Affiliate now integrated with SMS messaging

RedSky IT has incorporated new SMS messaging functionality within its Affiliate solution to help membership and awarding bodies with their 'mobile marketing'.

SMS messaging provides organisations with a highly personalised, interactive and immediately effective means of communicating with their members and students. It enables membership and awarding bodies to quickly and easily set up text messaging campaigns, targeted at a specific groups from within the Affiliate solution. For example, SMS could be used for an organisation to promote delegate places at a forthcoming seminar or training event or to support business-process related communication, such as membership renewal reminders.

Recently SMS has been proven to generate higher redemptions than conventional media (eg direct mail) as mobile phone users tend to carry their phone on them all the time and therefore, the message is received instantly. This can result in a better return on investment (ROI) particularly as the associated costs are competitive.

The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising has launched guidelines for mobile marketing campaigns that cover areas such as allowing individuals to opt in or out of SMS communication. In line with data protection requirements, the Affiliate solution records and manages individuals' contact preferences with regard to direct mail and ensures that only those individuals that have opted in will receive SMS communication.

Because SMS text provides messaging of up to 160 characters it allows for a meaningful message to be conveyed relating to areas such as membership renewal, conference promotion, exam results notification, voting or debt chasing. Text messages can also be generated for either an individual or a group of recipients. Once sent, these messages are recorded within the individual's correspondence log, which provides a complete history of communication with that person.