… good thing we’re not squeamish.
Katrin Verclas of NTEN and MobileActive fame writes on the NTEN blog:
• Mobile phones should be used as part of an integrated campaign. As sexy as mobile marketing and campaigning is, it can’t yet stand by itself.
• Texting campaigns, especially with short codes on a professionally run platform, are still expensive and will not turn into ‘profit centers’ any time soon.
- Mobile phones are a great way to strengthen ties with your existing supporters and get immediate responses for urgent actions. For now these are the two most promising uses for mobile phones in campaigns, but I think it’s safe to say that we’ll see this broaden as mobile marketing takes off.
- Remember that most people still use their cell phone for calling. I know of commercial campaign that let people sign up by sending a text to an sms short code or by simply calling a number. Most people called the toll-free number. Similarly, campaigns asking people to call to take some sort of action have shown promise.
- Mobile messaging needs to have a clear call to action or valuable content. But what makes content valuable? Well after giving it some thought, I’d like to get the headlines from the NTEN blog, asthma and smog alerts from the American Lung Association, and traffic alerts from my town on my mobile phone, to name a few.
- Be creative. I am fascinated by SMS graffiti and public sms displays, and I’ve written about it over at MobileActive.org. Playing is ok – this is an emerging field where innovation is possible and much needed!
- Evaluate your work. If you are running a campaign or considering one, be in touch, share your results, and do not be shy to experiment. We are constantly on the lookout for good data to share (even anonymously).