'Net Features : mobile coupons

Make Money on Mobile Coupons with Yowza!!

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 25 May 2010 14:59:00 GMT

Mobile Coupons are fast becoming big business these days - some are even calling it the next wave of local advertising. Mobile coupon application Yowza!! seems to be on top of its game with the launch of a new affiliate program. If you're an affiliate marketer looking for a way to generate some revenue this might just be exactly what you've been waiting for.

Yowza!! is offering a 25 percent comission to individuals or organizations that bring new retailers, restaurants or other merchants onto its platform.

"Yowza!! users are incredibly loyal and very quick to tell their friends whenever new brands and deals go live," said Greg Grunberg, co-creator of Yowza!! "We feel the Yowza!! Affiliate Program is a great way to not only reward these users, but also introduce mobile coupons to small businesses based in the same markets in which our biggest fans live. Who better to introduce cool local businesses to the concept of mobile coupons than users who shop and dine locally every day?"

There seems to be some interest on the part of merchants which is a good indicator that the opportunity is there for the taking. In total, over 250 retailers, restaurants and other merchants have partnered with Yowza!!, in 15,000 locations nationwide.

Each retailer pays $49 per location per month, and is able to change or update offers (coupons) as often as they'd like with no additional fees (up to three coupons may be offered at a time).

Mobile Couponing the Next Wave of Local Advertising

Linc Wonham — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 23:18:00 GMT

In its new report, The 2010 U.S. Local Mobile Advertising & Promotions Forecast, leading research firm Borrell Associates Inc. calls mobile “the new disruptor” that has emerged on the local advertising scene faster than anything seen to date, and that mobile couponing is the category for local businesses to watch the closest.

Redemption rates for mobile coupons are 10 times that of mail- or newspaper-distributed coupons, said CEO Gordon Borrell, adding that text-based coupons will be the fastest-growing application in the emergence of mobile marketing. The report details how local mobile advertising is set to reach dominant penetration levels faster than any medium before it, easily outdistancing marketers’ adoption of the Internet during the 1990s. By comparison, 80 percent of the population has cell phones today, 31 percent (and rising fast) already converted to smart phones, while only 8 percent of households had modem-enabled computers in the mid-nineties.

Local mobile advertising, according to the report, hit $285 million in 2009 and is expected to double this year to $586 million, then spike upward to $4.7 billion by 2014.

Practical, Refreshing Mobile Services

Pete Prestipino — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:06:00 GMT

SMS search company NearU Search has launched a demo for "Qpons", a web-based application designed to enable small local businesses to implement mobile marketing campaigns. While opinions vary on the opportunity for content providers, advertisers, and small local businesses, it's difficul to argue against the immediacy and relevancy possible that can be delivered to the end user.

"It's a way for small local business owners to reward their best customers. They can provide special offers, discounts, event invites, news, or anything else their customers might find valuable," says Matthias Galica, Product Manager for NearU. "In return, the business owner gets the holy grail of marketing: their target consumer's undivided attention."

The example service is incredibly well done and worked perfectly - even on T-Mobile.

Easy SMS Campaigns with Tatango

Mike Phillips — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:20:00 GMT

There's no denying that text messaging has become a mainstream form of communication in the United States. A recent DMA report shows that out of 800 U.S. mobile phone users surveyed, 70 percent responded to a marketing text message, while just 41 percent responded to a survey and 30 percent to email offers. Whether because of the novelty factor or the proximity of mobile devices to users, businesses have a big opportunity to market to a highly captive, opt-in audience by using SMS.

Tatango provides a capable and cost-effective way to reach out to the texting generation. With Tatango, you set up an account and a group - this is the title of the text message your contacts will see - start inviting members to your group, and start collecting phone numbers. An unlimited amount of text messages can be sent with both the free and pro versions, but the free version does contain limited advertising. With the pro version (starting at $4.95 per month) you can eliminate the advertising and Tatango branding and offer a couple of interesting ways to get users to sign up.

Keywords - offer users the option to text a keyword to your account and they will be automatically enrolled in your group.
Widgets - create a widget and customize it to match the look of your site. You can then embed that widget in your website, blog or any number of social networks. See the example below, from a celebrity gossip blog.

Using keywords, adding additional groups and ad-free messaging are upgrades to the pro version and range in cost from $15 to $29.95 per month. Once your account is set up, you're ready to start marketing via SMS. Log in to your account, write your message and select individuals from your group to text. Click a button and almost instantly, your subscribers

The possibilities are wide open. Send alerts to a new blog post, coupon codes for a new product, acknowledge information requests or orders, provide a cilckable phone number and send links to your website. If it can be done with about 100 characters, you can text it.

It's important to keep in mind that the mobile device is a very personal item. Therefore, it's a good idea to include an opt-out in your messages. Tell your subscribers to send a return text of "stop" and Tatango will automatically remove them from your list. Even if your subscribers send a text in plain language such as "stop texting me," Tatango will find that message and remove them from your list.

Currently, Tatango is in private beta. But as an exclusive to Website Magazine readers, if you email beta@tatango.com with "Website Magazine" in the subject, you can get one of 50 available invites and start exploring the opportunities.

Mobi33 Mobile Coupon Distribution Platform

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:38:00 GMT

Cross-media and multi-channel mobile content management and distribution platform Mobi33 Inc. unveiled its full suite of mobile and online coupon distribution applications intended to automate the launching of mobile and online coupon sites. The Mobi33 platform can be licensed under a private label arrangement.

Advertisers will be able to generate mobile and online coupon sites with simple type-in text and images by using the new Mobi33 coupon auto-generation platform. Content is automatically converted to both WAP (mobile Internet) and Web formats. Consumers will be able to search, browse and send coupons to their mobile phone as text messages. Once published, consumers may also access these coupons and Ad messages by interactive voice response or by keyword text messaging.