7 Simple Interactive Content Ideas You Can Steal

The whole point of social media is to engage with your followers. But how do you get your audience to start engaging with you?

Interactive Content

Interactive content is often fun and silly. You throw out questions to your followers in a way they’ll most likely want to answer.

Interactive Facebook posts, for example, may require you to type out an answer, use an emoji, or answer with a GIF. Perhaps your followers must piece together different parts of an image you’ve posted to come up with an answer.

Interactive content should be fun and allow your followers to engage with you and your page. This will make it much easier for them to interact with you again in the future. Plus, people associated with your followers will see these interactions and check out your page out of curiosity. This will result in some of those people becoming followers, leading to an organic growth of your social media followers.

So, what are some fun ways to use interactive content to promote engagement? Don’t worry, you don’t have to think of fun ideas from scratch, just search the web and you’ll find a ton of options. We’ve chosen seven simple interactive content ideas you can steal.

1. One Has to Go

An interactive “One Has to Go” post generally involves the content creator posting a picture of a numerous favorite – depending on the account’s niche – fast foods, candy bars, beers, woodworking tools, etc.

This strategy allows your followers to answer you and interact with other commentators. Everybody has different tastes and seeing some of the different takes on this type of post, even just among the followers themselves, can be entertaining.

2. What’s Your (Blank) Name?

While you can use “One Has to Go” for market research, the “What’s Your (blank)Name?” post is just for silliness. It could be your unicorn name, mermaid name, Halloween witch name, or your wizard name, among so many others. The type of name will generally derive from the poster’s niche, or what their audience is interested in.

In most cases, these posts will list the alphabet in two columns, with a silly word next to each letter. You’ll choose the first letter of your first name in the first column and the first letter of your last name in the second column. So, if your name is Jane Doe, you’ll choose the words next to “J” and “D.”

This is just meant to engage followers. There are some pretty funny combinations, which motivates commenters to share their results and help put a smile on their face. Sometimes people need a small break from their lives, and this kind of interactive post helps.

3. Answering a Question with Facebook Emojis

This kind of content, which you’ll often see used on a Facebook post, requires followers to answer a specific question with a designated Facebook emoji. This is a very easy way to have your followers engage with your content. Also, commenters will oftentimes leave a comment explaining why they voted the way they did, their thoughts on the question, or how hard it was to make a choice, leading to more interaction between your followers.

4. Using the Third Gif, Show Your Mood

This is just one example of how to use gifs as interactive posts. Here, you have followers select the third GIF on their phone to describe how they feel. This is another post that will have followers taking a few minutes out of their day to scroll through and comment. Not only do people loveGIFs funny, but many can find them relatable.

5. What’s Your Favorite?

This kind of post can be done a couple of different ways. For example, you can ask “What is your favorite potato form?” and then show examples such as fries, mashed potatoes, potato chips, etc.

You can also do this is with different types of fast-food chains, burgers, candy bars, board games, vacation spots, and so much more. It doesn’t always have to tie back to food – you can come up with just about anything.

6. Would You Rather

I’m sure many of us remember playing “Would You Rather” on long car journeys. For interactive Facebook posts, the account will publish a graphic asking a question with four options. Followers will comment with their choices and hopefully let everyone know why they chose the option they did.

7. Open-Ended Questions

Just a simple open-ended question is a great interactive content post. For example: If you could be any animal, what would it be and why? Which fairytale is your favorite? What food is your weakness? Again, you’ll probably notice that as people post answers, more will reply. Interactive content doesn’t have to be complicated.

8 Pro Tips on How to Start a Business from Scratch

With so many changes going on in the world during this past year, many people have found themselves rediscovering old hobbies or discovering new passions. At one point it seemed like everyone was baking bread. But for some people, falling back in love with an old hobby meant turning it into a small business.

Starting a new business can be difficult, but for those who had nowhere to turn to because of the pandemic, utilizing a skillset they could profit from was a way to keep an income flowing for their family.

But how do you establish a startup? It doesn’t matter whether you’re an online business or a home business, you don’t begin making money the day after you’ve come up with an idea. Here, we’ll give you eight pro tips on how to start a business from scratch.

1. Think of Yourself as an Entrepreneur

If you’re starting a business, you’re now an entrepreneur, so you need to start thinking of yourself as one. You must be professional, even when you’re not interacting with others.

It’s important to self-assess and see what type of business would be best for you. This could be easy. You might be a graphic designer who’s decided to start your own agency.

Not all cases are that easy. Some people want to start a business so they don’t have to answer to anyone or because they need to provide assistance to their family. So, part of your assessment should include why you’re starting your business.

2. Coming Up with and Researching Your Business Ideas

Always keep in mind that, as a business, you’re there to solve somebody’s problem. Do some research and make sure your niche/business model will work and be profitable.

You could have a great, unique idea, but it’s not a good business decision if there’s no need for it where you are. Opening a Gaelic school in the middle of Wyoming isn’t a good business idea.

Chances are that someone else is providing the same goods or services as you, so you need to come up with a way to outdo your competition. Some companies use price to attract more customers and beat their competitors. Figure out which course of action is best for you.

3. Test Your Idea

Make sure you test your idea out to see if it’ll work. Set up a one-page website with a logo, which you can get for under $10 through Fiverr, and have it look professional. Or you could use Wix or Bluehost and build a site yourself.

