In the growing arena of marketing to mobile devices (primarily phones, including smart phones such as the Blackberry and the iPhone), text (or SMS) marketing stands out as an efficient and cost-effective point of entry, well within the grasp of even small businesses. “The place to start with mobile marketing is definitely texting,” says Amy Baglan, vp, EzTexting, a simple, affordable texting service used by a variety of industries, including restaurants. “One of the great things for restaurants is that it’s immediate. If you have excess product or empty seats, you can send a text with a special offer to your list and drive traffic within an hour.” The restaurant industry, notably in the quickservice sector, is beginning to realize the value. According to a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association, 26% of quickservice operators say they market their businesses through cell phone text messages; 53% plan to offer more. (For text message marketing basics, visit restaurantbriefing.com and see “New Age Marketing” in Special Edition 2, 2009.)

A text campaign can include contests (known as “text to win”), text clubs, loyalty clubs, voting/polling – and mobile coupons, discounts, and special offers. “It’s all possible, but you need to first ask yourself how your customers want to interact with your brand,” cautions Amy. “The most effective campaigns keep things as simple as possible. Start slowly – with special offers, for example. Try it out and see which ones get the best response rates.” Kim Dushinski, founder, Mobile Marketing Profits, a consulting firm, agrees. “Maybe a buy-one-get-one-free offer is more appealing to your customers than 25% off the entire order. Or perhaps giving people a shorter time frame to use the coupon will give you a better redemption rate.” (Note: When customers come to the restaurant to redeem offers, the code on their mobile devices is entered into the POS system and/or can be tracked manually.)

Another important variable is frequency. “There’s no magic formula,” says Amy. “For most restaurants, I’d say three to four times a month. What’s most important is that your subscribers feel they are getting something interesting and of value.This will keep response rates high and opt-out rates low.”

To learn more and get started with text message campaigns, including Kim’s list of companies that provide a variety of services, visit mobilemarketingprofits.com/vendors/text-messaging/