T-Mobile Takes a Vacation

Important Notice: T-Mobile USA Campaign Freeze August 6 through August 23, 2010

Please be informed that T-Mobile USA will freeze all campaign submissions and certifications for two weeks starting at 5:00PM Pacific Time, August 6, 2010. The freeze will end at 9:00AM Pacific Time, August 23, 2010. During this period, new campaign creation, campaign status change requests, and message route edits in 3PG will be submitted to T-Mobile after the freeze is lifted.

Certification requests will continue to be submitted to T-Mobile, but the requests will not be processed until after the freeze ends on August 23. Certifications submitted during this period will be processed in order of submission. The freeze is part of T-Mobile’s migration from CoGa to the 3PG and SDG platforms.

This year, the broadcast industry is back in business with the expected increases for radio ad revenues. SNL Kagan says radio advertising will rise 6.4% to $17.1 billion. They also foresee a rise in the next six years of 15% to $552 million for radio, and $19.8 billion in advertisements.



The customer sends in the keyword in order to receive a response message.  Peirce College uses this strategy to gather leads in order to contact these prospective students that are sending in the keywords.  The customer receives a response letting them know that a representative will be contacting them shortly and a thank you for their interest.  This process is simple and convenient through 84444.com.

Advanced Telecom Services offers this service of broadcast text messaging through their brand, 84444.com.  84444.com allows an organization to reserve keywords that they wish to market to the shared shortcode 84444.

84444.com’s service provides a University or College with the qualities they need to better their community of students.  Studies have shown that 98% of college students own a cell phone, and more than 90% of those students use text messaging. If an e-mail is sent to the student, it may be read a couple hours later, whereas 94% of text messages are opened immediately upon receipt.  This statistic raises another way in which colleges or universities can operate 84444.com.  With text message broadcasting the institution can send out mass text messages in the case of an emergency or class cancellation to all of its students.  The students will obtain the information within the first five minutes of the text message being sent.

Using this service is a great way to promote your college or university, and what it has to offer.  The possibilities of service are endless!  Mobile marketing is one of the fastest, easiest, and most effective marketing strategies in today’s industry. Peirce College benefits from this strategy in that they build knowledge to potential students everyday.

Other promotions include the Subway Fresh Fit 500 NASCAR Race.  Customers opted in to the chance to win a trip to the race by texting in keywords to 84444.  The response text notified them of the promotion and the drawing date, along with a coupon for any regular sub for just $5. As simple as creating this promotion was, Subway satisfies customers by offering sweepstakes along with a mobile coupon.

For Subway, not only does this do-it-yourself marketing strategy increase sales, but most importantly it enables them to create a database of opt-in customers.  These customers are now eligible to receive text broadcasts including information on weekly specials.  These Subway customers can receive mobile coupons and promotions in order to better their experience, while also benefiting Subway and their customer appreciation.

94% of text messages today are opened within the first 5 minutes immediately upon receipt.  Therefore, Subway finds ways to promote their business effectively.  They will send out a broadcast text message that includes a coupon for lunch, late morning around 11:30 to their opt-in customers.  This is extremely effective marketing because it causes their customers to think of Subway when they are starting to get hungry at the office mid-day.  Also, because Subway is well-known for subs at lunch rather than dinner time, they will send out coupons with specials after 4:00 pm in order to heighten business at later hours.

84444.com provides a tool for advertisers, businesses, and organizations to easily provide interactive mobile marketing. Interactive text messaging is the most effective medium for any organization trying to enhance sales through mobile marketing. 84444’s service also allows for personalization in their broadcast text messages. Studies have shown that personalizing mobile messages increases returns and ultimate ROI for your business. New York Times called mobile advertising “The most powerful advertising medium of all-time.”  So why not try 84444.com’s service just like Subway now!

Mobile Ads have also become frequent amongst women.  When asked if they have ever clicked on a mobile ad, out of 875 responses, approximately 57% responded yes, 28% responded no, and 15% were neutral.  Women are increasing their attention on the advertisements within the mobile web.

Among women, Facebook and Yahoo are the most popular, leading to research on the commonality of internet usage.  This internet usage then leads to the frequency of mobile web usage. Women are already engaged and interested in exploring all of the new mobile services on the mobile web provided today given their interest in the internet.  These mobile devices are extremely important in connecting retail brands with their customers in which women find themselves paying attention to.

Opt-In: The sandwich is on us.

One of the most daunting tasks facing a new entrant into the exciting world of mobile marketing is the ability to establish an opt-in mobile marketing list.  Even experienced advertising agencies seem to be perplexed by this task.

But, it’s really not that difficult.  Overwhelmingly, the top two ways to establish an opt-in database are through mobile coupons and text message sweepstakes.  Have tickets to the Dodger game?  Give them away in your pizza restaurant.  Better yet, give them away and include a mobile coupon in the return messages.

While text message sweepstakes are the best way to get consumers to opt-in to your mobile marketing programs, mobile coupons are the best way to keep them there.  And, the best thing is that they work!

