Text Messaging Featured Article

What do you get when you combine one of the most popular mobile services (text messaging) with one of the latest mobile additives (QR Codes)? The answer: a complete and innovative mobile solution. 

ShopText (News - Alert), provider of mobile marketing and loyalty solutions, has launched its latest offering, ScanText, a Web-based mobile marketing solution that combines QR codes and text messaging to maximize response rates from traditional media.

Using text messaging keywords, businesses of any size can create an integrated QR code and text message call to action to place in any offline ad. The codes can connect prospects and customers to any selected digital content, including websites like Facebook, LinkedIn (News - Alert), blogs, YouTube and Vimeo videos, slideshare and apps, according the company officials.

ScanTxt enables small businesses, agencies and publishers to engage prospects and customers on the spot with any desired web content and to measure results in real-time. The easy-to -use platform provides 15 text messages for free for the first 30 days. Those interested can obtain monthly pricing plans that range from $9.99 to $999.99 a month based on the volume of text messaging, however, there is no limit to the number of QR code scans.

According to Steve Roberts, CEO of ShopText Inc., the majority of mobile users take advantage of text messaging but not QR codes. “Ninety-eight percent of all mobile phones in the U.S. are able to send text messages and 70 percent of the U.S. population is texting. QR codes are rapidly gaining popularity, but just 6.2 percent of U.S. mobile users scanned a QR Code in June, according to ComScore,” Roberts said.

“Clients asked us to provide both QR and SMS calls to actions for their mobile marketing programs. We have seen significantly higher response rates with a QR+SMS combination and decided to launch ScanTxt. The automated mobile marketing service maximizes mobile response and makes it easy for offline consumers to connect with online content using either a QR code or a text message,” Roberts added.

ScanTxt provides real-time reporting of scans, text messages and clicks by day, time of day and carrier from a single dashboard. Each code can be updated any time and allows consumers to engage with online content the moment they see a ScanTxt enabled ad by using their QR code reader to scan the code or simply by texting a keyword to 467467.

Furthermore, ScanTxt leverages ShopText’s partnership with Helferich Patent Licensing, LLC (HPL) as ShopText is the only HPL authorized mobile marketing platform approved to offer “text to shortcode programs” on behalf of third parties.

Stefanie Mosca is a Managing Editor for TMCnet, with a particular focus in wireless technologies as well as mobile and IP communications. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University and a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of New Haven. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page or follow her on Twitter (News - Alert) @stefaniemosca.

Edited by Tammy Wolf