Despite impressive growth, the use of mobile marketing has remained firmly on the margins of most marketing and communications strategies.
Very few companies in the UK have really embraced the potential applications or have made long term commitments to text marketing.
We are still in the early days, where many have sent the odd text campaign or run a pilot scheme. It may well be several years before contacting customers using their mobile is as common as sending them a letter or e-mail.
Even more amazingly, marketing and advertising agencies, whose job it is to keep their clients informed of all the latest communications tools, are lagging well behind. Only 18% of them offer any sort of SMS marketing or mobile services.
Having been gloomy about the slow rate of change, there will however be very strong growth in the next 18 months in one simple sms marketing application, Text response.
Text Response
The charge in the use of text response
as a response mechanic on advertising is being lead by car manufacturers and financial services companies.
In the next 18 months most consumer organisations will include a text response as part of their marketing campaigns.
For many companies, this is the launch pad for their mobile marketing strategy.
There is usually a strong argument for having a text response option on any direct response activity. Giving more choice, results in an uplift in overall response.