FASTSMS

Mobile Marketing 5 times more effective than online, study says.

A recent study by digital marketing research firm InsightExpress has concluded that mobile ad campaign norms were four-and-a-half to five times more effective than online norms.

"The Mobile InsightNorms study measured unaided awareness, aided awareness, ad awareness, message association, brand favorability and purchase intent. The study included a comparison of mobile media types and verticals to the effect of online advertising, and these findings continue to show the power of mobile as an advertising channel." (Dan Butcher, Mobile Marketer)

To read the full article at Mobile Marketer follow this link. (This will take you away from the FASTSMS Blog)

 
The study has reinforced the power of SMS as a marketing tool highlighting its effectiveness at increasing upper level purchase funnel metrics such as awareness measures.

"SMS campaigns generated increases of 5 percentage points for unaided awareness, 10 percentage points for aided awareness and 18 percentage points for ad awareness."

Findings such as these really do support the notion that mobile, particularly SMS, will be around for a long time to come and that businesses looking to capitalise on all the marketing channels available to them should get a handle on it sooner rather than later or risk being left behind at the curve.

To find out more, our Mobile Marketing Guide is a good place to start.

If you would like a free consultation on how you could be using SMS within your business call us on 0800 954 5305, email helpdesk@fastsms.co.uk or follow this link to fill out a simple form.

New Features in NetMessenger

Here at FASTSMS we really like to keep our developers busy, which is why we are always so happy to receive your comments and suggestions about our various systems, and here it is - the fruits of our labour...

Soon to be available to you will be two new features in NetMessenger:

1. Delivery Threshold Notification - you will be able to set a number in the account settings and if more than that number of messages do not reach their destination you will receive notification, meaning you won't be wasting money on bad data.
2. Message Notifications - you will also be able to receive message status updates to an email address of your choice, so the right person can be kept up to date wherever they are.

Many of our updates are a result of a question or suggestion from one of our users - if there is something you would like the FASTSMS system to do, just let us know and we will always strive to accommodate you.

Let us have your suggestions by calling 0800 954 5305, emailing helpdesk@fastsms.co.uk or by using the feedback form in NetMessenger.

Update to the FASTSMS system

Great news, as of next week you will be able to receive multi-part (linked) meassages direct to your Inbox. This means that inbound SMS, sent to your Virtual Mobile Number, that are over 160 characters and therefore span more than one message will now arrive as one.

• If you forward your messages to a URL you may need to check that your system is set up correctly, and doesn't just receive 160 characters.
• Unfortunately this change will not occur for those who have opted for a Virtual Mobile Number starting with '077814' (e.g. 07781434558). However we can change your number if you wish.

This change has been made as a result of feedback from one of our users - it shows just how much your suggestions mean to us, and that where possible we will act on them.

If you have any questions or comments on how we can make FASTSMS even better for you let us know by calling us on 0800 954 5305, emailing helpdesk@fastsms.co.uk or using the feedback form in NetMessenger.

Are you really going to let the postal strikes cost you money?

FACT:To send a letter by SnailMail costs well over 50p, takes days or even weeks to arrive and often makes its way from the inbox to the bin unopened.

FACT:An SMS text message costs a few pence to send, arrives within seconds and is usually read within a few minutes. On top of that it is quicker to compose and is a great deal greener!

Many of our users are already benefiting from SMS in their communications to some degree, but are unaware that it could be used for so much more...

• Reminders / renewals / confirmations: confirm appointments, chase payments, service renewals and subscriptions reminders, advance notice of events, invitations and much more.
• Marketing messages:special offers, price reductions, new products / services. Include links to web pages to replace brochures, flyers and catalogues - saving even more money.
• Mass broadcasts: call employees to meetings, friends to social events, or clients to exhibitions / seminars. Personalise your messages using the "mail merge" feature.
• Inbound SMS: publish your Virtual Mobile Number so people can text and reply to you too.

Right now there is an extra incentive to look at ways of switching SnailMail traffic to other cheaper and, most importantly, reliable methods of communication.

Switching to SMS gets your message straight to the recipients handset - it is cheaper and yields higher and much faster response rates than any other medium.

Find out if you are getting the most out of your account by giving us a call on 0800 954 5305 emailing helpdesk@fastsms.co.uk or reading our new Mobile Marketing Guide

PlanetStream: The FASTSMS of the Streaming World

PlanetStream Relaunch

 

This month has seen the relaunch of our streaming media brand, PlanetStream. The new site gives greater insight into how streaming works as well as real life examples of where it is already in use. As well as this it details some of our new products including online presenters and a FREE Trial.

 

PlanetStream are now able to host your files of any format and size and direct them to anywhere in the world with limitless availability - this is ideal for software downloads and backups.

