• Coca-Cola
• Reese’s
• General Mills
• Pepsi
• Macy’s
• Papa John’s Pizza
• U.S. Tennis Association
• Starbucks
• Chili’s
• Coors Light

They all use SMS (text) as part of their marketing strategy.

With 74% of Canadians having a mobile phone and 90% of 18 – 34 year olds using their phone to send and receive texts (79% of 35 – 44 year olds), SMS really is a marketer’s dream.

In fact Jason Wells, CEO at ContactPoint, was recently quoted as saying: “Let me be perfectly clear: in terms of immediate response, no marketing method even compares to mobile marketing. Nothing even comes close.”

Let’s look at a few examples of how some of the World’s top brands are using text message marketing to engage consumers, increase awareness and drive sales.

Reese’s

In February of this year Reese’s launched a Text-to-Win promotion giving basketball fans a chance to win tickets to the 2013 NCAA Men’s Final Four.

Fans can text the word “REESES” to shortcode 44144 for a chance to instantly win a prize and get their ballot in the draw to win the tickets. Note that the promotion ended April 30, 2012.

Macy’s

Macy’s continually looks for new ways to grow their SMS database. Recently they ran a promotion in-line with NBC’s “Fashion Star” and invited viewers to text the word STAR to the shortcode 62297 to shop the featured looks right from their phone on Macy’s mobile website.

Macy’s leverages this engagement to promote their VIP list that consumers can opt-into and receive regular messages about special sales and events.

Starbucks

Starbucks is no stranger to SMS marketing. Last month they sent an email to their My Starbucks rewards members inviting them to text the word HAPPY to the shortcode 697289 to receive Frappuccino Happy Hour reminders.

This gives Starbucks a way to instantly reach their consumers with timely messages and an instant call to action – “Drop by Starbucks between 3 and 5pm today to enjoy a half-price Frappuccino!”

Final Thoughts…

From Gavin Mehrotra, Director of International Media for the Coca-Cola Company: “SMS is the number one priority at Coca-Cola in mobile”.

Photo Source

Before we get into the meat of this, let’s talk stats because this is important.

Mobile is huge. The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Agency reports that 74% of Canadians have a mobile phone…that’s 25.5 million people!

Gartner, Inc. projects that by 2013 mobile phones will overtake desktop PCs as the most common way people access the Internet.

According to a recent study by Google, local search is the most common Smartphone activity (95%).

So let’s look at some ways tourism operators can use QR Codes, and the mobile channel in general, to ensure their visitors have a top-notch experience worth talking about.

Bring Your Interpretive Signs to Life!

A typical interpretive sign is comprised of text and images, imagine if you could turn that static sign into an interactive exhibit.

You can, with QR Codes! (what is a QR code?)

Big Fish Media is located on the Bay of Fundy, where we experience the highest tides in the world. It really is an incredible phenomenon. Imagine if interpretive signs at places like the Reversing Rapids and Hopewell Rocks included a QR Code that links to a fantastic video endorsed by the local tourism department.

That is exactly the sort of thing QR Codes were meant for…linking offline content to online content. By including QR codes on your signs, you give visitors an opportunity to scan it with their phone and open up…a video, website or app that they can watch or interact with for a richer experience.

Bonus: as long as you go with the right provider, QR codes are trackable.  This means you can view reports that will tell you which locations are getting the most activity, and exactly how much activity they are getting on a weekly or monthly basis.

Live example: San Antonio

Provide Information on Demand

Let’s face it, not everyone wants to talk to the staff, or read a brochure.

Appeal to the growing demographic of mobile-savvy consumers; invite your visitors to scan a QR code or text a keyword to a shortcode (aka. phone number) for a quick digest of must-know information.

These QR codes would be placed on signs, in brochures and many other possible locations depending on your goals and desired outcome.

Whether they were in the planning stage of their trip, or already there, you could engage your clients and potential clients in a very meaningful way.

A Modern Tour Guide

The Universal Island of Adventure in Florida has fun conversation bubbles that tourists can stop and stand under for a unique photo op. Let’s put a mobile-friendly spin on this.

Picture something similar, but with an invitation to scan a QR code for some special information about a nearby historical site or tourist attraction.

Visitors would spot these and be drawn in to find out more.

This is a great alternative to walking tours for those who prefer to explore independently. Perhaps your sign would link to a video or audio file of a tour guide explaining the area, just as they would during a walking tour.

