The following article was written by Guest Author, Linda Daichendt. Linda is Founder, CEO and Managing Consultant at Strategic Growth Concepts, a consulting firm that specializies in start-up, small and mid-sized businesses.
During my recent guest appearance on a segment of the FranchisEssentials Show on BlogTalkRadio, we discussed briefly how franchise organizations can benefit from Mobile Marketing. I thought it might be useful to expand on that discussion by providing show co-hosts Paul Segreto and Joel Libava (The Franchise King) with a listing of more ways in which franchise organizations can benefit from the use of Mobile Marketing. The following are a few of my thoughts on this topic:
With Franchisees/Potential Franchisees
• Provide consistent messaging to franchisees regarding upcoming deadlines or special events via text messages, voice messages, or mobile websites
• Receive inquiries from potential franchise candidates asking to receive initial franchise information and to request initial contact
• Send messages via voice mail or text to relay the date for upcoming potential franchise candidate seminars based upon those earlier registrations
• Have franchise seminar attendees complete a survey about the event and indicate interest in continuing conversation
With Consumers
• Mobile contest registrations
• Mobile customer loyalty program registrations
• Fitness franchises; sign up consumers for FREE introductory visit and/or post exercise class schedules for existing members
• Restaurants; allow consumers to make reservations
• Plumbing, locksmith, electrician, other trade franchises; post emergency numbers on mobile websites, allow consumers to contact you via text at those numbers
• Distribute coupons to registered consumers
• Provide information regarding upcoming sales and/or discounts available
• Have consumers complete surveys about products/services
• Restaurants; allow consumers to place food orders in advance for pick-up or immediate seating upon arrival
• Restaurants/fast food; allow consumers to place food orders for delivery
• Utilize GPS mobile technology to notify registered consumers who drive into a targeted geographic area about a limited-time (1 hr) only offer to initiate immediate response
• Real estate franchises can send home listings to potential buyers for review and selection
• Real estate franchises can add an SMS code (text number) to the signs posted at each listing which will enable consumers to indicate an interest in seeing the house; and enable real estate agents to respond immediately
• Maid services franchises and other trade franchises; allow consumers to schedule appointments via mobile
• Fitness clubs/tanning salons/hair salons; allow consumers to schedule appointments and/or send appointment cancellations and/or request re-schedules
• Fitness clubs/tanning salons; allow consumers to make monthly payments via mobile
• Florists/candy store/gift store franchises; allow consumers to place orders for delivery
• Florists/candy store/gift store franchises; allow consumers to check on status of orders placed
• Florists/candy store/gift store franchises; distribute special offers to registered consumers to encourage early ordering during peak seasons such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day
Obviously, this list is in no way comprehensive as the ways that Mobile Marketing can be utilized by franchise organizations are limited only by your imagination. Mobile provides an extremely cost-effective and efficient method of reaching target audiences. It works well as a stand-alone marketing strategy, but works extremely well as part of a multi-media strategy in which all media being utilized are integrated for maximum effectiveness.
If your firm is interested in learning more about Mobile Marketing and the ways in which your firm can benefit from its use, please visit the Mobile Marketing section of our website, or contact me directly at linda@StrategicGrowthConcepts.com and indicate you were referred by FranchisEssentials in order to receive your FREE one-hour Mobile Marketing consultation.
Acceler8Success Cafe 
I wanted to respond to Mike’s comment – particularly the part about Mobile Marketing being intrusive. You may not be aware but the FCC requires that no one can send you a mobile message unless you have ‘opted in’; meaning, you have either sent a text, signed up on a website, or some other method to indicate that you want to receive mobile messages from this particular vendor for a particular purpose – and if it’s something you’ve signed up for, it’s unlikely that you would consider it to be intrusive.
What this means is that a firm cannot buy a list of cellphone numbers and send those people mobile messages (am not saying it isn’t possible, I’m saying it’s not allowed). Nor can a company take someone who has signed up to receive a monthly mobile coupon and suddenly start sending them newsletters, specials that are running, etc. on a weekly basis – they can only send what they signed up for.
The carriers are charged with the final enforcement, and because they can receive severe penalties if people report receiving ‘spam’ mobile messages, they are quite strict about insuring that the ‘opt in’ rule is followed – as well as insuring that the required ‘opt out’ language in contained in every mobile message so people can stop receiving mobile messages that no longer interest them.
Given these requirements, those that receive mobile messages are doing so at their own request; and the number requesting them is increasing every day. I’m quite certain that in the not to distant future, Mike is right, we’ll get to say to him “I told you so!”.
If anyone would like more specific information about Mobile Marketing, please feel free to contact me directly at linda@StrategicGrowthConcepts.com with any questions you may have.
Linda Daichendt, CEO/Managing Consultant
Strategic Growth Concepts
I’ve always eagerly hitched my wagon to each new piece of technology that comes along, especially web-based, but I might stand on the platform and watch this one go by. A lot of this mobile technology is too intrusive, too fiddley and too time wasting.
You just wait and see… I’ll be proved wrong and you can all say “I told you so!”
Good post, Paul
Mobile marketing is building lots of momentum. We see more and more of it in the real estate industry and it makes sense that companies should take advantage of the technology relationship people have with their cell phones.