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SMS to app downloads: Cross Country Trains

Published on May 11, 2012 by in Case Studies, Mobile Apps, SMS Messaging



I have seen an increasing number of companies recently using SMS shortcodes to provide a link to a mobile app download. The principle is that you text in a particular word, and receive a link via SMS to the app download page.

The most recent one I have seen was on a Virgin Trains service.

Virgin Trains SMS to app download

SMS and QR code response for app download

Now, I welcome any use of SMS shortcodes, as across the board they are generally under-used. In this case, the shortcode is providing a link to the app download.

Every time I see a campaign like this, I have two questions:

  1. Will it work on my Blackberry?
  2. Do they really need an app? Or for the information they want to push out could they have used a mobile website?

In this case, I am happy to report that there was a Blackberry app. Hurray!

The problem with this model, is you are starting with an SMS response. All phones can send text messages. Because the app is only available on iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Nokia, only respondees with those particular handsets can use the app. Those handset makers account for a growing number of handsets worldwide, but even in the UK smartphone adoption is only around 50%.

There was no indication on the signage of which operating systems the app is available for.

The more fundamental question, is could they just have used a mobile website? Think about the information you need on a train:

  • Train times
  • Delays
  • Route planner
  • Prices and ticket purchases

All of this can be done using a mobile website – and indeed IS done on National Rail’s excellent mobile website.

National Rail Mobile Website

National Rail Mobile Website

The only advantage I can see in the app is the ‘ticket wallet’, where your tickets are stored electronically with a bar code. Still, most stations outside of the Cross Country routes have automated ticket gates. While I welcome the introduction of electronic tickets, I’m not sure this is it.

It has to be said that public transport ticketing is a great opportunity for mobile. In some European countries (Sweden and Estonia I think) it is impossible to buy a bus ticket with anything other than your phone.

We’ll catch up eventually.

 
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Mobile Marketing Permission: Football Club Case Study

Published on May 1, 2012 by in Case Studies, Mobile Marketing



My local football team, Wycombe Wanderers, had a key game at the weekend. The one time this season I have attended a Wycombe game, I gained half price entry by providing them with my email address and mobile phone number.

I never thought anything on it, until last week. First I received an email from club captain Gareth Ainsworth, encouraging me to attend Saturday’s crucial game.

I did not mind the email. It would have been potentially interesting if I had been at home.

Next however, I received the following text:

Wycombe Wanderers SMS Message

No opt-out mechanism

There are good aspects about this message. It clearly states in the name who the message sender is. It also makes an emotional appeal, and offers a simple call to action.

Unfortunately, I do not want Wycombe Wanderers to text me. I would have liked to opt out of this service, however the text contains no opt-out instructions.

Every time you send out an SMS text message as a business Read more…

 
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How to use mobile marketing

Published on April 23, 2012 by in Mobile Marketing



I write a lot about particular mobile technologies. It is easy to get bogged down in the minutia of text messaging, apps and mobile websites.

Delving into the technology makes it easy to lose perspective on what you are doing.

Do you remember the time before you owned a mobile phone? I certainly do. I am frequently reminded by friends of a comment I made in 2001 about ‘not needing a mobile phone’ and ‘never wanting one’.

Something important happened between 2001 and now which changed everything, called the iPhone.

I actually do not own an iPhone. In terms of phone specifications however, it raised the bar. Better camera, bigger screen, motion sensors, general sexyness.

Since the introduction of the iPhone, something else important has happened. Whatever handset you own, you are now more likely to access the internet from your phone.

Having the internet with you wherever you go is an interesting concept. Does it make you more productive, or less productive?

What it does do, is change the way you consume media. On your mobile you are more likely to tweet, text, post to Facebook, or read snippets of news. It also places undue emphasis on that which is new. Tweets, posts and articles older than a few hours are deemed unworthy of our attention.

I actually write a lot of these articles on my Blackberry. It’s convenient, and my best writing happens away from my desk.

Writing on my Blackberry also changes my writing in other ways. My sentences become shorter. I use shorter words. The articles themselves end up Read more…

 
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Seven Tips to Improve Your QR Code Marketing Results

Published on April 18, 2012 by in QR Codes



Thanks to smartphones increasing in popularity, many companies are now choosing to imprint QR codes into their overall marketing strategy.

A QR code allows a mobile audience access to your online content in real-time. As QR code marketing is fairly new in the United States, many companies are trying to get a jump on their competitors to capitalize on this trend.

This can be a mistake, as you need to have a strategy in place and ensure that the codes will be used as intended. In order to avoid these costly and embarrassing mistakes, you need to understand QR code tactics as well as QR code best practices.

Bad Practice…

An example of poor QR code usage involves a highway billboard. Read more…

 
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The Danger of Importing SMS Contacts

Published on April 8, 2012 by in SMS Messaging



Why importing phone numbers to your SMS software is a bad idea…

The laws in the UK currently require an opt-in before you can send text messages to your customers. What defines an opt-in however is a grey area.

Technically you are allowed to import an existing list of phone numbers from your contact list or CRM system into the text message software.

Note for U.S. readers

If you are in the U.S. it is not legal for you to import numbers into your SMS vendor’s software. In My Humble Opinion (MHO) the laws here will head the same way, but until then we must work with what we have…

In my experience, the ability to import numbers is good for the vendor and bad for you, because the vendor makes more money the more messages you send. It is in their interests for you to import mobile phone numbers, regardless of whether the recipients have opted in.

If you send a text message to somebody who has not opted in and does not want to hear from you, guess who gets in trouble – you or the vendor? Read more…

 
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