While our love affair with Smartphone technology continues to grow, Ofcom, paradoxically have seen fit to delay the auctioning of the UK’s airwaves yet again. The first phase, which was due to take place in early 2012, has now been delayed until the last quarter.

The Government has stated that it wants the UK to have the most powerful mobile network in Europe by 2015 but rivalries between the four main providers means we are falling further and further behind our European counterparts when it comes to 4G technology.

While this rivalry continues and Ofcom continues to move the goal posts, SMS will continue to play an important role in overall mobile marketing strategies because we simply cannot rely on the existing network to deliver the download speeds needed for innovative new services. Poor coverage and latency issues result in consumers becoming bored and not bothering to press buttons to get more information because the delays are too long.

SMS on the other hand does not present these types of problems because it pushes itself directly in front of consumers. It has its limitations and is not as pretty or flashy as Internet-based services, but if companies get their messaging right, they can quickly communicate information to their customers without them needing to do anything other than read the text.

At least with SMS you know your message will reach your target audience.

Below are other reasons why SMS still continues to play an important part in overall marcomms
strategies:

• It’s cheap – both for the provider, who can purchase SMS messages in bulk and for the consumer, who can send and receive a predefined numbers of messages as part of their contract
• It’s quick –messages are delivered almost instantaneously
• It has a wide marketing reach – all phones support SMS
• Is not reliant on 3G networks so marketers are not reliant on good network coverage
• It provides an easy response mechanism – for spontaneous decisions and impulse purchases
• It is easy to monitor – so campaigns can be targeted
• It integrates seamlessly – with e/marketing activities
• It’s widely understood – by everyone
• It provides a positive experience because messages can always be delivered

Our enthusiasm for apps and Smartphone technology is changing the online retail landscape beyond all recognition; 16% of all online purchases made this Boxing Day were placed via Smartphones – a 275% increase on the previous year.

The general public no longer regards the mobile internet with scepticism; they now see it as a huge convenience because it allows them to make those planned or impulse purchases irrespective of where they are. Well known high street brands need to make sure that mobile advertising is in their promotional remit if they want to take advantage of this changing culture.

SMS is an ideal marketing medium for retailers wanting to target these new style Smartphone shoppers because it allows them to quickly and cost effectively inform their customers of different promotions and reductions. All phones support SMS so it also allows them to target traditional online shoppers that have not yet caught on to the Smartphone phenomenon.

Unlike other forms of digital advertising, people do tend to read their text messages as soon as they receive them, so if retailers incorporate an embedded URL in their messages, they are giving those Smartphone shoppers the opportunity to make those impulse purchases, thus increasing their overall sales as a result.

Below are seven other reasons why we believe retailers should incorporate SMS into their overall marketing strategies:

• Concise -SMS messages are to the point. Any message that includes clearly visible information of what is on offer will encourage potential customers to respond if they are interested
• Cost effective – retailers sending SMS messages in bulk can benefit from wholesale pricing
• Wide marketing reach – SMS is used and understood by everyone
• Personalized – mobile phones are very personal so by asking some intricate questions, you can build up detailed profiles of your customers which will enable you to carry out very targeted campaigns
• Quick – you can send appropriate messages to pre-defined groups with a single mouse-click
• Easy to manage – because the majority of online SMS campaigns use email as the delivery mechanism, your customer service staff can manage all correspondence from a single, centralised point
• Easy response mechanism – thus providing your consumers a positive experience

If you want to see how SMS-based marketing campaigns could increase your overall sales why not sign up to our no-obligation trial today?

We also provide bulk SMS facilities. However, our interpretation of bulk SMS is slightly different to the norm because our application has been designed specifically for smaller organisations, allowing them to benefit from a carrier-grade service at an affordable price.

Bulk SMS is the quickest, easiest and most cost effective way to reach your entire customer base in one hit. Services are easy to set up and configurations can be saved for future campaigns.

You can send your messages online, via a secure web interface or by email using your existing email application, depending on what suits you best. Our service can also be integrated with existing back- office systems via a Developer’s API.

Our Bulk SMS service supports prepaid users (very popular with SME’s and start-up companies), or monthly invoiced accounts for larger organisations that regularly send in excess of 100 text messages on a daily basis.

Your messages are delivered almost immediately and your customers will respond because, unlike other forms of communication, people do tend to read their text messages.