List your products and services and add a contact email or form. If you’re selling products, have a preorder. If you’re selling services, there’s nothing to worry about. Find emails of potential buyers and reach out to them.

Purchase some advertisements on Facebook or Instagram. Again, you can search Fiverr to have someone affordably do up your graphics so they look professional.

Testing your business will give you an idea of how much demand there is for your product or service. It’s much better to spend less than $50 to find out it’s not going anywhere then it is to jump all-in and find out the same result.

4. Create Branding and Marketing

After your successful test, you’ll want to come up with your permanent logo and branding. That includes what colors you want to use, the letterhead, the look of your website, etc.

You’ll also have to look at marketing materials and campaigns. What look do you want to create and how do you want the world to see your company and message? This might be something you can do on your own, get from Fiverr, or turn to an agency for.

5. Create a Business Plan

At this point in the process, you’ve figured some things out in your journey, crossed some items off your list, and perhaps added some on. Now you need a business plan.

This step is essentially getting your thoughts on paper for how you want to get your business started and how your business will look, including your expected outcomes. It’s important for you and essential if you plan on getting any loans or having investors.

6. Registering Your Business

There are different levels of registration, such as sole proprietor, corporation, etc. Each level of registry has its own set of guidelines, and in most cases, especially for a sole proprietorship, you need to register in each state you want your business recognized in.

The higher up the registration ladder you go, the further your registration is automatically covered, such as nationwide or globally. Always check the rules and regulations or registration where you live as they differ by country and state.

7. Business Finances and Taxes

Always keep your business finances separate from your personal finances. Even if you’re a sole proprietor and you’re living off all of the money you make from the business, it’ll be so much easier come tax season if you have everything in a separate account.

Just like personal taxes, you’ll now be responsible for completing your company’s taxes. You may want to hire an accountant, especially during the first year, to help guide you and explain what can and can’t be written off.

8. Protect Your Business

So much goes into starting up and running a business. Chances are it’s your largest asset, so you want to ensure that you keep it protected. Hire an attorney to take care of all contracts and other business interests.

You’ll also need to trademark your name and branding. Patent an idea, technology, or process and copyright creative work. Look into different types of insurances you may need. For example, there’s an insurance for product recalls, even if your company is fully online.

Protect your business and yourself.

Get Set, Go! How to become an Independent Business Owner

Are you looking to get started as an independent business owner? Being your own boss comes with huge perks and huge responsibilities. Mobile Disruptors gives you a leg up on the marketing that helps get you noticed. Keep reading for seven steps to becoming an independent business owner and the questions that should guide you through each step.

1. Why do you want to become a business owner?

Understanding why you want to be a business owner is a crucial first step in the journey towards independence and taking the time to think this through can save you a lot of time and effort down the road. Why do you want to start your own business? Are you entering a part of your life where you want greater control over your work-life balance, like beginning a family? Perhaps you’ve identified a niche in your industry that needs to be filled and believe you have the skills to do it? Are you looking for career growth and finding you have hit the ceiling in your current workplace? Consider all of these things and think through what success looks like in your venture. Maybe the goal is getting a business off the ground that allows you financial security and greater control over your hours and work-life balance. Or it could be building a business to a place where it could be franchised or even sold off? Answers to questions like these will help you discern along the way what projects and investments, business tools, and partnerships to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to. Planning also provides a point on the horizon that will help you stay focussed on the big picture and the end goal, rather than getting lost in the minutiae.

2. What do you want to do? How are you offering something different than what’s already out there?

Just like a writer is encouraged to “write what they know,” the same applies to business. A good place to start a business venture is doing what you are familiar with. Look at your experience and skillset and determine what niche you are uniquely qualified to fill. What sets you apart? We are in an age where you are a few clicks away from finding at least one business that offers what consumers want. So, what sets you apart? It could be ethical, social, or enterprise-focused. People are always looking to vote with their dollar. Perhaps you are fair trade, organic, Black-owned, etc. You could be subculture-focused or special equipment that is hard to come by. Consider your target audience as this will have ramifications on decisions you make down the line, like advertising, which we’ll talk about a bit later. When considering your ideal customer, consider who they are and what they are looking for. Do market research on your intended demographic so that you can make informed decisions about how to bring your business to market. Industry articles are a good place to start when learning about your intended market.

3. How are you going to finance your venture? Where is the money coming from?

Finances are easily one of the biggest hurdles to starting your own business. Be it small or large, all business ventures require some upfront cost. A Gallup poll surveyed Americans and found that 25% considered starting a business and decided against it. The top two reasons as to why were “needing a steady income” and “not having enough personal savings.” But your finances are not the only avenues for funding your dream venture. While you can ask friends and family for support, don’t be discouraged by thinking that you’re limited to making awkward elevator pitches at family gatherings. Get a realistic estimate as to how much your business will require. A lifestyle or e-commerce business will have the most accessible upfront financial costs. Franchises come with varying financial buy-in with other aspects of the business already taken care of. Anything high tech will require more financing, but look into different funding sources, like small business loans and grants aimed at growing the economy.

4. What format is your business going to take? Independent contractor? Incorporate? Sole proprietor?

Related to finances is considering what format you want your business to take. Do you want a brick-and-mortar storefront where you will need to factor in insurance, furnishings, rent, utilities? Or would you prefer to run your business online, which will require different costs such as domain, website design, and credit card fees? The paperwork side of the business can be time-consuming and boring, and there is a lot of it at the beginning when you’re just getting your business off the ground. Ensure you do it right the first time. If you want to incorporate or register as a sole proprietor, different paperwork is required. There are different costs and consequences on your business, liability, and taxation, so choose wisely.

