Text Messaging Featured Article

Recently text message marketing company Textabit launched a self-service text messaging tool for businesses, allowing users to schedule alerts, create individually targeted text messages, and communicate with their clients, students and patrons.

According to company officials, recent mobile technology studies show that over 95 percent of subscribers read text messages sent through cell phones within minutes of receipt, and more than 200 million people are texting.

Just what kind of numbers are we talking here? According to the ABI Research (News - Alert), consumers in 2011 will send a total of 7 trillion SMS text messages. Some will not be sent by teenagers, too.

Therefore, Textabit CTO Nick Chiricec said, “Businesses with relevant information have found a perfect channel to promote and communicate with customers.” Especially since read rates for text messages were reported at 90 percent in 2010 by CTIA (News - Alert)-The Wireless Association.

He notes that Textabit has taken additional steps to make sure that business owners of all skill levels can feel comfortable using this tool, since “Textabit offers not just an application but a service,” with a simple and self-explanatory user interface, three-step campaign development tutorials and commitment to customer service.”

In fact, the Direct Marketing Association’s 2010 Response Rate Trend Report showed that the average conversion rate for text message marketing was almost 400 percent higher than the conversion rate for email marketing.

A couple months ago TMC’s (News - Alert) Carrie Schmelkin wrote that for those that felt the after effects of the 5.9 earthquake that hit Virginia in August, the first thought for many was to text a loved one or friend in the Virginia area to make sure they were okay. Others sent SMS text messages that were lighter in tone to friends in the New York and Connecticut areas in an effort to determine whether they felt the shake too.

According to Syniverse (News - Alert), a leading provider of mobile network technology to mobile operators, cable and Internet providers, the company processed over 220 million SMS messages in the two hours following the earthquake on Tuesday, as compared to 192 million messages for the same two-hour period on Monday, which represents a 15 percent increase.