As times change, so do the ways of marketing. One way marketing is changing is through the use of mobile phones. Being able to go directly to customer and market to them has never been easier thanks to phones. SMS marketing has become a valuable tool for businesses to stay top of mind with their loyal customers.
SMS marketing is where you use text messaging to send an SMS message to one or more contacts at once in an effort to have them engage with your company in one way or another. It is a low-cost form of marketing and has a very high rate of interaction, making it highly effective. This type of marketing is perfect for helping to build and maintain strong customer relationships. It also helps you get important information you want to specific contacts in an almost immediate fashion.
Not leveraging SMS marketing may lead you to miss out on building these connections with your customers, along with preventing you from adapting to how marketing is changing with the new generation of consumers. To help you on your SMS marketing journey and to make sure you are reaching your full potential, here are 10 ways to help you make the most effective SMS campaign possible.
1. Short and concise messages
Mass SMS messages can only contain up to 140 characters – any more, and you may be charged more money by the service you are using. This is not a bad thing though. It just means you need to make your message concise and straight to the point – which means your customer will be more likely to read and engage with it. People generally do not want to read a lot of information at once or get spammed with multiple notifications, so making sure you get your message across quickly and effectively is a win-win situation all around.
2. Offer incentives
Ensure your subscribers remain interested and engaged with your company (and that they will want to continue receiving SMS messages from you) by offering them something such as coupons or deals in your SMS messages. This will make them more inclined to interact with you and everyone loves a good deal.
3. Add hyperlinks
If you just send a bland text-only SMS message with nothing for your recipients to do or engage with, people are more likely to ignore the message. Include a hyperlink to your website or social media pages, or a new product or service that’s included in a sale. This will make people more likely to pay attention to the messages you send, along with helping you drive traffic to your business.
4. Create urgency
To get people to interact more or act fast, include an expiry date of any deals offered. Make coupons expire or sales last for only a few days. This will make people more likely to respond and take advantage of the offers for fear of missing out on something good.
5. Promote exclusive offers
When having a sale or giving away a coupon, make it exclusive to those who are receiving the SMS message. People will feel that they are a part of something special, which leads them to feel like they are important and valued customers. It will also make others want to subscribe to your SMS messages as well, if they know that there’s a level of exclusivity.
6. Send at right time
Make sure that when you send out your SMS message campaigns that you are sending at an appropriate time, not too early and not too late. The best times to send SMS messages are between 9:00AM and 5:00PM with noon being the most optimal time for sending, as a lot of people tend to scroll through their phones during their lunch breaks.
7. Ask questions or use surveys
Another way to get customers more engaged with your company is to ask them questions or ask for feedback. For example, you can ask them how they have enjoyed a specific product they purchased or what they would change about it. This will help you see how your customers are enjoying your products and whether there is anything you can do to improve them.
8. Personalize the texts
People love when something is directed specifically to them as it makes them feel like they are being thought of. So, personalize your SMS messages with the use of merge tags which you can use to add their names, purchase history, and much more. By sending them information that is targeted to them, it will help retain a loyal customer base.
9. Target different demographics
Since you are sending messages directly to mobile phones, it is wise to remember that those from the younger generations are the prime demographic for this type of marketing, though this is not always the case. So, it is important to pay attention to your different consumer demographics and find ways to target them to expand your market area and reach more customers.
10. Direct to social media
Since people are already looking at your SMS messages on their phones, remember to direct them to your social media pages so they can explore more of your company. You can better engage with customers using social media in a more casual manner, which can make them more likely to become even stronger and more loyal customers.
Ready to try SMS marketing?
These 10 tips will go a long way to helping you make an effective SMS campaign, allowing you to build those stronger connections with your existing customers and prospects.
Interested in trying SMS marketing software? SimplyCast’s SMS Marketing Software helps you make professional SMS campaigns with little to no coding knowledge all from your computer. Want to see for yourself? Click the button below to request a one-on-one demo and get in touch with a SimplyCast team member today!
