Editor's Note: Although we usually cover SMS Marketing tips and tricks here, we know that many small businesses are beginning to embrace the mobile web - so we thought it would be a good idea to share some best practices.

Entry By Jason Brick

This Just In: Mobile design is not the same as web design.

That may not seem like news to experienced mobile marketing pros, but you might be surprised how many people apply inappropriate web design concepts to their mobile platforms. The result is predictable: frustrated viewers who move on to the competition.

Just like competent web design, solid mobile SEO and UX design is a complex topic -- but you can get started by working toward these six don't-miss characteristics of a working mobile platform: 

1. Fewer Graphics

Graphics make a traditional website look slick, but take up bandwidth while loading. On a mobile device, download speeds are slower and the extra data costs money. Stick to your logo, plus compelling text, to catch and hold a user's eye. 

2. Stick with Tried and True SEO

Keywords, headings and tags work for mobile devices just as they do with tradition al browsers. Use them appropriately, but consider streamlining data to the most effective keywords for your market. Mobile search engines often take load speed into account among other factors.

3. Remember Screen Size

Your designers usually work on jumbo screens attached to a desktop. This keeps them efficient by allowing them to optimize work flow -- but can lead to designs meant for larger interfaces. Mobile devices, especially the app phones that generate the overwhelming majority of mobile traffic, have small screens. If your mobile platform is so large that a user can get lost -- or has to zoom out until elements are frustratingly small -- you'll lose viewers to a site optimized for mobile devices. 

4. Minimize Forms

Though we've come a long way from using a phone keypad to enter text, the interface on app phones is still time-consuming and flaky. Forms on your mobile platform should be simple, be easy to navigate, and you should ask for as little information as possible. 

5. Allow for Portability

Make it easy for a mobile user to access account information he entered while accessing your traditional website from a desktop at home. This "best of both worlds" approach lets you impress with quality graphics and gather all the information you need, while still allowing easy mobile access while your customer is out and about. 

6. Test

Test your mobile platform from a mobile device. This is a simple concept, but you might be surprised to discover how many businesses skip this essential step. For best results, have somebody from a department unrelated to mobile design -- or a loyal customer -- do the testing. The further removed the testers are from the designers, the closer their experience will be to an end user on a mobile. 

Entry By Kim Humes

Text message marketing can be a fast and affordable way to get important messages to your customers. However, it can be a huge waste of time and resources to send out messages randomly - when it comes to text message marketing campaigns, timing is everything.

If your customers receive one of your messages at a time when the information is not relevant to them, they will likely ignore it or even be annoyed by it. How you time your messages can have a great impact on what action your customers take, if any.

How often should I send my message(s)?

Less is more. The last thing you want to do is alienate your customers by bombarding their inboxes with several messages every single day. At the same time, you don’t want your customers to feel neglected (as they might if you only send messages out once a month). One or two messages each week strikes a nice balance – it gives your customers some breathing room, but also lets them know you are still there. At least one of your regular messages should include some kind of incentive – discounts, coupons, free products – no matter what the timing.

What time of the day/week should I send my message(s)?

The main point you want to keep in mind is that you want your text messages to drive traffic toward your business. You want to give people incentive to come see you or make contact with you and ultimately, make a purchase.

What times during the day and week is your business the most desperate for traffic? Sending messages on days when your business tends to be slow is a good way to grab your customers’ attention. For example, retail stores tend to be slower when the weather is bad or there are no major holidays coming up. Sending special deals to your customers may surprise them, and therefore intrigue them enough to visit. Sending a “same-day” deal drives them to come your way even more since they don’t have the option of waiting.

Thinking about how your customers plan their lives in relation to your business is another great way to figure out the best timing for your messages. Do you host events? Send your first blast a few weeks before the event encouraging registration or providing registration incentives. Then send a reminder 3 days before or the morning of to get people pumped leading into the big day/night or to pick up last-minute attendees.

If you run a business, such as a salon or a clinic, that requires appointments, text messages can be a great way to send reminders – either about existing appointments or about appointments that have not yet been made, but should be (e.g. dental cleaning). Texting customers the day before not only

reminds them, but gives them time to adjust their appointment if needed. Plus you are not reminding them so far in advance of the appointment that they simply end up forgetting again.

Sending out a promotional message to restaurant customers approximately 1-2 hours prior to  meal time catches people as they are making plans.  Most people tend to think about what and where they are going to eat lunch around mid-morning, and dinner around late-afternoon (maybe 4pm). Giving a customer incentive to visit your restaurant just as they are thinking about where to eat could mean the difference between them choosing your business over a competitor.