We have listed below our top ten bulk SMS services that we believe can benefit smaller organisations:

1. Promotional activities – Mobile phones are very personal. By using some subtle info- gathering techniques you can quickly build up accurate profiles of your customers. You can then use this information to carry out targeted campaigns such as a special promotion on party dresses or the best ski deals
2. Payment reminders –Free up your admin staff by reducing the number of phone calls you make to customers reminding them an invoice is overdue or that their rent is in arrears
3. Delivery information – SMS is a great way of informing customers of an expected delivery time. By including a “reply” facility (allowing customers to request an alternative delivery time, for example) you will cut back on the number of wasted journeys
4. Notifications – SMS is an effective way to remind people of appointments or team briefings
5. Time-sensitive alerts – SMS is the quickest and easiest way to inform parents that school will be closed due to bad weather
6. SMS broadcast – This is the quickest way to communicate general information to a particular group of people – sports teams, for example, telling them a match has been cancelled or rescheduled
7. Calendar reminders –Sending employees SMS reminders of their daily meetings or appointments will improve your organisation’s efficiency
8. M2M monitoring – SMS is a highly efficient way of alerting support engineers of a server or storage problem
9. Business continuity – SMS can be used to facilitate your business continuity procedures, thus helping minimise downtime and loss of revenue

10. Voicemail notifications – Integrating SMS into your into your telephone system means you will never miss out on a business opportunity

Our Bulk SMS service can also be used in conjunction with our personalised replies facility, which means that all your replies are delivered to the original sender and not a central holding number or email account, allowing you to build up a relationship with your customers.

Why not sign up for a FREE trial today and see for yourself how bulk SMS could benefit your company.

According to a recent survey carried out by KPMG, UK shoppers are embracing technology at a faster pace than many other countries, with 77% of us preferring to buy goods like CDs, DVDs, books and video games online.

Not only that, we are increasingly using Smartphone or Tablets to make these online purchases.  With more than a quarter of the UK adult population and over a half of all teenagers owning a Smartphone, retailers are having to quickly modify their promotional campaigns to capitalise on these changes.

At totext.net we believe that SMS-based applications can complement these changes because if retailers are offering amazing online promotions, they need to make consumers aware, and one of the most cost effective ways to do this is via SMS.

All phones support SMS, so you can target traditional shoppers as well as the new-style “Smartphone shoppers”. SMS pushes itself directly in front of your consumers and isn’t reliant on them pushing buttons or downloading apps. Unlike other forms of advertising, most people do read their text messages as soon as they receive them, and if you incorporate an embedded URL in your message, you are giving your Smartphone customers the opportunity to make those impulse purchases.

Below are a number of other reasons why we believe retailers should incorporate SMS into their overall promotional campaigns:

• Concise -SMS messages are to the point. Any message that includes clearly visible information of what is on offer will encourage potential customers to respond if they are interested
• Cost effective – Retailers sending SMS messages in bulk can benefit from wholesale SMS pricing
• Wide marketing reach – SMS is understood by everyone
• Personalised – Unlike other devices, mobile phones are very personal. By asking some intricate questions, it is possible to build up detailed profiles of your customers which results in more effective marketing campaigns
• Quick – you can send appropriate messages to pre-defined groups with a single mouse click
• Easy to manage – Because the majority of online SMS campaigns use email as the delivery mechanism, your sales staff can manage all correspondence from a single, centralised point
• Easy response mechanism – offering your consumers a positive experience

Click here to find out more about who we are and what we do.

This type of application is really useful if you want to promote easy- to- access services to your customer base but, unfortunately, the principle of reversed billed SMS has been widely abused over the years, with consumers being charged for messages they didn’t want to receive in the first place.

We want to tell you about our version of the application. We have turned the basic concept reverse billed SMS on its head because, with our version of the service, it is the original message sender who is charged for any replies they receive and not the receiver.

Why would the sender be willing to pay to receive these messages? Well, if we take the example of text notifications for emails (when you are out of the office) you don’t really want your customer to have to pay for replying to your message because it is not their fault you are not at your desk.

By combining our reversed billed SMS application with Microsoft Outlook email forwarding rules, you can be sure that you will always receive certain types of messages– a particularly useful feature if you need to monitor stock control or support messages, for example.

How does it work? Well, our bespoke messaging software will deduct the cost of each received message from your account (which is the same cost as for sending a message), even if the sender’s details are not logged on our database.

This neat application will complement a number of other email –to-SMS based services, appointment reminders, marketing promotions or job interviews for example, where you want to encourage consumers to reply but without necessarily incurring any costs.

If your customer is unable to keep their appointment, they can quickly reply to your message (at no charge to them) to rearrange or cancel.

