subject: What Are Premium Sms Services? [print this page] Whether it is humans or technology, evolution generally results in enhanced attributes or qualities. One such technology which has undergone a sea change in the past decade is SMS. It has rapidly evolved from a simple communication tool to a powerful advertising and marketing platform.
Since its inception, SMS has been growing steadily, offering innovative and penetrative subsets. Bulk SMS, long code, short code, voice SMS and MMS are some of those new options. All these variants are typically used for communication and marketing. However, one vital element which was missing in these amazing tools was the feature to buy products or services. With the advent of Premium SMS Services this important and crucial missing link finally made its entry, offering consumers a platform to pay for goods directly from their mobile device.
Some of the typical examples of premium SMS are -
1. Buying club membership.
2. Subscribing to paid digital content such as magazines, newspaper and videos.
3. Buying ringtones, mobile applications and songs.
4. Ticket booking.
To exploit this service, mobile phone owner simply needs to send an SMS. Once the purchase is confirmed, a message is sent to the sender informing him/her about the transaction and the amount charged.
Premium SMS service providers offer complete solution in the form of API or other user friendly methods.
Yet another way to increase sales, product visibility and establish brand is via Mobile SMS Advertising. SMS advertising is essentially a four-way marriage between mobile network operator, mobile advertising agency, advertiser and subscriber/customer. Advertising SMSs are sent by network operators to their subscribers offering various connection schemes. Advertising agencies ask these network operators to insert their client's name, logo or product details along with such offers. The advantage with this type of advertising is as follows.
1. You as an advertiser can ask your advertising agency to target specific consumers. This translates into high ROI. Advertising agencies then pass your request to network operators who carry your SMS advertisement as per your demands.
2. You can target subscribers across multiple network operators.
3. Messages sent by network operators have high rate of conversion; simply put, subscribers read them with interest, exposing your brand and business in the process.
In its basic avatar, SMS is just a simple and quick communication tool. But the moment a single SMS is sent to thousands of people, especially mobile phone subscribers, it transforms into a powerful marketing tool called bulk SMS. Today, bulk SMS or single SMS can be sent from a native device as well as through internet.
Online SMS to Mobile is sent using web interface. The front end typically uses internet communication protocols such as SMTP, HHTP etc. to send online SMS messages to its recipients. These SMS's are routed through network operator owned SMSC centre, where they are queued, managed and despatched.
Online SMS gateways are available in two versions; free and paid. While the former generally has a cap on the number of messages which can be sent, the latter has no cap but requires marketers to purchase SMS credits.
