Where do the numbers come from?

We recently met a number of Text Sells blog readers at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.

Needless to say I was rather upstaged by more smartly dressed colleagues, but I was at least able to answer a few questions for those considering text marketing.

A recurring theme to the discussions was – “Where do I get the numbers of the people I am texting to?”

If you scour through previous posts you will find my hinting at this on numerous occasions. Unlike most other forms of direct marketing, the key to communicating with customers via text message is that it must be on their terms. SMS Marketing, especially for restaurants, bases its success on the fact that it is an opt-in service.

In other words, if the customer dont want it, they dont get it. Read influential bloggers such as Seth Godin talking about ‘permission marketing’. http://www.sethgodin.com/permission/ (you can get 4 chapters of his book there), or see more on his blog.

“Permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them.

It recognizes the new power of the best consumers to ignore marketing. It realizes that treating people with respect is the best way to earn their attention.”

So buying a list of phone numbers and blasting them with texts about your restaurant, bar, pizzeria or anything else is anything but respectful. How much vigor do you put into hurling that junk mail at the trash can. How loud do you shout at the automated telemarketing messages that interrupt your dinner?

And how much more enjoyable is any purchase when you are allowed to court the seller on your terms?

Building a text list takes time, and patience, but can be done cheaply and simply. For example -

Advertise a discount, freebie or other incentive, which the customer will receive for joining your text club. If they are in line for a slice of pizza and a soda and you offer them a soda for free, in exchange for agreeing to be influenced on their choice of lunch once in a while, you have  a win-win situation.

Let them sign up to your list at the register. While they are thinking financials, what better time to offer them discounts for the future?

Offer signups on your website. Your web controller can make a simple tool that allows customers to add their number to your list in a few seconds.

Once you have sent a great offer to your customer’s cell phone, they are much more likely to be receptive to the idea of future deals and specials. The great thing about outbound SMS texting is that it gives you the chance to have some control on the power of suggestion, by informing them of a great offer that happens to be available when your shop is quiet. By following your coupon with a single, non-repeated opt-in message you let the recipient decide whether to continue your relationship.

A well publicized, pleasing offer will result in a high redemption rate AND healthy additions to your database of customers who WANT to hear from you.

And THAT’s where the numbers come from. You grow them, nurture them and treat them like your own. And they always should be your own, by the way. Never accept a texting service that places any ownership on the numbers of your customers.

Text messsaging donations to Haiti top $5m

To donate $10 to the American Red Cross text HAITI to 90999.

Fox News Opinion: In Haiti Geography is Destiny

The White House Blog: The President on Haiti: “The First Waves of our Rescue and Relief Workers are on the Ground and at Work”

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Mobile Marketing Predictions from ClickZ.com for 2010

This article on ClickZ.com offers some interesting views on SMS Marketing -

“Industry players say that each major mobile marketing format — short-code message service (SMS), smartphone apps, and Web-based display ads — evolved in a positive or interesting direction this past year. But which will emerge in 2010 as the best vehicle to drive sales?”

Christopher Heine reminds us that in spite of more popular app marketing, the proportion of cell phone subscribers who use their mobile internet is still low compared to those who use SMS Text Messaging and that marketers would do well to remember this.

He also suggests that even with the limitations of 160 Characters, messaging copy should be persuasive and give the recipient a reason to respond. For restaurants, bars and fast casuals this means a worthwhile offer that will spark the interest of the consumer and encourage them to take advantage of your offer. Try to make your message exclusive to that media channel – in other words don’t just repeat the same offers in every media. The customer will be disappointed that they have made the effort to text for a coupon they already saw!

Also, remember what we said in earlier posts about the types of offer you provide. Make sure they feel they are getting a ‘special’ offer, rather than a simple discount which could devalue the ‘full priced’ item.

Try different offers and measure which work the best for you.

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Jingle Bells, Texting Sells.

You can’t turn on the TV News without seeing another Christmas Light Switch-on, the latest Holiday Sales figures and getting the general message ‘if you’re not shopping, you’re a loser’.

