Why SMS is the Best Option in Emergencies

With the growth of the smart phone market, we are all dazzled by apps.  They are everywhere, they are shiny and fun, and there is an app for everything.  Apps communicate too, allowing for push messages, instant messages (IMs) and data sharing, and they do this over a data connection.  Data connection usage is skyrocketing. According to a study conducted by Cisco Systems: “Last year’s mobile data traffic was nearly 18 times the size of the entire global Internet in 2000.”  

In a disaster, bandwidth fills quickly for phone and data connections with emergency communications.  Not only are the first responders connecting with each other, but also everyone else is trying to reach family and friends.  Before long, mobile communications grind to a halt.

This is where SMS can help.  SMS has all of the benefits of being mobile, with added advantages that it does not require a data connection, takes up little space on the network and still works when bandwidth is small.  This makes SMS highly effective for these circumstances.  

SMS is Mobile

As a personal example, my cell phone is always in my pocket or in my hand wherever I go.  If I am in a meeting, I cannot always answer a voice call, but I can easily glance at a text message and respond.  It’s really the fastest way to deliver information to me wherever I am.  Even better, when traditional phone wires are down, my mobile phone may be the only way to reach me, even when I am home.  In an emergency, when every second counts, there’s no better choice.

SMS is Effective

Text message read rate is exceptionally high.  In fact, 90% of all incoming text messages are read within 3 minutes. It’s so easy to take moment to glance at the phone and receive information when a message comes in.  SMS is both convenient and unobtrusive.  

SMS gets Response

Studies show that text messaging is more effective than voice or email in getting a response.  In fact SMS typically receives a response rate 6 to 8 times better than email and 43% of responses occur within the first 15 minutes.  For the quickest response, when seconds count, text messaging is the true winner.

SMS does not strain Resources

Text messages travel the mobile networks in the tiny space on top of voice calls.  Have you ever noticed that when networks are crowded and calls can’t get through, text messages can?  I’ve been in a number of situations where I have had little to no phone service, but I could still send and receive simple text messages.

In emergencies, simple is often best for communicating information and instructions.  The simple approach of SMS leaves the bandwidth available for first responders and other critical life-saving communications and ensures that text subscribers still receive all of the details they need.

There are times when there is an advantage to going back to the basics.  SMS works with every type of phone in low and high bandwidth is fast and easy to use.  In an emergency, there would be no better way to mobilize the community. 

Why MOBILIZE my customer base?

Reprinted from Resdida.com

We are always online, and for many of us, when we are not at our computers on the Internet, we find ourselves online still on our mobile phones! The Internet is omnipresent in our lives, for better or for worse. So given the prevalence of email and the Internet, why would we choose to contact our customers via SMS? 

Many don’t consider the fact that there are well over 1Billion people living without email or Internet access around the world in both developed and developing countries. Yet at the same time, mobile phone penetration is growing at an enormous rate. In fact, one billion connections were created in the last year alone!

Of course, I am not suggesting foregoing email or Internet in favor of SMS, but SMS does a lot to round out the communications strategy and can support the efforts face-to-face and over email. It works well in addition to other strategies because there are times when customers are away from their computers and email or are in remote areas that are hard to reach except via cell towers. The cell phone is that bridge over the last mile that connects even the farthest place to information and services that would otherwise not be accessible. 

Think to yourself about your email habits: do you read everything you get? Now think about your text message habits: do you read every text message? The “sound-bite” brevity of text messages and the immediacy of having them in your hand day and night make them less time-consuming and even more personal. People tend to only give out their cell phone numbers to people and organizations they care about which gives the information a slightly higher priority. Plus in most countries there is no charge to receive messages, making them ideal for serving the poor in large numbers.

Remember, adopting a text message strategy neither needs to be complex or time-consuming. Using online software, like our MOBILIZE application, means you can get started very quickly sending and receiving information to and from mobile phones nearly anywhere in the world. With MOBILIZE, we work to make all this as simple and seamless as possible. On many levels (cultural, financial and social), we are helping you “reach your customers where they are at.”

