Making the Case for Mobile Marketing: Reaching Those in Need with Dawson McAllister Live and Smart SMS Tactics

by Victor Green
3 mins read

The impact of mobile marketing can’t be overstated. According to IDC, more people in the U.S. will access the Internet through a mobile device than through their PC by 2015. In this new series, Elite Email takes a look at highly successful campaigns to uncover their mobile marketing lessons. This week’s case study: How the Dawson McAllister Live talk radio show of Spring Hill, Tennessee used a strong SMS approach to reach out to local youths in need of help and guidance. Few callings in life are as admirable as trying to help the younger generations make the transition from budding youth to mature adulthood. However, for Dawson McAllister, a well-known youth advisor in the Spring Hill, Tennessee area, of the Dawson McAllister Live radio show, making the connection through standard practices just wasn’t quite doing the job. With the need for enhanced communications and outreach serving as the backdrop, let’s spend a little time looking into how the Dawson McAllister Live radio show utilized a smart and savvy SMS program to reach the adolescents and young adults who needed guidance most.

Setting the Stage for Interaction

In order to promote enhanced interaction with his audience, Dawson McAllister of this eponymous radio show focused on something near and dear to the younger generations – texting. During the “Peer-to-Peer Advisor” segment of the radio show, the team behind Dawson McAllister Live decided to incorporate real-time texts as part of the feature. By doing this, other teens and young adults could chime in with advice and insight to help the call-in guest as he or she navigated the sometimes rocky waters of growing up. Depending on the subject or topic, different short codes, like “parents” or “anxiety,” helped funnel appropriate responses to the show in an orderly and efficient fashion.In the long-term, the Dawson McAllister Live radio show also hoped to acquire a lasting and active SMS contact list. With this audience further connected to the brand, Dawson McAllister and the rest of the organization planned to release relevant content and promotions that would in turn improve the quality of life for these youthful participants.

Reaching out to the Masses

To help spread the word about this new feature, Dawson McAllister and the rest of his team explored a variety of promotional avenues. Aside from talking up the text-in service on the live show, the production group went above and beyond by retooling the branded website with information regarding the service, as well as implementing various awareness campaigns on social media. In the end, listeners of the show had countless opportunities to learn about the text-in feature and how best to utilize this new tool during the next “Peer-to-Peer Advisor” segment.

Gauging the Impact of This Guidance

While still a major part of the Dawson McAllister Live radio show today, the implementation of the text-in service provided powerful insight into the value of SMS marketing in general. First, when offered the choice between chiming in via Facebook, Twitter, the Dawson McAllister Live website, and text, the audience of this radio show overwhelmingly stood behind the SMS option. Considering how powerful text messaging is in this demographic, as well as many others, the fact that this became the preferred method shouldn’t be much of a surprise.As this SMS community continued to grow, Dawson McAllister and his team used the burgeoning success of this platform to promote and build awareness for a one-on-one off-air help line, known as The Hope Line. Today, this radio show also boosts a constantly growing network of list members that can’t wait to receive all of the latest news and offers associated with relevant topics and discussions.

Finding the Right Path for Your SMS Success

Even if you’re not in the self-help business, there’s still plenty to learn from this case study. First, SMS marketing can easily supplant other offerings – even social media – when you give your audience the opportunity to make a choice. Additionally, while most think of texting as a planned and metered system for communications, the Dawson McAllister Live team proved that utilizing this tool in real-time isn’t only viable, it’s effective as well.Finally, and perhaps most importantly, as you grow your SMS audience, there’s no reason you can’t use this community to foster growth in your other ventures. Whether it’s something like McAllister’s off-air help line, or a selection more oriented toward tangible productions, having a vibrant SMS following is a great way to build awareness for new offerings. With these lessons in hand, the choice is clear; if you want to connect with your audience in a way that truly matters to them, follow the Dawson McAllister Live radio show’s lead and start texting with the people that matter most.

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