Best-How-To.netThe Best "How To" Advice & Resources

Advertising Via Text Messaging – A Small Business Marketing Strategy

By Kurt Simula

Many small business owners are starting to hear about text message marketing, or SMS promotions, but either don’t know exactly how they work, or do not think that their own particular business could benefit from them. This article takes a look at what kind of businesses can benefit from text message marketing as well as what it takes to run a successful campaign.

Whether you are a small business owner with one location, or a business owner with multiple locations and you are in the food service business of any kind such as a restaurant owner, a bar or tavern owner, or even just own one small pizza shop, you are someone who can really take advantage of the new technology that marketing to people on their mobile phones has to offer.

In the recent past this kind of advertising has been out of reach for the small business owner. The costs were high and the technology was difficult to master and use successfully to drive more customers in the door. As late as 2009 pretty much the only ones using mass promotion via text messages were large corporations with deep pockets.

As the technology advanced the costs came down. The ability for businesses of any size to use text messaging to reach their customers has now become easy, and inexpensive.

Here is how it works. We will use a restaurant as an example.

The restaurant owner recently signed up with a text message marketing service company. He either talked to a local representative who walked in off the street and showed him how this all works, or he/she is a person who is always on the lookout for ways to promote the business and heard about it on the internet. Either way the business is set up with their own “keyword” and a five digit “text to” number.

Most restaurants have on every table a little card or “table tent” that shows the specials of the day, right? Maybe the specials are listed on a thin piece of card stock that is wedged between the top metal pieces of the salt and pepper shakers for example. Only in this case the restaurant has a card that says something along the lines of “TEXT (name of restaurant) to 83936 and start receiving Text Coupons from us”.

In the course of serving the meal the waiter or waitress points out the card and tells the customers to check it out. They also tell the customer that if they do in fact text the name of the restaurant to that five digit number they will instantly receive a text back with a “special”, or “coupon” that they can then redeem on their next visit just by showing the text message that they received to the cashier.

Often times this text message “coupon” is for a free drink, a two-for-one special, or whatever the business owner set it up to be. The reason this works so well is that most everyone always carries their mobile phone with them at all times. With the coupon for your business already on their phone they don’t have to worry about trying to keep track of a paper coupon. They only need to show the text the business owner sent them to the waitress or cashier on their next visit.

There are two things that just happened when that customer of yours texted your “keyword” or “name of your restaurant” to that five digit number.

1. They instantly received a coupon to use on their next visit. If they are a regular customer they will not only thank you for the discount or freebie on their next visit, they will more than likely tell a friend about it too.
2. More importantly (for you as the business owner) this person is now on your “list”. You can now send them a text message with your specials on a weekly basis (or whenever you want actually).

Business owners who are taking advantage of this kind of advertising and adding text message marketing to their long term growth strategies are finding that the ROI of dollars spent promoting their business in this way far exceeds any other form of advertising dollars spent.

For many more details and information on how SMS promotions and text message marketing can help your business thrive, visit Mad Progress Marketing. Mad Progress Marketing is a site dedicated to providing the best ideas and sources to use to get set up with ease with these incredible new business advertising and marketing techniques.

Kurt Simula is a professional internet and local business marketer and SMS campaign manager. He has spent many years in both the corporate sales arena and has bought, operated, and sold a number of businesses through the years.

He currently works out of his home in Northern Michigan running a number of websites, and serves small businesses across the entire U.S as well as his local community with text message marketing and internet promotional services.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kurt_Simula
http://EzineArticles.com/?Advertising-Via-Text-Messaging—A-Small-Business-Marketing-Strategy&id=6165870

In the old days most homes had only a bathtub. Soon however home owners started adding shower heads but these were seldom used. Times have changed however an it seems like everyone is in a hurry. Now many homes are built with at least one self contained shower stall and some homes have several of them for the convenience of both the family and guests.

The shower has become the place to go in many homes for relaxation and showers today are much more than a place to take a quick rinse after work or doing chores or before bed.

If you are planning on installing walk in shower stalls in your home there is a bit of planning to do if you want to get the best job for the money. In the first place you will have to consider how much money you are willing to spend. You can get these stalls made of everything from high impact plastic to tile and stone and even glass.

The plastic stalls are by far the least expensive but will wear out much quicker and are much harder to clean. The most expensive are the glass block showers but these will last for many years and are very easy to keep clean. Most people however stick to the middle ranges with tile or stone.

There are several ways to get your stalls. You can have a professional come in and install the entire thing or you can buy the plastic models from your local home improvement store for the largest savings.

Installing your own handicapped shower stall can be a tricky proposition however, especially the shower base, and at least getting advice from a professional is highly advised. The last thing you need is a leaky shower; either a badly installed base or the grouting was rushed, and end up with a big pool of stagnant water beneath your home.

Return to the Best How To home page.

If you own a juicer machine, how often do you clean it properly?  Cleaning is not something most people really enjoy, and as a result we sometimes do a quick job that may be good enough to satisfy basic hygiene, but might not be good enough to prevent eventual build up of grime.

