42 posts categorized "SMS News"

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.

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.

7 Easy Last Minute Ways To Boost Your Small Business’s Holiday Sales With Digital Marketing is the fifth in a series of articles that we'll be posting this fall. Small Business Marketing Tips To Build Sales In A Down Economy will teach you how to use do-it-yourself tools like SMS, email and social media to effectively market your business.

Entry By Jason Brick

The holiday season -- those heady weeks from Black Friday to Christmas Eve -- is the happiest time of the fiscal year for most retailers. People are out and about shopping and spending, but competition for their business is fierce. 

The best results for getting customers in your store come when you've been working your marketing plan for some time, but that's not always easy for small businesses. Whether you're running late, or want to boost sales when the season isn't what you'd hoped for, digital marketing can give you the real-time boost you need.

1. Put your keyword and short codes on everything--print, voice, radio, and electronic ads
The more people they reach, the larger your blast list will be. The larger your blast list, the better performance you'll see from your digital marketing efforts.

2. Include QR (quick response) codes on all print and display ads
This lets people sign up for your messages or other mobile-oriented content with the push of a camera button on a smartphone.

3. Hold events in the middle of the week
Weekend sales put you in competition with everybody; midweek you'll get more attention. Announce events through your email, SMS, and social media networks. A countdown starting three days out is a good way to stay front of mind.

4. Take advantage of pay-per-click advertising like Google AdWords
These offer same-day implementation, real-time tracking, and complete control over final cost. They can save the day, even after print and radio advertising deadlines are long past. 

5. Offer extra benefits
Give people who opt in to your SMS marketing programs something special, like early admission to a major sale or an extra 5% discount. They'll become more engaged with your company, and share your keywords with friends. Similarly, you can offer a special bonus for people who share your posts and bring in more fans for your social media.

6. Don't let four business hours go by without making contact
People are out and about throughout the season. If one message catches them with family, the next might find them just around the corner from your shop. Many people are frugal and check their list twice when holiday shopping, but others are susceptible to impulse gifting.

7. Keep the campaign rolling
The weeks just after Christmas keep retailers busy with money from gift cards and exchanged merchandise. Your digital campaign will bring some of that money your way. You can also focus your SMS and email coupons to help clear extra stock that didn't move during the holiday rush.

Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy.
-       Franz Kafka

Abstract: CTIA, an industry body, acting on behalf of the American wireless carriers recently implemented a new ‘auditing’ process that seeks to monitor, regulate and issue penalties to businesses which violate their ambiguous, contradictory and illegal rules and guidelines. Ez Texting is calling upon the FCC and other businesses operating short codes to protest and block these actions to prevent CTIA’s illegal interference in their operations.

Last week, CTIA, the Wireless Industry Association, reported that America’s wireless carriers counted more mobile subscribers than American citizens. This is a staggering statistic that tells you all you need to know about how thoroughly the wireless communications revolution has changed the lives of every American citizen.

At Ez Texting we help thousands of small businesses run SMS marketing campaigns using short codes, which are five or six digit phone numbers than can send and receive text messages. We provide services to small businesses because we believe that our nation’s millions of small businesses should be able to participate in the wireless revolution, just like the biggest of businesses. In difficult economic times small businesses need all the help they can get. Last week we were deeply troubled to receive the first results of the CTIA’s new ‘auditing’ process.

CTIA, acting on behalf of the carriers, has issued dozens of alleged violations against Ez Texting’s use of its short codes. Why? Violations by our clients of nonsensical, often contradictory and ever changing Consumer Best Practices promulgated by the Mobile Marketing Association. What sort of violations? Things as trivial as improperly advertising Keyword Calls To Action on abandoned MySpace pages. For example, publicizing a short code without mentioning specific phrasing such as Msg&Data Rates May Apply.

We take these matters seriously, but after reviewing these alleged violations we firmly believe that the CTIA is acting in a way that harms small businesses and consumers – and in doing so breaking the law. Further, we believe that the auditing process itself is highly inconsistent. Large brands and businesses repeatedly commit egregious, high profile violations yet are rarely held accountable. At the same CTIA expects small businesses like Ez Texting to submit to ongoing audits according to these arcane, constantly changing and illegal rules. We have provided an appendix below highlighting how Twitter, operator of one of the highest volume text messaging programs in the world does not and could not comply with these guidelines. This is not to single out Twitter; rather it is to show how the largest businesses operate beyond the dictatorial whims of the carriers.  

