As effective as radio is, there are still some obstacles in regards to consumer response. In some cases, when hearing an advertisement, potential customers can’t write down the number or remember it later. Texting laws are also limiting customer’s abilities to type on their phones while driving.

#250, a mobile speed dialing service, is providing an easier response method that is hoping to capture more leads for your advertisement. According to their website, “#250 (pound two-fifty) is a speed dial that works right now on virtually all mobile phones in the US and Canada.  Advertisers use it as a replacement for long phone numbers that consumers cannot remember when heard in Radio or TV ads.”

This form of mobile media marketing is extremely effective, as it requires simply remembering a keyword, instead of a whole slew of numbers. By punching in just 4 digits (#250) and stating the keyword mentioned in the advertisement, consumers will be directed right to the business’ call center, website or retail page.  It is also Bluetooth friendly, so you can say the keyword and are connected immediately. Hands free, being the safest driving option, is a huge part of #250’s campaign.

So far, the response has been excellent.

KC Campbell, Western Region Affiliate, said that “clients in LA have seen as much as an 86% increase in their calls in the first month.” Some companies have had to staff up to handle the call volume.

Businesses can choose their own keywords as well. This factor is “unique to each individual client,” said Campbell. So instead of hearing an ad on TV or radio that prompts you to call “1-800-GET-THIN,” customers simply dial #250 and say the keyword “Get Thin.”

And as far as performance tracking, they have that covered too.

“We can see we got “x” amount of calls and there is empirical proof of it because we have the numbers and times that these calls went through.” This allows data to be very specific, as you can see the duration of the call or if a text message was accepted.

Mobile marketing media, like #250, has a great possibility of making radio work more efficiently. With more response options and an easier method of remembering your product, consumers will most likely be responding faster and in greater volumes.

That is the main goal, anyway.