5. Handle your administration: What licenses do you need? Certification? Applications?

Depending on what kind of business you have, there will be different licenses and certifications required. If you have a professional designation, such as a lawyer or accountant, think about how you can keep it now that you are your boss and not working for a firm. If you are working with food and drink, what certifications do you need for food handling and responsible liquor service? Consider reading through industry articles and your local chamber of commerce for resources for what paperwork and certification you need.

6. Who are you working with? Who is working for you? Are you working on your own? Additional to this, who is your support network?

It’s a good piece of advice not just for business but for life in general. Surround yourself with a robust support network and not just for moral support. Reach out to people who have been there before. They can give you good advice about how to get started and what pitfalls to avoid. They can make for good inspiration and advise you on business strategy and make introductions and help you network.

7. How will you market and advertise?

Now that you have determined how you are unique, what you are offering your customers, and who your customers are, you can begin to make focused decisions on marketing based on real metrics. Your target audience will dictate much of your advertising, as will your business type. Digital marketing vs. traditional marketing? Is your business primarily online? Then focus on digital marketing. Are you a brick-and-mortar business? Look at local marketing and connecting with community organizations that will introduce people in the community to you and what you offer. Social media is always a good way to introduce potential consumers to you and your offerings. And it’s free! Don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth.

If you are interested in learning more about what Mobile Disruptors can do to help you with your business, reach out. Mobile Disruptors also has opportunities if you want to offer marketing services to small businesses.

What is Social WiFi Marketing – Everything You Need to Know

Most places you go to nowadays, whether a restaurant, retail shop, or airport, will have free WiFi available. When the internet was first available, you could only access a WiFi hotspot in a limited number of spaces, mostly airports, and it was extremely costly. Then, a few more spots provided access to guest WiFi, but it would still cost you. Eventually, more and more establishments offered unlimited free WiFi.

What is Social WiFi Marketing?

Your business may still require your customers to use a password to log in to the guest WiFi, but this doesn’t necessarily lead to extra profit long term. Chances are a WiFi user in your establishment is doing business with you anyhow. Providing them with a password doesn’t change that, and it doesn’t encourage them to return.

More and more establishments are giving up on passwords and having users sign in with Facebook, Google, email, or other forms of social media. This is called social WiFi Marketing. Once you sign in using whichever method you choose, you’re often taken to a splash page where you may see upcoming deals, coupons, and information about new products launching, which could entice the user back.

Not only are you able to provide your customer with news that may benefit or interest them, but you’ll also be able to collect a lot of information about the user, including contact details and their interests. This will allow you to target them through various methods such as social media and email.

How Does Social WiFi Marketing Work?

Most establishments will have signs hanging up, or another way of identifying how to get onto the internet through the network. Some places will offer a discount or other incentives for logging into their free WiFi network with a social media account.

After the user has logged in, they should be taken to a splash page, which is a marketing page set up by the establishment (restaurant, hotel, retailer, etc.). To make the most with your WiFi marketing, encourage the user to use Facebook to sign in.

Then, when they’re signed in, you can access certain information, such as how many times they return to your venue or how long they stay on the premises. If they sign in with Facebook, you’ll be able to access more information such as their likes, demographic data, and contact information.

These details will allow you to successfully market to your customer. You can provide them with incentives to return to your venue, have them fill out surveys, ask them to leave a Google Review, or conduct multichannel marketing through email, Google Ads, and Facebook Ads. Additionally, you can target customers through other means such as demographics and return on investment.

How Do Users Benefit from Social WiFi Marketing?

In addition to your business, how does WiFi marketing benefit your customers?

For one, it’s convenient. A user who repeatedly returns to the same coffee shop and uses their WiFi can easily log in with just one click. Additionally, sign-ins can often be remembered, preventing someone from having to continuously enter their log-in details.

Customized splash pages and offers through email and social media offer another benefit for users. Existing customers may appreciate getting a free latte every month, for example, or 10% off their next meal.

There are endless opportunities for companies to make sure their users benefit from signing in with their social media accounts. Many customers enjoy being the first to know about new products and events.

How Do Companies Benefit from Social WiFi Marketing?

Social WiFi marketing allows companies to connect with, and understand, their customers in a way like they never could before.

Gone are the days of the brick-and-mortar stores marketing to everyone in the hopes that someone driving by their store or listening to the radio would stop by.

Even when internet marketing started out, it was a broadly cast net. You weren’t quite sure where you wanted your boundaries to be, geographically or demographically, and you couldn’t be sure what your customers were interested in.

With social WiFi Marketing, companies don’t need to guess. They know their demographics, what they like, how often they visit, how much they spend, etc. This allows companies to increase their branding presence by sending out digital marketing campaigns to stay fresh in the customers’ minds.

For example, a company can look to see how it can benefit from its customers utilizing multiple locations. Offering a discount at a location that’s having a slow month might allow you to push some business that way. Chances are your customers will purchase more than required to take advantage of the promotion.

Companies have a real opportunity to build valuable relationships with their customers through social WiFi marketing. Create specific marketing campaigns for those who visit most often and thank them for their continued support. When it comes time to decide the next flavor, color, or dish, ask your customers for their input to make them feel valued.