One of the biggest motivators for today’s consumers is convenience, so overall it is extremely important for businesses to provide this to their customers as much as possible. Make it easy for them.

Text message marketing can be a great way for businesses to get in touch with their customers – but time is money. If you don’t send your messages at the right time, you might as well be sending them to your grandmother.  

Don’t risk your text messages being overlooked by your target audience – learn how to time your marketing messages effectively.

Entry By Jason Brick

Mixed Martial Arts has begun to learn from mobile marketing and social media -- a fact evidenced by the UFC's decision to pay four-and five-figure bonuses to fighters who maintain a social media presence. 

The reverse is also true. SMS marketers can learn from the example of fighters in this newest of professional sports. The training, tactics and techniques of the Octagon have their applications in the world of mobile media. 

Hit With Combinations

In the ring, a fighter never throws a single punch or kick. He throws combinations -- a flurry of strikes that add up to serious cumulative effect. In SMS marketing, a single message won't have much effect. You need to maintain a long-term program of multiple messages. No single broadcast will suddenly turn your business around, but their cumulative effect can bring customers to the door. 

Use All Your Tools

Mixed martial arts get its name from the fact that fighters use grappling and stand-up fighting techniques to win a match. Even specialized competitors learn enough of other modalities to defend against the common techniques. 

A good SMS program incorporates not just mobile marketing, but your print campaign and web presence as well. The multiple impressions you make will engage customers with different preferences, abilities and needs. 

Be Responsive

Every fighter comes to the ring with a game plan, but good fighters will change the plan to adjust to what their opponents do. The degree to which a mixed martial artist can do this is the degree to which that athlete is successful.

One of the "killer apps" of SMS is a delivery cycle measured in terms of hours -- meaning you can respond to the reactions of your mailing list quickly and improve your message in real time. Failing to take advantage of this is a mistake.

Set Them Up, Knock them Down

In a mixed martial arts fight, the best competitors will "sucker" an opponent in with a false opening. When that opponent takes the bait, he capitalizes on the mistake with a pre-planned counter that can end the bout.

You should never pummel your customer base or choke them into unconsciousness. However, sending SMS messages that invite an immediate response can "pull in" your customer base by making them feel more engaged and interested in your brand. 

The Most Important Work is Invisible

Fights aren't won in the ring. They're won in training through practice, conditioning and skills development. The audience doesn't see that "behind the scenes" action -- but they see the result.

Your SMS campaign should work the same way. It takes effort, training and meticulous attention to detail if you want the message to work -- but your mailing list will never see the rough drafts, corrections and sweat you put into it. All they'll see is the stunning and actionable result. 

Entry By Jason Brick

There's something appropriate about mobile marketers getting their daily fix of industry news from podcasts. But with thousands of podcasts streaming every day, the question becomes: which podcasts are most useful to the busy SMS or mobile text message marketing expert? 

If your mobile marketing guy isn't listening to at least one of the streams listed below, here are four New Year's gifts he'll enjoy year round:

The Bunker Project

It's a locally produced podcast recorded in a bar in the middle of the afternoon, but don't let that fool you. Andrew and Bob stay on top of social media trends and deliver actionable news and advice with informal titles like "Tearing Facebook a New One" and "Sex, Drugs and Social Media." Irreverent, sometimes hilarious, usually safe for work, and indispensable. 

Tech In Twenty

Luis Sandoval and Jennifer Navarrete deliver twenty minutes of tech news, with frequent discussion of social media, web 2.0 and similar small business marketing concerns. It's not always directly relevant to mobile marketing, but will keep your team on top of changes and trends in the industry on their drive in to work.

For Immediate Release

A bi-weekly discussion of what's going on in communications, public relations and social media. Hosted by Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson, it's such a staple that you could ask about it in interviews – and reject everybody who hasn't heard of it. The podcast has several different modes: Book reviews and press releases run a few minutes; interviews run for about twenty, while regular episodes take an hour and change. One special feature of this podcast is that the hosts hail from the U.S. and U.K. – giving the show a uniquely international perspective. 

6 Pixels of Separation

One of the longest-running marketing podcasts, Pixels was active before mobile marketing became a thing, though host Mitch Joel's insights have evolved with the times. He's a leading expert on digital and social media, and covers topics ranging from keeping costs low to effective calls to action to guerrilla marketing tactics. 

There are plenty of "podfaded" 'casts out there as well, such as the Mobile Mavens' Mobile Marketing Review and the Area Mobile Marketing Podcast. Though defunct for long enough to be nowhere near topical, they can still be sources of inspiration – or simply context – for your mobile marketing team. 