Live example: Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Put Everything They Need to Know in the palm of their hand

You probably already have a really great website…but, what does that site look like if browsed from a mobile phone? Try it right now, visit your site from your phone and have a look.

If you’ve already created a version of your website that is optimized for mobile it probably looks really great, kudos to you!

If it looks like a teeny, tiny version of what you see from your computer then it needs an update – desperately needs an update.

We’d bet there are a lot more people touring around your city with a mobile phone than a laptop! Wouldn’t it be great if visitors could find a fantastic place for dinner and plan their next day activities – while sitting in their hotel room, phone in hand?

Bring your brochures to life

Text marketing and QR Codes are fantastic ways to make a static brochure or poster engaging.

Consider including a QR Code on your brochures that readers can scan to open directions or receive a coupon.

Live example: Tourism Partnership North Whales

Interested in implementing any of the above into your marketing plan? Big Fish Media provides mobile marketing consulting and we’d be happy to meet with you to discuss your goals, so you have the right solution!

Under the QR Code it simply said “Like Us”.

I really have to give kudos to Del Monte – they got this right.

For one, this is a novel use of QR Codes, on a piece of fruit.

They also let the consumer know the purpose of the QR Code – “Like Us”.

After scanning the code my phone opened up the Facebook Mobile version of their Facebook page where I could very easily click the “Like” button in the first screen view. All to often QR Codes link to the regular web, rather than a page optimized for mobile devices.

All in all this is a great way to promote their Facebook page with very little cost. The people most likely to “Like” their brand on Facebook are the people who actually like (and buy) their products in real life.

P.S. I did some digging around and discovered that bananas aren’t the only products Del Monte tags with QR Codes…

Source: Text Marketer Bulk SMS Services

This is what our old logo looked like, we’d been using it for about two years:

The logo is simple and the colors are great.  BUT, in recent months it was starting to feel…too simple = very plain.  It needed a tag line or icon…something to hint at what we do. It also needed a certain “je ne sais quoi” to take it from looking like our name in colored font – to looking like a logo.

So we set out to find a graphic design agency to give us something new and fresh.

We spent a lot of time on Google, looking at portfolios and talking to designers on the phone/email.  We wanted to work with a local company and needed to be very, very impressed with the designs in their portfolio.

Our search ended up branching into Moncton and Fredericton – where I found Creative Juices.  Their portfolio is impressive and the designs have a very unique look.

Cory at Creative Juices was friendly, knowledgeable and great to talk to – I felt confident he would deliver the right logo for us.

So let’s get started!

The first step was a conversation about Big Fish Media, what we do, what we’re about, how we came up with our company name.  We went through their portfolio of logos and I showed him what I liked and what I didn’t – in terms of style.  We talked about a ‘fun/casual’ logo versus a ‘corporate’ logo.

Big Fish Media is an Internet and Mobile Marketing agency…we help brands connect with consumers exactly where they are in this day and age – online and on their mobile phone.

Of course, with a company name like “Big Fish Media” we couldn’t avoid talking about the relevance of “Big Fish” to the name we chose.

“Big Fish Media” was birthed out of desire for a unique and memorable company name.  There is also a positive connotation surrounding the phrase “Big Fish”,   whether you ‘catch it’, ‘are it’ or ‘have it’, ‘Big Fish’ is a good thing.  And, we were right – it is extremely catchy and memorable.

The next step was to create 8 – 10 logo concepts for us to consider.  The designers at Creative Juices didn’t want specific direction for this (I understood the reasoning), but there were a few constraints: stick with our current colors of blue and lime green, a tag line (“Internet & Mobile Marketing”) and a style somewhere between ‘corporate’ and ‘fun’.

The tagline gave us more flexibility in the logo design because it so concisely summed up what we do and left little room for confusion.

So let’s talk about fish for a minute. Before even approaching a designer I gave a lot of thought to whether I’d want a fish in our logo. Discussed it with other people.  I wasn’t really keen, because a fish has no relation to our product, but I knew the right tagline could eliminate any confusion.

It would also have to be the right fish…not a dolphin, shark, whale, salmon or trout. If there was going to be a fish I envisioned something round and ‘friendly’(?), like a blowfish.

Per the request for no ultra-specific direction I didn’t get into that with Cory and let him work his designer magic.