Combining Mobile Tactics to Simplify Mobile Communications in Emergencies

Reprinted from Resdida.com

In the case of disaster, like the tornado damage in Harrisburg, IL, information is priceless and communication ranges from difficult to impossible. With landline wires down and cell reception poor, a mobile may not be able to send or receive a call, but can often send and receive a low-bandwidth text message. It can be a great help to have a mobile communications tool that you can setup quickly for sending and receiving key information from and to emergency services in the field and the community at large.

I grew up in tornado country and still have family there, so this particular use is close to my heart. SMS can be used to warn people prior to destruction and can help them find resources during the aftermath. I want to take a moment to walk through the aftermath with you and discuss how QR Codes can be integrated with SMS text messaging to enhance communications.

One of the largest struggles in SMS text messaging programs is with communicating the instructions that will help people subscribe and participate. It typically goes something like this: “Please text hburg to 80474 to subscribe.” What if you could replace these words with a simple picture? You can use an image, like a QR code, that tells the phone exactly what to do so that the user can get started faster. An example is here on the right.

There are several mobile apps across all of the various platforms that read these QR codes. The user simply opens the app, points the camera at the code and the app tells the phone to complete the requested task. If you have a QR Code reader application for your smart phone, scan the above image now. It will prepare the SMS message for you. You will then be able to follow the steps on the screen to send it and start the process.

When using my smart phone QR Reader on the above image, I am immediately brought to the screen below on the left. To execute the SMS text message, I click the create/edit button on the bottom right of the screen (looks like a box with a pencil).

When I do that, I am brought to my smart phone SMS text messaging application where the message has been prepared for me (see the above image on the right). Then, I simply press Send.

So the process is nearly automatic for the user, making everything much simpler. This simplicity is priceless during a crisis. The QR Code for subscribing can be printed in local papers, presented on posters in the community and available in shelters.

If you’ve done this yourself while reading, you will notice that you still need to opt-in to receive the texts by returning “Y”. Once subscribed, officials can keep you updated on any concerns or calls to action for the area.

The welcome message also asks you for more information about your status which will be used to target messages to specific groups when necessary. For instance if you indicate you are living in the shelter the types of information you will need may be different from folks living in their dwelling. Those whose dwellings were not damaged will need different information from those whose homes were hit by the storm directly.

Codes like these can also help people get directions to key locations, like staging areas, clinics, etc. Let’s say that you have a staging area for emergency care, food rations, etc and you would like to make sure that people can find you quickly and easily. You can use a SPARQ code to map your location on the user’s smart phone so that they can map their way to find you. 

You can try this now with your QR reader on your smart phone. It will open your mapping application and mark the location for you. Then, you can use your mapping application to get directions to the site.

During an emergency response, especially in disasters where fear, isolation, a lack of sanitation, poor nutrition and injuries are wide-spread and dangerous, communication can be a lifesaver. Collecting and sharing information can mean the difference between life and death and mobiles can provide great reach and make a large impact.

There are so many ways to make use of QR Codes to simplify and streamline your mobile program and it seems that new possibilities are constantly emerging. Resdida works to stay on top of all of these emerging technologies so that we can translate them into results for our clients. Working together, a strong mobile presence is easily within reach.

Events Part VI: Engaging your Audience with Text Messaging

Reprinted from Resdida.com 

Sure you can use a text messaging channel to communicate with the audience before during and after the event, but what about in session? Well, there are a few different in-session mobile tactics that you can use to increase participation, like questions, polls and “liking” your speaker.

Questions
We have all been to panel sessions where little slips of paper are distributed to manually collect questions from the audience. This has worked well for years, but also requires a pen, a flat surface, the ability to see in the dark and a bit of labor for the ushers to collect and bring them to the moderator. Imagine instead that, throughout the panel, your audience can text in their questions as they came to mind and that the moderator could receive them live as well. 

This can be setup quickly and easily in Resdida MOBILIZE, using our Field Data functionality. Here are the steps involved:

Step 1: Create a new Field Data Form in MOBILIZE, using the key term “panel”
Step 2: Create an instructions slide for the audience, similar to the below:

You can try this now, by sending the example "Panel-How did you get your start in technology?" to 80474. You will get a thank you/confirmation response acknowledging that your question has been received.

The moderator will receive the questions as they are sent and can interpret them to the panel seamlessly.

Quick Polls
Another way to engage your audience in-session is to do a quick live poll. Let’s say that you wanted to know how many people in the audience are with Verizon, ATT, Sprint or TMobile. You could post a slide asking folks to text in which carrier their organization uses. Then, you can use that information to help guide and tailor your discussion. 