Entry By Jason Brick

The best part of an SMS marketing campaign is reaching your audience multiple times each week with a new and compelling message. 

The worst part of an SMS campaign is you have to come up with a new and compelling message for your audience multiple times each week. 

What happens when you're all couponed out? When you've conducted all the user polls you can stand? When you think seeing an opt-in keyword just one more time will make you lose your mind?

You take ideas from these unusual resources, and make your copy new and fresh. You'll enjoy yourself more, and your audience will respond positively to the new direction.

1. Greeting Cards
Greeting cards are masterful examples of communicating an effective concept with a minimum of words. You can harvest examples from cards you receive, or go hang out at the Hallmark store for a while. This option works best during the holiday season, since you'll be receiving inspiring examples at the exact time of year when they'll be the most topical.

2. "Of the Day" Calendars
Whether it's a quote, dictionary word, bible verse or Far Side panel, these calendars can be a source of daily inspiration to work into your SMS messages. Take the basic kernel and "pop" it into an actionable message with a strong call to action. For example: "Free soda today for anybody who can define 'macerate.' Text definition for coupon."

3. The Local News
Local news, either the radio or paper, keeps you on top of local events, trends and happenings that you can turn into a topical and engaging SMS message. A new business in town can become a combined coupon offer. A local festival can turn into a flash mob for your company. Even the local traffic report can be a chance for a quick broadcast about catching up on lost time by getting takeout with a discount coupon.

4. The Calendar
Holiday-themed SMS messages can give your campaign just the variation it needs, but you don't have to stick with the red-letter days on your wall calendar. Check out one of the many lists of commemorative days, weeks and months. It's "Gopher Lovers' Appreciation Weekend" somewhere, and you can capitalize on those who celebrate it.

5. Bumper Stickers
These are another terrific example of displaying a powerful message in minimal space. However, bumper stickers will rarely be long enough or topical enough to use verbatim in a text message -- but they can provide a framework for how to pose your own message in a clever or funny way. Other sources on this line include t-shirts and coffee mugs.

The best marketers, writers and artists draw inspiration from the world all around them. If you get in the habit of harvesting ideas from what you see, hear and read, you'll never be short of material for compelling copy.

To help kick off the New Year we're releasing the first version of our WordPress SMS Notifications Plugin. You can install the plugin now, using any recent version of WordPress.

We know that a lot of people have been waiting for this plugin, so we wanted to get it out there as quickly as possible - even if it doesn't do everything we want it to do just quite yet.

Let's cover what the plugin does right now, in version 1.0, and what you can expect it do in the next major release:

What The Plugin Does Right Now

• Adds a signup widget to your WordPress blog that allows you to collect phone numbers of your visitors
• Allows you to automatically send customizable 'New Post Added' text messages to everyone who signs up for them
• Allows you to send one-off messages to anyone who has signed up to receive messages using the widget on your blog
• Stores your contacts in your WordPress database
• Stores a list of your outgoing messages in your Ez Texting account on the Scheduled / Sent tab
• Collects replies to the messages you send in your Ez Texting Inbox
• Uses the API to send text messages, so you'll need to contact us get API enabled on your account

As you can probably tell, the contacts you collect using the WordPress plugin will not be added to your Ez Texting account just yet. That brings us to the next major release:

What The Plugin Will Do Soon

• Automatically add contacts collected using the plugin's signup form to your Ez Texting Contact List
• Will not require you to contact us to enable API on your account to send messages

We're excited about the plugin and hope you find it useful to building your SMS Marketing efforts. Updating the plugin to sync contacts with your account is near the top of our development list, so expect an even better plugin soon!

Check out another screenshot below:

Last year we worked with the team at Zabbix SIA to integrate Ez Texting's SMS Services into their popular server monitoring solution, which we announced back in April. Today we're pleased to announce that we're extending our partnership. Over 100 Zabbix clients quickly adopted seamless text messaging alerts and this year we expect many more to do so as Zabbix continues to grow with major releases planned, and we continue to build out our APIs.

Read the entire release to learn more about server monitoring using Zabbix and text messaging.

Entry By Jason Brick

Would you like to see better results from your SMS marketing efforts this year? Often, adding just one new technique to your existing campaigns is all you need to see a significant change in response. Better yet, test all four during the first quarter, then go strong with the most effective technique for the remainder of the year.

1. Coupon Synergy
You're already putting virtual coupons into your SMS messages. Now, add your text message codes to all of your print coupons. This means everybody you reach with traditional coupons has the option of joining your list. This can be especially effective with "daily deal" coupons like Groupon, with their wide first-time reach.