The CTIA is an advocacy organization led by the major wireless carriers, along with global handset manufacturers. Although a visit to their website reveals a vision of ‘Expanding The Wireless Frontier’ they are, in the case of the short code based text messaging ecosystem, a mere front for carrier interests (see their board/leadership). CTIA and the carriers claim to be acting on behalf of consumers; this is a laughable proposition. One merely needs to browse their press releases to read hundreds of examples of whose interests they are looking out for. 

Auditing and Violations: A Broken Process.

CTIA recently launched a new short code auditing process, outsourced to a multinational firm called WMC Global. WMC Global trolls the Internet, looking for violations of the ‘CTIA Playbook.’ The Playbook is a twenty-one page document containing hundreds of voluntary regulations that carry no legal backing. The Playbook itself relies upon the MMA ‘Consumer Best Practices’, a 165 page set of ever-changing rules and regulations issued by the nation’s major wireless carriers. These rules carry no legal backing and are not designed to protect consumers; they are the simply the rules carriers throw up so they may pick and choose who can send text messages to their subscribers via short codes. The FCC and various Federal courts have ruled that text messages are telephone calls (see references below), making this action illegal as telephone calls are Title II Common Carrier services. The only reason the CTIA has even attempted to implement these clearly illegal measures is because the FCC had deferred ruling on whether text messages are specifically afforded ‘Common Carrier’ protections. You can read more about the FCC and Common Carrier protections at Public Knowledge. Given that they have already declared that text messages are phone calls it would be contradictory for the FCC to rule against this petition.

What did CTIA’s audit reveal? Ez Texting allows any business to create a Keyword that consumers can text to our short codes. Some of these businesses are advertising their Keywords on their websites and social media pages and profiles in ways that do not comply with these guidelines in inconsequential ways that would not confuse any consumer. Further, many of these businesses created advertisements for these Keywords that were in full compliance with the guidelines – but then the guidelines changed. CTIA, highlighting the absurdity of this whole byzantine undertaking, has declared these alleged violations to be high priority, requiring two-day resolution.

What are these high priority violations?

• Not mentioning that ‘Msg&Data Rates May Apply’ in marketing materials.
• Not displaying prominent links to Privacy Policies
• Not displaying ‘Opt Out’ instructions
• Not displaying message frequency information – i.e. how often you will receive messages.

First, many of these alleged violation notices we received were not violations at all. Either WMG Global is using some sort of automated web scraper or the staff performing these audits is doing so carelessly despite the serious regard CTIA claims to afford to this process. As the entire process is opaque, we can only wonder. Second, many of those advertisements are for businesses that no longer exist, or ex-customers who have not updated their websites. It is preposterous to expect any text messaging provider to remedy such a situation. Third, the Opt-Out instructions are required and automatically inserted by our service in all Opt-In Confirmation messages that consumers receive upon texting a business’ Keyword. This display requirement is unnecessary and would be viewed in other contexts as simply absurd.

Is a business required to display alongside its ten-digit phone number a formal description of what will happen when you call that number, that you might incur standard usage charges for calling that phone number (we are not talking about premium short codes or ‘900’ numbers as an analog in this context), and provide instructions on how to formally request that the business never call you again? Moreover, it would be considered absurd for you to be held responsible for others who may display your phone number (such as the Yellow Pages) on their websites.  Short codes are merely five to six digit phone numbers. Removing a few digits does not give CTIA carte blanche to violate the law.

What would stop an unscrupulous competitor from inappropriately advertising a Keyword that exists or does not even exist on another company’s short code? Nothing. And there would be nothing the harmed company could do to force the removal of the offending advertisement. Want to see how that works?

Text Promo To 676767, It’s Free!

That short code belongs to Neustar, which has been contracted by the CTIA to operate USShortCodes.com – a software portal where you can license and manage short codes. We expect that CTIA’s audit team will be contacting them any moment now to ask them to arrange for this improper advertisement to be removed from the web.

