News
MySpace Turns to Text to Promote Secret Shows
Social networking site Myspace is enjoying success using text messaging to help promote its Secret Show music events. The service, powered by messaging company Txtlocal, enables members to subscribe on the Myspace website, before receiving free text messages to gain entry to Secret Show events, with insider information and instructions on how to gain entry. It has so far attracted thousands of users, with the shows regularly exceeding capacity.
“The Txtlocal system provides a useful messaging platform, which is effective and easy to use,” says MySpace creative producer, Amy Bliss.
Around 265m messages are sent every day in the UK, with a 23 per cent increase in the number of messages sent in 2009, according to the Mobile Marketing Association.
A 2009 report by ABI research forecast that SMS will deliver 83 per cent of all mobile messaging revenues until 2013. Txtlocal managing director, Darren Daws, supports this view. He says: “SMS is an excellent complement to other marketing channels. We are seeing many organisations adding data capture boxes to their websites, as demonstrated by the Myspace example. People can simply opt-in to receive text alerts from organisations of their choice using our services. The beauty of our online SMS service is that there are no real barriers to entry; anyone can literally be up and running within minutes.”
Source: Mobile Marketing Magazine
Online Inbox Ordering and Renewals
In order to help keep everything as easy as possible for all of our customers we are constantly integrating new features into our Control Panel. In the past it has not been possible to order Short Code Keywords and Dedicated Inbound Numbers (DINs) through our Control Panel directly, our latest feature allows you to do just this.
Purchasing
Purchasing a Short Code Keyword or a DIN has never been easier; you can set up a new inbound system and start receiving texts right now by following these three simple steps:
- Just browse to the Inboxes area of your Control Panel.
- Click ‘Add New Short Code Keyword/Dedicated Inbound Number’.
- Purchase a Short Code Keyword or Dedicated Inbound Number of your choice.
More Discounts and NO Contracts
Not only can you now choose to take out either a Short Code or DIN for 1 month at a time but you can also make up to 40% savings if you choose to take one out for a 12 month period.
Renewal
Renewing current Short Code Keywords and DINs can now also be done seamlessly through our Control Panel, we will contact you via email when it is about to expire. This email will contain a link which, when followed will take you to a simple renewal screen where a payment to extend the life of your Short Code Keyword or DIN can be taken.
In addition to email notifications, warning messages will be displayed on the inbox in question to ensure you’re kept aware of the current status and expiry date of your Inbox.
If you have any questions at all about this new system, please do not hesitate to contact us on either 0845 009 3180 or sales@txtlocal.com. For more information about Short Code Keywords and Dedicated Inbound numbers, please visit our website.
Location Based Services launched
Over the past few years mobile technology has advanced in leaps and bounds with much of it becoming available to consumers. The latest in this long line of technologies is Location Based Services.
Location Based Services (LBS) allow you to locate your consumers when they send a text message to your short code keyword. We can look up their current location and process it in a variety of useful ways:
- We will place the co-ordinates (latitude, longitude, and an accuracy radius) in your control panel as well as plotting this information for you on a map.
- We can also host a database containing your store information and locations. This can be used to automatically send back a response to the user containing specific information on their closest store.
- Alternatively, you can build this all yourself using our FREE SMS API Gateway
To celebrate the launch of our LBS system we are offering you 50% OFF our setup fee (valid until Friday 25th June 2010). This means your LBS system can be set up for only £250 rather than the usual £500. The day to day costs involved in operating LBS are as follows:
Monthly Fee: £25
Location Lookup: 15p/per lookup
All prices exclude VAT.
For more information on our Location Based Services including a live demonstration please click here
If you have any other questions, please feel free to call us on 0845 009 3180.
Txtlocal Score Highly on User Experience, Customer Service and Pricing
Txtlocal have received an excellent endorsement from ‘Hello Mails’ the recent review concluded ‘Txlocal provide a powerful and versatile platform for businesses. From the user-friendly interface and feature-rich software to exceptional customer service, we found the whole experience very empowering.’
Here are just some extracts from the article;
User Experience
Txtlocal really stand out from competitors, their simple online SMS service is extremely user-friendly. The layout is clear and crisp, everything is where you expect it would be and navigating the interface is quick and effortless. You really don’t have to be technically minded to understand how it works, we managed to set up and send our first campaign in under 15 minutes.
Plus, if you need online help you can download full documentation with detailed explanations. The website demo videos are really helpful and provided a simple visual explanation for us to implement straight away.
Pricing
Texts are referred to as ‘credits’ and are sold in non-expiring bundles ranging from just 100 to millions and credit prices are very competitive. You simply top up your credit bundles as and when required.
This pay as you go system is a great way of keeping you in control of your budget whilst being easily scalable with your business.
Customer Service
We were overwhelmed by the first-class support offered by Txtlocal and any questions we had were quickly answered by email, forum and over the phone. The staff are very friendly and happy to answer even the most basic questions.
Additionally, Txtlocal have received a number of awards and recommendations from publications, recently receiving the PC Pro Recommended award as their official ‘SMS service of choice’, this award reinforces our assessment that Txtlocal are a great choice of SMS provider.
Alastair Shortland, Txtlocal Technical Director, whose team produced the Txtlocal interface, said ‘We are always delighted with positive feedback, this review is yet another reward for the hard work our development team have put in to enhance our market leading, user friendly interface.’
Txtlocal value your feedback, so if you want to comment on any aspect of our service, please email us.
Download full article
http://www.hellomails.com/blog/?p=15258
Txtlocals SMS service delivers results for top security firm
Defensa Security, a leading UK events security firm are using Txtlocal to help improve communications with their 1300 regional staff and save money in the process.
The firm specialises in event security, supplying personnel for a busy schedule of major events and festivals including Glastonbury. Previously, recruiting staff was a timely and costly process but according to Chris Hargrave (National Operations Manager) Defensa have improved the speed and efficiency of recruiting staff, by simply sending potential staff a personalised text message asking individuals to respond if they can work.
Chris went on say, “SMS messages have revolutionised our internal communications and helped us save money. Sending a quick text to security staff is much more effective and efficient than having to individually phone each prospect. Also, response rates are much higher than phone calls with around 70% of contacts replying to say that they can work.”
He continued ‘Txtlocal provide an excellent service. The control panel is secure and reliable and really meets our needs, since using the SMS service we have drastically cut down on admin time and resources.’
The company also uses Txtlocal to notify staff of their salary payments having previously been inundated with phone calls from staff wanting to know details of payments. By informing staff in advance, Defensa Security provided an added service to their staff, whilst also significantly reducing the number of inbound calls to the head office.
Alastair Shortland, Txtlocal Technical Director said, ‘We’re always delighted to receive positive feedback from our customers, Defensa Security is just one of the many companies we have using our user friendly service to send SMS to save money AND improve response. We aim to make communication as simple and effective as possible for any organisation, so it’s great when a customer has such success.’
If you wish to integrate SMS messages into your communications and want to use the UK’s leading SMS system, simply sign up at www.txtlocal.co.uk and get started instantly. Our user friendly dashboard guides you through the whole process and we’ll even give you 10 FREE live SMS credits to send messages to any mobile phone.