For years, broadcast salespersons have been criticized by advertisers, because their advertising is not measurable.  With newspapers, the consumer can walk in with the clipped newspaper coupon.  This is not possible with broadcasting…until now.

When a consumer walks in and flashes his cell phone, the store manager will certainly remember.

Moreover, with mobile coupons, you can reach your consumer when they are most likely to buy.  Subway, for instance, sends all of its promotional text messages at 11:30 am when workers are starting to get hungry for lunch.  And, since 94% of all text messages are read immediately upon receipt, that means that your opt-in consumers are receiving your promotional message when they are most likely to buy.

Long text messages may increase opt-outs.

Your best customer is the one that loves your product and can’t get enough information about it so they welcome receiving all of your text message promotions.  On the other hand, your worst customer may be the best customer whom you sent too many messages to and has now chosen to opt-out of your promotions.

Some companies believe that sending a promotional message that is longer than 160 characters is a good thing.  At 84444.com, we don’t agree.  We believe that messages should be concise and fit within the 160 character parameters that have been established by the carriers.  To do otherwise, means that a consumer is more likely to opt-out.

Perhaps, the other companies suggesting such lengthy messages are only interested in selling more text messages and are not thinking in the best interests of your opt-in customers.

AT&T Mobility USA have informed us of planned maintenance on their SMS billing platform.

Type: Carrier maintenance.
Partner Impact: Renewal notifications on AT&T Mobility USA will be delayed during the maintenance period. MT and MO traffic will not be affected.

The maintenance will be carried out at the following time:
2010-05-06 02:00 EDT to 09:00 EDT.

In the event of an outage, premium traffic to AT&T Mobility USA will be queued on the MX Telecom SMS gateway for delivery once maintenance has been completed.

Support the Washington Capitals with Slapstick

Advanced Telecom Services, parent company of 84444.com, was recently mentioned in an article written by World Telemedia magazine.  ATS provided the premium SMS solution for the Slapstick application and the Washington Capitals.

Unfortunately, the Capitals, who were the best team in the NHL this season (54-15-13), lost its first round playoff in seven games to the # 8 seed Montreal Canadiens.  The # 2 seeded New Jersey Devils also were ousted — by the Philadelphia Flyers.

One of the things that Advanced Telecom Services’ president Bob Bentz does in his personal time is coach baseball.  Bentz is also a regular user of the 84444.com mobile messaging product to reach his youth baseball players.  In this blog post, Bentz wonders why every baseball coach doesn’t use text messages to reach their players when a rainout occurs.

The best way to notify baseball players of a rainout is by text message.

I have been coaching baseball for 16 years.  It has been a big part of my life.  Sure, it takes a lot of time, but perhaps I’ve made a small impact on young men in our area so that makes it all worthwhile.

My first opportunity to coach was in Little League.  One of the most fun evenings of the year was when the coaches got together for the preseason draft of talent.  In the early rounds, it was all business, with coaches monitoring spread sheets of ratings of pre-teens generated by their previous season coach.  The strategies used by the local coaches were not much different than the ones utilized by the general managers at the Major League Baseball winter meetings.

The later rounds were met with a much different rating system.  In the later rounds, the players were all inept so coaches were more apt to rate their selection based on GLM’s — good looking Moms.  But, no matter how good looking their Mom was, there was one kid that would never get picked until the final selections.  These were the ones that didn’t have email!  There’s no way a coach wanted to add to his work by having to make a phone call to notify the player’s family that practice or a game was cancelled due to rain.  Email was just so much…easier.

This weekend, my Junior Legion baseball team had a home and home series against another local opponent.  My club was home on Saturday and we were to play away on Sunday.  After the conclusion of the Saturday game (we won 5-1 by the way), the other coach and I talked about the impending rain storm predicted to hit the Philadelphia area on Saturday night.  We agreed that the outlook for playing the Sunday game was not promising.  The opposing coach lamented about how he dreaded having to call 18 players if the game was rained out!

“What year was this guy living in,” I thought.  I hadn’t been calling players for over a decade, or at least since every player on the team had email.  And, a few years ago, I even gave up email, preferring to send a broadcast text message instead.

Email is so yesterday with today’s teens.  If I were still sending email to my baseball players, they’d find out a week from now about the cancellation, because that’s about as often as teenage boys check their emails today.  That’s why I communicate with my players on the medium of their choice–text messages.  Moreover, a text message reaches the player immediately no matter where they are.  94% of all text messages are read immediately upon receipt.  Email certainly can’t make that claim!

If Little Leagues, Cal Ripken leagues, American Legion baseball teams, or travel baseball teams are looking for the best way to reach their players, then the only way to do that in today’s fast moving society is with text message broadcasts.  

I can’t imagine coaching a baseball team and having to make 18 phone calls when a game or practice was rained out.  

Perhaps, that other coach is still having his team use wood bats too.