October 11th, 2011

Text-to-Win Contests

So, you’re trying to establish the best approach for your next marketing campaign… Given the current economic climate you may not have a surplus of marketing dollars but your goal is a highly effective campaign that will engage consumers with your brand. Why not consider a text-to-win promotion?

Consumers LOVE text-to-win contests – they’re easy to enter and provide immediate results. Text messaging provides the highest entry rates out of any marketing channel because they allow people to participate in a medium that is convenient to them. Rather than having to log on to a website and then complete a registration form and other required steps, it is an immediate engagement.

There are three essential components to a successful text message campaign: 1) an attractive, relevant prize for your audience; 2) good promotion in heavy consumer spots; 3) simple mobile entry mechanic.

Including a text-to-win contest is a great way to create buzz and excitement about your promotion and brand. The benefits to your company don’t stop once the contest has ended. You can use the mobile subscriber database for future targeted marketing efforts, a value add to your initial campaign goal.

August 15th, 2011

“Increase & Insist”

Once upon a time there was a big company that owned a really cool logo. If anyone dared to use that logo without permission, chances are they would receive the ever threatening “cease and desist” letter informing them to back off.  Have times ever changed…

Now more than ever, brands are not only allowing, but asking consumers to feature their logos and messaging front and center on social platforms. The power of social media has shown its potential in the past year on so many levels, even toppling a government. It has been a long journey for marketers to truly understand and adopt sharing their brands with consumers, but the time has finally arrived.

As Christie Hefner said, “we no longer own our brand, our consumers do”.

August 15th, 2011

QR Codes in the Promotion Space

The Quick Response Code, better known as the QR code, is finally here and seems to be all the buzz lately. They can be found almost anywhere – on any form of advertising from billboards to print ads; at on-site events; from websites to email blasts; POS and on-pack. With the creative minds of today’s marketers, the sky is the limit.

This two dimensional barcode, which can be read by camera phones using a reader application, is another way for brands to extend their interaction with consumers. A QR Code can be used to link consumers to digital content on the web or web browser and even activate various phone functions (email, IM, and SMS). With this new tool, a brand’s communication does not have to end at the shelf or at a page in a magazine. By using the QR code, a consumer extends their time with that brand and is interacting with them using multiple vehicles, which some may argue keeps the consumer interested.

In the promotional space we are seeing QR codes link consumers to a brand’s social media page (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) or promotion landing page that offers content and an opportunity to enter for a chance to win a prize. The beauty of tying in a Promotion is that not only are brands interacting with a consumer using multiple vehicles, they are also capturing information, whether it be to build their database or for key learnings.

Of course, at the end of the day, what does it come down to? Yup, ROI. Measureability is key. With this technology, marketers and brands alike are able to see immediate results and have the ability to measure the effectiveness of a particular campaign with precision.

It truly is exciting to think about where this can go.