Setup is pretty straight-forward and would use the Keyword functionality in Resdida MOBILIZE. The most time-consuming part is figuring out what you want to ask and the categories you wish to use. Here are the steps involved:

Step 1: Decide what information you want to collect
Step 2: Create answer categories, like ATT, Sprint, TMobile, etc.
Step 3: Enter the categories into the Keywords tab of MOBILIZE
Step 4: Test each category once by sending it in a text message to 80474

Arrange the carriers in a table and choose a keyword for each. Then create some example text to help the audience understand what to do to participate.

You can try taking the poll right now by texting any of the carrier keywords above to 80474. The data will flow into Resdida MOBILIZE and can be viewed in the interface. 

The key is allowing ample time for folks to take out their phones and prepare the text message. It’s usually best to precede the poll by asking the audience to prepare by taking out their cell phones and providing the audience with verbal instructions. Allow three minutes from the time of the announcement for folks to finish their SMS message. See Part II for tips on implementation. Watch the audience to see that folks are done before you continue. 

Once the texts are sent, the results begin to tabulate in the interface, and you will know the popularity of the carriers.

“Like” your Speaker
With the growth of the “un-conference”, it is important to understand which if your speakers is in greatest demand and to know this in enough time to plan the afternoon sessions. 

Empower your audience early on. Tell them at registration that if any speakers resonate with them to text the word “Like” and the speaker’s last name at any point during the conference. Then, tell the speakers to promote their chances of winning by displaying their last name and reminding folks to text “Like” plus their last name if they want to hear more in the afternoon. See Part II for more information on implementation best practices.

This is a quick setup in Resdida MOBILIZE using the Field Data functionality. The only thing you would need is a list of speaker names so that you can interpret the results.

In Summary
Mobile should be facilitating your sessions, engaging your audience, and preventing unnecessary paperwork. The keywords and field data functions discussed here are excellent ways to add flair and excitement as well. 

This is the final part of the six-part series on text messaging at events so don’t forget to visit other sections in the series for more examples, tips and tricks:

• Part I: The Key to Successful Text Messaging at Events
• Part II: The Steps to a Successful Text Messaging Program
• Part III: Using Text Messaging to Save Staff Time
• Part IV: Using Text Messaging as Marketing to Increase Event Attendance
• Part V: Using Text Messaging for Real-time Voting and Live Ratings
• Part VI: Engaging your Audience with Text Messaging

No matter how you incorporate mobile into your events, implementing is affordable, easy and not something that you need to tackle alone. Resdida is there to lend expertise every step of the way.

Events Part V: Using Text Messaging for Real-time Voting and Live Ratings

Reprinted from Resdida.com

Drum roll please….. And the winner is?!?! Yes, you can let people use their cell phones for live voting and get real-time results anywhere there is an Internet connection, even on a smart phone.

There are a couple of ways to collect real-time information from the audience using MOBILIZE. Ask yourself: "Do I need just a vote or a numeric score, like a rating from one to ten?" In either case, setup is fast and straight-forward.

Live Voting

If it’s just voting for one thing versus the other, you can achieve this simply by creating short keyword identifiers for each item. For example, fast-pitch sessions are all the rage. The goal is to have small groups of entrepreneurs stand up and deliver an elevator pitch while the audience listens and then votes for the best. Let’s look at how something like this is designed and setup in MOBILIZE. Here are the steps involved:

Step 1: Get a list of entrepreneurs/companies presenting

Step 2: Create a short abbreviated name for each organization

Step 3: Enter the companies and abbreviations into the Keywords tab of MOBILIZE

Step 4: Test each abbreviation once by sending it in a text message to 80474

Here is a sample table of five entrepreneurs, try testing these for yourself by texting the keyword to 80474:

By sending each once in testing, you have confirmed that each is working and have leveled the playing field by giving each organization one vote. All is good! You are ready to have this work live at your event, from a technical standpoint anyway.

