SMS Text Messaging Programs: Texting Students, Customers, Patrons
By Lee Simonson
SMS text messaging programs are quickly being incorporated within marketing and communication systems at schools and businesses, and even churches. With the skyrocketing rise of texting as the primary communications channel, especially with those under age 30, organizations are pulling out all the stops to catch up with the new text culture, which has overtaken other conventional traditional methods of delivering messages and alerts.
Considered faster and more reliable, texting is becoming the new standard for messaging because nearly everyone reads a text message as soon as it's received and can respond quickly, easily and discreetly, unlike email which may never be read, or phone calls which may never be heard.
There are several reasons why SMS text messaging is becoming so popular, so fast.
1) Text messaging creates a response because the vast majority of people who receive text messages actually read them. They read texts because they are short and to the point and can be completed in seconds, contrary to other communication channels. It all boils down to convenience for the recipient. The more convenient and faster a recipient can retrieve and respond to a message, the more impact the message has.
2) Texting has grown more quickly than any other form of communication in history. It has become ubiquitous with the vast majority of people now carrying a cell phone. In fact, in the 1990s people purchased cell phone service to talk. Today, cell phones are used more for texting than talking, and with unlimited text plans available, texting can be less expensive because usage minutes don't add up as they would for phone conversations. (On the other hand, without the add-on of unlimited texting service, each text message could cost 10-20 cents each, which is very expensive compared to voice communications.)
3) With the help of gateway SMS texting service bureaus, businesses and other organizations are discovering that texting enables them to send out target-specific messages to prime audiences of customers or patrons. Texting is also a two-way street, and business can inexpensively share a "short code" that will enable their customers or prospects to text them to obtain coupons, timely information or to sign up to receive future text messages. Unlike regular advertising which is one-way, texting is interactive and organizations can find out instantly what people are thinking, particularly with features such as SMS voting which have become popular and used by network television reality shows.
4) Texting regulations are strict and anyone using text to send a commercial message must be able to prove that the recipients have opted-in to receive text messages. Moreover, those who receive text messages must have a simple and easy way to opt-out. Those services and techniques are offered by professional texting providers who have the software to both capture and delete cell phone numbers from lists. That service has made texting much easier and compliant.
SMS messaging will continue to grow exponentially and everyone from mom and pop stores to large corporate enterprises will be using texting to improve "mobile marketing" programs and reach out to target customers, fans, and supporters. New applications will be created daily and our text culture will take on a life of its own.
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