What is Mobile Marketing?

​​According to the Mobile Marketing Association, mobile marketing uses interactive wireless media to provide customers with time and location sensitive, personalized information that promotes goods, services and ideas. Mobile Marketing allows businesses to get their messages in their customers' hands quickly and easily.
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The strength of mobile marketing is that the prospect gives permission, or "opts in," to participate in an advertising or marketing campaign. Mobile marketing allows a business to get its message into customers' hands quickly and easily. Mobile Marketing is used to increase brand awareness, generate customer databases, increase customer loyalty and retention, and drive attendance to specific events and locations.​
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What's the difference between text marketing and text messaging?​
​​Text marketing, also known as mobile marketing, is a commercial use text message. Mobile marketing uses the standard interface of a cell phone's text messaging feature to communicate with potential customers.
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What is a Short Code?
​Short codes, also known as short numbers, are special telephone numbers, significantly shorter than full telephone numbers (our shortcodea are 71441 & 40691). Used to send SMS and MMS messages between mobile phones, short codes are issued by the Common Short Code Assn (CSCA) and are leased by providers and carriers. Each short code is independently approved for use by the wireless carriers and best practices are rigorously enforced. A mobile carrier can fine and/or drop a short code provider for violating any of the strict standards of use. This enforcement is singularly responsible for keeping mobile spam to well under 10% compared to over 80% for email.
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What is a keyword?​
​A keyword is a short, unique word that allows your customers to interact with your services, to receive On Demand information, e.g. business locations, today’s specials, On Demand coupons, contests, etc. A keyword is unique within any shortcode and identifies Mobile Marketing campaigns. For example: Text “nightlife” to 71441 to receive weekly specials; “nightlife” is the keyword in this example.
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Once I register a keyword, how long do I own it?
​Your keyword is yours as long as your account is active and current.

 

​​What is SMS Messaging?

​SMS (Short Message Service), commonly referred to as “text messaging”, is a service for sending short messages of up to 160 characters to mobile devices, including cellular phones, smartphones, tablets and PDAs.​

 

Why is a text message limited to 160 characters?

​​The 160 character limitation is industry wide and represents the current bandwidth limitations of the mobile carriers, i.e. Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-mobile, etc. As more bandwidth is allocated to the carriers the number of characters allowed per text is likely to increase.​ For a detailed explanation of how this limitation came to be click here.

 

What is MMS Messaging?

​MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) is a standard way to send messages that include multimedia content (pictures, videos, etc.) to and from mobile phones. It extends the core SMS capability which only allowed exchange of text messages up 160 characters in length. The most popular use is to send photographs from camera-equipped handsets, although it is also popular as a method of delivering ringtones and videos.

 

Can I upload or enter mobile numbers to one on of my contact lists?

​Subscribers can be added to your list by sending a text message to your keyword, or by entering their information on your website using our widget. If you have an existing list that needs to be imported, it can be uploaded through our control panel. Subscribers can also be added manually through your online marketing center.

 

​​Do I need to install software on my computer?​

No software is required. Keywords are configured through a server-based web site that can be accessed from any device that is connected to the Internet.​

 

Which wireless carriers work with HipChime?

Supported US Carriers:

Alltel, AT&T. Alaska Communications Systems, Bluegrass Cellular, Boost Mobile CDMA, Boost Mobile, iDEN Cellcom, Cellular Once of Montana, Cellular South, Centennial, Chat Mobility (Hawkeye), Cincinnati Bell, Cox Wireless, Cricket (Leap Wireless), Duet IP, ECIT (Cellular One of East Illinois), East Kentucky Network, Enid/Pioneer Cellular, Element Mobile, GCI Communications, Golden State, iWiereless, Illinois Valley Cellular, Inland Cellular, Metro PCS, Midwest Wireless, NTELOS, Nex-Tech Wireless, Nextel Communications, Northwest Missouri Cellular, Panhandle Wireless, Plateau Wireless, Pocket Wireless, Revol Wireless, RINA, Rural Cellular Corp., Sprint PCS Wireless, T-Mobile, TMP/Simmetry, Thumb Cellular, U.S. Cellular, Union Telephone, United Wireless, Verizon Wireless, Virgin Mobile USA, West Central Wireless

 

Supported Canadian Carriers:

Aliant Mobility, Bell Mobility, Fido, MTS, NorthernTel Mobility, Rogers, SaskTel Mobility, Télébec Mobilité, TELUS Mobility, Vidéotron, Virgin Mobile Canada, WIND Mobile

 

Supported UK Carriers:

BT (PSTN), Everything Everywhere (Orange), Everything Everywhere, O2 (BT Cellnet,Telefonica), T-Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, Three 3G (Hutchison), Virgin Mobile, Vodafone

 

What if I just want to run a short, one-time campaign?

​With HipChime, you can sign up on a month-to-month basis. When your campaign is completed, simply download your data and cancel the service. It's that simple.