For participation, you will need to educate the audience a bit to get them interested in participating and doing the right things at the right time.  Part II discusses the intricacies of preparing the audience, but a few points are worth reviewing. To be successful, you will need to do the following things:

• Provide voting information verbally at registration

• Provide written instructions in the program

• Explain the text voting at the start of the session and ask folks to take out their phones and be ready

• Include abbreviations and written instructions in presentation slides

During the pitch session, the organizations will present their elevator pitches. At the end of each batch, the instructions/abbreviations slide will be displayed and the moderator will request that everyone take out their phones and text the organization abbreviation to 80474. Staff can then monitor MOBILIZE to determine the winner. Applause and happiness for everyone!

Live Rating

Maybe it’s not just “one thing versus the other” but more of “a scale from one to ten” that you need. That’s no problem either in MOBILIZE. In fact, we once had a client set up mobile ratings for 30 films in five minutes after five minutes of training.

A great use of mobile rating scales is for session ratings. Let’s say you have a one day conference with four 1.5 hour sessions that you would like to have participants rate from 1 to 10 via mobile. Here are the steps involved:

Step 1: List the conference sessions

Step 2: Create a short abbreviated name for each session to use as a key term

Step 3: Enter the sessions, abbreviations, and rating field into the Field Data Form tab of MOBILIZE

Step 4: Test rating each session once by sending a rating for each in a text message to 80474

Here is a sample table of four sessions, try testing these for yourself by texting example text rating to 80474.

By sending each once in testing, you have confirmed that each is working and have leveled the playing field by giving each organization one vote, and a good rating as well. Everything is set for live voting.

Now for participation, just as with the keywords, you will need to educate the audience a bit to get them interested in participating and doing the right things at the right time. Please see Part II for a detailed discussion of preparing the audience. To be successful, you will need to do the following things:

• Provide voting information verbally at conference registration

• Provide written instructions in the program

• Explain the text session ratings at the end of each presentation and ask folks to take out their phones and be ready

• Include abbreviations and written instructions in final presentation slides

At the end of each session, the presenters will explain the ratings and display the instructions slide. Participants will take out their cell phones and send ratings to MOBILIZE. Conference staff will then monitor MOBILIZE and analyze the session ratings. Mission accomplished and no paperwork to collect or process!

In Summary

Mobile should be facilitating your event activities, enabling greater efficiencies and preventing unnecessary paperwork. The keywords and field data functions discussed here are excellent ways to add flair and excitement as well. Implementing is affordable and easy as well but is not something that you need to tackle alone. Resdida is there to lend expertise every step of the way.

Events Part IV: Using Text Messaging and Mobile Marketing to Increase Event Attendance

Reprinted from Resdida.com. 

Events bring people together in support of a purpose, like networking, learning, celebrating, collaborating or simply sharing a common interest. With that in mind, how do you include more people and get more people to register, join and take part?

Save-the-date advertising is sent out a year in advance immediately when the venue is booked. Then, a series of marketing reminders are sent to the audience via email and mail. These inbox and mailbox items are very effective at reminding folks to schedule the time and plan expenses. However, there is growing opportunity in mobile that complements this traditional advertising very well. The usage of text messaging is growing worldwide, people have their phones with them and use them more frequently than their email on computers. Over mobile, the open rate is very high because the information arrives and is announced with a beep or buzz in the palm of the customer’s hand.

So “How” is very simple. Create an event information channel or an organization information channel (or both) in advance so that you can let folks subscribe to receive key information. The sequence of activities is planned out in detail in Part II , but in summary, would be the following:

• If you haven't already, find a suitable text messaging platform, like Resdida MOBILIZE 
• Setup your channel(s). This takes less than three minutes 
• Post instructions for mobile channels on posters, in newsletters and online to encourage folks to subscribe
• Plan, schedule and send relevant content

Once you have your mobile audience you can begin to engage them with relevant topics, coupons and incentives to forward invites to friends. Let’s take a look at each of these.

Relevant Content

No one likes SPAM, no matter the format. Relevant content is critical to keeping your audience as well as engaging them. If folks sign up for the ACME event channel, they will be expecting to hear news about the speakers, venue, vendors, promotions, activities, and other critical event-related information.

Most importantly, it’s best to be very clear in all communications and set expectations for the mobile experience. In signup instructions, tell potential subscribers the truth about what to expect and how often and answer key questions in your marketing materials. You can use a worksheet, like the sample below to think through what you are offering.

