This is a very convenient way to manage a competition or prize draw, and popular with consumers. This type of promotion is a great brand building exercise as it typically involves either a purchase or a brand related question as part of the promotion.

For the uninitiated, a text 'n’ win promotion is one which is usually advertised on a pack of something or other, like crisps or a drink, and the customer is invited to text in to a short code for a chance to win a prize Alternatively Companies can organize trivia shows on TV, Radio and in the print media for the public to text answers to a short code and stand the chance of winning prizes.

Text ‘n’ win has been embraced enthusiastically by sales promotion agencies, as it means that not only do you not have to deal with sack loads of post, you also don't have the post-campaign data entry issues. Customers, by entering the competition, are giving you some of their data - i.e. their mobile number. It's up to you to collect any more data from the consumer if you need it. 

It's also up to you as the marketer to make the lose messages engaging too, otherwise your campaign will end up being ‘text ‘n’ lose’ rather than ‘text ‘n’ win’. This makes it feel more personal and about you. Personal is a key concept in all things mobile.

It’s also fascinating to identify repeat entries to competitions, as well as peak times, and down times, to help you work out more about your customers and plan your next campaign.And not only that, you can then use the data to communicate with willing customers - something we do for various brands.

The popularity of entering competitions by SMS is growing every day. Entry is quick and easy therefore response rates are often extremely high. To encourage user participation, mobile prizes can be offered which include mobile vouchers, ringtones, logos and games. 
 
We have two main types of SMS Competition, Random Draw (Text to win) and Pre-selected Draw (Instant Win)