What happens if you do not comply with CTIA’s audit demands? Guidelines and best practices are fine to suggest to text messaging providers. Unfortunately CTIA and the carriers act as if these guidelines are based on law, are mandatory, and non-compliance with them can result in severe consequences. If CTIA deems you in violation and you do not respond to an audit to their satisfaction, as part of their enforcement, they will lock you out of the USShortCodes.com portal. Any provider who operates multiple short codes would lose the ability to maintain, add and remove other short codes that have no alleged violations. This would be a devastating intrusion into the operations of an affected business.

How has Ez Texting responded to CTIA’s audit? Although we believe CTIA is acting illegally, prejudicially and in an opaque manner, we have acted in good faith. Yet there is only so much any business can do in the face of an unresponsive bureaucracy that has the interest of other, far larger parties in mind. In response to these alleged violations we asked the CTIA audit team what happens if we cannot spur clients and former clients to act upon these demands. They instructed us to incur significant costs by sending cease and desist letters to websites displaying our short code. What happens if the content is not removed or fixed? We were told to continue to send monthly cease and desist orders. Are those cease and desist orders even mentioned in the CTIA Playbook. Of course not.  We asked the CTIA audit team for examples of actual consumer complaints regarding the phrasing or absence of various advertising display requirements. We have yet to receive an answer.

Perhaps we should have expected this given CTIA’s description of their ‘Q&A Service’ offered in the Playbook:

Aggregators and content providers should appreciate that Q&A is a courtesy extended to them solely for the purpose of entertaining good faith questions and helping them understand how they may bring their advertising into compliance.

…

Asking about the number or status of a content provider’s violations monthly count also is inappropriate; therefore, questions of this nature will not be addressed. As often as not, careful reading of this entire document, including the relevant CTIA audit standards in the appendices, should suffice. 

And what about the appeal process? The condescending language in the following excerpt from the Playbook is indicative of CTIA’s attitude toward anyone who is not a wireless carrier:

Appeals must be directed at the application of violations to the specific audit in question; the legitimacy of the audit standards themselves is not open for debate. Although content providers are encouraged to include all details relevant to the appeal, this presentation should be a straightforward account of the facts with evidence. A multiple-page thesis is an inappropriate format in which to couch an appeal.

What should happen? We believe one of the following outcomes would be appropriate. 1) CTIA and the carriers should immediately abandon these illegal efforts or 2) The FCC should do their job and rule on the petition regarding text messaging’s common-carrier status, which would make this entire issue moot. The small businesses and entrepreneurs struggling to compete, innovate, and launch new businesses should be protected from the oligarchic whims of the carrier cartel. We call upon other short code marketers, aggregators and operators to stand up for their legal rights. Rights are not handed to you. If you believe in what you do you need to fight for these rights – otherwise CTIA will continue to break the law in a way that harms your businesses.

...

Twitter – A Case Study in a Prejudicial CTIA Short Code Auditing Process.

Any Twitter user can encourage people to text follow their_username to 40404 on the web, in print, even over a Tweet. Twitter does not comply with the advertising and opt-in guidelines on their own website. A quick Google search reveals countless examples of websites and social media pages, profiles and updates that do not comply in any way with the aforementioned guidelines. Twitter, just like anyone else operating a shared short code, cannot possibly be expected to be responsible every time one of their customers advertisers what is essentially their Keyword on Twitter’s short code.

Let’s look at the MMA Consumer Best Practices: 

Advertising

1.2-6 Web Advertising must include:

a) Additional carrier costs (Msg&Data Rates May Apply) – Not present, whatsoever.

b) A resource (such as a website or phone number) where subscribers can reference all terms and conditions. – Not present in any recognizable manner. First, you click the name of your Country, then a pop-up opens with a list of global short codes, then you click See SMS Short Codes For Other Countries, then click Back To Apps, SMS and Mobile. While there is a good bit of information here there are no Terms and Conditions.

c) The frequency of the messaging – Not present and cannot be present as described above.

d) Instructions for obtaining help (HELP) – Not present in any recognizable manner. First, you click the name of your Country, then a pop-up opens with a list of global short codes, then you click See SMS Short Codes For Other Countries, then click Back To Apps, SMS and Mobile, Then Click Twitter Commands.

e) If the program is recurring, instructions on cancelling or opting-out of the service must be included. If the program being advertised is nonrecurring, then STOP messaging is not required – Not present in any recognizable manner. First, you click the name of your Country, then a pop-up opens with a list of global short codes, then you click See SMS Short Codes For Other Countries, then click Back To Apps, SMS and Mobile, Then Click Twitter Commands.

