Release: Msgme v2.6

We are happy to announce that the latest version of Msgme (2.6) was recently released and includes many new features and enhanced functionality.

Highlights of the release include:

• Location Verification Plugin – Collect location information such as state and zip code to later target and segment subscribers. With our new plugin infrastructure built directly into the Campaign Edit, users can set up new campaigns that include / exclude specific geographic areas instantly and easily.
• MO (Mobile Originated) Routing – Control user activity and direct MOs to specific account keywords. In other words, you can now have multiple CTAs w/ unique keywords, point them all to one Msgme subscription and track everything in the Message Activity report.
• New APIs – Leverage more great Msgme functionality from external platforms, products and services with our new APIs:
  • Create Campaign: Creating subscription and basic text campaigns.
  • Send Subscribers Message: Adding filter parameters (city, state, date of birth, etc…) to subscription blasts. Also enables multiple and custom messages for each number.
  • Get Message Activity: Retrieve message activity per account, short code, keyword or MSIDN.
  • Get Delivery Receipts: Retrieve specific message delivery information from aggregators, carriers and handsets.
  • A complete list of Msgme APIs and enhancements is located here.
• Updated Pricing – Message pricing packages have been updated to add more messaging and decrease overage rates. As our business scales to new volume tiers, we want to share those cost savings with our clients. Existing client accounts will be automatically upgraded in October 2009.
• Enhanced Wallpaper Delivery – Clients may now upload 5 files of different aspect ratios for any wallpaper campaign. This ensures a much higher quality wallpaper delivery across a larger number of devices – all served through the self-service interface directly.
• Developer Site Enhancements – We enhanced and upgraded our developer site with new content and API enhancements. Be sure to check out the developer forums in the Community section for FAQs, tips from other developers and direct discussions with our engineering team. See more at:  developer.msgme.com.

It was a great team effort these last few months and we hope you’ll enjoy the release. We’re off to the waterfront today to enjoy an afternoon of relaxation, food and cocktails in this beautiful city of San Francisco we get to call home.

Release: Msgme v2.5

We are happy to announce that the latest version of Msgme was released on Monday, May 18th. Hats off to the engineering and product teams for the long hours and late nights. I’ll buy the first round.

Highlights of the release include:

• Enhanced Message Parsing – After a deep analysis of all messaging traffic on Msgme, we’ve improved the platform parsing logic intelligence to accommodate the increasingly complex campaigns our clients are creating. The result is increased subscription conversion rates, increased campaign interaction rates and an overall better user messaging experience.
• New Plugin Architecture – We’ve added a new plugin service to the platform that allows customization of the typical message flow of established campaigns. Plugins run within the platform, allowing direct customization of Campaign Management, including tracking of all interaction and results.
• New APIs – We’ve added to our growing list of developer APIs by introducing Send-to-Friend and SMS Callback APIs. Send-to-Friend allows IVR callers or visitors to a website to send a customized IVR call to their friends introducing them to a particular promotion. The SMS Callback API allows a user to receive a callback from an IVR site after texting a mobile keyword. For more information on how to take advantage of these or other APIs, please contact your account manager or sales@msgme.com.
• Binary Enhancements – We’ve optimized our binary delivery system across all carriers after exhaustive analysis and testing of the handsets that use our platform.
• Messaging Reporting – We’ve added more details to the messaging report such as phone number and exact interaction results. Each report is exportable into .csv format for more detailed analysis within your preferred spreadsheet tool.
• Compliance Maintenance – In an effort to keep in mobile marketing compliance, and to protect the end user participants in campaigns, we’ve increased the ways a user can opt-out/unsubscribe to single or multiple campaigns. All of this follows strict Mobile Marketing Association and carrier compliance standards.
• Platform Hardware Upgrades – We’ve upgraded our server farm with faster CPUs, 64-bit processing, and increased RAM. This more than doubles our impressive message-per-second output for our larger outbound blast customers.

It was great release, and after a day or two of well deserved relaxation, we’re jumping in for v2.6. Time to do it again.

Industry Case Study: Little Caesars Mobile Campaign Results in 62 % Opt-In

Campaign Background
Detroit-based Little Caesars Enterprises Inc. says it is the largest carry-out pizza chain in the world with restaurants on five continents. Little Caesars wanted to experiment with mobile marketing outreach and track and compare results against traditional marketing.

Campaign Objectives
Little Caesars wanted to create a mobile marketing sweepstakes and build a subscriber list of loyal customers for future marketing campaigns. The pizza chain also wanted to increase brand visibility during the economic downturn holiday season with consumers and lead them to retail outlets for special promotions and discounts.

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Best Practices: The Mobile Widget

For marketers, mobile widgets are interactive tools that enhance a marketing strategy. The flexibility of mobile widgets maximize screen space and allow marketers to create and build a direct-to-consumer subscriber lists for strategic targeted marketing. Mobile widgets change the way marketers approach a marketing campaign.

What is a Mobile Widget?
A mobile widget is simple code (flash or html) placed on a site, company page, Myspace, Facebook or marketing banner. Customers enter their mobile phone number and receive a text message. The text could be a mobile opt-in to receive mobile alerts, WAP site to a mobile internet page or channel to send multimedia content to subscribers’ mobile phones.

