What is SMS Marketing?
So how to do SMS marketing effectively? We’ll cover the essentials of text message marketing, including best practices and examples from leading brands, to help you use this channel to engage and convert more customers.
SMS marketing is a form of digital communication that allows businesses to send short text-based messages to mobile phones. It’s an effective way to communicate with people on their terms — when it suits them.
Best SMS Marketing Tools
So you might be wondering, “How can I use SMS marketing?” Businesses can send text messages to prospects and customers to increase brand awareness, boost engagement, and even generate sales.
There are many tools available online that help businesses create their own SMS campaigns. Some examples include TextNow, Twilio and others.
The good news is that these services make creating an SMS campaign easy. The bad news is they also make it very tempting to skip some important steps.
Here are three things every business should know before sending any type of SMS marketing message.
Know Your Target Audience
The following SMS marketing tips are designed to help you get the most out of your mobile phone. They’re not just for beginners, but they can be applied by anyone who wants a better understanding and control over their messages.
Why Use Text Messages For Businesses?
There are many reasons why companies choose to use text messages as part of their communications strategy:
• They can be sent quickly and cheaply. • The cost per message is low compared to email or social media campaigns
SMS marketing can be an effective way for businesses to reach their customers in a cost-effective manner. However, it is important that you know how to use SMS effectively and avoid common mistakes so your messages are read by the right people at the right time. This article will help you understand what makes up successful SMS campaigns as well as some of the most common errors made when sending out text messages.
What Makes Up Successful SMS Campaigns?
There are many different factors which make up a successful SMS campaign. The first thing to consider is who you want to send your message to. If you’re targeting consumers then they should have access to mobile phones or other devices with internet connectivity. You also need to ensure that there isn’t any geographical restrictions on where your target audience lives. For example, if you’re trying to get more business from Australia but only live in New Zealand then this could cause problems. It may not seem like much but these small details can really affect whether or not your message gets delivered successfully.
The second factor to take into account is the content of your message itself. Your message needs to include something relevant to your target market. In addition, it has to be short enough to fit within the 160 character limit imposed by most networks. Finally, it must contain information about your product or service that would interest them.
How To Avoid Common Mistakes When Sending Out Text Messages
Once you’ve got all of those things covered then you just need to think about timing. There are two main ways to do this: either set a schedule for when you plan to send your messages or send one every day. Both methods work equally well depending on your situation.
Batching – Batch scheduling allows you to choose specific times throughout the week when you wish to send your messages. By doing this you can save money because you won’t pay per individual message sent. Instead, you’ll simply pay once for each batch of messages.
Daily Scheduling – With daily scheduling you don’t have to worry about setting aside specific days to send your messages. All you need to do is decide when you want to start sending them and leave it until the next morning. Then repeat the process over again the following day.
It’s worth noting that both options come with pros and cons. On the plus side, batching means you can spread your costs across multiple weeks rather than paying for each individual message. Daily scheduling doesn’t require you to spend extra time planning ahead though. As long as you remember to check your phone regularly then you shouldn’t run into too many issues.
If you’d prefer to learn more about how to create great SMS campaigns then please feel free to contact us today! We offer affordable rates and excellent customer support. Our team members are always happy to answer questions and provide advice whenever needed.
1.) Offer incentives.
John Boitnott, Journalist and digital consultant @jboitnott If you’re trying to promote your product to the world and grow your business, you have no choice but to market to audiences on mobile devices. 2.) Use short messages.
3.) Send multiple messages per day.
4.) Include links to social media pages.
5.) Ask questions about their experience.
6.) Provide information they need.
7.) Make sure your message includes a call-to-action.
8.) Be creative!
9.) Keep track of what works best for each customer segment.
10.) Test different messaging strategies over time.
11.) Don’t be afraid to
2.) Have a clear call-to-action.
John Boitnott, Journalist and digital consultant @jboitnott If you’re trying to promote your product to the world and grow your business, you have no choice but to market to audiences on mobile phones. With only 160 characters to use, ensure your message is to-the-point and delivers high value so your customer is motivated to respond positively.
Your text should be concise and direct. Make sure to include links to landing pages or other resources that will entice your audience into taking action.
3.) Use emoticons.
Emoticons make texting more fun and personal. They also convey emotion better than words alone. For example: “I’m sorry!” vs. “Sorry!”
5.) Include images.
Images add personality and intrigue to any type of marketing campaign.
4.) Encourage your customers via texts.
John Boitnott, Journalist and digital consultant @jboitnott If you’re trying to promote your product to the world and grow your business, you have no choice but to market to audiences on mobile devices. With only 160 characters to use, ensure your message is to-the-point and delivers high value so your customer is motivated to respond positively.
You can even include YouTube URLs, giving your customers a visual about your business.
Customers love receiving personalized responses from businesses. Use this tactic to encourage repeat purchases, referrals, or other actions. For example, if someone buys $100 worth of products, offer a discount when they buy another item. Or, give away free shipping after every purchase.
5.) Send special offers.
Offering discounts or promotions during certain times of day will increase engagement. Customers appreciate knowing what their options are before deciding whether to engage with your brand.
6.) Ask questions.
Asking open ended questions allows people to share stories and opinions in response to your question. This gives them an opportunity to connect emotionally with your company. It’s important to ask relevant questions because it shows interest in your target audience.
For instance, “What do you like most about our website?” versus “How did you find out about us?”. The latter is much less likely to get answered.
You can even include YouTube URLs, giving your customers a visual about your business.
Sending a reminder when someone hasn’t responded after 24 hours will encourage them to get back to you sooner rather than later.
7.) Use location services.
Location data allows mobile marketers to target their audience based on specific locations. For example, if you sell products related to travel, you could offer discounts to people near airports. Or, if you run a restaurant, you might be able to reach more potential patrons by sending offers to nearby restaurants.
8.) Send targeted relevant content.
If you want to send messages that resonate with your audience, consider targeting them based on interests, demographics, behaviors, etc. You can then tailor your messaging accordingly.
9.) Offer incentives for sharing.
People enjoy being rewarded for doing things they already care about. Offering rewards such as coupons, giveaways, or exclusive deals encourages social media users to spread the word about your brand.
10.) Be creative.
The best way to stand out among competitors is through creativity.
11. Less is More
So how to do SMS marketing effectively? We’ll cover the essentials of text message marketing, including best practices and examples from leading brands, to help you use this channel to engage and convert more customers.
Let’s start with a simple SMS marketing definition.
Keep your texts brief. Texts should not exceed 160 characters. This includes spaces, punctuation, and capitalization. If you need to break up long sentences into multiple shorter ones, consider using emojis instead.
12. Use Shortcodes
Short codes make texting easier than typing out numbers. They also allow you to create custom messages without having to pay extra per character. You can find free short codes through companies like Twilio and Google Voice.
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