Mobile Website With SMS Integration (Optimized For Restaurants and Realtors)

[imprint]

Hello,

I'm in the process of creating a complete Mobile Website Platform and recently decided to add SMS integration into using the Twilio platform. I'll be using this own platform to power my offline clients and any I find during my case study. I'll be using PHP, and the CodeIgniter framework with a dash of jQuery to complete the project.

This will have an Administrator Control Panel, which gives you master control of all the sites, the ability to create a new site (3 Types: Realtor, Restaurant and Basic), or the ability to edit a clients site for them all in one control panel.

It will also have a Client Control Panel that will allow your client to maintain their own website. They will also be able to manage any SMS marketing IF they pay for that service.

Features:

• Generic Page
  • Example: About Us, Mission Page, Etc.
• Location Page
  • Google Maps
  • Ability To Enter Visitors Current Address and Get Step by Step Directions To Business
• Coupon Page
  • Offer Multiple Coupons
• Event
  • Display all company events coming up
• Menu (Restaurants Only)
  • Sub Menus
• Table Reservations (Restaurants Only)
  • Through The Mobile Site AND SMS
• Listings (Realtors Only)
  • Easily list houses/apartments up for rent/sale

Now, where this platform is really unique is that it'll integrate SMS marketing into the system.

How I plan on it working:

Restaurants will be able to create SMS coupons to gain subscriptions, but people will also be able to text in to reserve a table (i.e. 'Table for 3 at 5:00 PM'). All reservations are sent to an email or phone and then they can check it on their platform.

Realtors will be able to use the SMS in order to supply more information to someone that is looking at a house. So, say someone pulls off the side of the road and sees a house for sale, and they want more information, they simply text the keyword (Which could be anything, but the address makes the most since) to the number and receive more information.

If you guys have any suggestions on what features you want, feel free to chime in. And as promised, this will be posted in the Members Download section later for all of BHW to use!

Thanks,
Imprint

 

[Moneymaker13]

That is awesome! I'm so excited! How long do you think it'll be till released? Any demo we can see?

So this will be through Twilio? Sweet!

Thanks for giving back, the coolest thing I would suggest is just to make it easy to edit and everything easy to read on the mobile phone, simple as that and modern.

 

[imprint]

That is awesome! I'm so excited! How long do you think it'll be till released? Any demo we can see?

So this will be through Twilio? Sweet!

Thanks for giving back, the coolest thing I would suggest is just to make it easy to edit and everything easy to read on the mobile phone, simple as that and modern.

I'm aiming before Monday, but this is a pretty big task. I'll add demos once I get that particular section (Theres 3: Admin, Client, Website) completed.

Yes, this will be through Twilio, haven't worked with them before, but it looks pretty easy (famous words ) and their documentation is definitely there incase I run into any problems.

You'll be able to drop your Twilio information into the Admin settings, and from there you can buy businesses more telephone numbers, etc. It'll be setup so each business gets it's own telephone number (Which is only $1 a month). This platform should bring $XXX / month from each client, easily (If they are doing SMS marketing).

Administrator Section (Managing Clients):

You'll be able to customize the header (Not shown) and footer through the configuration file. Which will ripple through the whole site both Administrator and Client Control Panels.
​

 

[Persistent]

HI, do you have any idea how much you'll charge for that?

 

[imprint]

HI, do you have any idea how much you'll charge for that?

It'll be released to the BHW community for free.

Want to show off a feature that'll be in it though, just more of an 'ahhhh' effect for the clients. But anyways, when you are creating the site and/or updating the theme, you'll see an iPhone and an example website (that is definitely NOT the mobile website) where when you change any theme colors, it'll automatically update it on the right hand side so you can see what it looks like before saving.

It will also insert the logo if you upload one.

But it's been a long night of coding, so I'm going to catch some sleep.
​

 

[bokkler]

Looks great! I cant use it as i am in europe..... but still awsome!

 

[.:mAestro:.]

I can't wait to see this in action I'm following your both threads now. Great, great job for now imprint!

 

[Virtualprops]

Wow this looks really good. I was curious to know if there is some way for other folks to use it who aren't using twilio as the SMS platform?