Helping Companies Set Up Social WiFi Marketing

If you’re interested in learning more about social WiFi marketing, reach out to MobileDisruptors. They can also help you out if you’re interested in making a business out of setting companies up for social WiFi Marketing.

Geofencing Marketing Guide: The New Way to Market Your Business

There is no doubt that the cost of living and the way of living are vastly different throughout the country and that a single marketing campaign does not fit everybody. You likely already know you need to come up with multiple campaigns, but then what do you do? Where do you place them?

And what do you do if you feel like all of the technology for business marketing focuses on online marketing, but you have a physical location and want the benefits of digital marketing as well? Geofencing marketing might be for you.

What is Geofencing Marketing?

Geofencing marketing uses location-based ads that allow for specifically targeted locations. A geofence is the physical boundaries of the target location, which could be the block around a storefront, a postal code, or the western corner of a territory.

Geofencing Marketing Strategy

In online marketing, there’s a fine line when it comes to expanding your targeted area. It can backfire if you go too far, which is where geofencing marketing comes in handy. Many retailers open marketing to the internet, even when the majority of their customers are still local.

If you have a national company, marketing promotions may change based on the targeted audience. For example, you might not have the same promotion running in Toronto, ON as you will in Moncton, NB. The cost of living and way of life are drastically different in these cities, and you may need to adapt for the potential customer base in each location.

Geofencing creates an imaginary boundary that automatically switches when someone passes through it. Essentially, it is a smart marketing campaign that continuously adapts to the location of the consumer.

Ways to Use Geofencing Marketing

There are several ways in which geofencing marketing helps a business, too many to mention here, but here’s a look at some that you may have come across as a consumer:

A brick-and-mortar store sets up a perimeter around the business, whether it’s a block or a kilometer radius, and when you pass through that perimeter, you get a push notification on your phone.
A business owner may try to entice local customers away from competitors with better deals by setting up geofencing marketing perimeters around his competitors’ locations.
Companies may utilize geofencing ahead of time for marketing conferences and industry events to bring brand awareness to the places they will be visiting.
Service-oriented businesses can now geofence towards specific service areas as if geofencing has become the new ambulance chasing.

Just because geofencing marketing exists does not necessarily mean it is the best option for your business. It’s always good to do your research to be sure that the return on investment is worth it and determine details like where you should set up your geofences.

If you would need help with geofencing marketing, Mobile Distributors are social marketers that can help you get started understanding everything geofencing can do for your business.

7 Benefits of Geofencing Marketing

Some people are skeptical when it comes to targeting a marketing audience, thinking that a bigger audience is better. But having a smaller, local, dedicated base is much more valuable in the long run, and the long run is what you want for your business.

Let’s look at some of the benefits you can get from geofencing marketing when done correctly:

1. When you keep your geofenced area small, you target a specific local audience, which allows you to build personal relationships and ties to your community, and it increases the chances that the customer will return as well as refer to other customers.

2. You will have a better chance of creating higher quality content. You know your audience better, so you can speak directly to them with your content. If your geofencing marketing target area is too large, you have less of a chance to resonate with everyone within, and some may feel that you are speaking to uppity, while others may think you’re speaking down to them. Either way, people could get offended.

3. While your local customers will most likely be the majority of your base, you may get a lot of online orders as well. Geofencing marketing helps you expand your local following into brick and mortar stores in the future as well.

4. Geofencing marketing helps with timely offers. Michaels Arts & Crafts uses this on their slow days. It sends out a text message to local customers with a coupon to use to try to drum up sales.

5. If you have a Google Ads account, then you already have the tools you need to set up a geofencing marketing account. For no extra charge, you can use it with your Paid Ads account.

6. With geofencing marketing, you can gather much more data than you might otherwise, information such as spending, time spent in-store, message effectiveness, and more when customers respond to a geofenced advertisement.

7. Data from geofencing marketing campaigns help your marketing team develop content and promotions targeted towards your customers.

Geofencing Marketing in Practice

Each year, more and more industries and companies turn to geofencing marketing to draw in more customers, which is not just a marketing strategy used by larger corporations. Businesses of all sizes use geofencing to their advantage, and smaller ones often see the most value.

Several big corporations use geofencing already. If you have the Starbucks app and you drive by a location, you might notice that you receive a push notification on your phone notifying you that you are near a location.

Some companies have taken this further. For example, make-up giant Sephora opens its app if it is installed on your device and shows your previous transactions and other helpful information that may help you with your current shopping trip.

Coca Cola has one-third of vending machines connected to the internet with facial recognition and payment tracking tools. With this information, Coca Cola used geofencing technology to determine which products sell the best, which machines are used most often, and which need help.

There are several different uses for geofencing marketing and several ways to use it. Geofencing marketing can help you build brand loyalty and relationships with your customers, bringing them back again and again. The precise targeting of a geofencing marketing campaign is much more valuable than targeting everyone on the internet, in which return customers are statistically not very likely.

Online Brand Monitoring: Tips and Tools for Tracking What People Think of You

Nowadays, thanks to the internet, everybody has a platform to speak their mind, whether it’s true or not. Sometimes, it turns out great; but, other times, it can ruin a company. Either way, as a brand, it is important to know what people are saying online and how others perceive you.

