The Social Enthusiast

Have you ever met anyone that doesn’t like surprises? Now, I’m not talking about surprises like losing your job or something tragic. I’m speaking of surprises that bring a positive response.

A few years ago I was pleasantly surprised when my family threw a surprise birthday party for me. I was blown away by the people that came to make this day special. While many would think that this might be intrusive, because I had a relationship with my guests I welcomed their unexpected gesture.

There are also occasions that I’ll receive random things in the mail from t-shirts to books – totally unexpectedly that makes the sender look pretty cool in my eyes.

Mobile Marketing Should Include Surprises

Consumers sign up for text alerts to receive score updates, bank alerts, notifications, news updates, as well as a host of other services. Advertisers are always looking for opportunities to leverage SMS campaigns, but often times the most effective strategy is sprinkling a few surprises in with the rest of your messaging.

Text messaging should never feel like spam. If you build your campaign around a double opt in feature, your surprises should be welcomed by the consumer.

Surprises such as:
1. Coupons
2. Free Wallpapers
3. Free Item or product
4. Free Service for a limited time
5. Notice of a contest to win an item of value

All of these are just ideas that not only surprise the consumer, but also have the potential to generate buzz around your text messaging campaign. Many times the most effective results come from word of mouth.

If you can generate buzz by just sending a few unexpected surprises, then you increase the opportunity to build your database and hopefully begin the transition from consumers to evangelists.