Here are a few great examples of mobile widgets designed by Waterfall Mobile partners and a few considerations to help deliver on your strategic mobile marketing objectives.

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Super Bowl Ads to Include More Cross-Platform Calls to Action, By Matt Silk

In a recent Mobile Marketer article, Matt Silk, senior vice president, Waterfall Mobile, speaks with Dan Butcher, predicting Super Bowl XLIII will provide consumers more mobile marketing calls-to-action.

Super Bowl ads will include more cross-platform calls to action this year, according to Waterfall Mobile.

Mobile Marketer’s Dan Butcher interviewed Matt Silk, the company’s Los Angeles-based senior vice president, who predicts that this year’s Super Bowl will have more calls to cross-platform action, via Web site URLs and text messaging short codes. Here is what Mr. Silk had to say:

Why does Waterfall Mobile expect the number of SMS call-outs to increase during this year’s Super Bowl?
Waterfall Mobile predicts that brands will look for more accountability in their 2009 ad spends because of several contributing factors including a down economy and a trend away from pure branding and toward more cross-platform initiatives incorporating mobile, web and even direct response marketing.

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Industry Case Study: Kroger’s Mobile Coupons

Campaign Overview
With the success of mobile coupons in Asia, Kroger Co., one of the largest retail food companies in the Unites States with 2, 2000 stores, wanted to provide its customers similar coupons and discounts with interactive mobile marketing campaigns.

Campaign Objective
Create mobile loyalty programs for Kroger customers and provide redeemable mobile coupons and discounts.

Marketing Tactics
The retailer created a Kroger Plus Card for shoppers to receive large discounts from major brands and select Kroger labeled products to their mobile device. The retailer decided to test its mobile coupon program in stores located in South Eastern states, Illinois, Ohio, Louisiana and Texas. To sign up for coupons, Kroger shoppers need to go online to create and activate their account.

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6 Effective Mobile Tactics, by Matt Silk

In a recent iMedia Connection article, Matt Silk, senior vice president, Waterfall Mobile, highlights effective mobile marketing tactics savvy retailers and marketers need to consider.

6 Effective Mobile Tactics
A Waterfall Mobile article by Matt Silk

To draw consumers into brick-and-mortar stores, you need to engage them — and no channel makes it easier than mobile. Here are a few methods that are proven to work.

Santa Claus should not text while driving his sleigh, but this holiday season, smart businesses should be focusing on mobile to drive results. Many retailers kicked off their holiday selling season on Black Friday by opening their doors before dawn and spending millions on advertising campaigns to publicize incredible deals at bargain-basement prices for one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Yet, despite heavy national TV, print and online pushes for the country’s biggest retailers, many major brick-and-mortar retailers have not begun to implement even the simplest forms of mobile marketing to expand engagement with their customers. They should take a cue from the few mobile-savvy retailers this holiday season.

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Waterfall Mobile Advances Industry Leading Platform

Msgme Version 2.3 has been released!

Msgme continues to enhance and expand on its industry leading mobile marketing platform.

Msgme Enhancements Include:

Msgme Developer Portal – Fully integrated, secure and intuitive web-based developer environment designed for clients to build enterprise applications. Powerful developer tools, technical resources and account support.

Subscriber API Enhancements – Clients can integrate directly with existing CRM systems and synchronize all data in real-time for enhanced targeting on all mobile campaigns. Subscriber metadata fields enable the creation of optimized mobile campaigns and segmentation of audiences.

IVR (Interactive Voice Response) – Clients can create robust interactive campaigns using voice messaging for standalone campaigns or enhance existing SMS messaging.  Add a layer of personality with celebrity voices, music and IVR menus to drive consumers to sign up for lists, purchase mobile content, preview audio files and receive mobile offers.

Msgme Private Label Customization - Ideal for interactive agencies or brands with multiple accounts, Msgme now delivers customizable client interfaces, including account login, brand header, logo and more to enhance mobile brand marketing efforts and experiences.

For more information on Msgme upgrades or mobile text and voice marketing campaigns, please contact your account manager or email sales@waterfallmobile.com.

Mobile Coupons: Awareness to Action

eMarketer.com

“Mobile coupons tie users from awareness to action.”

Marketers spend $15 billion dollars on coupons every year just in the US, and the economic downturn means consumers are likely to start looking for more discounts. With handset penetration north of 80% according to the Telecommunications Industry Association, the time for widespread mobile coupon usage may have come.

Many types of mobile coupons and several ways of using the offers sent to their phones. Consumers can send texts to codes for specific offers, access the service directly or get SMS alerts when new coupons become available. Also, targeted coupon code offers based on their location, age and gender, which can redeemed at the point of sale.

Msgme Campaign Spotlight: Red Light Management

Red Light Management

Campaign Overview
Red Light Management artist, Dave Matthews Band has over one million fans in the general email subscriber database and paid online memberships. The management company wanted to continue its fan-centric philosophy and create a direct-to-consumer mobile marketing channel. For Red Light Management, creating innovative ways to deliver its artists’ music to their fans has always been a key marketing initiative.

Mobile Objectives
Create and build Red Light Management mobile subscriber lists and drive the label’s direct-to-consumer marketing strategy with mobile.

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