If you are running a mobile-based marketing campaign (Christmas promotions, for example), SMS is a great response mechanism, but again, you might not want your customers to pay. If you combine our reversed billed SMS application with your marketing campaign, they won’t have to because you will be charged for each received reply.

Our reversed billed SMS service can also be used in conjunction with our personalised SMS application, which means that all message replies will be delivered directly to the original sender and not to an email inbox or central holding number, allowing you to build up a rapport with
your customer.

Follow this link to find out more about the different products and services we offer.

While larger organisations can usually to “ride the wave” of tougher economic climates, an irregular cash flow can be the make or break of smaller companies.

These unpaid invoices are usually not for large sums of money and administration staff find themselves spending a disproportionate amount of time either on the phone or writing letters to chase payments, because the time spent doing this can often outweigh the value of the invoice
itself.

In these instances SMS is the ideal solution. Message reminders can be quickly sent to large groups of people simultaneously. What’s more, individual messages can be customised so that they are relevant to the recipient by including key information such as the due date and the outstanding
balance.

Writing and sending out reminder messages is simple and straightforward. All you have to do is create your message(s) and distribution lists in a spreadsheet, save the document as a CSV file, upload it, review the information and press the send button.

This is much more cost effective than spending hours on the phone and leaving endless messages that are never even listened to.

SMS can also be used by councils and housing associations, and private landlords to remind tenants that their rent is overdue.

SMS will give you the desired results because, unlike other forms of communication, people do tend to read their texts. Reminders are easy to set up and because email is normally the delivery mechanism, your admin staff can manage their emails and texts from a single centralised point.  By embedding a link to a secure online payment mechanism within the message itself, you can give your clients the option to settle their debt immediately.

What else does SMS have to offer?

• It is cheap

• It is direct

• It has enormous marketing reach

• It allows for easy interaction

• It complements other communications channels

• It is targeted

A number of organisations in the UK are already using our service to better manage their credit control processes. They are also using our personalised replies facility to build rapports with their clients at no extra cost.

Click here to find out more about who we are and what we do

We will certainly be voting for our favorite acts via SMS and not making any complaints to the regulators!

We are also pleased to see that SMS is also playing an increasingly important role in major TV fund raisers. This year’s Comic Relief raised over £15million via SMS donations, representing more than 20% of the total amount raised.

Even in our digital age, donating via SMS remains the most popular choice because it provides consumers with the simplest, most spontaneous donation experience. They are not required to download an app, neither are they required to register their contact details or input any credit card information on a website – a process susceptible to fraud if not managed properly.

The re-introduction of SMS for reality TV and its widespread adoption by the charity sector further highlights its importance as a viable communications medium.

Below are just some of the reasons why SMS remains a popular choice for businesses and individuals:

• It is cheap – Campaign executors can purchase SMS messages in bulk and consumers can
• send and receive predefined numbers of messages as part of their contracts
• It’s quick – text messages are delivered almost instantaneously over all networks
• It has a wide marketing reach – all phones support SMS
• It is widely understood – which results in a positive user experience
• It provides an easy response mechanism – allowing for spontaneous decisions
• SMS is direct – SMS pushes itself directly into the site of the consumer
• SMS integrates seamlessly with other e/marketing activities
• SMS works – unlike other forms of communications people do read text messages when they get them and it is easy to unsubscribe to a service – you simply text stop

Click here to find out more about who we are and what we do.

According to Ofcom’s latest Communications market report, over a quarter of adults and almost half of teenagers now own a Smartphone.

With such revelations we are often asked our opinion on mobile advertising versus SMS-based promotions and whether we think that Smatphones will result in the demise of SMS-based services. Well the simple answer is No.

There is still a place for SMS in our multi channel world. Indeed after the latest RIM debacle, Blackberry users around the world would tell you SMS and voice are the only reliable means of mobile communications available.

We may well be going Smartphone crazy but we’ve along way to go before the infrastructure is in place to truly support Smartphone applications.

In many areas of the UK consumers struggle to get a 2G signal, never mind 3G. In Europe there are already plans to start implementing 4G services!

It has also been revealed that the auctions for selling the next generation mobile phone spectrum in the UK have been postponed from the first half to the last quarter of 2012 which means we are way behind many European nations.

Granted, SMS is not as “pretty” or “flashy” as internet-based applications but at least it works.

The growth of SMS over the last 10 years (over 2000%) confirms it is still a viable communications channel and is still used as an important marketing tool by businesses worldwide and when we hear about issues such as these it is easy to understand why.

