Consumer interest in location-based text marketing rises

While branded content for smartphones is a hot marketing platform for some businesses, many Americans still use feature phones and are unable to be reached by these campaigns.

With this in mind, location-based text marketing may be a more effective method for reaching the full mobile audience. According to ad network 1020 Placecast, consumer interest in this type of marketing has risen over the past year. More than one-quarter of consumers were interested in opt-in text alerts, while 8 percent are "very interested" text alerts.

Among younger consumers, interest in text alerts is even greater. Forty-two percent of male and female consumers in the 18 to 34 age range said they would be willing receive location-based text alerts.

Those who wanted to receive text alerts indicated they were the most interested in coupons for local stores and restaurants. They were were more likely to visit the company's website, visit the store and purchase items.

While text alerts are popular to reach the broader mobile market, social media is becoming an important tool to reach smartphone users. According to a recent survey from Millennial Media, 12 percent of mobile ad campaigns drive customers to social networking sites where they can follow the brand.