February 25, 2008
Academic Review: Mobile MarketingMessaging via SMS Versus SMTP/Email Channels
Michael Becker, EVP Business Development, iLoop Mobile, Inc.
Over the last few years marketers have shown an ever increasing interest in reaching out to and communicating with their customers and prospects via the mobile channel, i.e. employing mobile marketing within their marketing mix. Mobile marketing initiatives include everything from simple text messaging alerts )weather, sports, news, horoscopes, etc.) to intelligent real-time interactive sessions between the marketer )brand) and its customers via text messaging, multimedia messaging, Bluetooth alerts, location aware services, voice/IVR, the mobile internet, device resident portals, and much more. Mobile marketing initiatives are discovered by consumers either through Mobile )Carrier On Device Portal, Mobile Internet Sites, etc.) or Mobile Enhanced Traditional Media channels )TV, Radio, Print, In Venue Screen, IVR, etc.). The most common element of any mobile marketing initiative today is text messaging, which is also referred to as SMS; however, after talking with many marketers it is clear that there is some confusion around text messaging and an alterative messaging method--specifically SMTP/Email. This article compares the practice of messaging via the SMTP/Email and SMS channels and highlights which channel should be used for commercial mobile marketing traffic and why.
Comparing Two Common Messaging Methods
Two common, but very distinct, messaging channels to send messages to a mobile subscriber’s phone are SMS and SMTP/Email.
Sending a message via SMTP/Email Channel: Sending a message to a mobile subscriber via the SMTP/Email channel is straightforward. Many mobile operators have setup an email gateway within their network to support person to person messaging. In order to send a message via the SMTP/Email channel on a mobile operator’s network you address the message with the following syntax: [email protected] )Visit a mobile operator’s web site to see if it supports this form of messaging and what its messaging address syntax is). For example, to send a message to a T-Mobile subscriber in the United States you would address the message as follows: [email protected], e.g. [email protected]. This message can be sent to the mobile subscriber via any standard email client, e.g. messaging via the mobile phone, Microsoft Outlook, Hotmail, Gmail, etc. [1]
Sending a message via SMS Channel: Sending messages to mobile subscribers via SMS )Short Message Service) is equally a straightforward process, however it requires a slightly different one. In order to send a commercially approved SMS to a mobile subscriber marketers must have a relationship with a messaging aggregator )like mBlox, Singlepoint, or OpenMarket, see http://www.usshortcodes.com/csc_aggregators.html for a list of aggregators) or application provider that has contracted with an SMS aggregator )see http://www.usshortcodes.com/csc_applicators.html). SMS messages are addressed using short codes and the mobile subscriber’s phone number and are routed through the mobile operator network. See MMA Academic Review Article Understanding the Common Short Code: Its Use, Administration, and Tactical Elements )http://mmaglobal.com/modules/article/view.article.php/552) for additional details on the common short code and messaging process.
The following figure shows the message flow for these two messaging methods.
Figure 1: SMS and SMTP/EMAIL Channel Messaging Flows [2]
The SMS channel and SMTP/Email channel are very different. Many marketers are attracted to the SMTP/Email channel due to the fact that there is a perception that there is no messaging cost, unlike SMS, they perceive the channel to be free. However, as shown in the table below, messaging cost is just one element that must be considered when considering the “cost” of messaging. Other elements to take into consideration are Coverage, Carrier interoperability, Bi-directional traffic support, Message delivery reliability and receipts, Message formatting control, Message form, OperatorID lookup support, Premium billing support, and Allowance for commercial traffic.
The distinction as to which channel should be used for commercial mobile marketing messaging is clear—only SMS should be used. Not only is the SMTP/Email channel strictly designed for use for person to person traffic, it is not reliable enough for commercial mobile marketing messaging due the broad number of items listed above. . To learn more about this topic see the Mobile Marketing Association Consumer Best Practices documents as well as individual carrier guidelines published by mobile operators through their developer sites and messaging aggregation partners.
About the author
Michael Becker is Executive Vice President of Business Development for iLoop Mobile, a leading mobile applications platform provider. Michael is on the Mobile Marketing Association )MMA) Board of Directors )2004, 2005, 2007, 2008), Chairs the MMA’s Academic Outreach Committee )2005~Present), and is a doctoral candidate of Business Administration at Golden Gate University.
To provide feedback on this article, contact the authors at [email protected].
[1] Note: The SMTP/Email channel is not the same thing as mobile email. The SMTP/Email channel is simply a way of addressing a message to a mobile subscriber with an email address paradigm. While Mobile Email refers to the concept of interacting with an email service, like Blackberry Rim, Microsoft Exchange Server, Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, etc., over the mobile phone either through an embedded, mobile web, or downloadable client on the mobile phone.
[2] Some application providers attempt to bind a SMTP/EMAIL and or SMS Modem to their application to bypass the messaging aggregator. This practice is not accepted by the mobile operators, commercial traffic is not allowed through either method.