• SMS is cheap – both for campaign executors, who can purchase SMS messages in bulk and for consumers, who can send and receive predefined numbers of messages as part of their contractsSMS is quick – messages are delivered almost instantaneously over all networks
• SMS has a wide marketing reach – all mobile devices support SMS
• SMS is widely understood by everyone which results in a positive user experience
• SMS provides an Easy response mechanism – allowing for spontaneous decisions
• SMS is direct – unlike mobile apps or mobile web pages, which require users to pro-actively access them, SMS pushes itself directly into the site of the consumer
• SMS integrates seamlessly with e/marketing activities
• SMS works – unlike other forms of communications people do read text messages when
• they get them and it is easy to unsubscribe to a service – you simply text stop
• SMS provides a great support mechanism to other forms of advertising such as TV or radio based campaigns.

We’re not planning on retiring just yet! Visit www.toText.net to find out more about who we are and what we do.

Direct marketing campaigns allow you to be much more targeted.  Having said that; email, once the most popular medium for carrying out direct marketing campaigns, has also been used to excess, so much so that the majority of us tend to delete emails we do not recognise without even bothering to read the message.

SMS on the other hand, another mechanism for carrying out direct marketing campaigns and for generating sales leads, is not always used as widely as it could be. SMS-based marketing campaigns are by far the most cost-effective and reliable way to send targeted messages to your customers and prospects, particularly if you want to target large demographic areas. Furthermore, if you regularly send out more than 100 messages per day, you will also benefit from wholesale pricing.

Unlike other forms of mobile-based advertising, SMS does not rely on the user having to click on a link to activate the service or access the message. It is very direct and pushes itself in front of your customers, who can respond if they are interested, or text “stop” (or something similar) if they want their details removed from the database.

What are the other advantages of SMS?

1. Well for starters, it’s got a wider marketing reach than any other marketing medium. With more handsets than people in many western countries, cost effective direct marketing campaigns can be carried out on an international scale.
2. It is extremely cost effective. It is much more economical, both in terms of time and money, to send text messages to a large group of people than to make a phone call.
3. It’s easy. SMS-based marketing campaigns can be carried out online via a password-protected interface, or they can be integrated with your email system. This means that your staff can manage all their contacts from a single, centralised point.
4. SMS is not dependant on 3G and messages are delivered almost instantaneously. What’s more, unlike other forms of communication, the majority of your messages will be read by your customers.
5. SMS is unobtrusive because it provides users with a subtle way of making an enquiry without needing to enter into dialogue with a pushy sales person.
6. Bulk SMS services include comprehensive reporting facilities, allowing you to analyse the success of different campaigns and your ROI.
7. SMS is a great way to improve your after sales service – why not send a quick text messages to customers informing them when their order will be delivered, or to remind them of an appointment or meeting?
8. Finally, SMS provides users with an easy response mechanism and it can be used to complement other forms of marketing, such TV or radio- based advertising.

Click here to find out more about who we are and what we do.

Liquid Drop began trading in 2001 and provides an extensive range of bulk SMS services to Blue Chip companies across the globe. Its customers include Oracle and MasterCard and it also provides a number of online SMS services to public sector organisations.

The acquisition involved expanding the capacity of Slepe Communications existing infrastructure to accommodate Liquid Drop’s SMS gateway into its overall SMS management platform.

The process was seamlessly completed with no disruption to customers or services and, as a result, Slepe Communications is now able to add bulk SMS services to its portfolio of applications at highly-competitive rates.

Bulk SMS is by far the most reliable and cost-effective way of sending out routine text messages, such as appointment reminders, direct marketing campaigns and job notifications in large volumes.

SMS can be used by large corporates to issue immediate alerts to employees about emergencies and/or critical situations. It can be used to send important information to key customers or suppliers (ensuring the information is received by the right person at the right time) as well as to send routine information to support engineers, field staff or technicians.

Says Robert Jagger, Managing Director of Slepe Communications: “We are really pleased to be in a position to acquire such an established organisation after only three years of trading. The acquisition has taken the business to the next level. We are in a position to grow the company by investing our cash reserves as well as by relying on organic growth.”

Slepe Communications is currently looking at acquiring other SMS providers.

Ends

About Slepe Communications

Slepe Communications is a dynamic, growing company based in Cambridge UK. Its staff has many years’ experience in the Internet and telecommunications industries, and are experts in designing, building and operating mobile Internet applications based on text messaging, web and Wi-Fi technologies.