With only 80 days to go until the start of the 2012 Olympics, most businesses will have already outlined their marketing strategies to reach out to the new audiences it will attract to the UK.

The impact of the event on all industries will be astronomical, and it’s expected to attract at least an additional four million people to the capital. So the question is, how do you rapidly reach out to a mass audience on the fly? How do you capture their contact details and communicate targeted messages to them in seconds? Mobile messaging is the answer. We share with you our expert knowledge and key advantages of mobile that will ensure you achieve the best results.

Capture data on the fly
Using shortcodes, and even QR codes to encourage people to opt-in to receive your communications is powerful. No other SMS marketing tool can do this while your customers are on the move, instantly and for little cost. Allowing customers to opt-in to receive your marketing, means that your follow up activity becomes more targeted, and in turn increases ROI.

Simply advertise a shortcode in a prime location, (e.g. text EVENT to 60777) inviting people to text in to receive more info, on discounted offers, alerts or promotions. In a short time, you can easily build a substantial list of opted-in mobile numbers. You can arrange for an immediate automatic response to be sent back, containing information about your company, or store the numbers to execute a promotional marketing campaign at a later date.

By asking consumers to opt in together with their email address, you can also send an automatic email to them containing your company brochure. QR codes follow exactly the same rules, and can be advertised to be scanned to immediately opt in or obtain company details.

Auto-schedule your communications around specific events
Using mobile messaging, you can target people in the right place, at the right time, without having to be sat at your PC. Auto-schedule your messages around the events taking place at the Olympics, and offer promotional incentives which coincide with the timetable, and they will send from the system automatically at your specified time. A typical example could be: “If you’re dashing to the men’s 100 heats, stop at Bertie’s sweetshop on Olympic Rd for 2 for 1 on all soft drinks”.

Build long-term relationships
Mobile messaging is the only medium that has an open rate of 97.5 per cent. It gives a campaign the added power to communicate with targeted customers, and build on the relationship you have with them, based on permission and trust. Once you have a list of opted-in contacts, the data is yours to communicate marketing messages, alerts or promotions whenever you like. If you collect the numbers during a busy period, such as the Olympics, it gives you the opportunity to build and maintain those relationships in the long term.

Be flexible
The key advantage of mobile messaging is the flexibility it gives you to engage with a mass audience instantly. Whether you need to grow a database, or send appointment confirmations or urgent updates. Any time of day, and wherever your customers, are the applications for mobile messaging are endless. There is no substitute for fast, direct, targeted marketing on the move.

Send rich content
No longer are you limited to 160 characters of text; the ubiquity of smartphone technology and the public’s familiarity with tiny URLs on social media platforms means that mobile messaging can be used as a tool to link to the bigger picture. SMS can be used as the hook to direct the reader to where they need to be online, faster than if they were left to their own devices. Links to apps, videos and web pages are easily incorporated into an SMS message. The overwhelming advantage that mobile has is its capacity to reach people virtually instantly, wherever they are, usually within five seconds. This is a key benefit to all businesses wanting to engage with new audiences during the Olympic games.

Rob Townsend is marketing director at Textlocal