Holiday Shopping is a profession

All well and good for retailers who spend their whole year gearing up to the holiday in the vain hope that turnouts will be good and spending will make up for previous,lacklustre months. But Christmas shopping is no leisure activity, it is a sport, an obsession, a quest, so how can restaurants and bars take advantage\ of the hustle and bustle of the holidays?

Text Messaging makes the perfect medium to reach frantic consumers as they shop. It is quick, convenient and can be very time sensitive. Buyers are time (must get all the gifts bought and home before I pick the kids up from school), and price  (I just couldnt resist spending a few more dollars on one more thing for little Johnny’s stocking) conscious.

The holiday season also brings out many ‘non-regulars’ who rarely venture downtown, or to the mall. Make sure they can see your text coupon offers proudly on display in a prominent position around your window and encourage them to try you out. This not only gets coupons out the door and brings in qualified leads, it also helps you to start building a database of numbers who are interested in receiving future offers when the post Christmas blues kick in.

Tie in with special events.

Holiday events draw crowds and customers

Santa visits, Carol Singers, Holiday Light Parades – All great ways of attracting extra foot traffic to the vicinity. Why not include these in your message and give your coupon some extra weight. “Harbor Lights Parade Special – Hot Pizza Slices to go – buy 4 slices to go and get free hot chocolate this Friday & Saturday 12/6-12/7. Bryans Slice 212-555-2233″.

Use Time-Sensitive Offers

Professional Christmas Shoppers rarely plan  a lunch break but are more likely to eat and drink ‘on the move’. The right offer at the right time can be just enough to direct themthrough your doors to ‘grab and go’. Try early or late lunch offers, or suggest a mid-morning coffee, using an unbeatable deal as the incentive. “Recharge your batteries. Java Joes Seasonal Coffee and Cake $2.99  10am to 12pm daily exp. 12/12. 212-444-3123″

Empathize

Who are your targets? Provide a variety of offers to interest different market segments and design your message accordingly. ‘Avoid the crowd’ offers, ‘Meet up for a holiday drink’, ‘Dont feel like cooking after a hard day at the mall?’.

Text Message Marketing is quick and easy to set up, which means unlike most holiday marketing, it need not begin in September. Set up your text program now, and get your messages on their way while it still counts.

You can be certain that in one way or another each and every customer will be having a ‘holiday experience’. Whether they are desperately trying to avoid it or immersing themselves in the festivities. Make sure you are a part of it one way or the other.

McDonalds Holiday Shopping Escape

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SMS Text Marketing vs Twitter – Getting the most from 160 Characters.

A recurring question we hear from potential clients is ‘Why should we use your text messaging services when we can get twitter for free?’ This was particularly prominent at the Western Food Services show where a number of savvy restaurateurs had already some experience of tweeting. Well, they both use less than 200 characters. And they can both appear on your phone. Except one costs money and the other one is, well, free.

The Lunchpail does a seriously good job of explaining some of the reasons why one is not a replacement for the other -

1. Twitter may be available on the cellphone, but it is not ‘the same as text messaging’. Twitter users can be notified of the arrival of a new tweet, and they can even have it sent as a text. But where a cell phone user will often drop everything to read an incoming SMS message that is targetted and includes guaranteed relevant content, the steady stream of ‘I am on the bus’ and ‘Was MJ Murdered?’ garbage will, without doubt, become a tedious distraction in a few minutes.

SMS Text Messages, on the other hand, is a direct communication between people or organizations who have your cell phone number. Bona Fide SMS Spam is still very rare, and completely blockable, and Text Messages for advertizing are strictly regulated. So you can be confident that your text offers will not get lost amongst the junk.

2. Twitter does not involve a transaction between the sender and the receiver. Other than a follow, there is no committment between the sender and the receiver. Set up a new twitter account and you will automatically receive hundreds of ‘suggested followers’. Many Twitter users almost ‘collect’ followers as a hobby and the relevance of one to another is diminished.

Using Text message marketing for your business involves several investments. Usually your customer or potential customer has an interest in your organization. They are willing to take the time (and part of their text allowance) to request a coupon via text from you. Alternatively they may sign up online or fill out a form in side of the business. A tangible relationship exists between the advertiser and the audience. If your offers are good enough customers may even forward them to others who are likely to enter into a buying transaction with you – a viral aspect that Twitter is famous for but can rarely deliver as far as real sales go. Because your audience is ‘qualified and relevant’ you have a greater chance of success. You build up a database of interested users, often in defined target audience demographics you can use for text marketing messages.

