get their Number - Once you have had some conversation with your potential MATE, your next goal is to make them give you his/her number. The potential MATE will only give their number if they are interested or if they think the action can build some type of relationship. At this point, you got their number and you can scream "GOAL"! This is a huge step!

In Mobile Marketing, this concept holds true as well. The information or the offer that is provided in the Texting Campaign has to be good and enticing enough to convince your potential clients to give you their number. They will only participate in your Mobile Campaign if they feel they can benefit by offering their private number to your business. They have to trust your brand and your intentions. Once you get them to participate, your BRAND can scream GOAL!!!

#3 Be Careful not to Stock - Once you get their number, your goal as an individual is to keep that number in good standings. The last thing that anybody wants is a "Stocker" type call every 5 minutes. If you break that trust and your MATE feels violated, the relationship is immediately terminated.

In Mobile Marketing, if you as a brand decide to send a TEXT message everyday to a person who just gave you their number, they will surely feel that same STOCKER type action and immediatly terminate the relationship. Obtaining their number was half the battle, but keeping their number in good standings is the rest of the battle.

#4 Blissful Love - Once you have had serveral conversations and both parties feel comfortable with each other, you can now enjoy your new partner and call them without any inhibitions. Go on a couple dates and bask in the cloud of Blissful Love.

In Mobile Marketing, you have gained your customers trust and now you have a good chance to send a Mobile SMS blast frequently without feeling like you are bothering them. This is a paramount step in your campaign cycle and this is where you need to be careful and interact responsibly to keep the relationship "Alive and Kicking"!


But wait....it's not quite over

#5 Splitting Up and It's over - In any relationship, if any partner becomes irresponsible or crosses the trust line, they have every right and most likely would terminate the relationship.

In Mobile Marketing, if you have gained your customers trust, but decided to send them too many Text Messages on any given day, there will be repercussions! You never want to get to this stage as this would be an expensive loss to your overall efforts. Your clients can opt out at anytime, so it is pertinent to maintain a responsible SMS Mobile campaign to keep them loving you like day one!

In conclusion, Mobile Marketing can be very beneficial to your bottom line! Like any relationship, there will be a lot of WORK ahead, but blissful LOVE is just down the road!
Just do it!