The use of SMS marketing has skyrocketed in recent years because of its improvements and affordability as a marketing tool. It’s no wonder that many companies are switching to this medium. Also, customer interaction through SMS is much higher than emails. It has a click-through rate of 36%, while the latter is at 3.4%. This makes SMS an easily accessible, effective channel for your company to use.
While SMS as a marketing channel is simple to use and accessible, it can still be easy to misuse this tool. Here are nine tips that will help you develop an effective SMS marketing campaign to make your current customers happier and keep them coming back for more.
1) Get customers on board before sending messages.
Your first step is getting your subscribers on board. To ensure your messages aren’t marked as spam or sent straight to their trash folders, make sure they opt-in and agree to receive your notifications. You can get them to do this by offering an incentive, like a discount for their next purchase, sending them a link via email and asking them to subscribe, or using a form on your website.
2) Always remember that one size does not fit all.
SMS marketing is most effective when messages are sent to segments of your subscriber base that have specific traits in common, such as their preferences, needs, and buying behaviors. For example, if you are running an eCommerce store, you might want to send a promotional discount to everyone who has purchased shoes in the last three months, or you can target everyone that made their most recent purchase over $100. By creating segments, you’ll get more effective results than sending broadcast messages to all your SMS subscribers.
3) Personalize your message.
If you must use generic templates – keep each message personalized for every recipient. SMS marketing campaigns work best when personalized, just like a direct mail campaign should be. Include information about your customer’s order or previous purchase in the message, their name in your greeting, and greet them with their first name when you introduce yourself. If possible, include a sense of urgency in your campaigns to encourage customers to convert on time rather than losing out on a great offer.
4) Keep messages short.
Present your message in a format that is easy to read and doesn’t require too much attention. Short, concise messages work best because they are fast and convenient. Short messages also encourage customers to open them more often, as opposed to long messages. Keep your message between 110 and 160 characters, if possible. If you need to write more than this, consider sending an MMS instead of an SMS so that people can view it at their convenience.
5) Provide value with every text message.
Don’t send marketing messages that aren’t relevant or helpful for your subscribers, as this will put them off from continuing to engage with your company. Only send promotions, product information, surveys, and new store announcements, as these are things most people will enjoy receiving. Sending too many messages without a purpose will damage your credibility and turn people away from engaging with you in the future.
Offer your subscribers an opportunity to choose what type of information they want to receive from you. This will further assist you in providing valuable information for each message to the people who most want it.
6) Be creative!
Mix up your content with meaningful questions, fun facts, as well as upcoming promotions. The sky’s the limit – it’s all about creativity! Just make sure every message is relevant and helpful for subscribers to encourage them to continue engaging with your brand.
7) Optimize for readability.
Optimize your messages for readability before sending. Some of the ways you can achieve this include:
- Use a larger font size and contrasting colors to make your message easier to read
- Keep sentences short, simple, and straightforward
- Add enough white space between paragraphs and around each element of your design (i.e., text boxes, images)
- Use bullet points to list information, if appropriate; and,
- Choose a suitable typeface for all mobile devices.
8) Monitor channel performance.
Once you begin sending SMS marketing messages, keep an eye on channel performance and activity levels to ensure they accurately reflect your campaign goals. Monitor the number of messages sent, the total number of SMS responses received (i.e., click-throughs, opt-ins), timeliness of customer responses, and overall sales revenue generated by each message. By keeping track of these metrics, you’ll know whether or not your strategies are working and how to take advantage of opportunities when they arise in future campaigns.
9) Test, test, test!
Many variables go into a great SMS marketing campaign, so it’s essential to experiment with different variables until you find the perfect combination for your budget and overall goals. Testing is the only way to determine what works best for you or what wins over customers. Ensure that whatever strategies you select are being tracked properly so that all data collected can be used in future campaigns.
Conclusion
SMS marketing is an excellent way to communicate with current and future customers, but it’s crucial to design personalized, concise, and relevant messages for optimal results. By following these tips, you’ll soon see an increase in customer satisfaction and lead generation! Best of luck with all of your SMS marketing campaigns!