MMA Opt-In Guidelines:

1.5-7 After opt-in to a recurring program, a confirmation Mobile Terminating (MT) message must be sent to the subscriber containing, at minimum, the following information:

a) Service description – Twitter complies here!

b) Additional carrier costs (e.g. Msg&Data Rates May Apply) – Twitter has an outdated message. If one of the largest messaging users in the world cannot keep up to date with the MMA/CTIA/Carrier rules, who can? 

c) Frequency of messaging – This isn’t present because for Twitter it isn’t even possible. The same would apply to many other companies. Are they exempted by default from this rule? Is Twitter?

d) Customer support information (HELP) – The link on help to full info is a URL that doesn’t even work.

e) Opt-Out information (STOP) – Not present, and when you reply HELP they instruct you to send the non-standard OFF. While STOP works, why don’t they have to say so?

Further, Twitter immediately sends you a message compelling you to start Tweeting if you are not a Twitter customer. While this service is related, it is not the same because it is not what a consumer has asked for. We wonder what other businesses could get away with this questionable practice.

Non-compliant opt-in confirmation:

Contact Us, The MICC & Join The Cause
Contact Shane Neman, CEO of Ez Texting to learn more and to share your stories about how CTIA is harming your businesses. Or, contact the Mobile Internet Content Coalition to join the cause.

Sign The Petition To Tell CTIA To Back Down!
Cease unfair and unbalanced auditing of short code listings on the web - sign the petition now.

About Ez Texting
Ez Texting provides web-based text messaging services to over 50,000 clients. Since 2006, Ez Texting’s do-it-yourself service has been used by clients ranging from small organizations to Fortune 500 firms. Text message marketing features like mobile coupons, keyword autoresponders, and efficient group messaging allow Ez Texting clients to reach their customers wherever they are, at anytime.

Ez Texting is available at www.EzTexting.com.

Follow us on Twitter at @EzTexting

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_code
http://www.ctia.org/
http://blog.twitter.com/2010/04/cloudhopping.html
http://www.ctia.org/aboutCTIA/board_of_directors/
http://www.ctia.org/media/press/
http://www.wmcglobal.com/
http://www.wmcglobal.com/images/CTIA_playbook.pdf
http://www.mmaglobal.com/bestpractices.pdf
http://www.publicknowledge.org/issues/freedom-text
http://www.usshortcodes.com/
http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/1303
http://www.neustar.biz/

The Federal Communications Commission has held that a text message is a call. See e.g., Satterfield v. Simon & Schuster, Inc., 569 F.3d 946, 954 (9th Cir. 2009) (deferring to Federal Communications Commission's determination that a text message is a call for purposes of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. § 227).

Law firm Arent Fox has posted an important piece over at their corporate site regarding 'common carrier' status and how it relates to text messaging. Head over to their site to read the entire piece. The excerpt below is from an overview of a presentation they'll be giving about this topic at the Bisnow Growth Expo:

Can text messages save the economy? Maybe. But Arent Fox’s Mike Hazzard and Jason Koslofsky say the US will have to update common carriage principals and regulations first. Common carriage principals are applied to the Internet, allowing consumers and businesses to communicate with little interference from network operators. Giving them the freedom to do business, build business, and boost our economy. However, since the FCC has yet to clarify how text messaging (aka SMS) applies to common carriage, Luddite lawyers are seeking to have archaic regulations (like the 20-year-old regulations on “junk faxing”) applied to text messaging. This means carriers may block and censor texting at will, and charge any price they want (i.e. limited openness to do business). Find out how regulation updates for texting could boost our economy in Arent Fox’s latest legal alert here.

Don't miss the article here.

This is the second post in a new series, The History Of SMS Marketing. Read all entries here.

