We see the future of mobile messaging as a multi-pronged approach. While mass messaging will continue to be important, we believe there will be a shift towards more conversational messaging. Fewer people want to make phone calls these days, so engaging with businesses through text messages or other mobile channels can be powerful. Our goal is to provide a platform where businesses can engage with users in the way they prefer. Currently, that means text messaging, but over time, it will likely evolve into more conversational messaging to build strong customer relationships.

What are your thoughts on chatbots on websites and the use of AI in mobile marketing?

Chatbots on websites are great tools, and we actually use one on our own website. They have been instrumental in connecting with people. We see text messaging as a complement to other channels, so email and SMS can coexist. Customers want the ability to communicate with businesses in various ways, whether it's through a website chatbot using AI (which we are currently testing) or other methods. The idea is to provide multiple options for customers to engage and communicate with businesses effectively. A conversation via SMS and oftentimes: You'll start a conversation in one place. And you'll want to move the conversation. As you move to another channel and on. The same context, if possible, so you. Don't have to repeat yourself. That's right, exactly right. And that's one of the trickiest parts. Is, you know, sort of tying all these channels, channels. Together. Is difficult. So that's something that. We're really actively working on, right? How can we make sure that it's a seamless experience? Let me guess, does the AI feature that. You're working on have any way. Of determining context of the conversation. From multiple channels and combining it together into one. And one that's. That's the dream, right? So we're going to start. With some lighter AI features. Right, you know, which, uh, you know, maybe a little bit more familiar. In some of the things that have already launched, right? Can we, um, you know, find ways to tweak a message. Right, to make it more, uh, concise or a little bit longer or change the tone of it? That's pretty sort of basic stuff. How can we help folks craft better messages? Um, that get more engagement. That's really interesting. And we've got something really exciting coming up. That, in that space, in the next couple of days. Actually, which is which is great. And then, um, and then you know, lots of future plans there as well. Yeah, definitely keep us informed with that. We'd love to announce it. For sure. So I guess, you know, in your opinion, what do most businesses get wrong? With their mobile marketing efforts, aside from, you know, just like we mentioned before, throwing a bunch of names on the list and spamming people over and over again? I think that's the number one thing, right? You know, I think because a lot of businesses are really sort of new to text messaging. In a lot of ways, in this implementation anyway. It's, uh, it's sort of very aspirational in the beginning. You do have to give it a little bit of time, right? So you've got to make sure that you're doing those things to build a great opt-in list. And then you give it the time for that list to grow. And that's where you really start to see the engagement come from. Great strategy in the beginning, which involves building a really great compliant list.

And then giving a little bit of time to sort of see that come to life. Um, and then the other thing is maybe not being as valuable to the recipients as you could be, right? Just sending out a text blast, right, is not going to do it. You've got to Building a good opt-in list, uh spamming. People, you know, the basic stuff that everybody should be looking out for when, uh, developing their strategy. Yeah, that's right. That's right. We really, you know, take a strong approach in the beginning to try and help our customers set up a great strategy, right? You know, it's one of the things I think that sort of sets us apart is we've got a really strong team that's been with Simple Texting for a good long while and growing very quickly that sort of sits side by side with the customer and can help walk through what that strategy is like. We really, you know, strong sort of customer support and customer success mentality at the company. Um, to really get our customers set off on the right foot.

I'd love to see if you can maybe expand on, um, some places where people could build their mobile subscriber list. Uh, what's an optimal point to, uh, request somebody to give you this information? Obviously, you know, maybe at the end of an order screen or maybe during the order process, have a little checkbox there to allow you to communicate with people about their order and maybe some marketing promotions. Um, I guess, are there some other examples that you might be able to share that might be broadly applicable to a lot of businesses?

Yeah, that's right. I think those are some of the key ones. If you think about it from, uh, you know, sort of a traditional marketing perspective, the other ones that we see quite often are, um, events or activities, right? That's really common to help drive engagement in events and activities, right? So a sign-up form if people are signing up, you know, for anything, right? Music concert or, uh, you know, volunteering activities, right? So you're going to want to have some, um, you know, sign-up language, whether it be an online form or that checkbox is really key, right? And make it explicit that you're opting in to receive text messages. But, you know, it is all about that list.

Um, and then the other thing too is, uh, there are some slightly different regulations around the sort of more one-on-one style messaging. But the best thing to do is just, you know, make sure that you've got that opt-in covered in the beginning. So this could be for appointment reminders or delivery notifications or anything there. That's great.

