Text on the job

O2 has announced the launch of its Business Text Service, a quick and easy way to broadcast text messages to a target audience from any internet-enabled PC. The service, targeted at SMEs, provides a cost-effective alternative to direct marketing as well as enhancing internal communications across an enterprise.

Business Text allows organisations to send text messages to just one person or to groups over 100,000 recipients regardless of which network they are on. The service costs a minimum of 80 for 800 messages and just 6,100 for 100,000 messages, with no time limit on when the block of messages should be used up and no set-up costs or ongoing subscriptions. Companies simply register for the business text service by going to www.o2.co.uk/businesstext. Registration is free and all new customers get 20 free text messages to get them started.

Business text can be used for both internal and external communications. For example notifying employees about schedule changes, product launches and contract wins, recruitment agencies sending out notifications of new vacancies to potential candidates, estate agents issuing alerts to prospective clients about new rental properties and night-club owners sending out promotional alerts to club goers.

Unlike traditional postal methods of marketing, a text message is cheap and distribution is almost instantaneous. It provides an incredibly quick way to get a message out direct to the people who you need to reach. Because it is a permission based marketing tool, you know that the person you are sending the message to wants to hear from you, said Paul Longega, head of client services, O2: The advantage of SMS is it allows organisations to send personalised messages, and a text message is always opened before it is deleted so it is almost certain that the recipient will read the message.

Business Text, when compared to other direct marketing channels, is fast, flexible, easy to use, cost-effective and extremely potent. It is a very simple but powerful tool which brings tangible benefits to small businesses added Longega.

Once a company has registered for the Business Text service they can use the O2 Business Text service web page to create their text mailing list. Alternatively they can download free software and access the service via desktop applications such as Microsoft Outlook and excel or send out messages via email. The service also provides an instant online reporting tool so that companies can track the progress of their messages to see the time received on the recipient''s mobile phone.