Southwest Airlines is offering a sweepstake where one lucky family will win a trip for four to California’s Disneyland. In the Southwest Airlines and Parental Guidance sweepstakes, the only apparent way to enter is to visit the sweepstake web page and complete the form. The entry form is simple and all it asks for is your first name, last name, email and date of birth (to ensure you’re 18 years of age). But mobile users are out of luck, because the site is not mobile optimized.
If Southwest Airlines is targeting families and travel consumers on the go, it is limiting it’s reach by not offering a mobile optimized entry form or a text-in entry system, where potential participants can send a text message and begin the entry process. Something as simple as “Text PG to 65047 to enter” would be sufficient and effective. Since the airline is only requesting basic information to enter, a text-in “call to action” that responds with a link to a mobile-optimized form would facilitate the entry process tremendously. It would also open up the sweepstakes to gain more entries from mobile users.
Southwest Airlines would benefit from capturing not only the entrant’s contact information and email, but also the most important number in a customer’s life…their mobile phone.