So, uh, we'd love to, you know, dig a little bit deeper and, uh, learn more about your company and how it got founded. You know, more of the backstory, I guess, here.

Yeah, you bet. So, um, I actually joined Simple Texting about, uh, six years ago, uh, almost to the day, exactly. So the company's been around a little bit longer than that. So I started working very closely with a couple of the founders. Um, like I said, the company was founded originally in about 2009. Uh, the founders had been in sort of the email space and said, you know, hey, look, this text messaging thing seems to be interesting, right? So started to sort of pivot a little from that email path into SMS. And, uh, it's a good thing they did, right? I think that, you know, Simple Texting's a really exciting platform and spent, you know, a number of years sort of growing it in the beginning and bringing in some really exciting clients. And then over the last six years, we've really grown the business. We were actually acquired by another company called Cinch, which is a very large. Question from the audience. Sure, I'll be happy to help answer the question from the audience.

Audience Question: "How do you manage these teams?"

Managing teams effectively involves various aspects, but here are a few key considerations:

Clear Communication: Maintain open and transparent communication channels within the team. Ensure everyone understands their roles, responsibilities, and goals. Regularly share updates, provide feedback, and encourage team members to communicate their ideas and concerns.

Empowerment and Trust: Trust your team members' abilities and empower them to make decisions and take ownership of their work. Delegate tasks based on individual strengths and provide the necessary support and resources for success.

Collaboration and Teamwork: Foster a collaborative environment where team members can work together, share knowledge, and leverage each other's expertise. Encourage teamwork and promote a culture of mutual respect, support, and appreciation.

Goal Setting and Performance Evaluation: Set clear goals and objectives for the team, aligned with the organization's overall vision and strategy. Regularly assess individual and team performance, provide constructive feedback, and recognize achievements. Offer opportunities for growth and development. Conflict Resolution: Address conflicts or issues within the team promptly and constructively. Encourage open dialogue, active listening, and empathy. Mediate conflicts when necessary and promote a positive and inclusive work environment.

Continuous Improvement: Foster a culture of learning and growth by encouraging team members to enhance their skills and knowledge. Provide training opportunities, promote innovation, and continuously seek ways to improve team processes and performance.

Remember, effective team management requires adaptability and understanding individual differences. Tailor your approach based on the unique dynamics of your team, and always be open to feedback and suggestions for improvement.

Here, let me show you. Yeah, okay, so I realized that they allow their employees to work from home. As a CEO, how do you manage these teams? And also, what's your take on remote working?

That's a great question, actually. It's a really great question. Um, I should have brought that up earlier myself, but yeah, you know, we've actually been remote since day one, I think, which gave us a sort of, certainly a leg up. Um, you know, for us, it's a very open environment. So we use Slack, right? You know, we have for basically ever, I think. And our teams communicate there, a lot of freedom to get out there and do the very best work you can. But then also, some really clear expectations, I think, is important. Right? So we use internally what they call the EOS or Entrepreneurial Operating System to help align our teams around goals and the work that needs to be done on a weekly and quarterly basis, similar to OKR framework. And that's been really helpful for us as our team has grown, just to make sure that we stay connected. We can set those high-level goals for the business and make sure that everybody else is aware of them throughout the organization.

That's great. Yeah, a lot of companies are still trying to figure out remote work. Our company itself is pretty spread out, so we have myself in New York and the rest of the team in San Francisco, Mexico, and a bunch of Europe as well. It's been interesting managing that, but we've been really effective so far. I think COVID kind of forced us to think outside of the box on that one.

Yeah, that's right. It's something that does take work. It doesn't happen naturally. Like, you do have to be thoughtful about it, whether it be the tools that you use, how you time meetings. So, um, I think you kind of have to sit back and look at all the things that are happening. If you are not remote and going remote, what are the things that you can do to make sure that you have fully empowered teams to do great work but stay connected to the business?

Totally agree. Well, thanks again, Sean. Anybody interested in this product, please do check it out today in the B2B SaaS Marketplace. And stay tuned over the next couple of days. They have a really exciting announcement. So head over to their LinkedIn page and give them a like and a follow for their upcoming announcement. Once again, thank you for coming in today, Sean, and everybody else for joining Nacho Tuesday. We'll be back again next week.

Thanks so much, Andy. Really great chatting with you today. I appreciate it. You too, Sean. Thank you. All right, cheers. Bye.