The use of SMS (short message service) also known as text messaging has been well-ensconced in Europe and Asia for some time now. Teens have enthusiastically embraced it in the United States. But, it has only begun to emerge in the United States as a marketing tool because of all of our competing phone companies with differing technologies. Most people are unaware that SMS can be used to get instant information, send money, make money, and to save money. SMS or texting involves sending a short text message limited to 160 characters to a cell phone number, email address, or short code. A short code is a five or six digit number used for commercial convenience so that you don't have to remember or to key in a whole long phone number. Personal SMS No wonder the younger generation has already enthusiastically embraced texting as the preferred means of communication over phone calls and email. SMS is fast and efficient. Of course, there's the down side too, and SMS has been used for cheating on tests so that some schools frown on their use. Another negative aspect is the cost of per text messages. Warning: if you plan to text, get an unlimited plan. To text someone, go to the messaging area of your phone's functions and select SMS or Text Message. Enter the recipient's phone number in the To: field and then type your message in the message field. Select Send, and off it goes. More sophisticated phones worth their salt will offer a countdown log in the corner of the input screen indicating how many characters you've typed and how many remain. Some more sophisticated phones offer canned messages that you can tap on and edit to save inputting time and effort. Examples of canned messages are "in a meeting, on a call, running late, where are you? Can you talk now, call me, email me, wanna do lunch?" Some devices such as my Treo 750 also offer a popup grid full of emoticons. The 160 character message limit has inspired users to enlist abbreviations and even new shortcut words that are becoming widely accepted, which is another example of the evolution of language. For example, 2GTBT=too good to be true; 143=I love you; 404=I don't know. Go to www.webopedia,com/quick_ref/textmesssageabbreviartions.asp for a comprehensive list and a chart of emoticons. SMS offers many advantages over phone calls and email. Our minds can more quickly process short text messages than long, convoluted voice communications. Many phones allow you to archive messages in related strings for easy search and retrieval. SMS messages never get cut off because of bad reception. Nor do they get misunderstood because of line noise. SMS messages reach their destination instantly, even when the recipient cannot talk because he is in a meeting or otherwise occupied. You can embed URLs and links in a text message. Web enabled phones can then link to the Web directly from the message. Texting is fun for flirting and for accumulating good karma with thoughtful messages and reminders. Use SMS to find people in noisy, crowded places. Busy people can become even more effective with texting. Commercial SMS Texting in the United States for commercial purposes has just begun to emerge. Perhaps you have noticed texting first on TV shows such as American Idol. You can text your vote using your cell phone-if you are an AT&T customer. Even though limited to a single carrier, the show receives millions and millions of votes showing that it is a well-received and popular activity. The problem of competing technologies of all the different characters has been overcome and the gap bridged by companies such as Synergetics International SMS (www.synergetics.org/sms) so that it is now possible for businesses large and small to take advantage of this technology for marketing purposes. Think of the power of SMS with respect to marketing. There has never before been such a powerful means of marketing. Almost everyone carries a mobile phone these days. People don't leave home without them, and they are your constant companion. Accordingly, a marketer has the opportunity to reach customers at anytime any place. It is important, however, that unlike email there is no SPAM involved. The customer must initiate and invite the contact and can opt out at any time. In future articles, we will examine the various applications of SMS mobile marketing and take a look at how certain businesses have used it successfully. Observations SMS allows people to communicate quickly and concisely under conditions where it may not be possible otherwise. You can use SMS to send and receive information, make reservations, make contributions, send money, receive money, make money, and save money. We will elaborate on each of these topics in future discussions and show how SMS is a highly effective means of reaching a targeted market. Most consumers are enthusiastic about texting and find it fun. I predict that SMS will soon become the future of marketing. This back just a few years ago when most people didn't have a clue what www meant. Now, if a company has no Website, it has no credibility.
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The use of SMS (short message service) also known as text messaging has been well-ensconced in Europe and Asia for some time now. Teens have enthusiastically embraced it in the United States. But, it has only begun to emerge in the United States as a marketing tool because of all of our competing phone companies with differing technologies. Most people are unaware that SMS can be used to get instant information, send money, make money, and to save money.
About the author: Timothy S. Hillebrand, Ph.D. is a retired archaeologist who has a newfound passion for mobile technology and has published hundreds of articles on the subject. His most recent passion is SMS. To find out more about text messaging for fun and profit, visit his SMS Blog. This and other unique content SMS articles are available with free reprint rights.
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