While it was not the first to use social media, Wendy’s may have been the first big brand to bring brand monitoring to the forefront, responding and interacting with other accounts on Twitter with snarky remarks that gained attention. Other brands have since caught on, and now they interact on Twitter in similar ways, something that has become a customer favorite.

Word of mouth on the internet is how brand champions and influencers began. Someone likes a product and shares a tweet with their followers. Their followers check it out, becoming champions of the brand and spreading the joy.

When it comes to negativity, word travels exceptionally fast. Just one or two bad reviews or comments can hurt a business, sometimes to the point of no return.

What is Online Brand Monitoring?

Online brand monitoring is almost like spying on yourself, tracking different social media channels to see what people are saying about your brand. You learn a lot of valuable information through brand monitoring, such as knowing where people are talking about your brand, how they perceive it, and collecting feedback based on user comments.

You can prevent issues from turning into crises if you stay on top of things. People who have issues with a brand don’t always tag the brand in their complaints. If you are brand monitoring, you can find problems and help that person end up with a positive experience.

Brand Monitoring vs. Social Monitoring vs. Social Mentions

We mentioned what brand monitoring is, but some other terms that get thrown around are social monitoring and social mentions, and we want to clarify what those things are.

Social monitoring is a lot like brand monitoring. It focuses on searching social media sites for what people are saying about your brand instead of including other mediums, like online news media, forums, and print media.

Social mentions are relegated to only social media and are when someone tags you in a post. They are either talking directly to your brand or tagging you to make sure you see their post.

What to Monitor?

When it comes to what to monitor, the short answer is everything. Wherever people can talk and comment, that’s where you want to be looking. Remember, communication moves exceptionally fast these days, so be sure to monitor these accounts often.

Some key areas to monitor should include:

All social media platforms
Online forums
Online publications and blogs
Online review sites
Online news media
Print media
Broadcast media

What to Track

Tracking might not be as straight forward as some would think, mostly because people can be sneaky. Of course, you should track your business name and any variation that people might use. You should also look out for any products of yours, especially if you just launched something new.

If you have a face for your brand or other employees who are well known, monitor them as well. The last thing you want is to be side struck with something out of nowhere or to have your phone blowing up because of something they said on social media, even if it has nothing to do with your brand.

Also, watch out for incoming links and follow them back to see what is sending people to your site. The conversation may not include the brand name to try and avoid any brand monitoring, but you can pick up what the perceived issue was by following the link.

An effective strategy to find out where you stand in the bigger picture is following industry publications and influencers. This approach tells you if you’re doing something right, wrong, or not making an impact. It’s also a good way to find out what people expect from you next and enhance your brand’s reputation.

Brand Monitoring Tools

There are several brand monitoring tools available that range from free and easy to subscription-based and complex. Due to the complexity of the searches you need to monitor for your brand, you need to use more than one tool. You may be able to find one for social media, but it’s not going to cover other online news media. Here are some of the most popular tools to consider:

Google Alerts

One of the easiest tool to use, and you may already be using it, is Google Alerts. You can set up alerts for words and phrases based on your company, competitor, and any other information or terms relevant to your brand. Then, you receive an email with a Google Alert when those words and phrases appear on the internet.

SocialOwl

Social Owl is a great tool for social media practitioners as it can help local businesses monitor their online reputations on review sites like Yelp. Plus, it gives businesses automatic real-time alerts whenever someone comments or reviews their business online.

Reddit Search

Reddit might get overlooked as an online brand monitoring tool, but with 300 million active monthly users and 14 billion monthly views, you shouldn’t overlook it anymore.

Build Relationships

Online monitoring is scary as not everything said about your brand is positive; however, you might have the chance to turn negatives into positives, and you’ll only get this opportunity if you closely monitor what people are saying.

Your current customers are also a great source of information and ideas about what to do for your next products. Start conversations and see what they want, build relationships, and determine if there is anything they would like to be changed. It might not be possible to give them everything they want, but building that relationship helps build the business.

If you need help with your brand reputation, digital marketers Mobile Disruptors can help you get positive online reviews and manage your reputation.

5 Benefits of Automated Text Message Marketing

Say you have to get a hold of somebody quickly and urgently. How do you do it? The answer is, of course, by text message.

Smartphones have changed the world around us. It’s time that businesses adapted accordingly. The most direct and instant means of communicating with the consumer is via text message or SMS.

Automated text message marketing is an innovative and exciting answer to the challenges of a modern marketplace. Let’s take a closer look.

What Is Automated Text Message Marketing?

Automated text message marketing is a system that allows a business to send pre-planned text messages to individual or multiple cell phones automatically. Employees no longer need to waste time typing out every message individually by setting up a system that automatically sends texts at certain times or when triggered by specific actions.

Text messaging has become increasingly popular with brands as it enables them to reach potential clients and returning consumers directly and on a purely individual basis.

You’ve probably heard (over and over again) that attention spans are dropping. It’s hard to know whether or not this is true. What we do know, though, is that consumer attention spans seem to have changed. Consumers have become accustomed to tuning out traditional marketing methods. In contrast, automated texting marketing campaigns are personal, direct, and impossible to ignore.

In general, there are two kinds of automated message: mass text broadcasts and autopilot text engagement. Mass text broadcasts are sent out to a large number of consumers at once, while autopilot texts go out to phones at predetermined times or when triggered by the predefined actions.

The Benefits

Now you know what automated text message marketing is, but why should you care? To answer this question, we’ve broken down the top five benefits of automated text message marketing.