Many people make juice daily, but cleaning the machine is not as interesting as the juicing is. Cleaning sometimes takes a lot of time, depending upon the number of parts in the juicing machine.

Some people just give their appliance a quick rinse, and plan to wash it properly later. However, when you leave your juicer unattended, you are potentially encouraging growth of bacteria. Maintaining and cleaning your juicer is of utmost importance otherwise it will become a dirty electrical gadget which will be kept in your kitchen cupboard forever.

If you fail to clean your juicer regularly, it will become more difficult to get it properly cleaned later, and you will be less likely to be enthusiastic to use it often.

Sometimes, you may wish that cleaning was as simple as juicing. If the juicer which you own has many small complicated parts then dismantling it and cleaning becomes a painful process. This is something to watch out for if you are thinking about buying a new machine, as cleaning is just so important.

Look for a juicer that is easy to take apart, and easy to put back together. Note that a stainless steel juicer may cost more, but stainless steel is very easy to wash. It is also dishwasher safe.

Any juicer will perform better and have a longer service life if you clean it properly. If you really must postpone your cleaning after making one of your favorite juicer recipes, leave the parts to soak in water with a bit of detergent. This will prevent pulp sticking and drying out.  After washing ensure that you leave all the parts out to dry before they are assembled again. This way your juicer machine will always be clean and ready for your next juicing session.

Return to the Best How To home page.

“May the Force be with you!” in decorating your child’s room in a Star Wars theme. Actually, you won’t need the entire Force, but maybe just one or two ideas to tie the whole room together. Because manufactures know just how popular this theme is and how it shows no signs of slowing down, you can find a whole range of Star Wars items to work with.

One of the easiest ways to create a Star Wars room is to start with Star Wars bedding. This bedding can be found just about anywhere from online retailers to your local big box store. Many times, the comforter will also come with a matching sheet set to make sure the look is complete. In some instances, you can also get the curtain and window valance, too.

You don’t have to buy all these items however especially if your budget is limited. You can get away with plain jersey sheets which are great for kids’ beds and simple window treatments.

Once you have purchased the bedding, the next step is to address the walls. Because Star Wars bedding usually come in darker blues or blacks, you are going to want to balance it out with lighter wall covering. The same is true if you also already have a dark carpet or wood in the bedroom. The dark floor combined with the dark wool bedspread will have to be balanced.

One way to do this is by replacing the carpet or adding a smaller rug on top in a lighter color. On the other hand, you can also go with a slightly darker wall paint and add lighter colored blinds or curtains.  This too will help balance the room. If the bedroom gets a lot of light and is naturally bright, this might be the way to go. In addition, keep both the paint and draperies a neutral color so when you child wants to change the theme, you can do so with relative ease.

Be careful in these situations about have too much of a good thing. It is easy to get carried away and add too many accessories or to have the colors so dark, it appears that you are walking into a cave. Keep at least part of the room light and add a touch of color where you can. Remember everything in moderation and you should be just fine.

Return to the home page of Best How To

The main symptoms of ADHD established in the medical field are impulsivity and hyperactivity. ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is specified with these characteristics and are commonly seen in children. Children would normally be observed in these behaviors at some point in their development, but children diagnosed with ADHD may manifest an exaggeration of these behaviors. ADHD is commonly seen in children and adolescents, but adults can also be diagnosed with ADHD.

ADHD in adults may have a small difference for children and adolescents. Instead of hyperactivity in children with ADHD, agitation is seen in many adults with ADHD symptoms as reported. They also tend to deteriorate in social relations and may have problems of getting a stable job.

ADHD symptoms are divided into three different classifications, namely – hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity.

Hyperactivity symptoms of ADHD may be evident for the first time when they are around the age of six but could been evident sooner or later as well. The most common symptom of this type are contractions, twisting when seating, excessive movements, difficulty functioning in quiet activities, and talking too much.

Although these activities may be normal for children, these symptoms seem to be magnified and extended in children with ADHD, which is then regarded as beyond normal. ADHD symptoms of inattention are not seen until they are old enough to go to school. For adults, the lack of attention may occur in work and social activities.

These types of ADHD symptoms include difficulty in being attentive to details, the affinity of careless mistakes, disorganized and messy works, particularly incapable of maintaining normal attention span, procrastination, failure to perform most instructed works, and inability to follow rules.

Impulsivity symptoms may manifest impatience, inability to delay gratification, impulse responses, disruption to other people talking, inappropriate intrusion in conversations among people, and more. These events also may tend to cause accidents, as ADHD patients can be reckless and inconsiderate to others.

These symptoms can also do harm, especially to children with ADHD, since the symptoms can lead to very dangerous activities such as climbing structures inappropriately, jumping up and down the stairs, and other dangerous activities. Some of them can be seen with bruises, cuts and scrapes all over their body, especially among those with severe ADHD.

Return to the Best How To home page.