St Louis Interview with Steven Kelly of Message Buzz

The following is an interview with Steven Kelly, the president of MessageBuzz, a mobile messaging company based in St Louis.  If you are a St Louis based technology company or a St Louis company that blogs, e-mail jdurbin@durbinmedia.com for an e-mail interview.

1).  What exactly is MessageBuzz.  Give it to me in 10 words or less. 

Mobile Marketing for small-to-medium businesses

Now tell us in a 30 second elevator pitch

MESSAGEbuzz.com, is a mobile marketing service that enables organizations access to text messaging capabilities.  Through our web based software and connectivity to all the major U.S. carriers, we are providing a large (business) structure at a small (business) expense.

2) What categories of clients do you work with?   

Media groups, conference organizers, churches in particular mega-churches, retailers, golf courses -  any business owner needing to communicate with a group people be they staff, customers or suppliers. Our service is especially attractive for clients whose target demographic is youth ages 13-27.

3) I’ve gotten text messages before from companies – normally I ignore them and get angry that they are spamming my phone without my permission.  What do you do to avoid that kind of reaction from consumers?

There are two parties spamming mobile phones: the carriers themselves and those that are sending Short Message System (SMS) over SMTP (email).  Our FAQ guide that you can download from our website, explains the difference between SMS and SMTP.  Carriers are doing their utmost to close the SMTP hole but they are 18-24 months away from their stated intention.

To eliminate spam, our application ensures our clients adhere to the strict standards of the Mobile Marketing Association.  It is in our best interest to eliminate it because if we get to where email is today, the industry is dead.  All mobile marketing is permission based, meaning there is a clear opt-in and multiple “easy” ways to opt-out. 

4) Do you feel text messaging has a bad rap?  What is the right way to go about a texting promotion?

I would not say a bad rap, just not understood.  Those of us working in the industry today, much like bloggers, have a huge curve ahead of us to educate the market.

The right way to start would be,

•    Decide what you are we trying to achieve and does mobile messaging do that? 
•    Start collecting and developing campaigns that begin building your subscriber base organically.  Remember SMS is permission based so even with a list of current client mobile numbers, you will need to start over.  As in the late 80’s with email, start collecting mobile phone numbers and the carrier name, if you believe mobile will complement your company’s marketing mix.
•    I cannot stress enough the importance of adding value in the messages you send to your subscribers.  This is an ongoing challenge but critical to get right with every message sent.  As with all marketing, Short Message System (SMS) marketing and communication it is a process of iterative refinement and not to be approached recklessly. 
•    Start slow but start now.

5) How does texting integrate into more traditional forms of marketing.

SMS marketing is one element of a company’s overall marketing plan.  The following are some examples of how it integrates:

•    All forms of other advertising be it print, radio or television commercials. 
•    Anywhere a call-to-action is relevant or any information that is timely or you need to send to people possibly not connected to the Internet.
•    Events the company is organizing either in the coordination or communication.

6) What exactly does your service include?  Are you writing and sending these messages?   Is there software I install?  How does this work?

Our service is based on a do-it-yourself model.  Customers are given access to our web based application that allows them to manage their subscribers, send and receive text messages and view statistics around their initiatives to measure ROI. 

Again our service is a web based (ASP) application that customers can access 24/7 from any computer connected to the Internet. 

7) What are your favorite pieces of technology (besides your own) that you see today?

I am a big fan of the on-demand lifestyle: TiVo/DVRs for television, iPod for music. What you want, when you want it. MESSAGEbuzz is right there delivering bite-size information on-demand to your mobile phone.

More specifically, I am keeping my eye on GPS and payment integration and some of the mobility tools to improve small businesses efficiency such as, the camera on your phone will take a snapshot of a business card that you can send to yourself and add to your Outlook/ACT! contacts. 

8) Tell me something inspirational about the work you do.  What’s the WOW factor?

Ability to send and receive text messages is the only other mobile phone feature, besides calling, that is always included. The consumer is in complete control yet for those that want to receive their clients' information, what an amazing tool for both parties; what else can reach people in mass anytime/anywhere and in many respects is always on.

9) What blogs do you read, if any?

I don't follow any particular blogs, but I will read them if they are on a topic that I am researching or interested in.  Most of the time I will come across blogs when I follow search engine results. I also like to check out the personal blogs that some of my friends write - it's a good way to keep connected.

10) What’s the best way to contact you if someone is interested in trying out text marketing?

Contact us toll free on 888-900-BUZZ(2899) or visit our website and initiate a trial account, www.messagebuzz.com.

To test for yourself why for example retailers are excited, text to our short code 35350 key word “BLOG” for a special message for Durbin Media bloggers.