How SMS text messaging can turn print advertising into an interactive medium

It is a fact that today almost everyone has a mobile phone capable of receiving and sending text messages. And we all know that no one is ever too far from their mobile phone. It seems that now they have become permanently attached to our hands. This is the obvious reason why the growth of mobile marketing is increasing.

However, many businesses still make considerable use of print advertising and for many it remains a significant component of their marketing budgets. The challenge is to take this traditional advertising medium and find ways to make it more impactful and take it to the proverbial next level.

A very easy way to do this is to use the latest mobile marketing solutions and add a text number or short code to your print ads, thus turning the print ad into an interactive ad. Here is an example.

Most major movie studios use print advertising in various publications that are tailored to the target demographic of a particular movie. The interactive factor of the print ad is to include a short code of text: the “call to action”. The shortcode allows anyone to simply send a text message using their mobile phone and then immediately receive a link to the studio’s website promoting that movie to view a trailer promoting the movie and of course additional content. That content can be viewed directly on your mobile phone.

There are a number of important factors that are also highly advantageous to the seller. With the right technology, the movie studio now has the consumer’s mobile phone number, as well as one of the movie categories they prefer to watch. The movie studio is now building a powerful database of potential consumers based on their specific interests, allowing it to promote similar film genres to these specific consumers in the future.

Also, the studio doesn’t have to develop specific apps for various smartphone operating systems and can interact with any consumer with a mobile phone, and frankly, that’s pretty much everyone. The result is that a traditional form of advertising has now become an interactive medium with minimal cost to the studio.

This example should encourage many businesses to start incorporating short codes into many other aspects of their marketing, from yellow page ads to billboards, direct mail, and even the traditional business card. Combine SMS text messaging with the latest mobile marketing software and you can increase your marketing reach economically and effectively.