 

[judson]

This would be great. I am definitely interested, although I am not in the US.

What features?

One killer feature would have been to have this integrating into WordPress. WordPress is already a great CMS for powering small business sites, and having the ability to bolt on these features as a plugin would have been awesome.

Another reason for the WP recommendation, is that you begin to integrate everything, main site, mobile site, twitter, facebook pages, AND mobile/SMS under one roof.

It gets hairy trying to maintain (and secure), multiple versions of the client site.

 

[srb888]

"Free for BHW" ~ Sweet thinking! +Rep.

 

[osho619]

i like it thanks

 

[jcwinter]

Between what you are developing and what one other BHW member is developing I don't know which of both of your platforms to use for my clients!

When will yours be out and ready to go?

How is your mobile website tool going to be different than the other one that is about to get released by the other BHW member here in a day or two?

 

[imprint]

I can't wait to see this in action I'm following your both threads now. Great, great job for now imprint!

"Free for BHW" ~ Sweet thinking! +Rep.

Thanks guys.

Wow this looks really good. I was curious to know if there is some way for other folks to use it who aren't using twilio as the SMS platform?

It would be a lot of extra work to recode everything for another providers API, any particular reason you wouldn't want to use Twilio?

Looks great! I cant use it as i am in europe..... but still awsome!

You'd still be able to use the mobile part of it, just unfortunantly not the SMS marketing part but last I heard SMS marketing wasn't too hot over there?

This would be great. I am definitely interested, although I am not in the US.

What features?

One killer feature would have been to have this integrating into WordPress. WordPress is already a great CMS for powering small business sites, and having the ability to bolt on these features as a plugin would have been awesome.

Another reason for the WP recommendation, is that you begin to integrate everything, main site, mobile site, twitter, facebook pages, AND mobile/SMS under one roof.

It gets hairy trying to maintain (and secure), multiple versions of the client site.

Features are listed in the first post, plus any additional ones I think of to add, or that are suggested. The platform will still work even without being in the US, you just couldn't use the Twilio (SMS Marketing) part, so I guess I'll include an option to disable that throughout the site.

I doubt I'll integrate it into Wordpress, there is an SMS plugin out there that works with Twilio, don't know how good though. And I know there are some pretty good plugins for the rest of the features.

Between what you are developing and what one other BHW member is developing I don't know which of both of your platforms to use for my clients!

When will yours be out and ready to go?

How is your mobile website tool going to be different than the other one that is about to get released by the other BHW member here in a day or two?

Mine will be out as soon as I can get it done, I'm aiming for beginning of next week.

I'm not looking to compete with any other ones, the main reason I am coding one, is because I like to code and I like to have a custom platform where I can add features easier since it's my code, releasing it to the BHW is just a little way of me giving back. Regardless of whatever platform you choose, no hard feelings .

But if you wanted a comparison there are a couple key points. Mine will be released free to the community, and last time I heard, he was selling his, not 100% sure because like he said it wasn't a sales thread but a suggestion one. Another one is that mine will have the features for multi-tier menus (For resturaunts), and also it'll be able to have a listing features (For realtors) because I see those two markets as huge in potential. The basic features of a mobile site (Generic Pages, Gallery, Hours, Locations, etc.) I think we both match on that part, I do have some more odds and ends on mine though. But the big additional feature is the SMS marketing, if a client isn't signed up for it, it'll still be displayed on their pages and list different stats and other things to try to upsale them, which means you could easily pocket another $100 - $??? a month.

 

[comparco]

This looks awesome imprint. I have been looking at getting into Qrcodes-facebook-SMS marketing for local clients for some time but no one platform seems to manage them all.
The biggest drawback (for me) is most are based on Twilio which is US only (for SMS).
You mentioned in another thread that you werent going to opt for twilio and preferred txt180. I know that with the lead gathering and a customer controll panel, I dont need to go local but I would dearly love to find something that could tap into this "untapped " market here.
Many thanks for all your work.

 

[bokkler]

Excellent. An additional feature to customize the mobile site theme would be awsome. By uploading a background image to match their desktop website for example.

 

[jcwinter]

Thanks for drawing the comparisons for me that is very helpful in making a decision as to what script to use.