As we mentioned in our last post, a few critics are predicting that SMS marketing is dying. However, many believe that this form of communication is here to stay because it provides users with immediate gratification and it’s a great alternative to more expensive forms of marketing.

Molly McHugh of Digital Trends is among the naysayers. "It’s been a long time coming, but cheaper alternatives might be putting the final nails in the traditional text message’s coffin," she reportedly says.

However, Josh Malin of Ez Texting says, "SMS is still a dominate channel over marketing on phones; it is short and to the point and can be accepted by all carriers."   (If you recall, our last post indicated that MMS marketing was limited across multiple carriers and therefore struggled for success).

Malin parallels SMS texting to email marketing.  Noting cynics already have made similar accusations about the death of email marketing, Malin believes each strategy has significant staying power.  While it may seem that e-mail marketing and SMS marketing blew up quickly then fizzled out, that is actually not the case.  To the trained eye, it is clear that e-mail marketing and SMS marketing were so popular that their users grew exponentially – in turn, leaving little room for growth.  They quickly reached a point of no return and, as a result, have remained popular and in demand by their current users.

It also may seem that the advent of smartphones is hurting SMS marketing, especially with the popularity of QR codes. But looks can be deceiving.  Smartphone adoption is growing -- out of cell-users.

"Only 40 percent have a smartphone (and that's being generous)," Malin says.  Furthermore, those who do have smartphones do not necessarily use the phone technological capabilities.  The year 2008 marked the first time text messages outnumbered mobile calls.  And as smart phone users are 7 times more likely to receive text alerts compared to a call, experts feel the technology will be widely used for many years to come, according to Mashable Business.

Here are 3 reasons why businesses should employ the use of SMS marketing:

• Wide consumer base.  SMS marketing can open your marketing campaign and customer service capabilities to a much wider audience.
• Widely accepted.  According to the 2011 Mobile Marketing Association Forum, 96 percent of all SMS messages are read and 90 percent of them are read within 3 minutes.  Consumers want to receive these messages.  Once you have received patrons’ numbers, send them invitations to special events, coupons and various offers. 
• Quick and to the point.  While 160 characters may seem like a limitation, it actually ensures that businesses maintain concise information in each text.  Consumers are able to capitalize on the information provided in their quickly received message.

SMS texting provides marketers the concise, instant gratification plug consumers are looking for.  Marketers understand that the need to be in a hurry has enveloped consumers to the extent that they demand the availability of SMS marketing.  Businesses also understand that cell phones are the first piece of technology that users continuously have in their possession, making SMS marketing the quickest way to contact a consumer. Realizing this and running with it, companies such as Ez Texting have made SMS marketing available to companies, so they too, can appeal to the large, instant satisfaction hungry, crowd.

This is the first post in a new series, The History Of SMS Marketing. Read all entries here.

Some have said that SMS marketing is on its way out. Little do they know that this type of marketing will be very hard to push aside.

With the advent of smartphones and ever-changing technology, it could seem plausible that other forms of marketing could develop and push SMS marketing strategies to the wayside. However, text messaging is such an engrained part of our society, much like email (which some predicted would die as well), that it’s likely SMS marketing is here to stay.

SMS marketing, which also is known as short message service, is synonymous with all types of short text messaging.  It is the most widely used texting application in the world with 2.4 billion users and 74 percent of all mobile phone subscribers according to Wikipedia. As part of the Global System for Mobile Communications series of standards in 1985, SMS was a means for sending 160 characters to another mobile user.  Mobile SMS marketing became widely accepted in the 2000s within Europe and Asia, when businesses began collecting cellular telephone numbers to send content.  Since the characters are limited to 160 characters, advertisements are short and to the point and highly convertible. 

What makes SMS marketing so successful is the customers' willingness to receive content.  In order for the marketing approach to work, the customer must willingly provide their information, thus requesting content from the business.  Since customers police their own networks, SMS marketing is going to users who have requested it, and therefore returns a large conversion rate.

SMS marketing is important to businesses and users, because it is simpler than MMS (MultiMedia Messaging Service).  MMS is not accepted by all phones and it is not feasible across all carriers, therefore, it has technical limitations. On the other hand, SMS allows you to reach everyone.  (But we will get into that more in the second part of this series).