 

As experts in live streaming, PlanetStream give you the opportunity to broadcast events in real time to your selected audience across the internet. This ranges from a simple web cam broadcast to major music and sporting events. It is used for business broadcasts of presentations as well as educational and personal events such as online training and weddings.

 

PlanetStream's latest product is bespoke website content in the form of Online Presenters. This is where the visitors to your site have a real life presenter taking them through their options and guiding their hand to the desired call to action. For an example visit: www.PlanetStream.net

 

PlanetStream are now offering a FREE Trial to all FASTSMS customers, for details visit the site or send an email to info@planetstream.net 

Are you still thinking about whether to upgrade to SMSLook?

...well now you don't have to: Upgrade to SMSLook for FREE

As we celebrate over 10 years of FASTSMS we look back at where it all started - the FASTSMS Sender was the first piece of SMS software we ever released, and it has served us well over the years. However in order for the next generation to come into its own its predecessor must be retired.

FASTSMS have always worked on the principle that everything should be available for all users, and it is with this in mind that SMSLook is now available for everyone, for FREE. Subsequently there will be no more updates to the FASTSMS Sender as we put all our efforts into making SMSLook the best piece of desktop software it can be.

When you upgrade you will benefit from Outlook integration, whereby you can access SMSLook through MS Outlook and share contact information between the two. If you have a Virtual Mobile Number you will even be able to receive inbound messages directly to your desktop. We will also be bringing in loads of new features over the coming months including a calendar based scheduling system to make it even easier to manage your communications.

To upgrade to SMSLook simply login to NetMessenger by clicking here.

FASTSMS on Twitter

Just a quick note for all those Twitterers out there...

FASTSMS is now on Twitter, keep up to date with news, tips and advice, for all those wondering "what is it then?" I suggest you have a look at our NetSecrets blog...

Twitter - The Next Big Thing?

Twitter is best thought of as miniature personal blogging or a micro blog, as it is centred around the question “what are you doing”.... Click to read more

For those of you already familiar with Twitter you can find our profile at http://twitter.com/FASTSMS_blog

If you have any suggestions on anyone you think we should be following let us know, email us on info@fastsms.co.uk

Twitter is best thought of as miniature personal blogging or a micro blog, as it is centred around the question “what are you doing”.... Click to read more

For those of you already familiar with Twitter you can find our profile at http://twitter.com/FASTSMS_blog

If you have any suggestions on anyone you think we should be following let us know, email us on info@fastsms.co.uk

New FASTSMS Newsletter now available...

After a brief state of abeyance the FASTSMS newsletter has returned for April, and is better than ever - with a suave new look it kicks off with a special edition getting readers up to date on what has been going on in recent months. As always it is centered around the reader, putting everything in the context of how it affects them.

The FASTSMS audience will shortly be benefiting from our Spring sales, full of loads of new offers, prices and introductory rates on new products.

To sign up to the newsletter or view back issues visit http://www.fastsms.co.uk/subscribe.html

FASTSMS Website Relaunched

FASTSMS users will notice that a completely new version of our website has now gone live. As well as a smart new design the entire structure and content has changed in an effort to make the site easier to navigate and more accessible for visitors to find the information they want.

This coincides with three other important developments for FASTSMS over the past couple of weeks:

• A new version of the NetMessenger web-based SMS platform has been introduced with new, clearer layout and enhanced functionality - and watch out, there's more to come.
• We have introduced a new fully automated ordering and payment system based on our partnership with ePDQ, the online service from Barclaycard. This means users can instantly add credits any time of night or day.
• Our latest product, SMSLook, is now available. Easiest way to describe it is that it's very similar in all respects to MS-Outlook but works with texts rather than emails. A FREE TRIAL is available to all.

We would really appreciate your feedback on the new site and the new services. We think it's all terrific but then we would, wouldn't we? If you agree let us know and put a smile on our faces. If there's anything you don't like or can suggest an improvement either email us or send an online enquiry.

The Future of SMS... Now

Attention FASTSMS Users... new NetMessenger system now available

Fast, reliable, user friendly & fully integrated with the FASTSMS platform

The new and improved NetMessenger system from FASTSMS is now available for you to use at http://beta.fastsms.co.uk/

This new system is fully operational and ready to be used, soon to replace the current version.

Start the clock – In 2 weeks time this will become the standard FASTSMS interface, however the current version will still be available for nostalgia’s sake.

Due to the latest technology NetMessenger will be faster and even more reliable – Utilising the latest e-commerce order process system you will now enjoy faster, more secure automatic top-ups through ePDQ

This system has been enhanced for greater usability built around a user friendly interface – This allows for the continuous development of new features that you will become privy to over time

SMSLook beta also now available for testing visit http://demo.netsecrets.co.uk/rich/smslook.zip to download the ultimate SMS tool