AT&T Expands Mobile Marketing Portfolio to Address Growing Demand from Small Businesses

DALLAS, May 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In order to meet the growing customer demand for integrated marketing solutions, AT&T* is extending Mobile Barcode Services to its small business customers. According to the recent AT&T Mobile Marketing Survey**, three out of five small businesses are planning to increase their investments in mobile marketing in 2012.

With AT&T Mobile Barcode Services, small businesses can take success to another level by adorning everything from business cards to storefronts and products with rich, scannable marketing content.  The free AT&T Code Scanner mobile application for both consumers and businesses uses smartphone cameras to scan barcodes. 

A Simple Scan
Mobile barcodes have become increasingly popular among consumers, with small businesses beginning to see the benefits of this "scan-and-receive" consumer mentality. For example:

• AT&T estimates that 44 million people have a scanner app on their mobile device. Of those 44 million, 20 million are active users, meaning they scan from 1-20+ times per month. 
• Further, more than a third of respondents in the AT&T Mobile Marketing Survey have featured mobile barcodes in their marketing materials, with 60% of those having found barcodes to be very or somewhat effective.

AT&T Mobile Barcode Services include:

• AT&T's Code Management Platform allows small businesses to create mobile and manage the associated content. 
• Small businesses can use customized, pre-made templates within the Platform to easily create mobile-optimized web landing pages, which appear on-screen when consumers scan a barcode. Having a mobile-friendly site has helped boost site traffic for many businesses — 48% of the respondents in the AT&T Mobile Marketing Survey point to an increase of 10% to 25% in traffic, while 14% have increased traffic 26% to 50%.
• After creating mobile barcodes, small businesses can use the Platform's powerful reporting tools to gauge the effectiveness of any given mobile marketing campaign. And if users grant permission, businesses can receive demographic and location data from the users' scans. 
• The flexible AT&T Code Management Platform also allows companies to keep content fresh by changing the results of scanning a barcode without replacing the physical codes. 

One unique offering for small to medium-sized advertising, marketing and public relations agencies is the ability to create various accounts within the platform and provide Mobile Barcode Services as an additional service or capability to clients.

Comprehensive Mobile Marketing Portfolio
AT&T's rapidly growing mobile marketing portfolio also includes AT&T Messaging Toolkit and AT&T Mobile Web. AT&T Messaging Toolkit is an all-in-one tool that allows users to create multi-channel campaigns, including voice broadcasts, social media, text messaging and more. Since the beginning of 2012, the number of AT&T Messaging Toolkit customers has increased 14-fold.

For example, Flash of Genius Inc./UpdatePromise.com, a technology provider to the automotive claims and collision repair industries, will be using AT&T Messaging Toolkit to send friendly, daily repair updates to their customers in the form of a text message and/or email. Once the repair is completed, the system will continue to send appropriately timed messages to the customer throughout the first year to help drive referrals and repeat business. 

In addition to the obvious benefits the Messaging Toolkit brings to marketing campaigns, customers are creatively employing it to enhance their customer service. Cabrillo Credit Union, a financial cooperative based in San Diego, Calif., began use of AT&T Messaging Toolkit to help distribute urgent information to customers regarding their accounts.

"A top priority for us is to make sure our Members are well-informed about the status of their accounts," said Frankie Duenas, Chief Technology Officer at Cabrillo Credit Union. "AT&T Messaging Toolkit service offers this capability and helps us reach our Members with the information they want, when and how they prefer it."

For companies that need to develop websites specifically designed for viewing on a mobile device, AT&T Mobile Web can help. AT&T can work from the ground up, or optimize and format an existing website. Mobile Web is part of AT&T Mobile Barcode Services because all barcodes must be directed to a dedicated mobile landing page. It is also available as a standalone service offering.

"Mobile marketing has been a driving force for small business success, and with the explosion of smartphone use, it is more important now than ever for small businesses to actively engage consumers and gain market share by using a variety of mobile platforms," said Chris Hill, Vice President, Advanced Mobility Solutions, AT&T Business and Home Solutions. "AT&T Mobile Marketing solutions enable small businesses to create customized marketing programs and content to help deliver added value to their customers."

AT&T's award-winning portfolio of mobile marketing solutions is designed to heighten the impact of companies' advertising and marketing campaigns. From mobile-optimized websites to comprehensive Mobile Barcode Services, AT&T delivers the tools businesses need to reach customers where it matters – right on their smartphones and tablets.

AT&T will demo its mobile marketing solutions next week at International CTIA WIRELESS 2012, Booth #1357. 

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
**The AT&T Mobile Marketing Survey was conducted online among a representative sample of 301 principals and heads of marketing at companies with 20 to 500 employees in the United States by Bredin Inc. between February 29 and March 6, 2012. The survey had a margin of error of +/-5 percentage points at the 90% level of confidence.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse^® and AT&T │DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. 

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.