Welcome to the June edition of the FAQ blog. The FAQs this month saw a trend: SMS and mobile marketing. Are you curious about either of these topics? Read on to learn more.
How does signup and opt-in work for SMS? How do we get participation?
The signup process for SMS is quite different from other channels, such as email. By using SMS, there isn't a signup form that users have to fill out. Instead, they can opt in for your communications by simply texting in a pre-set keyword to your active shortcode (to learn more about shortcodes, be sure to read this recent blog post).
So, in essence, a user can "signup" for SMS communications by contacting you instead of going through the signup form option, although this is also a valid option to gain SMS signups. Once they have contacted you, that indicates expressed consent that they want to hear from you. What's even better is that since they texted you, their mobile phone number is automatically saved in the SimplyCast CRM.
To get participation for SMS, it is important that you promote that you offer SMS communications. If you're using SMS to offer users a special promotion, have signs in-store telling customers to text you to get a special coupon. You could also include an SMS CTA in your newsletter to get your email subscribers on board. The main thing about using SMS as a marketing and communication channel is that you need to let your audience know that it is an option for them.
Is your system compatible with mobile marketing?
First things first, the term "mobile marketing" is not limited to just SMS! Think about it…how often do you view emails or go to web pages on your mobile device? Even though those things are not mobile-exclusive, they can be accessed on a mobile device so they are a part of mobile marketing.
SimplyCast is very compatible with mobile marketing. Aside from offering SMS and SMS shortcodes, SimplyCast provides mobile optimization for other channels like email and form so that you can make all your communications fit and scale for mobile devices. You can also use SimplyCast 360 to offer your contacts communications through their preferred method of communication. So, if they only want SMS they will only get SMS instead of email or any other channel.
Aside from offering SMS and optimizing other channels for SMS, SimplyCast even offers a voice broadcasting option! This means you can connect to your contacts' mobile phones through the use of voice (calling on a phone…imagine that!).
No matter what option you wish to use in the SimplyCast platform, it is compatible with a strong mobile marketing strategy.
Do you have a burning question you'd like to see answered? Leave it in the comments below!