Meanwhile Twitter provides almost a revolving billboard, a constant scrolling list of messages that may or may not be seen, and may or may not grab the attention. More often than not a twitter update includes a link to another site, story, block or flickr account and contains little more than that link in its content.

Twitter includes some powerful tools that are great for segmentation and marketing initiatives, especially using some of the available search tools, and there is no doubt that its millions of users make an attractive audience to the small business and especially a restaurant, diner or pizzeria looking to create a local buzz. But in terms of making direct connections with your customers and rating the direct effectiveness of your campaign sms text message marketing is here to stay.

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Text Sells: Hooters show off a great set of results from SMS Campaign

According to Mobile Marketing.com Hooters achieved a 32% increase in sales from the Text mobile marketing campaign they ran earlier this year.

The project consisted of a 2 stage campaign. In conjunction with Cox Communications, Hooters tagged an on-demand video to their TV advertising. Viewers could access the video which essentially demonstrated how to send a text message in order to join the Hooters mobile club. Whilst I didn’t see the video myself, I imagine it was a very technical demonstration of text messages which engaged the audience through education. Ahem!

Viewers who signed up received an instant coupon for 10 free wings at their local Hooters, as well as future offers from the restaurant chain. All they had to do was show their Hooter Girl on their next visit.

Wings Anybody?

Whilst a TV advertising campaign, interactive or otherwise, may be beyond the realms of affordability for most high street restaurants and small businesses, there are a number of points that we can take from the Hooters SMS Marketing campaign that are simple and affordable to add to your marketing strategy.

1. Clear instructions: Informing your customers how to use your coupon service in clear and simple terms needn’t involve a curvy presenter in a TV studio. Signage should be simple, displaying your code and the number to send it to in clear, bold text. Keep details of what they will receive brief and easy to understand.

Brief your staff to make them aware of the campaign so that they can answer any questions about your text marketing club.

2. Irresistable Offer: I am sure that the sauces accompanying Hooters’ free wings guarantees the sale of at least one if not two or three beverages. The cost to the restaurant is minimal and the chances of bringing a friend are high. We have already discussed in an earlier article how customers perceive ‘Free’ more favorably than ‘Discount’ and are less likely to devalue their regular order with a complimentary side or upgrade.

If the offer is good enough your campaign has a great chance not only of increasing repeat visits by existing customers but also bringing new faces through the door as your coupons pass from phone to phone.

3. Trackability: Text makes tracking your success easy and almost instantaneous. A good text provider will offer basic statistics at no extra cost. Identify your campaigns with a title or code so you can see at a glance how many texts have been sent. This can help you to identify which promotional tools are working hardest for you.

If possible, add your identifiers to your point of sale system so that you can compare how many coupons were redeemed, so you can determine how your customers are viewing the offer they receive.

4 Repeatability: Using your advertising to encourage new participants in your text club means that you can use the results again and again. In other words a result now is a potential repeat sale in the future.

Even without the assets available to your local Hooters restaurant, you can still achieve great things by applying basic principles and utilizing a straightforward text marketing tool. Clear instruction, great offers and traceable results mean that you too could achieve dramatic increases in sales turnover with the smallest of investments.

Finally, if you didn’t have the time or the inclination to visit a Hooters establishment lately, this funny video will do nothing to change your mind, courteousy of MadTV.

Hooters TV - Mad Style

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Txt Marketing Campaigns – 4 offer ideas to get your restaurant buzzing!

Text messaging communication with your customers is a great way to maintain a dialogue that is instantly received and quickly opened. Unlike direct (to the letterbox) mail, texts go straight to the cell phone. Your message is limited to 160 characters, but there is no restriction on imagination. Being inventive with the messages you send not only gives your customers something to think about but can yield powerful results in a short space of time.

1. Time sensitive offers. Strong calls-to-action encourage readers to respond within a time frame. Many text services allow you to schedule an outbound message blast to your subscribers ahead of time. Think about the days when your restaurant is not fully exploiting its potential. How can you make better use of your staff and energy on a quiet day? By selling more product, even if this means offering a discounted incentive.