5. Save Time

The days of time-consuming doorstep visits are over. Automated texts are pre-composed and distributed automatically, so you no longer have to worry about individually sending every text or placing every phone call. You save both money and time by using automated messages. In the time you save, you can focus, instead, on building your brand.

Most people choose to design an adjustable template to use for multiple campaigns. This way, you can quickly adapt your messages to suit your needs.

4. Effective Targeting

Automated text messages allow you to target and communicate with specific people in certain regions or at certain times. Offers go out to pre-selected demographics, people receive personalized updates on their birthdays or holidays, and first-time buyers are contacted after a sale to encourage them back again.

If you have more than one campaign going on at once, coordinating your marketing efforts is tricky. With automated messaging, you can effectively run multiple campaigns at once. If you have a predesigned text template, it is easy to adjust the information for specific audiences. You can easily and quickly cater your campaign according to consumer feedback.

3. Direct Contact

Short of face to face interactions and annoying phone calls, communicating directly with customers is difficult. Automated text messaging changes that.

People do not leave their phones at home anymore – they’ve become an all-in-one life coordinator. As a result, cell phones are the best way to reach people at any time. There are benefits of a text message as opposed to a phone call. People are less likely to ignore a text than a phone call from an unknown number. Leads can’t simply hang up the phone on you, and you don’t have to worry about catching someone at an inconvenient moment. If the customer is happy, you get better results.

2. Drip Intervals

Here’s where things get a little deeper. Drip marketing is a style of marketing that drips information to consumers piece by piece. Usually, these messages are pre-planned.

The purpose of drip marketing is to maintain consistent communication with the consumer while also reaching them at the right time. If you communicate regularly, the customer will think of you first. Even better, imagine the impact of a discount coupon for completing the sale after somebody has left something sitting in their cart for a week. Customized drip messages are a breeze with automated texting.

1. Build Relationships

We’ve said it before, but good relationships are the foundation of any successful business. With automated text messages, you stay in touch with individual consumers without spending precious hours on individually catered messages.

Say a customer makes the first contact by walking into your business and taking a look around. They might walk out without buying anything. Then, they might go about their day, see a hundred other stores, and forget about you.

Now imagine this: a customer walks into your store, and they like what they see, so they leave their contact information. They leave the store without buying anything, but two days later, they receive a follow-up text with a discount offer. As you can imagine, the chances of that customer making a return visit instantly skyrocket.

How Do I Get Started?

To stay up to date with your customer’s journey, start making use of automated text message marketing. If you see the value, you might be wondering how to get started.

Fortunately for you, experts in the field of text message marketing already exist. Marketing experts like mobiledisruptors.com offer a wide range of services, including social media management, social wifi marketing, and text engagement. All of these services target the growth of your monthly recurring revenue.

Mobiledisruptors.com helps you to adapt to the changing marketplace and stay abreast of new developments. Its services include training and support, help with branding and web design, customizable marketing scripts, and a proven record of success. With a “Business-In-A-Box” model, the experts at mobiledisruptors.com help you jump right into the thick of it with no experience necessary.

Top 5 Characteristics of a True Turnkey Services Provider

Though the world of business is fast and ever-changing, some constants remain. Not everything has to be custom made. Turnkey services are services that are proven to work, which is why they sell again and again.

Not everything has the potential to be a turnkey service. Sometimes, there’s no off-the-rack equivalent to a well-tailored suit. A turnkey service provider has to know what they’re doing. That’s why we decided to break down the main characteristics of a real turnkey service provider.

What Is A Turnkey Service?

The term turnkey pops up over and over again in the business world, but what does it mean?

A turnkey service is a service produced without a buyer in mind. It is a project that can, theoretically, be purchased by any buyer as a complete ready-to-use project as opposed to custom order.

The term itself comes from the idea that all the buyer has to do after taking possession is to turn the key. It’s used widely in fields as diverse as real estate and motorsports. In real estate, the house is move-in ready. In motorsports, the car is road-ready. The same principle applies to all turnkey services.

The Characteristics

The general principle behind a turnkey service provider is that they have the expertise to produce the best possible model and framework for the service in question. While the product should be adaptable, it should not need to be adapted.

Here are the main characteristics of any authentic turnkey service provider.

5. A Ready-Made Model

A turnkey service provider must have a ready-made model. For example, a company offering a turnkey business service needs to provide a framework for your entire business. This model begins with the assumption that the buyer has no previous experience. Approaching the product this way is necessary so that a wide range of buyers benefits.

The specifics vary by provider, but in the digital era, a ready-made business would likely include a website and domain name hosted by the provider as well as software, marketing material, branding templates, and more.

4. Cutting Edge Practices

For a turnkey provider to successfully distribute a turnkey service, the provider must keep on top of industry trends, technological advancements, and innovative practices. There is no sense in selling a ready-made product that is out of date. The provider must offer products that are not only in high demand but are also highly effective in the current climate.

Again, in the modern era, a turnkey business provider needs to have extensive knowledge of social media, social media outreach, search engine optimization (SEO), and more. They must be familiar with the competition’s practices to ensure that their service is universally applicable.

If a turnkey service provider does not stay at the forefront of innovation, they are unlikely to deliver a legitimately market-ready product or service.

3. Training

A turnkey provider must give you all of the tools required to use their product. These tools do not include only the keys and the vehicle. A genuine turnkey provider shows you how to drive.

