You've always been ahead of the marketing curve--you run email campaigns, you have a web presence, and you've even staked an outpost on social networking sites like MySpace--which means you're always looking for new and innovative ways to reach new customers and solidify relationships with current customers. Looking around, you see that your competitors have implemented mobile marketing programs, but you don't know how to move forward. Well, relax, today we're going to explain to you just how easy it is to develop a powerful mobile marketing program using Club Texting's SMS service.

Club Texting provides text messaging (SMS) services to the nightlife industry--what this means is that anyone, anywhere, can send a simple message from their cell-phone to an easy to remember short-code (CLUBS - 25827) and join (opt-in to) your mobile marketing list. What exactly is a mobile marketing list? This is a roster of phone numbers, belonging to a highly targeted set of customers--customers who you are able to reach anytime, anywhere--your message literally in the palm of their hand.

That sounds great. But now the question on your mind is: How do I build up a list? Well, as a pioneer in the mobile marketing industry, Club Texting has a long list of customers who have implemented dozens of different successful strategies. The key is to incentive--if you offer something to your customers, they'll give you access and loyalty you could have only dreamed about a few years ago. Today we're going to highlight some of the most effective ones to date.

TAO Nightclub Las Vegas - VIP Invites & Complimentary Admission

When one of the hottest (and most difficult to get into) nightclubs in Las Vegas offers VIP Invites and Complimentary Admission, people pay attention. Tao integrated their texting campaign into their print and online marketing efforts, offering the customers the incentive of access. Needless to say, they've built up quite a list.

Coyote Ugly Miami - Giveaways, Drink specials, And Other VIP Offers

Coyote Ugly Miami entices and rewards loyal customers with giveaways, drink specials, and the occasional VIP offering. Because the Club Texting software is so quick and simple to use, these offers can remain static, or they can change from week to week, day to day, or even throughout the evening.

Plan B - Chance to win a 10 person VIP table during DJ AM show

When a celebrity guest or DJ comes to your venue, you want to exploit the event for all it's worth. Plan B, a Detroit nightclub, did exactly that when DJ AM came to play a set. In the month leading up to the show, new text members received the added bonus of the chance to win a 10 person VIP table at the DJ AM show.

The Forum - VIP Entry

The Forum, a Charlotte nightclub, builds customer loyalty by allowing the people on its mobile marketing list to skip the long lines out front on popular nights.

Alley Cat - Building Hype For A Grand Opening

The Alley Cat, a bar in Charlotte, built up customer anticipation for the Grand Opening of their venue by integrating their mobile marketing efforts with their initial pre-launch print campaigns. Customers were enticed to join the bar's mobile marketing by the offer of invitations to the Grand Opening Party.

Those campaigns are just a sample of what our clients have done in the past.

Many of our other clients have had a lot of success with more non-traditional programs:

• On-site signups: tell eager customers waiting in line to get into the club to sign up on-the-spot in order to receive reduced admission by showing their confirmation text.   
• DJ shoutouts: "If you guys want to get on the VIP list for free admission, drinks, and other cool offers--Send a text message with the word XYZ to the number CLUBS now! That number again is 25827, spells out CLUBS on your keypad." 
• MySpace pages: www.myspace.com/taolasvegas, www.myspace.com/azukardowntown  
• In-venue signage: Behind the bar, coasters, scrolling on plasma screens, bathroom doors, staff shirts, stickers, hand stamps.
• Radio ads: Especially good for announcing contests: "This week Lucca Restaurant is giving away five 42-inch Pioneer plasma TVs! Enter to win today by texting the word LUCCA to the number CLUBS, that's  L-U-C-C-A to the number 25827!"  

These are just a handful of the ways you can entice people to join your list. The methods you can employ are practically limitless--the only boundary is your imagination. Having been in this industry since the beginning--working with everyone from promoters, to small owner-operators, to known international brands, including casinos, record labels, and professional sports teams--we can always offer you advice and suggestions.