A few weeks ago we released a new REST API to use our text messaging gateway. To make it easier to get started with our REST API we've just added code samples in six popular languages:

• C#
• Java
• Perl
• PHP
• Python
• Ruby

Check out the code samples here and the documentation for the API here. Visit the Developer Center to learn more about our SMS API.

The Mobile Internet Content Coalition (the MICC) advocates for policies and provide educational opportunities that encourage all members of the mobile Internet ecosystem, regulators, and policymakers to adopt technology-neutral regulations that serve to empower consumer choice and provide a level playing field for all mobile content providers.

Today they're doing just that, in reaction to Sprint's move to restrict certain content in text messages:

According to information obtained by MICC, a trade association that advocates for policies ensuring the mobile Internet remains open, accessible and competitive, Sprint’s content restrictions are expected to go into effect on April 1, 2011.  Once implemented, the restrictions will prevent organizations, like newspapers, health care providers, and first responders, from sending web links and coupons to consumers over the Sprint network.  Sprint also intends to implement significant price increases for businesses using their network to send text messages. 

Sprint’s unilateral imposition of these content restrictions and price increases is the latest proof that the wireless marketplace in the United States lacks sufficient competition.  “It is ironic that just as Sprint is calling on the FCC to block the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile because of its fears regarding competition, it is simultaneously planning to abuse its market power by imposing unreasonable content restrictions and exorbitant fees on consumers,” said Amanda Antico-Majkowski, the Executive Director of the MICC.

Head over to the MICC website to read the full release and their filing with the FCC.

If you’ve ever talked to us about mobile video you know that cross carrier multimedia messaging services (MMS) just aren’t there yet. Today we’re excited to let you know about a great service called MyBrainshark. MyBrainshark is a free online service that enables you to easily create, share and track online and mobile video presentations using your PowerPoint documents and your voice. If you have a plain old video file, that works as well.

So here’s how it works. Sign up for MyBrainshark – basic usage is free but the paid plans are well worth the upgrade, starting at only $9.99/month. Once you’ve created your account you can upload videos (or presentations – we’ll get to that in a minute) and they’ll automatically convert them into a mobile-ready format. They’ll give you a short link that you can add to your text messaging campaigns. MyBrainshark supports pretty much every smartphone. If you’ve been waiting for a way to enhance your mobile campaigns with video, the solution is here.

About the Powerpoints. MyBrainshark is guided by two philosophies. ‘Create once, share anywhere,’ is the first. Everything you upload to MyBrainshark is available on the web, can be exported to YouTube, and of course is available on mobile devices. The second philosophy is ‘Video Presentations…Anytime, Anywhere.’ Thousands of companies and organizations use MyBrainshark to share eLearning presentations and marketing materials. After you’ve uploaded your Powerpoint you can record a voiceover using your telephone, mic, or by uploading mp3’s and add background music for a multimedia viewing experience. If you’re one of the hundreds of trade shows or conference presenters who run at-event Keyword campaigns, MyBrainshark can take your campaign to the next level:

• If you’re giving a presentation you can encourage your audience to text in your Keyword. Add a MyBrainshark link to your autoresponder and provide attendees with a copy of your presentation – including an audio narration track.
• If you’re organizing the event you can do the same, providing everyone at the conference with keynotes, promotional videos and more.
• myBrainshark also works with QR codes, so you can use one video solution for your entire campaign.

For $9.95/month you can upgrade to MyBrainshark Pro, but if you use the promo code –JPLRPKGPDJ, they’ll knock 15% off that price. Among MyBrainshark Pro’s added features there are three we want to highlight:

• Remove myBrainshark site branding with the stand-alone player. This is perfect for a link inserted into your text message campaigns.
• Lead capturing and viewer identification are exactly what they sound like – and are great for business customers.
• Detailed reporting and alerts allow you to analyze usage and gauge the effectiveness of your video/presentations.

If you want to learn more about MyBrainshark for mobile, check out their blog post that covers all of their mobile tools – including their iPhone and iPad apps. Even better, if you want to see what you can do with MyBrainshark, watch their mobile presentation!

Ready to go? Try MyBrainshark now and start adding mobile video and presentations to your text messaging campaigns.  The promo code again is:  JPLRPKGPDJ