Small business explores mobile marketing

Salon Text Alert is a new SMS marketing tool which enables hair and beauty businesses to send out promotional messages to the customers’ mobile phones. Having collected customer’s mobile phone numbers, salon owners simply enter the message, input the numbers of their customers into an online address book, and click “send”. The service is available on a pay-per-use system, so hairdressers just pay for the messages they send out.
I like the idea of small business exploring mobile marketing. I know it might appear like an expensive solution if their clients’ database has more than, let’s say 500 contacts, but we have to consider the advantages of such communication channel. You directly and immediately reach the person you want to reach. Of course this has to be based on an strict opt-in policy. Furthermore, we have to remember such kind of mobile marketing promotion should not be run more than once per month, in order not to annoy recipients.

This said, the main concern I see in small businesses embracing mobile marketing is the lack of marketing culture and of the basic etiquette. Sending SMS to clients and prospect can prove tricky, given the fact the medium is extremely personal and direct. The messages need to be targeted and respectful of people’s privacy.