07/30/10 by David Wachs | Blog, Marketing Blog | 2 Comments »
The end goal of a successful campaign should be attracting and retaining the most amount of users with an engaging mobile experience. Let’s quickly contrast the three types of “text vs barcode” options: texting a barcode to a phone number, downloading an app and standard texting.
1) “Texting a barcode to a phone number”. First of all, this only works on AT&T and Verizon according to Jagtag’s own website. Anyone not on AT&T or Verizon’s networks must take the picture and email it to an email address, such as “swimsuit@jagtag.com”. Some users will send the email via MMS, and others will use their Blackberry mail (or Gmail, etc) to send the photo. This means you’ll end up with a database of SOME phone numbers, SOME phone-emails (5555551212@att.com) and some pure emails (jsmith@blackberry.com). So, if you’re looking to enter into an engaging conversation with the user, is it possible to reply via text to the blackberry/other smart phone users that sent the message in via email? Yes, smartphones make up a big (and growing!) portion of the market, but how should we communicate with these users? An email campaign?? EMAIL! That is so, so sexy. We could send the picture (via email, or via mms), but the uploading process is slow. There goes that speed benefit. And what happens if the picture is blurry? Do they have to start all over again?
2) Let’s talk about downloading an app. I’ll start by sharing a story. I’m standing in a Target checking out vacuum cleaners. On the side of one of the boxes was a Scanlife barcode. (Question: who are we promoting?? The BRAND or Scanlife??? If I’m the brand, I’ll be damned if I’m paying to advertise some barcode company!) The Scanlife barcode says “to get info on this product, use the Scanlife app to view more information.” So I launched the app store…..(hang on… it’s loading….) finally got in… searched for barcode scanners…. Bee tag… no, that’s not it… Microsoft tag…nope… and finally, here it is… the Scanlife app. Time to download this new exciting app. I’ll just enter my password in iTunes…. ok, done! It’s downloading. Ok, and now it’s installed. Let me scan the code, hang on, I must get it to focus… hmmm…didn’t work…. let me try again…. THERE! DONE! Ok, now it’s loading a mobile website! (That’s it? Really?) But you’re right… it was fast! After I downloaded one of the MANY non-standard barcode apps (I’ll keep the 10 “most standard” on my phone…. something tells me the average Joe won’t go through this) and focused and re-focused the app 4 times! Worst of all, there’s no tracking back to the phone number. Opportunity lost for the brand!!
3) Now let’s talk about texting. It works on 98%+ of all phones. It’s fast (Cellit’s platform can turn around a message in 3 seconds), you don’t need an app, you don’t need a CAMERA, and you can keep the conversation going via text afterward (we provide 100% trackability). Best of all, EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW TO DO IT! I admit, texting isn’t very sexy, but neither are barcodes. Even if barcodes or text codes were sexy…the public quickly fatigues of gimmicks! It’s not about the barcode or text code. It’s about what can be done AFTER they receive the message. All things being equal, I want more people participating than less. Texting provides the ability to build robust, engaging conversations, while the best case for a barcode campaign is just a link to a mobile site.
At Cellit we refer barcodes as “marketing to marketers.” Marketers eat up the idea, the public not so much. It’s time to take off your “geek” or “marketer” hat and put on that hat you should always have on in the first place: your “consumer” hat!
07/15/10 by Cellit Staff | Blog, Marketing Blog | No Comments »
Thanks to astounding advances in technology, mobile phones are capable of just about every function a laptop or personal computer exists for. From checking email, getting directions, shopping, accessing the internet, listening to music and taking pictures, mobile phones are bringing all forms of entertainment to wherever your destination may be.
A recent PEW survey reported that now eight in ten adult Americans own a mobile phone. Those who own a phone aren’t just making calls either. They’re taking advantage of their device’s features, software and capabilities.
Mobile phones are replacing digital cameras. PEW reports that 76% of mobile phone owners use their device to take pictures, up from 66% in 2009. The quality of photographs taken from a mobile phone is remarkable. No longer are phones equipped with just a dismal 1 megapixel lens. Most phones feature at a minimum of a five megapixels lens, with some models featuring eight megapixel lens and higher.
Camera phones have become video camera phones. Over one third of mobile phone owners record video from their devices, and feast on downloaded software to share their videos, watch others and play music and games on their phones.
Mobile internet browsing is becoming as functional as using standard web browser. Accessing the internet on cell phones increased from 25% in 2009 to 38% in 2010. Checking email also increased, from 25% to 34%.
If you’re still using a clamshell or candy bar phone, you may feel like you’re missing out. There’s no better time than now to join the movement and switch to a smart phone.
07/14/10 by Cellit Staff | Cellit News, News | No Comments »
Chicago, IL, July 14, 2010 – Cellit, a leading provider of mobile marketing solutions, today released its largest overhaul of their core Cellit Studio platform, Cellit Studio 3. Highlighted by a completely redesigned graphic interface, Cellit Studio 3 features new message management and organization options, more complex rules to better segment and target users, and advanced reporting options that significantly improve the user experience.
“This is the most comprehensive redesign of our platform and user interface since its initial release five years ago. The new features are the product of months of dialogue with our customers and partners about their needs and suggestions, as well as some fantastic internally developed ideas,” stated David Wachs, President of Cellit.
The new message management and organization options allow users to organize messages into content categories or by campaign, enabling power users to quickly find and adjust specific campaigns within their program. The new feature is core to the platform’s access control functionality, allowing robust permissioning and control to multi-user Cellit Studio accounts.
Enhancements to the already robust scheduler function improves campaign planning by allowing users to schedule specific dates and times for common campaign tasks, including changing auto-replies at specific times and to sending reporting emails to administrators. Cellit’s reporting engine has now been augmented with dynamic maps that allow users to see key activity—such as subscriber growth, unsubscribes and keyword popularity—aggregated by state and area code.
Cellit’s rules-based campaign launcher has also received upgrades. New rules allow logical groupings, termed “ANDs” and “ORs” by Cellit, which allow unlimited possibilities on targeting and segmenting.
”Cellit Studio has long been the most flexible mobile marketing campaign manager available, ” continued Wachs. “The new additions to the platform enable Cellit to continue maintaining a dominant lead in the space and allow our clients to implement groundbreaking platforms with ease. We are excited to provide all of our Cellit Studio clients access to these advanced new features at no additional charge.”
For a demo of Cellit Studio 3 and its enhanced features, please contact a sales representative at sales@cellit.com or 800.790.6597.
About Cellit, LLC
Headquartered in Chicago, Cellit was founded on the premise that mobile technology can be accessible to all by combining engineering expertise with world-class customer service and marketing support. Cellit develops innovative and cost-effective self-service solutions for mobile marketing, as well as custom mobile solutions for some of the world’s largest brands. With clients including Taco Bell, Subway, Zumiez, IKEA, and GPS Insight, Cellit has a reputation for delivering groundbreaking custom mobile applications in record time. More information on Cellit can be found at their web site: http://www.cellit.com.
07/05/10 by Cellit Staff | Cellit News, News | No Comments »
Direct Marketer News takes an in-depth look at the upcoming Cirque du Soleil mobile program to promote Criss Angel Believe at the Luxor.
Luxor uses interactive text campaign to promote Criss Angel show