A few days later his team delivered 8 possible concepts.  Here are a few…

From there we narrowed it down to the two with the ”G” fish. I was surprised by how much I actually liked the fish element to our logo – it played on the name and gave it MORE meaning, rather than less.

We removed the bubbles…I liked them, especially in one of the other concepts where the bubbles were conversation bubbles…but, fish don’t breath through their mouth and I felt the logo looked a bit too busy.

Cory agreed and sent back another page of 8 versions of the two logos we liked. With and without the cool blue gradients in “Big Fish”, different font size and style in the tagline, increased the space between the “F” and the “I”. Now it was getting tough to choose! Horizontal or Vertical? Gradient or not? Which font?

So, I took a few days to think about it and get feedback from others and Cory made a great suggestion…if the color and font were identical we could have both versions and switch them up depending on the space requirement of the place they were being used.

ahhh, we can have both – that really helped!

By re-positioning the tagline in the horizontal version, this worked and our new logo was born!

Was very pleased to also hear the guys at Creative Juices say it’s one of their favorite logos.

To take a phrase often used by Michael Losier – “Say ‘YES’ if you like it!”

It highlights the differences between using SMS (text messages) and Twitter for marketing…and how the two can work together for maximum benefit.

The two for today are: Udi’s Gluten Free Foods and popchips.

Udi’s Gluten Free Foods ( go >> )

Udi’s is a brand that makes gluten free baked goods that you’ll find in grocery and health food stores (ex. cookies, muffins breads, pizza dough, desserts).

We think their Facebook page is brilliant. They have over 600,000 likes and terrific fan engagement.

BUT, the best part is their approach to social media…it’s all about community.

The Gluten Free Community…

Think about this, in North America it is estimated that upwards of 1 in 133 people are living with Celiac disease and even more with some form of gluten intolerance. Rather than create a Facebook page to advertise how great their gluten free products are, Udi’s has created a Facebook community for people who eat gluten free. And they do it brilliantly.

If you scan through Udi’s wall you will see they only occasionally talk about their products and when they do - it’s not blatant advertising.

Here are some of topics you’d see in your newsfeed if you liked Udi’s:

- gluten free recipes and recipe contests,

- tips for saving money on gluten free groceries,

- links to news articles relevant to people living a gluten free life,

- questions to their fans (ex. “What’s your favorite gluten free snack?”),

- free live chats on their website, focusing on topics relevant to their community,

- and holiday-themed recipes (ex. gluten free Superbowl snacks).

Thought point: Could your company create a community around your industry?

Next up, popchips…

popchips ( go >> )

popchips takes a different approach than Udi’s and it works for their brand.

In case you don’t already know, here’s what popchips are (as copied from their info section):

we don’t fry it (unhealthy). we don’t bake it (undelicious). we take the finest all-natural ingredients, add a little heat and pressure, and pop! it’s a chip. the only thing added is a flavorful blend of seasonings for a snack so delicious and crispy, you won’t even notice it’s (we hesitate to say) healthier. 

In a way that oozes creativity, their page managers post short questions, photos, quotes, statements and riddles that encompass the popchips brand.

They manage to keep their brand and their product top of mind, without advertising and without an ounce of “dull”.

You really have to visit their page to get the full picture, we couldn’t do it justice by quoting them here.

Thought point: How could your company have fun with your brand and engage your fans?

Next up: stay tuned

It’s the restaurant that only talks about their special of the day and the food they serve.  It’s the car dealership that talks only about the vehicles they sell and sales specials. It’s the brand that only talks about their product and why you should buy it.

Social media is “social”. 

Jeff Roach wrote a great blog post about this. He likened the “squawking” we often see on social channels to walking into a Christmas party and handing your business card and brochures to everyone – without actually striking up a conversation.

If you only think of Facebook as another place to advertise, you’re missing out on its much greater potential!  Worse, you could be unintentionally projecting a very obnoxious image to your customers.

Don’t be that guy

Consider the value in your customers and potential customers inviting you into their social circle (with a “Like”).  If you only use the privilege as a forum for advertising you’ll be about as popular as that guy at a party who talks about himself all night.

From now on, when approaching social media as a company or brand, “think social“.

Ask yourself…

If you were going to a party with all your customers and ideal potential customers, what would the crowd be talking about?

Aside from your product or service, what other things do your customers tend to enjoy?