Making sure your message is consistent across all email, mail, web, print and “in-store” materials will be important for setting expectations for your audience. At the very least they should understand the nature of what you intend to send and how often you intend to send messages to them. The worksheet can become something similar to the sample advertising for the mobile channel shown here.

Then, be sure to keep the promises you make. That may mean special staff training and extra care around what messages are created and sent.

Keep them informed with relevant content they are expecting to receive, like information about the venue.

The text messaging channel can be used to assist with registration information, questions, and communicating key dates. Registration information, like websites, forms and phone numbers can be pre-programmed as content in MOBILIZE and scheduled in advance to deliver as planned.

Mobile creates an opportunity for dialog that will encourage people to register, join in and participate. Every transmission should be thoughtfully planned with the audience in mind. With MOBILIZE, you can plan and schedule well in advance to send at the pace you want.

Coupons and Incentives

One of the best ways to encourage participation is to offer coupons for registration. You can provide an opportunity for savings, like coupons to receive 50% off of a second registration or buy-two-get-one registration savings.

You can provide the coupon code right over the mobile phone and even encourage folks to forward coupons on to colleagues, friends and family. The more widely the coupon is shared, the more viral publicity and opportunity for growth is available for your event.

You can provide incentives to attendees to participate by providing a prize. A common and very effective incentive is holding a raffle of subscribers for one lucky participant to receive a free registration for the next year’s event. You can also provide an incentive for mobile subscribers to participate in event activities. For example, send a mobile coupon for 50% off of the services of a vendor or special seating for folks showing a mobile ticket at the keynote. To take care of your event sponsors, send an offer for drink tickets at the reception.

In Summary

In the end, your mobile text messaging program has been developed into an asset, a mobile CRM for folks who champion your events, your organization and your cause. To make the most of this, you can keep the channel active throughout the year as a great way to promote products, events and donation opportunities. Mobile text messaging fits nicely into the marketing tapestry in support of all of your efforts. It’s just a matter of process and procedure, and the details of the steps involved are spelled out in Part II. Be sure to review steps and your marketing timeline for ensuring everything gels and works together.

Implementing is affordable and easy as well but is not something that you need to tackle alone. Resdida is there to lend expertise every step of the way.

Events Part III: Using Text Messaging to Save Staff Time

Reprinted from Resdida.com .

Time is money, and in this economy there isn’t much of either to go around. I know from my own experience running events that things are hectic and time is scarce. The last thing anyone needs is another moving part to manage. The more you can get done ahead of the event the better. Imagine for a moment what your experience could be … automating customer service, directing attendees to sessions, and making timely announcements. You can simply leverage text messaging to save staff time while actually increasing the level of service you provide. But how?

With Resdida MOBILIZE, it’s not difficult or time consuming, and it can all be set up ahead of event time. Here I will show you how to quickly and easily automate key announcements and reminders, automate FAQs and provide easy access to customer service. 

Key Announcements & Reminders
Running events, you often feel like a traffic cop. There are lots of halts, go’s and general ushering of attendee traffic. Timing is everything and every minute counts in order to meet the tightly run schedule for the day. The goal is to get people into the next session, seated and ready to begin on time, every time. 

There are several things you can do in advance to take some of the pressure off and ensure that attendees are informed and know where they need to be next. An easy option is to setup a Conference Channel and instruct attendees how to join. See Part II for detailed steps for instructing and encouraging adoption. Setting this up in MOBILIZE takes less than a minute. Once it’s set up, it’s very easy to use and manage.

Let’s assume you are staff for the ACME Conference. It took me less than a minute to setup the ACME Conference Channel; in fact, text ACME to 80474 to subscribe right now. If you do, you will see that the system will ask you to confirm by returning Y. Then, you will see a confirmation and welcome message for the channel.

Now, let’s say you know there will be cocktails on the 23rd floor at 6pm Tuesday of the conference. Let’s look at how you would schedule a text message reminder so you don’t need to worry about catching everyone at 5:45pm.

Start by creating “stories” for this and every other announcement or reminder that you’ll want to send during the conference. Here’s an example of the cocktails story below.

Then, add this Cocktails story to the Channel and schedule it to send at 5:45pm on Tuesday. While you are at it, schedule the remaining announcements to go out “just-in-time” during the conference.