In terms of turnkey business, the provider must make sure that the buyer has all of the necessary resources and information to be successful. In the end, a turnkey business should effectively turn a profit and ensure recurring revenue streams, provided it has proper management.

Proper management means having a team of staff members who are knowledgeable enough to walk a customer through the basics of marketing or business. The provider should have good general knowledge regarding demographics and targeting practices. Remember, the provider should be operating under the assumption that the buyer has no previous experience.

2. Ongoing Support

Ongoing support is a huge one. A turnkey provider should not leave it at training. The customer should expect to receive ongoing support.

To return to the example of a ready-made business, the provider should have a team of experts ready to go so that there is no issue assisting in the successful operation of that business. Experts trained in customer engagement, customer outreach, marketing strategy, and web design should be available.

Once again, it is essential to remember that while a turnkey business is ready-made, the business world is not static. For the customer to effectively run their business, they should not have to worry about falling out of touch with their technology.

1. Revenue Building Focus

This one is specifically for a turnkey business provider. A turnkey business provider gives you everything you need to design and run your own business. Their services should be complete but customizable.

A real turnkey business provider has designed its business model around growing your revenue stream and ensuring that your income is recurring. With this model design, the potential income level is theoretically unlimited and entirely up to the operator.

Conclusion

To conclude, a turnkey service provider should provide a ready-made model, cutting edge practices, training, ongoing support, and a revenue centered focus (in the case of a business provider).

A turnkey business provider such as mobiledisruptors.com is a strong example of a company that embodies these characteristics.

Mobiledisruptors.com gives you everything you need to launch a successful mobile and social marketing business. The company provides an innovative white-label turnkey system, marketing plan and domain, ongoing training and support, custom sales material, and more. Its services range from social media management and wifi marketing tools to proximity marketing and automated text message marketing systems.

Create An Agency Business Model – Tips For Starting Your Business

Everybody dreams of starting their own business. It’s a chance to turn your passion into a livelihood. But being an entrepreneur is no walk in the park. It takes hard work, dedication, and commitment. Even worse, it can take years to see a payoff. That’s why, for most people, starting a business is only ever a hypothetical.

That said, if you have the drive and resources, starting a business can be incredibly rewarding. There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of building something from the ground up and watching it flourish.

If you want your business to succeed, you need to do a lot of planning. It’s integral to have a solid business model. Luckily, we have quite a bit of experience when it comes to business. We’ve compiled a few helpful tips to consider for your business plan and you take the next steps.

What Is An Agency Based Business Model?

Let’s start with the basics. A business model is the foundation of any successful business. It is the framework that lays out your business’s function in the marketplace and should demonstrate that it can create value. Businesses come in all shapes and sizes, and so do business models.

An agency-based business model is a business model based around the principle that clients will pay for a service provided by the agency in question. Generally speaking, an agency assigns a flat fee or an hourly rate based upon the project.

Cover Your Bases

First, you need to have all of your bases covered, which means accounts, client procurements and relationships, advertising, marketing, and more.

Though the online world has made entering business easy, this doesn’t mean that you can rush in on your own and hope to succeed. Instead, figure out where your strengths lie; then, work with or hire experts in the areas where you may fall short.

Remember, outsourcing is not a sign of incompetence. It’s a marker of maturity to know when it is necessary. If you’re a designer, focus on design and creativity – let a professional manage your accounts or social media presence.

Know Your Field

Knowing your field is incredibly important. If you’re planning to enter the marketing world, you need to know what you’re doing. As with any new task, there is an inevitable learning curve. If you plan to figure everything out as you go, you’re unlikely to succeed.

It can be tempting to cast the widest net possible. A narrow focus can feel like it will alienate most people. But remember that most people will not become your clients. You only need to worry about targeting those that will. Figure out what your specialty or niche within your field is.

Most of the time, knowing your field means gaining experience. It might be tempting to try to start an agency fresh out of college, but unless you’re a one-in-a-million prodigy, you will likely need real work experience before striking out on your own.

Know Why You Are Valuable

Knowing your worth is another key to success. What is it that makes you valuable?

Successful business models begin with clear value propositions. Find out who you need to work with to succeed. Then, make yourself valuable enough that those people will want to work with you. For our purposes, a value proposition demonstrates how you will make money for clients.

As a small agency, your advantages likely lie in the specificity of the niche you’ve identified, loyalty and commitment, and direct engagement. After developing and demonstrating your value to a small client base, you can expand.

Stay On Top Of Trends

As the saying goes, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. As a new business, you’re at an advantage. You don’t have to deal with the annoying institutionalized structures and processes that slow adaptation.

Position yourself at the forefront, gaining access to new and innovative marketing technologies. Marketing is an ever-changing game. Make sure that your model is flexible enough to adapt to the changing marketplace.

Figure Out Your Cost Structure and Revenue Stream

Your cost structure demonstrates how your agency will spend its money and resources. In general, it should cater to maximizing profit and client demand. It should also account for sustainable growth.

A revenue stream is just as it sounds. To have a successful business, you need revenue. Figure out how you will make money, including calculating how much customers are willing to pay, how much demand there is, and how you will sustain a sufficient client base for consistent profits.

Build Relationships

Relationships are the cornerstone of a successful business. Relationships exist with clients, partners, shareholders, suppliers, and contractors. As you develop your business model, explore your existing relationships, and figure out how to create new connections.