​Can I start with a small plan and then upgrade?​

Yes. Changing your plan is simple. You can either upgrade your package or purchase more text credits as you need them without changing your plan. You can chose and execute either of these options right from your control panel.

 

How does Mobile Marketing work?

You use a system like ours to send one text to many people. The goal is to motivate the end users to take an action or receive information.

 

Why should I use Mobile Marketing in my business?

Let’s face it. People are very attached to their cell phones and when they hear their text notification sound, they will read your message instantly. There is no other medium that allows you to reach out to your clients and prospects so quickly.

 

Will Mobile Marketing replace other marketing?

While many mobile marketing providers tout Text Marketing as the best and only option, we’re a little different. We help companies and organizations enhance their efforts in print media, internet advertising, social media, television, radio, and event marketing by giving you a call to action. This call to action will help increase your list of subscribers and ultimately increase conversions and sales.

 

Do I need to install anything on my computer?

No, our system is 100% web-based. You can access your account from any Internet connected computer, tablet or Smartphone.

 

I get unsolicited texts on my phone all of the time. Is that from your service?

No they aren’t from us. We only allow for a permission-based opt in list. You can’t just buy a list and upload it in our system. If a subscriber wants to stop receiving text messages from you they just have to reply STOP to any message and they are instantly removed.

 

How can I build my list of subscribers?

You can allow people to opt in by scanning a QR or texting a keyword to our short code. This can be done through, print, internet, social media, TV, radio, and at events. Don't worry, we'll be here to show you many proven list building methods.

 

What if I don’t have the time to start a Mobile Marketing campaign?

We offer expert-managed campaigns for clients who need our service. We fully manage the campaigns and collaborate with our clients on the content that they want to reach their prospects and clients.

 

What about compliance?

We are fully compliant with all mobile marketing rules and regulations. We make updates as rules change.

 

Is this a email-to-text message service?

No, this is true Short Message Peer-to-Peer or SMPP protocol. Our system has nothing to do with emails and we pay our all cell phone carriers to ensure that messages are delivered. Since email-to-text companies don’t have to pay the carriers there is no guarantee of message delivery.

 

How do I know if Mobile Marketing is right for me?

Click on the Contact page at the top of the site and give us a call or send us an email. If Text Marketing isn’t right for your business or organization we’ll be the first to tell you.

 

Why should I choose HipChime Mobile Marketing?

We’re experienced professionals in the mobile marketing industry. We strive for service after the sale so you’ll receive guidance and customer service that you won’t get anywhere else.

 

Still Debating if Mobile Marketing is Right For Your Business?

 

• An average SMS marketing campaign reaches conversion rates of 35+ percent . Compare this figure to direct mail and newspapers, which rarely reach over 2 to 3 percent, and the ROI of text message marketing cannot be matched

• Mobile coupon users has grown 2X from 19.8 million to 35.6 to million between 2011 and  2013. 

• The number of text messages sent each day outnumbers the number of people on EARTH

 

The Facts Don't Lie...

 

• 92% of the US population has a phone on them at this very moment.

• 97% of text messages are opened within 4 minutes of delivery.

• 12 - 68% of your customers will respond to those messages, compared to 3% for email and 2.61% for direct mail.

• 65% of people like offers delivered to their mobile phones.

• 75% of Smartphone users prefer receiving offers via SMS, while only 15% on mobile internet, and 10% via mobile applications.

• There are 7 billion people on Earth. 5.1 billion own a cell phone. 4.2 billion own a toothbrush. (Mobile Marketing Association Asia, 2011)

• It takes 48 hours for the average person to open an email but only 90 seconds to respond to a text message. (CTIA.org, 2011)

• Mobile coupons get 10 times the redemption rate of traditional coupons. (Mobile Marketer, 2012)

• 91% of all smart phone users have their phone within arm’s reach 24/7. – (Morgan Stanley, 2012)

• 44% of Facebook’s 900 million monthly users access Facebook on their phones. These people are twice as active on Facebook as non-mobile users. (Facebook, 2012)​

• Mobile marketing will account for 15.2% of global online ad spend by 2016. (Berg Insight, 2012)​

• It takes 26 hours for the average person to report a lost wallet. It takes 68 minutes for them to report a lost phone. (Unisys, 2012)

• 70% of all mobile searches result in action within 1 hour. 70% of online  searches result in action within 30 days. (Mobile Marketer, 2012)

• 9 out of 10 mobile searches lead to action, over half leading to purchase. (Search Engine Land, 2012)

• 61% of local searches on a mobile phone result in a phone call. (Google, 2012)

• 52% of all mobile ads result in a phone call. (xAd, 2012)

 

Why You Should Care?

​Mobile Marketing gives marketers access to a captive audience in a hyper-targeted way. It produces more immediate responses and a much higher response rate, than any other marketing method ever seen before. ​The mobile marketing tsunami is changing the dynamic of every element of marketing.