That's what about a thousand Gold’s Gym Customer were saying a few nights ago when their phones started buzzing with texts between 12:45 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. with promotional holiday offers!
Now, if you’re thinking this seems like an odd time to run a text marketing campaign you’re not the only one. Even the Gold’s Gym executives aren’t sure what happened. So if you, the owners of Gold’s Gym, and a thousand customers all agree that this was a terrible idea, how in the name of all things marketing did this happen?
Let’s go back a few months.
Gold’s Gym is looking for a way to spice up their marketing efforts and take advantage of modern technologies available. They partner with a text marketing company who promises them a strong return on a text campaign. It’s less expensive than traditional media and it's more targeted than email marketing. All around, it seemed like a good idea at the time. So, someone up top pulls the trigger and just like that, the campaign is on. A few promotions are thrown together for the holidays, customer phone numbers are uploaded into a database, and with the push of a button, 13,000 texts flood the network.
The result? A whole bunch of angry customers, angry management, and one happy text marketing agency.
Ok, ok, so maybe the text marketing agency wasn’t exactly happy, but they certainly aren’t as concerned as Gold’s. After all, their name isn’t the one being cursed across the state. So how does one avoid the dangers of a failed marketing campaign?
First things first: Research the agency you are working with and NEVER settle for the cheapest option. Does that mean the cheapest wont ever be the best? No, but it certainly shouldn’t be the only basis on which a decision is made. The costs associated with the clean up of a PR disaster like this far outweigh the savings from going with a cheaper marketing campaign.
Next, don't trust an idea based on the principle that “everyone is doing it!” Sure, everyone has cell phone and most people text. But that doesn’t mean marketers should exploit it! Cell phones can be excellent tools for marketing purposes. Look how Groupon has taken advantage of app development in order to vastly increase its reach to consumers. It's a five star app, and that's hard to do! I have it on my phone and I appreciate the updates I receive throughout the day. However, I don't have to experience Groupon texting me throughout the day and night to know that I would certainly hate that. This goes back to the corner stone of marketing principles: Just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD.
Sure, text marketing can be successful. When its done strategically developed and executed correctly. All the more reasons why it is critical you pick a firm with proven experience and one you can trust.
Know whom you are working with and make sure their best interests are your best interests. I don't presume to know the intent of the text marketing agency that polluted Gold’s Gym’s image, but I can tell you I haven’t read one word suggesting they’ve done anything to fix it. Successful marketing campaigns hinge on trust between client and marketing group! If you wouldn’t trust them to run your company then don't trust them to represent your company.
Marketing can be a rough world. Sometimes campaigns work better than expected and sometimes they fail miserably. But your odds lean in your favor if you can trust those you’re working with. If they’re not requesting collaboration throughout the process they’re not working for you, so watch out.
Don't let this scare you, let it guide you. Marketing is fun, exciting, and can change the pace by which a business moves in an instant. Good luck and expect a call from us around 3:00 a.m.! I hear everyone’s doing it that way.