Crazy for Mobile Deals A unique purveyor of pastries relies on Fanminder to blast text message offers and discounts to its followers.

Psycho Donuts needed a marketing approach that was as unconventional as its business. The Campbell, Calif., shop specializes in over-the-top doughnut delicacies such as its Cocoa Loco, Marble Madness and Nutella the Hun, all served up by cashiers wearing nurse uniforms. To appeal to the young, hip sugar fiends that make up the sweet spot of its clientele, the shop turned to Fanminder, a mobile marketing platform that lets small businesses send text-message discounts and special offers to customers who opt in.

For Psycho Donuts owner and "chief psycho" Jordan Zweigoron, Fanminder offers something social media platforms like Twitter don't: a direct channel between merchants and customers that rewards consumer loyalty.