Special promotions are one of the most widespread uses for text message marketing. But campaigns don’t have to be expensive, as Michelle Butterworth of Shelly’s Restaurant explains. “We only spent £28 on the whole SMS campaign,” she says, “and received more than £400 worth of bookings.”

Success levels are equally high at Hush Beauty Spa in Stockport, which sends monthly SMS text messages with special promotions to attract repeat business. The response rate averages 18%, so it typically costs just 48p to generate each new booking.

But text messages can be used for far wider range of purposes that just sales promotions like these. Knowsley Health and Wellbeing Centre, part of the local NHS organisation in the North West, for example, used it to run a unique campaign helping smokers to quit the habit. As well as providing access to information and running weekly group sessions, the centre wanted to maintain the momentum at other times. So they gathered information about the smokers’ lifestyles and used the Textlocal system send different messages of encouragement at different times of the day.

Jennifer Cawkwell, marketing manager for Knowsley Health & Wellbeing explains “If a member likes to socialise on nights out with friends, for example, we can text suggestions of ways to abstain from going outside the bar to smoke.”

Special promotions are not the only purpose for text message campaigns. They can be used by hairdressers, dentists, physiotherapists and other service providers to send scheduled reminders, thereby minimising the lost revenues caused by missed appointments.

The MOT Shop in York has used text messages since August 2006 to deliver MOT reminders to past customers. “Text marketing has really helped us increase the number of MOT appointments at the garage,” says Jim Belt at The MOT Shop. “It’s cheap, easy and very convenient to use.”

Text messages are also a brilliant tool to quickly let people know about travel delays, work closures or other important updates. Noah’s Ark Day Nursery, for example, uses the facility to alert specific parents about last minute changes to after-school clubs. Having been disappointed by a 5% response rate to reminders to bring in payments, they were understandably delighted when text messages boosted the response level to a massive 75%.

One of the most intriguing uses is when text messaging is integrated with RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds from websites. Company news feeds, for example, can be used to keep all key personnel within your organisation informed whenever the company log is updated. Linking up with Google Alerts lets text messages be sent to key personnel whenever anyone anywhere mentions the company or its products.

It isn’t just a management tool either. If RSS feeds are monitored for motorway alerts, for example, travellers can be sent instant text alerts for every traffic problem on their personal route. Similar principles can be applied for weather forecasts too. It is even possible to ensure that you are notified by SMS of the winning numbers for lottery draws.

The idea behind SMS text message marketing is relatively simple to grasp. But check out services offered by award-winning specialists like Textlocal and you can see how SMS technology can be integrated with other facilities. Linking SMS with mobile website technology lets you add more content and detail to a text message, for example.

Inbound and outbound Multi Media Messages (MMS) can also be used for sending photos and videos, which opens up a whole new world of opportunity. Link up the MMS facility with an SMS Short Code, for instance, and it is possible for a prospective home buyer to text a property number to an estate agent and immediately receive an MMS with interior photos, specifications and price. The days when mobile phones were just used for talking are long gone. Take a look here and you will see they have evolved into marketing tools with a wealth of different resources.   

You can see for yourself how well it works with a free trial from Textlocal. Set it up online and you’ll be up and running in just two minutes.