By Guest Blogger, Steve Kelley, founder of MESSAGEbuzz
www.messagebuzz.com
Text messaging is still one of the best communication methods for extending your personality. If you are an author, expert, speaker or coach imparting your knowledge and experience to as wide a group as possible, then text messaging will benefit you. Associated to this post is a radio interview and a case study of an author using text messaging to increase book sales.
To reveal one secret right up-front, book sales are increased by allowing people to easily opt-in via your social media tools, website or the audience you are addressing so they can start engaging with you. A daily connection with your followers encourages 50% more purchases compared to those that are not.
The reasons for using text messaging are plenty. First, text messages are accepted on a permission only basis. This is an extremely valuable aspect because it explicitly says your readers value what you are sharing with them. It is so important that watching your subscriber numbers change in either direction provides you with great insight. Second, text messaging is personal and in fact the cell phone in general is revered as very personal. Your content, your emotions, your personality delivered right to your reader’s hip pocket is powerful. As they say, the pocket is closer to the heart than the brain so include your emotions and convictions and people will respond. Third, people receiving text messages read them at a resoundingly high rate, especially when they come from known sources. Research touts that is it 99%, which I believe is too high but I bet it is 75%.
There are numerous tactics you can apply to connect with your tribe. This list is far from exhaustive and with a good strong coffee and 30 minutes of brainstorming, I am sure you can create tactics to help you achieve to your goals:
- Share content of value daily, weekly or monthly. A self-help author keeping people on track with powerful thoughts, a trainer who would like to reinforce the content of his seminar by sending follow-up text messages to those that attended or a word of the day delivered from their minister before their hectic day begins will ensure that the message is consumed are just a few examples. As you can imagine, the possibilities are endless.
- Text messaging can also be integrated with other communication methods. One of the most relevant is voice broadcasting because some personalities are sooooo big that you just cannot fit everything you need to say within 160 characters. Integrating voice broadcasting, referred to as VB or its big brother IVR, allows you to text your tribe and those that want more can reply. When they reply, instead of another text in return, their phone would ring and your prerecorded message is delivered. Again authors, TV personalities, CFO’s delivering quarterly financials could all benefit from this extended form of communication. Other integration possibilities are websites, social media and calendar.
- Explore Premium Short Message Service (PSMS) which allows you to bill your customers directly on their phone. By combining a package of services, you could enable your customers to sign-up at your next presentation and have the carrier pay you your percentage of the proceeds. Donations are another popular PSMS tool for collecting funds for non-profits. PSMS is a service that needs more explanation than available in this post but if this is of interest, search on PSMS providers on a shared shortcode to take your first step or feel free to contact me, avoidthedart@mobilemarketinginstitute.com. If you are in St. Louis, do not hesitate to participate in one of my no-cost Java Gyms where I would be delighted to answer any of your questions face-to-face, http://www.mainstreetmarketingcommunity.org/coffee.
- Solicit feedback by asking your readers to comment on a particular matter. Examples of this are, questions about how to increase the value of your service, surveys, prayer requests, sweepstakes or to gauge responses to a question(s) delivered during a presentation. I do not suppose I need to expand any further on the value of two-way real-time communication for both parties.
If the value you deliver involves extending your personality, then connecting with your readers via their mobile phones is a critical channel for you to consider. This is further reinforced if you are influencing people aged 14-34 that have grown up in a world of being connected. They are masters at avoiding pushed communication and prefer their mobile phones as their way to communicate.
These are just a few of the many ideas that could connect you with your readers. Taken into consideration with your goals, you will have the power to develop a significant connection and increase sales as a direct result.
If this post speaks directly to your needs, listen to my interview on Women’s Radio, Your Book is Your Hook, http://www.womensradio.com/episodes/Your-Book-Is-Your-Hook%21–Text-Messaging-Tips-and-Tools-to-Sell-More-Books/7926.html.