“Feels like Friday Special – Spoil yourself – free cookie with every 6” sub today only at SubTasty. Show this msg before 2pm! Exp 2pm 10/12. 888-555-1234”.

2. Viral Offers. If an offer is truly irresistible your customers will pass it on to their friends. Email links are one thing – but the effort to print, cut out and take the coupon can often prove too taxing for the busy professional, or just downright inconvenient for those who are on the road. Text coupons are simple and quick to pass on, and best of all, the forwarded text costs you absolutely nothing, nada, zilch.
If more customers are lining up to redeem their coupons than you have sent messages to, your campaign was a viral success. And you acquired new customers – priceless in modern, cut-throat markets.

“Get a free regular fresh brew coffee today at Java Joes. Make it large for $1. Show this msg before 6pm. 211 Main St. 888-555-1234. Exp 6pm 10/12. PASS IT ON!”

3. ‘Feel Good’ Messages. Answering your customers concerns at the right moment can win hearts and minds in the battle for business.

Sending timely messages about a healthy special can capture the imagination when the decision over lunch is being made. Lo-carb, low calorie or reduced fat options can help to       sway the health-conscious consumer who acts on impulse.

‘This week – Zac’s Grill Lo-carb specials – Chicken Ranch/Teriyaki/Balsamic Salads 15g Net Carbs. only $4.99 – show this coupon. Exp. 10/15. 888-555-1234’

4.  Bring-a-friend offers. Encourage your customers to sell for you!

They say there is no such thing as a free lunch, and they are right. But that doesn’t stop you from rewarding your customers for a little lunchtime selling. Encourage them to bring a couple of friends in exchange for a free set meal on showing their text coupon. Again you can customize your message to be valid on quiet days and encourage new people to try your wares.

‘Lunch with friends! Show this msg when you buy two set lunches and get a free regular salad. Valid Tues & Wed b4 2pm. Exp. 10/15. Phils Kitchen 888-111-2111’

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Who is your target audience? 5 demographics you can use.

Understanding your  target audience is perhaps the most important first step in deciding on any marketing campaign. Print advertising and direct mail are certainly the broadest methods for communicating with your audience – doesn’t everybody read a newspaper? Have a mail box?

Not necessarily. Newspapers are notoriously in decline with most now turning to online editions to grab at reader share, and the public view of direct mail is often less than flattering.

Text message marketing can send your marketing message direct to your customer’s mobile phones – an on-demand, convenient service that builds loyalty and maintains interest for under 10c. (Imagine If you were told you could buy as many customers as you liked for a dime each!)

But how do you determine if your target audience is the right one for this type of service (or any other, for that matter)? We suggest you analyze your market by considering the following –

1. Age – Text messaging is the most popular communication method amongst the 13 – 24 age group and continues to grow faster than calls, email and even social media such as Twitter and Facebook.
2. Location – Are your customers local to your restaurant and likely to make impulse purchases or do they travel further with planned visits from outlying areas.  This can influence the type of offers you may look to use, how long offers are valid for etc.
3. Occupation – Of course the student demographic is a very attractive one for the application of text messaging, based upon the age group and also relative trust and willingness to try ‘new’ communications media. High concentrations of office workers may benefit from lunch time offers or group discounts.
4. Competition – If the competition is fierce in your location it may give you an advantage to get to your audience before they have given consideration to other restaurants. Where there are few alternatives you may be competing against home cooking, brown-bag lunches, money saving.
5. Affluence – How vulnerable is your audience to changes in economic conditions? Are they likely to react favorably to discount coupons? As an alternative, upmarket restaurants can maintain an air of exclusivity by creating members clubs and using text messaging to communicate special events, significant menu changes or additions to the wine list.

If you thought that text messaging ‘just wasn’t for you’ perhaps an analysis of your target audience will change your thinking. Alternatively it may simply reinforce your original opinion, and identify other communications methods that maybe you never thought of..

Regardless, target audience review is  to thoroughly examine who your customer base really is and adopt appropriate marketing tactics.

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Design your mobile marketing message mmm…….

