We would like to notify you that although the GraphicMail software will be available as usual, our UK office will be closed on Monday 25th August as it is a bank holiday.

This means our email, live chat support and the telephone lines will be closed however you can still access help through our Help Center as that has user guides, videos tutorials and help files.

You can access our Help Center here: https://graphicmailuk.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/

Please note, our UK support office will reopen at 9am on Tuesday 26th August.

As Email Marketing has taken center stage it's easy to let SMS take a back seat, however, I would like to remind you why SMS Marketing still deserves to be considered.

So you might be thinking that you need to concentrate on email marketing which is great as email marketing is one of the best ways to connect with your customers, however SMS is also a worthy contender. If you are hosting an event, having a last minute sale, a quick survey or you’d really just like to make sure your message is read then SMS can be a great way to do it.

With the average open rate for SMS being 98% it is easy to see why it has its place. Not only that but according to the wireless industry association CTIA, "it takes 90 minutes for the average person to respond to an email, however it takes 90 seconds for the average person to respond to a text message". Hopefully this reminds you about the benefits of using SMS as a form of communicating with your clients. It's fast, cheap and can get your message read within seconds.

If you decide you haven't tried SMS Marketing yet, or you want to give it another chance then there are some things you should know about conducing an SMS campaign within your GraphicMail account:

• Free Mobile Site - Did you know you can create a free mobile site which can be used to collect data? Whether you own a restaurant and want to push sales during slow times of the day or you'd just like to gather feedback from clients our mobile sites make it easy. You can submit via date, text, numeric values or even customise a drop down menu to be used in your form.

• Insert Personalisation - Although the text messages are to be sent in bulk you can still personalise them. Just like emails you can include the recipients firstname or other important information such as the nearest shop, contact information and much more.

• Reports & Statistics - Want to know how successful your SMS campaign has been? We have retrievable data that can do just that! You can see how many were delivered, received, clicked and easily collect the inputted information from your mobile site.

Although emails are beginning to target mobile users via our Responsive Templates, there is still a huge opportunity for you to communicate via SMS / text messaging. Don't miss out, find out more and start using the 'Mobile' section in your account now.