We ran our first trial last week of delivering a marketing message for one of our newsagencies by text message. We have a good mobile phone database which we would like to use in promoting a range of products and offers using this technology – if we can see the return.
The mechanic was that the customer had to bring in their phone and show the message to redeem the reward – in this case a $1 scratchie with the purchase of aspecific magazine at full price.
While we were not swamped with responses, we did have customers come in, show us the message, make the required purchase and get their reward. Some said they would not have made the purchase otherwise.
Newsagents need, more than ever, to promote outside our four walls – to new customers as well as to existing, and past, customers. Text message marketing is more about an immediate, almost disposable, offer, it’s the nature of the technology and how it is used.
We already use email marketing so trying text messages was a logical step for us. We have several more messages in our plans before we take time to analyse the results. Our feeling is that we need to run a trial over several messages as the delivery method may appeal to some an not others. This is what we want to find out.
Our St Patrick’s Day cards are selling very well, especially this past weekend. One customer purchased eight cards. They came in to buy a newspaper and left with $31.00 worth of cards. The other items (hats, glasses, stcikers) in our display are also selling well, demonstrating that a minor season can be valuable for the business. We have all St Patrick’s Day products in the one display unit.