Now you are done! MOBILIZE is now your traffic cop letting folks know where to go next as well as other mission critical information during the event. The only thing left to do is get folks to subscribe before or during registration.

FAQs
In addition to a channel, you can serve attendees and save time by pre-programming the answers to Frequently Asked Questions into MOBILIZE. Let attendees send a text message with the speaker’s last name to learn where and when those sessions are, or let them text INTERNET to learn the WIFI codes to access the network. This effort is easy to pre-program and saves paper and staff time during the event asking these questions. Be sure to place this information on the mobile information page in the event program. See Part II for more details on fostering participation.

Taking a closer look at the Internet example, setup is easy and takes less than a minute. You enter into MOBILIZE the key term INTERNET and the automated response “ID: acme Password: conf2011.” Instead of running around last minute printing handouts with Internet info and taking countless questions, you can use your mobile program to save time and trouble. Plus, if the ID or password were to change, you would just update MOBILIZE. Results are immediate and simple. 

You can try it now for yourself by texting INTERNET to 80474.

Because MOBILIZE can adapt with you and absorb new information as it comes down the pike, it surpasses paper publishing by far in effectiveness and is the “green” solution as well. Instead of quickly running off to print those quarter-sheet info flyers, you are taking two seconds to make the change and inform folks in real time.

Customer Service
In addition to frequently asked questions, there are questions that fall outside the ordinary or times when the audience needs to quickly report a problem. Especially for events that are spread-out in large venues, it can be very helpful to offer the opportunity for folks to ask questions and report problems remotely via their mobile phone. This gets the information to staff faster and makes the process more convenient for attendees as well.

This, too, is easy to set up in MOBILIZE and is related to our functionality for collecting data from the field. You would choose a key term for the audience to use. In this example, I will choose AQ for Acme Question. You would choose an auto response to acknowledge that the question was received. Finally, you would instruct the audience to send questions following an AQ- to 80474.

Staff will receive information instantly from within the session that the projector has failed and can quickly dispatch AV resources to the Starlight Room. The attendee receives the auto-response “Thank You” message as a confirmation that the information was received. The issue is resolved quickly and everyone is satisfied. 

In Summary
Automating essential repeatable tasks like key announcements, reminders, FAQs and customer service can improve the conference experience for both the attendees and the conference staff and allows for a more “green”, efficient and environmentally friendly experience as well . Staff time saved is priceless and putting technology to work for you feels great. Implementing is affordable and easy as well but is not something that you need to tackle alone. Resdida is there to lend expertise every step of the way.

Events Part II: The Steps to a Successful Text Messaging Program

Reprinted from Resdida.com

A mentor once said to me, “To achieve success, first you have to define it.” It makes sense, right? I need to know what I wanted to achieve before I can know whether I have achieved it. Same here! Success for your mobile program is what you make it out to be and should be based on your goals. Common measures of success include empirical measures like:

• Adoption (Percent subscribed of total) 
• Participation (messages received/subscribed) 
• Response (attendance, registrations, etc.)

Getting folks to subscribe, participate and respond to your mobile initiative takes some sales and marketing skill. Among many things that work, we are talking signs, ads, announcements, assistance at registration. I’m offering a recipe today to increase your chance for success.

You can create the right mix of the ingredients above and use a PARFAIT approach to achieve success for your mobile experience through promotion, advertising, repeat messaging, fostering a great experience, assisting wherever possible, instructing carefully and timing everything to the right cadence.

Promote and Incentivize
Lay your mobile foundation in advance and promote your mobile initiative. By this I mean starting two months in advance letting people know about the mobile program, including your purpose and reasoning behind creating your mobile program and their purpose and reasoning for wanting to participate. Driving the behavior is all about what it means to them. So start telling them and warming them up as early as possible. Questions that will help you find their incentive, include:

• Will it provide them valuable information that they can’t get elsewhere?
• Will it keep them “in the know” and ahead of their peers?
• Will it let them participate with the panel, take polls, vote on content?
• Will you offer them “a chance to win” when they subscribe? Maybe a free ticket to this or next year’s event?

Advertise the Program
Incorporate mobile into all of your advertising starting as far in advance as you can. If you haven’t yet chosen your full range of programming, you can make a start by simply saying that you are excited to have a mobile offering in the upcoming event and encourage folks to stay tuned. It is recommended that you begin letting people know over every medium possible starting at least two months in advance of your event. 

