Using a technique that we’re pretty sure drug dealers of a smaller variety have used for a while, Walgreens has seen big time success with SMS text alerts. The national chain is using text messages to alert pharmacy clients that their prescriptions are ready. Registrations for the SMS alerts have exploded in the 8 months since Walgreens launched the program. In fact, the SMS program currently is spanking Walgreens’ e-mail marketing programs.
This article at Mobile Marketer profiles the company’s chief of technology Abhi Dhar as the strong arm who has led the company into mobile marketing success. Dhar points to SMS texting alongside iPhone app development as the backbone behind of the retailer’s strategy. He notes a multichannel approach that integrates social media marketing and traditional advertising (like the giant video screens outside Walgreens’ Times Square store) has pushed the brand into a category previously dominated by hipper, younger companies. The company has used its text database to offer discounts and coupons to customers who have signed up for the service.
Dhar says the demand for mobile marketing is high. “The customers want it,” he says.
Mobile marketing like Walgreens has been exploding all summer long and it’s not just an app developer’s game. Chic W Hotels across the country have tapped mobile marketing for Foursquare-types of location-based contests. Kenneth Cole, ESPN and Kraft have all announced big-time mobile marketing plans for the upcoming holiday season. The trend is an encouraging one for marketers. Mobile marketing is now big business and another way businesses can creatively contact their clients instantly. SMS texting is a no-brainer way to alert customers about new products, discounts and special events. Walgreens’ mobile marketing domination plan can be tinkered with and tailored to fit companies of all sizes.
So what does your mobile marketing plan look like? Would you answer business-based text messages? Holler at us in the comments!
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