2 more questions. Will there be one admin login and from that admin we can create as many mobile sites as we want without having to manually create subfolders and reinstall the script each time?

One of the options out there right now requires that and is a pain in the but.

So it would look something like m mycompanydomain joeplumbing, m my companydomain sarahsjewelers, etc.?

Also, how difficult would it be to setup a twilio integration for the contact form for those businesses like contractors plumbers etc where it is better to be notified immediately if there is a lead interested in their business. So basically have the option to as soon as someone fills out the contact us form to have a text message sent to a certain phone number in addition to having an email with that contact info sent to a certain email address?

Just an idea for you as that would be a way to really speak to the needs of businesses that are more lead driven like that instead of just restaurants and realtors.

 

[imprint]

Excellent. An additional feature to customize the mobile site theme would be awsome. By uploading a background image to match their desktop website for example.

Already have that feature covered bokkler irate:.

Thanks for drawing the comparisons for me that is very helpful in making a decision as to what script to use.

2 more questions. Will there be one admin login and from that admin we can create as many mobile sites as we want without having to manually create subfolders and reinstall the script each time?

One of the options out there right now requires that and is a pain in the but.

So it would look something like m mycompanydomain joeplumbing, m my companydomain sarahsjewelers, etc.?

Also, how difficult would it be to setup a twilio integration for the contact form for those businesses like contractors plumbers etc where it is better to be notified immediately if there is a lead interested in their business. So basically have the option to as soon as someone fills out the contact us form to have a text message sent to a certain phone number in addition to having an email with that contact info sent to a certain email address?

Just an idea for you as that would be a way to really speak to the needs of businesses that are more lead driven like that instead of just restaurants and realtors.

Yes, there are three sections to the platform, the Administrator Control Panel, which will be or you, which allows you to setup and manage multiple sites all from one control panel. The second section is the Client Control Panel where they'll be able to maintain their own site, and the last section is of course the Mobile Website itself. You won't have to upload any files except the first time when you're installing the script, the rest will be managed by the platform.

I'll try to K.I.S.S (Keep It Simply Stupid) Twilio as much as I can because I want to spend as little time as I can setting things up . Anyways, the way I have it setup is where, you'll be buying a Twilio account and all businesses run through that account. So, setting up a new client for SMS Marketing would be as easy as buying a number, and I can do lead generation to SMS. Though I don't think I'll be using Twilio, because you can simply email those to a phone number (You'll have to enter a number and the carrier) but that'll save you money as Twilio charges a penny for every incoming OR outgoing SMS or phone call. So, for one client that gets 10 leads a month, it isn't that expensive, but were planning for the future and if you get a hundred or more clients doing a small amount a month, it'll add up.

So in short , yes I can do the contact form to notify via SMS.

This looks awesome imprint. I have been looking at getting into Qrcodes-facebook-SMS marketing for local clients for some time but no one platform seems to manage them all.
The biggest drawback (for me) is most are based on Twilio which is US only (for SMS).
You mentioned in another thread that you werent going to opt for twilio and preferred txt180. I know that with the lead gathering and a customer control panel, I dont need to go local but I would dearly love to find something that could tap into this "untapped " market here.
Many thanks for all your work.

Yeah, I originally wasn't going to go with Twilio, but the more I thought about it, I think it'll be a better sale to leads, especially since I want to sale SMS marketing over anything else because that's the biggest money maker.

If you can find a provider similar to Twilio that offers an API for the Europe region, I'll be more than happy to at least check it out and see what we can get going for ya.

 

[PitchBlack*]

+Rep for posting this for free man. All that hardwork. Thanks for this.

 

[adsbg]

Ref: European Provider -
Can I recommend textmarketer dot co dot uk
I have no affiliation just remember seeing a WP pluging that used both twilio & textmarketeer to achieve the same thing on a static website.
Hope this helps you.

Neil H

 

[bokkler]

So sorry for the 20 questions imprint (maybe someone else can answer this instead) but i was just wondering this:

in the case of realtors how many listings could a mobile site handle without becoming too slow to load? all those images take a lot of space, i would think.

would you set a limit to the amount of listings the client can place at any given time? or is there another way to handle this?