For example, a store that sells toys, accessories and clothes for babies might post a recipe for homemade baby food, ask their customers’ opinion on a new product they are considering stocking, and link to helpful articles and tips for new parents.

Try this…

A great way to keep people thinking about your services without blatantly advertising is by offering advice related to your industry or linking to a unique/funny video that showcases your product. For example, a Real Estate Agent could blog about choosing paint colors or easy ways to add curb appeal to your home.

Photo Credit: Miuenski

Continue reading to find out how you can get a small business website for $350.

Have a website, but it could be better? Unsure if anyone is able to find you on search engines? Or maybe you don’t have a website at all…eek!

Let’s face it, small business owners are pulled in dozens of directions … including the direction of technology, which is a headache (at best) when it’s not your field of expertise.

The time and skill set required to create and manage an online presence means it’s not “cheap” and it’s not free.  BUT, it is extremely important…

So here’s what we want to try – we’ll create a website for 3 small businesses for only $350 (+ tax). It’ll be fun, and although we probably won’t offer such a low rate again, we will consider more similar promotions in the future.

Your website will include:

• 4 pages (home, services/products, about, contact)
• WordPress blog (if desired)
• Custom site header & color scheme
• Search engine optimization
• Social media integration (as applicable to your business)
• Website traffic reports so you can see how many people visit your site, how they found you, what pages they look at and how long they stay
• Website management tool so you can easily update your site in the future!
• Optional add-on: Custom Facebook page for your business, $100

Want a website for $350? Visit this page and fill out the contact form, include your business name and URL of your existing website (if you have one). Do not delay, we want to choose the three right away.

Tell a friend – use the Share links below.

Over on Facebook, we’re giving our local fans the chance to win 1/2 dozen delicious cupcakes from our neighbors at Piece O’Cake Custom Creations.

The Call-to-Action to enter the draw is simply “Text HEART to 555444″.

Here’s Why I Love Text2Win:

1. It’s Modern and Sexy

IMHO, the old-fashioned ballot box to enter a draw is….old-fashioned.

Worried that you’ll limit participation to teens if you use text? Actually, according to Stats Canada, 70% of Canadians have a mobile phone. AND a CWTA study from last year (read: the numbers would be higher now),  found that 90% of 18-34 year olds use their phone to text, 79% of 35-44, 66% of 45-54 and 38% of 55+!

2. It’s Portable

With an old-fashioned ballot box you’d have to place one in every location where you wanted to collect entries. This is extremely limiting, and promoting your contest online requires a separate method of collecting entries.

With Text-to-Win you simply promote your Call-to-Action anywhere and everywhere your target audience will be found: Facebook, in an email blast, on the radio, in your storefront, your website, etc.

3. No Muss, No Fuss

With Text-to-Win everything can be automated – if you want.  Our application can randomly choose a winner and send a “You’ve Won” text, as well as a “Sorry, you didn’t win” to everyone else. It’ll also text you the winning phone number.

Choose the winner randomly on a certain day and time, choose every n^th entry as a winner, or award your prize to the 100th person who texts in.

No fussing with multiple ballot boxes and little pieces of paper.

4. Quick & Easy Set-up

If desired, we can have your Text-to-Win set up and ready to go in under 24 hours!

5. Limit Entry to One Per Person

With Text-to-Win you have the *option* to limit entries to one per mobile phone.

6. Collect Additional Information

Just like on a paper ballot, we can set-up your Text-to-Win campaign to ask each participant for their name and email address (for example).

After texting in they will receive an auto-reply asking them to reply with this information to complete their entry.

7. Fantastic Cross-Promotion Possibilities

Each person who enters your draw will receive an auto-reply that you can customize.

You could use this to invite people to join your Facebook page, read your blog or sign up for your newsletter.

8. No Charge to Enter

Unless the participant gets charged per text by their wireless provider, they will not incur costs to enter your draw. These days, unlimited texting is pretty common-place in cell phone plans, so it shouldn’t be an issue.

9. Unlimited Entries

Ever try to stuff your ballot into a over-flowing ballot box?  With Text2Win there’s no such thing, our platform accommodates an unlimited number of entries!

I could go on, but I think you have the picture.

Interested in setting up a Text-to-Win for your company or organization, give us a call at 1-800-634-7470, we’d be happy to help so you’re up and running in no time!