The beauty of Mobile Marketing is that it gives you the opportunity to experiment.

A good SMS Marketing package will include message tracking, probably the  most powerful tool when it comes to devising your message.

Giving your campaign a name will enable you to track all of the messages that are sent out in the campaign and see how many redemptions you received. Adding the campaign name to your point of sale system will give you the sale information automatically. Keeping your message fresh and up to date will ensure you maintain the interest of your customers. When revising your offer, try to identify factors which made other offers succeed or fail. Compare notes with front of house staff who have heard comments first hand. Sometimes just a few words of difference in your offer message can make a huge difference.

When creating a message, also be sure to include the following -

• Restaurant name. Did you ever receive a text that said ‘here is my new number’ but didn’t say who it was? Enough said!
• Contact details – If the customer has to look up your number the convenience is lost.
• Simple, clear offer details. Try to avoid discounts which can change a customer’s value perceptions. Instead, offer something free which they can see as a bonus but will not expect with every visit.
• Expiry date. You can easily change the expiry date if an offer is working for you. Short life coupons ensure that your customers keep up to date with the latest offer from your restaurant.
• Identifier. This can be the same as the campaign name – for example ‘JulyDeal’ or ’2offLarge’. This makes it easy for those placing telephone orders and also makes an easy way for customers to ‘forward’ your offers by word of mouth!

Text messages are limited to 160 characters (including spaces!) so you have to be efficient. But it is surprising how much you can say in such a limited space, and can be great training to be a more efficient marketer!

For more info visit our website www.pizzatxt.com

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5 Essentials for keeping spam off the menu.

At the recent Western Food Services show that we attended, one of the biggest concerns of restaurateurs was about their customers being annoyed by spam.

Western Food Services Expo

Spam is unsolicited communication, most recently associated with email, but as text messaging increases in popularity phones have become a target for spam.

The Mobile Marketing Association has listed guidelines and best practice on its website for some time now, as well as a code of conduct that declares respect for the end user to decide what they receive on their cell phone, and rightly so. Where regulation wasn’t in place,  for example in the Philippines, they have just introduced serious fines for spammers following complaints from users who were being spammed, AND CHARGED for the privilege.

The key to prevent customer irritation is to treat them with respect, and keep your promises.

1. Never send unsolicited texts. However tempting it may be to use those cell phone numbers you have been collecting all year for telephone orders or reservations, many of them will see it as a serious invasion of privacy to use the number they entrusted to you in case of emergency.

Providing a text-on-demand service that promises great offers on request means that your customers will only get the texts when they want them. This may not be as appealing as sending out regular blasts by email, or thousands of mailers, but you can say with confidence that most of those who text for your coupon will also spend money in your store.

2. If you have an existing client list, provide a way for them to ‘opt-in’ to your text list. Leverage your email list or website to ask customers if they are interested in the convenience of offers to their cell phone. If you are building a list, make sure that customers have a box to tick that confirms they are willing to receive marketing messages (exclusive deals, specials, sneak event previews) by text to this number.

Customers can opt in by text – eg ‘Text RomanoBC to 52732 to join our breakfast club for great morning offers (up to one each week)’.

3. For Outbound text ‘blasts’, set out ground rules – eg ‘no more than 4 texts per month’ or ‘up to 2 texts each week’ AND STICK TO THEM. This is your promise to your customer.

4. Give your offers exclusivity. Your customer will be far more responsive to a good value offer that feels like they wouldn’t have seen it elsewhere than to the same old same old. I had a winning sticker in the Subway ‘Scrabble’ game only yesterday. When I saw it was for ice tea I promptly threw it in the trash and promised not to waste my time peeling them in future.

5. Messages sent to lists of subscribers should always include an ‘opt out’ option. ‘Text END to stop these messages’.

Subscribers are statistically unlikely to leave your list. They may well, on occasions, mutter and complain that the text they thought was from their long lost uncle in darkest Peru was in fact from the local Pizzeria, but they will keep receiving your texts until a day when they are in the mood for Pizza comes along, and you are first choice.

If you maintain respect, nobody will view your texts as spam. If you make your offers good enough, they will not only we OK with your texts, they will positively DEMAND them.

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