If you’re new to the field, try to build strong relationships quickly. If not, make use of your connections, network, and expand your community.

Define Your Brand

Your brand is your livelihood. You need to figure out how to advertise and define yourself. If you’re in advertising, build a reputation for success. If you play your cards right, you’ll turn your clients into personal advertisers.

Work With Experts

There is no shame in accepting help at the early stages of your journey. As you’ll quickly find out, nobody is in business alone.

Companies such as mobiledisruptors.com offer full “Business-In-A-Box” services that cater specifically to beginners. These companies offer a wide range of services, including Turn-Key systems, web design, social media assistance, custom sales material, and ongoing training and support.

These companies allow you to focus your time on building your business, not trying to figure out software or complex marketing strategies. Let them help you figure out how to unlock your full potential.

If you’re ready to be your own boss, get started right away.

16 Popular Small Business Ideas For Women Entrepreneurs

Starting a business is no easy task. It takes years of hard work and dedication, but if you’re already thinking about starting a business, you’re over the first hump in the journey to success.

Now you need to decide what your business is. There is no cookie-cutter template for success, especially for a female entrepreneur. A good business idea differs for everyone. The best idea for you will play to your strengths, interests, and abilities. It should also fill a demand of some sort in the market.

To help you narrow it down or get you started brainstorming, we’ve put together a list of 16 popular small business ideas for women entrepreneurs.

16. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing can be a goldmine. If you already have an online presence or popular social media account, it can also be an easy field to succeed in.

In essence, affiliate marketing is an arrangement between a company and a marketer (you). Companies pay the marketer for directing traffic to certain websites or online stores.

15. Market Stand

City markets are all the rage at the moment. Does your city have a farmer’s market or craft fair? If so, your business opportunity might be right in front of you.

Markets typically allow vendors to sell homemade or locally sourced products directly to consumers for a small fee. The overhead is low, the risk is even lower, and the payoff can be surprising.

14. Dropshipping

Everyone seems to be making it big dropshipping, and it’s no wonder. It’s another low-cost, low-risk business model. Dropshippers serve as a middleman between a warehouse or manufacturer and consumer.

You set up a website or social media account and then sell products directly to customers. The catch is that you do not own or store the products.

13. Build An App

If the Silicon Valley gold rush has taught us anything, it’s that there is serious money in tech. Put together a team of developers, marketers, and pinball machines. Everyone has an idea for an app – go out and get it done.

12. Freelance Writing Agency

In the digital world, becoming a freelance writer is a great business idea. Opening a freelance agency is even better. If you don’t have talent with the pen, find a team of writers, put together a marketing plan, and start selling content.

11. Start An E-book Writing Publisher

If you can find a solid niche, e-books are a huge cash cow. All it takes is one quick look at the bestseller list to prove it. Between e-book readers and smartphones, everyone can access hundreds of books in a matter of minutes. It doesn’t take much to break in. If you put together a small team of writers, designers, and editors, you can start churning out content in no time.

10. Landscaping

Landscaping is a historically male-dominated field. It’s time to change that. From pruning apple orchards and edging gardens to shaping golf courses and estates, landscaping is in high demand. The best part about landscaping is that almost every job requires regular upkeep. If you build a stable client base, you’ll have ongoing work.

9. Tutoring

Tutoring is a low-risk option with incredible potential for growth. If you know a subject well, find yourself some pupils and start teaching. After building a reputation, hire an assistant. At that point, you’re already on your way to owning a firm.

8. Resume Writing

Writing resumes is a skill like any other. It might surprise you to find out that a lot of people pay for someone to put together resumes for them. This is another work-from-home option, and you likely already have the tools you need to get started.

7. Start A Coffee Shop

There’s a reason that there’s a coffee shop on every corner: coffee is in high demand. Though this business model has fairly substantial startup costs, the potential profit is even higher. The trick here is to find a niche and cater to it. Of all the coffee shops out there, why should people choose yours?

6. Wedding Planning

Get into the business of love. Weddings are a massive undertaking, which is why some couples are happy to pay someone else to plan it for them. Between caterers, reception halls, and DJs, nobody has the time to figure out every detail, so they seek out professionals.

5. Card Making

If you have artistic talent, making birthday and greeting cards is a great business idea. These can be sold individually or in sets, and you can peddle from market stands or local businesses. There is no shortage of events to celebrate and no shortage of demand for cards.

4. Blogging

Blogging is still one of the most popular and profitable business ideas for women. Across the country, women make thousands of dollars a month blogging. Even better, it generates what we call passive income, meaning that you’ll keep making money long after you’ve finished work.

3. Event Planning

Who doesn’t love a good party? Imagine if throwing parties was your career. Well, it might surprise you to know that there is a lot of money to be made in event planning. If you have a reputation among your friends for hosting, you probably have what it takes.

2. Graphic Design

Do you love to draw? Do you have an eye for aesthetics? If so, you might have a career path in graphic design.

Once again, the entry costs are low with graphic design. If you’re seriously considering this option, you likely already have the necessary tools. Start as a contractor and develop strong relationships with steady clients. From there, you can slowly build an agency from the ground up.

1. Start A Marketing Agency

Good marketing is the secret behind every successful business, and there is always business for a good marketer. Nowadays, a lot of people attempt to market themselves on social media. As your daily feed likely demonstrates, that doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea.

The clients are out there; show them why you’re worth it.

← Older Posts