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What are the benefits ofmobile marketing?

Mobile phone marketing, otherwise known as SMS marketing, is the modern evolution of direct marketing. Direct marketing has always been supported by companies as a personalized and focused method of reaching new consumers and, with the advent of cell phones, SMS marketing has risen in usage. SMS marketing is perhaps best defined as the practice of advertising products and services using digital distribution channels to reach consumers in a fast, focused, personal and cost-effective manner.

The most prevalent form of mobile marketing is SMS marketing, which has expanded very quickly in Europe and Asia. It is thought that several hundred million marketing messages are sent through SMS every month in Europe alone. SMS stands for ’short message service’ and is a communication form specific to cell phones where a short message can be easily sent to any cell phone user. As well as sending content to consumers, advertisers can often encourage consumers to join in marketing and brand exposure promotions by encouraging consumers to SMS a selected number at an event in order to enter a competition, to receive a gift or to have their text displayed on a multimedia wall at an event. All of these methods engages the consumer through the medium of SMS and creates brand exposure.

There are many other types of mobile marketing. One example is sending texts via MMS, which is a multimedia version of SMS, allowing consumers to receive messages with color, pictures and video. There is also mobile web marketing, where brands publicize marketing objectives through websites accessed by cell phones. Publicists often make innovative use of SMS marketing such as location-based services where consumers are offered bespoke promotions and other network-related information and marketing information based on their location. With the variety of methods and options available to marketers, it is little surprise that a recent marketing survey found that 89% of major brands planned to market their products through mobile marketing by the end of 2008.

SMS marketing is an example of what is known within the industry as “push” marketing. The concept behind push marketing is that that the marketer has to send (push) the material to the subscriber in order for the material to be received. This is opposite to “pull” marketing, a more unobtrusive form of marketing, where it is users who seek out the content from sources such as websites or blogs.

There are lots of advantages to SMS marketing. Primarily, the attraction is that this method of marketing can be personalized to the subscriber. This is the gold standard in marketing as it means getting the material specifically to the group it’s focused on, instead of squandering dollars on an broad campaign. The personalization allowed by this mode of advertising, which results in a more cost-effective campaign, is one reason why a high return on investment is possible with SMS marketing. Another advantage of SMS marketing is the detailed tracking and reporting of recipients it permits. Through this medium, promoters can track how many groups received their material and also access detailed data about each subscriber such as their name, their age, their demographic and where they’re located. This permits a business to develop profiles of their users; data which then guides future marketing campaigns and, ideally, their success.

It is noted in the industry that push marketing, of which SMS marketing is a type, can help drive new revenue and brand reinforcement if it is used correctly and appropriately. This is because it makes users aware of new additions that they may not know to find already and the way the material is phrased, and even the fact that the material is being delivered by a contemporary, young medium such as SMS, can say a lot about a brand and a company.

There are, however, some disadvantages to SMS marketing. By its very nature, it needs a mechanism - the cell phone - in order to send information. The company, as well, must make use of specialized hardware and applications in order to send the content to users, which can mean considerable costs. Another negative is the fact that SMS marketing is heavily regulated by the telecommunications industry in response to consumer worries about what data and promotions they get shown. Most Western countries have laws in place that compel businesses to gain the consent of users before marketing content is received by them and must clearly provide them with an ‘opt out’ option if they ask to stop receiving material. If businesses are discovered to be in violation of these laws, network providers can block marketing information by businesses.

As mobile technology improves, SMS marketing will certainly continue to gather in importance.

September 2nd, 2008 Posted by hroberts

Business, Market & Advertising no comments

Chicken Tacos Make An Easy Chicken Recipe

Instead of using ground beef or even refried beans to make tacos, we have used chicken breast instead. All you have to do is to cook the breasts, slice them very thinly (or dice them if you wish) and then add the taco seasoning to them. Once you have done that, you can make your tacos as you normally would with the beef. This is one of the easy chicken recipes that gives you a new twist on an old favorite in many families. You can also make stuffed chicken breasts as a part of your monthly easy chicken recipes collection. All you have to do is to bake your chicken breasts until they are done. Use a meat thermometer if you are not sure about cooking time.

September 2nd, 2008 Posted by hlgiles

General, Food, Misc, Reference no comments

How To Make Wonderful UK Hampers

Wine hampers are gifts that are traditionally presented in a wicker basket. The act of giving a hamper has a long history in the Western world and, previously, was done as a noble act, using the hamper to give food and other home necessities to the deserving. The basket the gift was displayed in was also purposefully chosen as it was a helpful household item that could be used and reused.

In later times, UK hampers have come to be less presents of necessities and more presents of little treats, such as wine hampers for example. An emphasis is placed on premium items such as gourmet jams, quality chocolates, exotic coffee beans, expensive wines and other expensive items that can be had as a treat and will store long enough for your special someone to relax when using the hamper.

There has also been a rising tendency to make specialized UK hampers - wine hampers that are stacked with a different range and types of wine, chocolate hampers and bread and cheese hampers. Hobby hampers are an even more recent development and are packed not with food but with essential and desired items to please gardeners or DIY enthusiasts, for example. The contents of a hamper are only restricted by your imagination!

The versatility of wine hampers is why it makes such a pleasing gift. They can be adapted to any special someone and can be packed with anything that would satisfy the recipient. When picking the hamper you want to give, give careful thought to what items the recipient likes - are they a white wine lover? Then wine hampers are a great idea! Are they a food lover? Then fill the hamper with gourmet food items. Are they expecting a baby? Why not give them a hamper filled with useful baby goods.

Wine hampers can be used for any event - for birthdays, for hens nights or bachelorette parties, for weddings, for anniversaries, for an expecting mom-to-be and, most popularly, for Xmas.

The Xmas hamper has become all the rage and, in an intriguing twist, the public are buying Christmas UK hampers to use for themselves instead of as a gift for other people. Often filled with luxury Xmas treats such as shortbread, chocolate, wine, Xmas pudding and even turkey, they are purchased by families to be used over the holiday season. Many wine hampers are purchased on a payment scheme over the year and then enjoyed for the Christmas period, helping families pay for the cost of the loved Xmas treats expected during the holiday season.

There are lots of companies that specialize in supplying hamper presents and many of them can be found quickly and easily on the internet. Many of them will have pre-packed UK hampers - such as wine hampers or food hampers - and some may allow you to personalize a hamper and fill it with items of your choice. Many companies will deliver your hamper, making it a convenient and welcomed gift.

Of course, you don’t have to use a business to create a beautiful hamper and it can be even more considerate to create your own. When making a hamper, give careful thought to what they might like. Use handy items and luxury goods that the recipient might not know to purchase for themselves, to make it even more of a treat. Hampers also work best when packed with items that won’t go off easily, such as wine for wine hampers. If you do intend on filling in items that need to be refrigerated or will go off, then make sure the hamper is given as soon as possible and make sure the recipient knows that the products must be used quickly.

September 2nd, 2008 Posted by hroberts

Shopping, Vacations no comments