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Relevancy crucial to successful SMS marketing: exec

NEW YORK ? When building a mobile database, companies need to focus on finding ways to target consumers through as many channels as possible with relevant short messages, according to an industry expert at the Mobile Marketing Summit conference.

Although executives from the Pittsburgh Penguins were not in attendance at the session due to travel complications, the ?How to build an engagement-focused mobile database? session gave companies quick take-away points to increase their database numbers. Additionally, the session talked about how mobile plays a role in overall marketing strategies.

?Certain types of events, especially with sporting, see significant numbers of messages going back and forth and engagement with SMS,? said Matthew Valleskey, director of marketing, mobile and registry services at Neustar, Sterling, VA.

Mr. Valleskey is not affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He offered his commentary on the panel based on his expertise.

Save our SMS
According to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team has sent more than 20 million text messages over the past three years.

Penguin fans are 44 percent more likely than the overall Pittsburgh market to text, making SMS a natural fit for the demographic.

Additionally, the team?s fans are 144 percent more likely than the market of Pittsburgh to use mobile devices for video.

?I would say that Pittsburgh Penguins had a successful SMS program compared to other markets,? Mr. Valleskey said.

In particular, the team is targeting students with SMS programs that include rewards and deals for consumers.

The Student Rush program has 26,000 members, per data provided by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Most interestingly, the program claims a 53 percent active response rate, showing the power that mobile has to target consumers.

Another SMS program the Pittsburgh Penguins offers is the Pens Mobile Club, which sends post-game alerts to sports fans with 96,000 members.

?SMS is effective for companies because every time a phone beeps, you open it to check messages,? Mr. Valleskey said.

Additionally, the Pittsburgh Penguins saw an increase in mobile Web use during games.

?Everyone sits on the couch while watching the games with their mobile phones, and it correlates with what is happening in the game, ? Mr. Valleskey said.

Passionate fans
In addition to sending out SMS messages, the Pittsburgh Penguins are also using cross-platform mobile efforts to target its engaged fan base.

To get player Kris Letang on the all-star ballot, the company used Facebook, Twitter, Web and SMS to enable fans to vote for him.

Because of the company?s push for fan engagement, Kris Letang finished second overall in NHL all-star votes.

Outside of sports, Mr. Valleskey encouraged the conference?s participants to push mobile in their own strategies.

?Now is the perfect time to implement SMS before the holidays,? Mr. Valleskey said.

?Using opt-ins are one of the only places that capture phone numbers and provide value-added options for consumers,? he said.

However, companies need to have a developed strategy before asking for consumers to sign up for SMS messages.

?If you ask people to opt-in, make sure you plan a program to include them,? Mr. Valleskey said.

Final Take
Matthew Valleskey on what retailers can take away from the Pittsburgh Penguins SMS programs