What are some tips to leverage the power of SMS Marketing?

While some businesses see SMS marketing as a side project, others completely include it into their business strategy.

Here are some ideas and tips to help you make the most of SMS marketing if you’ve already committed to it.

Form a Marketing Team for SMS

Big bulk SMS marketing initiatives aren’t do-it-yourself projects. To get the most out of your digital marketing plan, you’ll need a range of knowledgeable experts (Open Link in new window). A coordinator for on-location signs, an expert in SMS marketing programs, a retail specialist, digital creative designers, social media specialists, a promotions specialist, a ROI and discount budget analyzer, and more may be needed for one or a few of these positions.

The marketing team must collaborate closely and communicate often on goals, tactics, and execution, as these areas require coordination and the timetable for SMS is becoming increasingly pressing. The advantages of having a more comprehensive SMS team will be higher.

Recognize Your Clientele

Apps for CRM (Customer Relationship Management) may be used to gauge how effective your communications are. Visit our comprehensive guide to learn more about the top CRMs on the market (Open Link in new window).

To ensure that you are reaching the correct customers with the proper messaging, analyze purchase history and location-based demographics. If you own a cosmetics brand, don’t send a twenty-year-old who lives in Boston an anti-wrinkle cream coupon for your Houston store.

Divide up your clientele to offer focused marketing. Send out mass notifications about generic deals and promotions that are open to everyone, anywhere.

Compose Messages That Are Clear

To summarize, you have 160 characters to convey your ideas. Try to finish it in less time. Make sure the writing is in plain English and the message is succinct and clear. Steer clear of all capitals, emojis, and acronyms.

Use closed-ended messages only. An invitation to a sale that includes no information about when the sale finishes is an example of an open-ended communication. The duration—a day or a month—is unknown to the customer. Giving customers a deadline for a sale or adding an expiration date to a coupon increases the likelihood that they will take action since you’ve provided them with sufficient information and motivation.

Employ Call-to-Action Buttons

These buttons encourage readers to interact with your SMS marketing messages. You want them to be involved, to appreciate the messages you send, to read them, respond to them, and take appropriate action. That’s precisely what you want from them.

These are some successful call-to-actions:

Display this text: One simple and efficient strategy to encourage clients to participate in your offer is to ask them to display the text in order to receive a discount. “Show this text for 50% off your dinner tonight,” as an example.

Click this:  There are situations when your SMS message won’t fit all your consumer will need to know. Perhaps you want to provide a link to a map, a video, or your website with further information since you are organizing an event. In that instance, a link to the required information will be provided via a “Click here” button.

Text to Win:  Many clients would be eager to try their luck at winning a gift or reward from your business. Encouraging customers to text in order to participate in the contest boosts customer engagement. In the absence of a sale or event, Text-to-Win campaigns serve as a useful tool for reminding clients of your business.

Vote via Text: Use smartphone surveys to ask consumers about your business’s performance in areas such as pricing, quality of products, customer service, and more.

Acquire right away: The ideal call to action button for focused messaging is this one. To make it simpler for a consumer to complete a transaction, you may send them a text message with a “Buy now” button marketing a product you know they frequently buy.

Choose the Correct Timing

Immediacy is key to SMS. Message opening takes three minutes on average (Open Link in new window). The best responses from customers to SMS-promoted events, deals, and promotions come from spontaneous last-minute purchases.

Send the message Friday afternoon if your store opening is on Friday night. Send out any supper promotions toward the end of the workday, rather than first thing in the morning, if your business offers them.

Don’t send out communications too late at night or too early in the morning to avoid stepping on any loose ends. The hours that work are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Extend the reach of your SMS scheduling by utilizing prior interactions to determine the optimal time to text a certain person. Beyond geography and demographics, this ultra-targeting tailors your advertising to maximize outcomes.

Encourage Opt-In in All Media

Providing clients with the opportunity to opt-in at every point of interaction is the most effective approach to do this:

Social Networks: When someone signs up for your Facebook page, provide a “Mobile Number” box and a “Opt-in” button so they may join your SMS campaign.

webpage. Ensure that your website prominently displays the SMS opt-in option as a newsletter. Make sure your newsletter has an SMS opt-in option.

Point of sale: Ensure that staff members are inquiring if clients like to receive SMS texts about special offers and promotions.

snail mail. Make sure to publish instructions for SMS opt-in on any coupons or promotional mail you send by postal mail.

Whatever type of business you run, you can make the most out of your SMS campaign by investing in an SMS-specific sales marketing team, spending time developing impactful messages, researching your target audience, and publicizing your campaign through your company’s media.