TXT2GET hopes to repeat what it’s done in New Zealand and Australia as it prepares its launch in the U.S. market today.
The company, which is announcing its launch before the opening of the Mobile Marketing Association Forum in New York City this week, offers a do-it-yourself platform for companies to set up and manage a mobile marketing campaign that uses SMS or Quick Response codes within ads and promotional materials.
Peter Hewitt, president and COO of TXT2Get, says customers can go online, find and buy a keyword that ties to TXT2GET’s 818181 short code and be up and running with a campaign in about an hour – all by spending as little as about $718 for a year’s worth. The company also offers professional services, but its DIY business is its bread and butter, as it’s proven in the test markets of Australia and New Zealand.
Clients in those markets include big brands like Coca Cola, McDonald’s, Toyota and scores of others, even though the way it’s set up, it sounds like a product geared to small and medium-sized businesses looking to break into mobile.
Hewitt says small and medium businesses Down Under did embrace it, but a lot of big brands figured out they could bring the platform in house, control and manage it rather than have to go through a more time-consuming process through agencies. “We think this is going to happen in America” as well, he says, adding that the platform is unique in that it integrates SMS with email on PCs and smartphones all in one environment.
But Hewitt says the email integration is just one of the differentiators. “It’s all about execution, right? This is where we’ve gotten raves from customers” about how easy it is to set up a campaign, monitor and alter as needed. “Everything is easy to comprehend and adopt,” and the pricing is reasonable, he says.
TXT2GET puts itself in the space occupied by companies like mobivity, 84444.com and BoomText, but it has designs for a national scale and considers itself prime for competing with companies like Air2Web, mSnap, 4INFO, HipCricket and The Hyper Factory. The Hyper Factory was acquired last year by Meredith Corp.; mSnap was acquired by Marketron, and Hewitt expects a lot more consolidation to happen in the space in the next 18 months.