Even if you don’t intend to fully use a mobile communications channel for the event (if you are only planning to do polling or voting, for example) you should set one up to let people start to familiarize themselves. If your event is Acme Event, set up an Acme Channel and tell folks, for example, to text ACME to 80474 to get started with the mobile program at the event. 

Don’t worry if you aren’t sure what to say exactly or what your channel might be. Resdida staff can help you get this set up and help you with the ad content. You will want to convey this message in all of your email, web, mail, TV and radio advertising. 

Repeat Messaging
Through all of these means of advertising, you can achieve repeat messaging before your event and get the audience warmed up to the idea of mobile at the event. This messaging should be repeated throughout the event location and throughout the programming as well verbally, through signs, and in program materials.

It helps to have signs about the program and instructions on the registration table, in signs at registration and in the event lobby as well as in sessions in the form of slides or signs on the wall. It is also helpful to place an instructions page in the event program guide or as a handout in the event bag. Our most effective events have used a few minutes of the opening session to explain the program and encourage people to take out their phones and subscribe right at the moment. Having that time set aside for them and having an explanation and request from the speaker dramatically increased their participation. The more reminders the audience has the more chance they will have to follow the instructions and participate in the program. 

Fostering a Great Experience
One of the greatest barriers to participation is the worry of getting spammed via mobile. It is important to reassure the audience of your purpose for having the program and that you have no intentions of sending anything beyond that purpose. Most importantly, it is critical that the platform is run by event staff who respect those wishes and are careful with the number of type of messages sent. 

Assisting at Every Turn
Creating a great experience also involves solid customer support. Have event staff available at registration to answer mobile questions and help walk people through the various ways of using mobile in the event. Also train presenters on how the mobile will work in their sessions and provide staffing to assist the audience during live polling and voting sessions. Resdida staff can be there for your event to assist with audience support and address any concerns. 

Instructing Carefully
Carefully created instructions can make a tremendous difference to participation. Texting isn’t second nature to everyone and a good portion of some audiences haven’t heard the term SMS. The key is creating instructions that are “in English” and easy to follow. You will want to create signs that emphasize where the eye needs to focus, like what they are sending to where. For example, “Text ACME to 80474.” Verbally, you might say “Everyone please take out your phones now. Open text messaging and send a new message. In the body of your message, type ‘ACME’. Send your message to 80474.”

It is most effective to have a Mobile Program table next to the registration table staffed with proactive Mobile Program advocates. As people visit the registration table, they are directed to stop by the Mobile Program table next to enroll. 

Timing All of the Above
I’ve mentioned that many of the above should be started in advance of the event. Timing is very important and below I outline a timeline for planning and implementing the techniques that will drive your success across all mobile event features.

The timelines above are generalized but provide a good framework for what to be doing when. Remember too that you don’t need to be doing them alone by any means. Resdida staff lend their expertise to help you get things just right along the way. Also, depending on the program you design for your event, you may find yourself doing some or all of the above. The next installment of this series will start digging into the details of the features you can implement for your events.

Success Measures
Once the event is over, it’s time to return to those success measures. As mentioned, it is common to look at adoption, participation and response. 

For adoption, you will need to know the total number in attendance and the total number of subscribers/recipients (displayed in the top menu of MOBILIZE). If your event had 100 in attendance and 85 unique recipients in MOBILIZE, then your adoption percentage would be 85%.

Participation is measured as the number of messages received divided by the number of recipients participating. This is a great way to look at engagement. So if 500 messages were received in MOBILIZE and there were 85 recipients, your participation metric would be 500/85 = approximately 12 messages per person.

Response is a bit tricky and depends on what specific features you implemented and any behavior you sought to drive. For example, if you sought to drive attendance by advertising in the media with a coupon code, you can use redemption numbers for the mobile coupon to determine success.

In Summary
Achieving greater success using mobile can be as simple as planning and following a general recipe in the event process, think PARFAIT, and include promotion, advertising, repeat messaging, fostering a great experience, assisting wherever possible, instructing carefully and timing everything to the right cadence. This is not something that you need to tackle alone. Resdida is there to lend expertise every step of the way. Shoot us an email to learn more and be sure to check out our upcoming posts on the topic.