2. Put Your Keyword Someplace Weird
Keywords are rapidly becoming as invisible as cell phones. No longer novel, they're a part of the landscape - unless you put them someplace people don't expect to find them. Like an elephant in the lion cage, out of place objects get attention. Uniforms, equipment, "gimme" merchandise and elaborate set pieces can get some new attention. Think twice about that tattoo, though.

3. Add a Second Level
Invite people already part of your regular mailing list to join an elite level for additional offers, sneak previews and chances to affect company decisions through polls and events. Half of customer management is identifying the core 20 percent who will bring you 80 percent of your income - and this plan can do exactly that.

4. Change Your Call to Action
Spend January and February experimenting with the call to action in your SMS messages - which you are, of course, making part of every single message in your campaign. Track the numbers carefully to learn which calls work best. Broadcast each call several times, on different days and at different hours, to cull out variables like happy hour and weekends.

Your mobile marketing campaign is an opportunity to leverage your contact list and market advantages at a lower cost than nearly any other option. What you do with it in 2012 may well make the difference between the company you have and the company you want.

Want to learn more about improving your SMS Marketing campaigns? Check out our free SMS Marketing Resources Center.

Entry By Angela Stringfellow

There are skeptics around every corner in every industry and segment of life. Mobile marketing is no exception and the biggest victim: Quick Response (QR) Codes. Naysayers are quick to say they are a passing fad or will never amount to a resourceful marketing tool, but if they are done consistently and correctly, they have a shot at becoming one of the most widely used, interactive components in a mobile marketing strategy.

With the increasing domination of smartphones, mobile marketing is here to stay. Smartphones already own 44 percent of the mobile phone market share, according to a Nielsen report. And, the actual usage of these little black boxes increased by more than 4,000 percent since 2010, but account for only a little more than 6 percent adoption within the smartphone marketplace.

According to ScanLife, the largest demographic that has adopted the use of QR Codes are 25- to 34-year-olds, with 35- to 44-year-olds close behind. In addition 35 percent make between $50,000 and $100,000 per year.

But a very precise and important demographic is missing.  Young adults, in particular college students, are not using the QR codes. The use of smartphones among students is an astonishing 80 percent. However, only 21 percent have admitted to scanning a QR code and 75 percent of those report they were not likely to scan a code again.

Since college students usually adopt new technology more quickly than others, marketers are left to wonder why this technology is not catching on.  Perhaps because the information provided with QR codes simply isn't appealing to that demographic.

So why have the QR codes been slow to adapt in some markets? The answer isn’t clear, but there are some industries, both big and small, that could easily take advantage of such an easy and ever-increasing technology.  The problem is that the consumers need to know what they are, why they are there and how to use them and statistics show, this isn't happening. As the QR codes gain in public use and acceptance this will more than likely happen naturally.

But if QR codes do gain in popularity, there are a few industries that can take advantage of this mobile strategy by easily incorporating them into their existing campaigns and making them more relevant.

Real Estate: By placing QR codes on “For Sale” or "For Rent" signs or mailbox fliers, potential buyers scouting out neighborhoods can quickly and easily get a glimpse behind the door of a home that piques their interest. New home buyers or college grads moving out on their own for the first time can quickly and easily weed out apartments and houses that don't fit their needs with virtual tours.

Car Dealers: The same method can be used with new and used cars. Many shoppers take advantage of the dealerships’ Sunday hours to peruse vehicles without fear of being badgered by salesmen. With a quick scan of a QR code placed on a window sticker, the buyer can see performance information, details on amenities. The QR code could also link to a payment calculator.

Event Industry: For large and small venues, local and national performers or even for community events, QR Codes can be used to provide details about a coming event. A brief preview of a performance or behind-the-scenes peek at the show, ticket availability and show times or links to ticket sales and arena seating charts, can easily provide to consumers the information that can lead to direct sales and sold-out shows.

Home Improvement/Housewares: Have you ever wandered into a home improvement store and been confused about the difference between a reciprocating saw and a miter saw? Product packaging or display QR codes can provide tips and tricks on how the tools are used or instructional videos on how to unclog drains or install a light fixture. This would be a wonderful tool for first-time homeowners or for young adults living on their own for the first time.

The opportunities are endless. A little “out of the box” thinking and the QR code can be used for virtually every industry. As the codes become more recognized and more readily used, they will be an inexpensive way to elaborate on what used to be a stagnant form of advertising. They can take a black and white newspaper ad and make it a living, breathing experience or virtually open the doors to the home of your dreams.

Have you considered incorporating QR codes into your marketing mix? How are you working to incorporate the younger demographics into your strategy? What has your experience been?