SMS MARKETING
If you think that SMS marketing is dead, you need to think again.
A report by Ofcom showed that Brits check their phone every 12 minutes. In the age of smartphones, people keep their phones close by. Whether it is to check their social media or look for information - whatever the reasons, their phones are never too far away.
That's great news for marketers.
Although there are many marketers who believe that SMS requires a big investment, cannot be personalised, and doesn't have a solid ROI, that is actually not true.
Here's why you should use SMS marketing.
What Is SMS marketing?
SMS marketing is all about sending promotional offers and personalised messages via text - providing a user has given you consent.
It is a quick, direct and easy way to reach your customer, no matter where they are in the world.
Five billion people have a mobile phone connection, so the potential global reach is enormous. (https://venturebeat.com/2017/06/13/5-billion-people-now-have-a-mobile-phone-connection-according-to-gsma-data/) One advantage of SMS marketing is that people don't need to have smartphones.
This gives you a vast opportunity to engage with your target audience.
SMS marketing gives you a direct line of communication between you and your customer.
But to get it right, you need to get creative.
Why Use SMS Marketing?
SMS marketing is underappreciated. So much so, that marketers tend to focus on email marketing and other social media platforms.
But, guess what?
Open rates for text messages are exceptionally high at 98% - that's astronomical!
If that wasn't convincing enough, here are a few more advantages of using SMS marketing.
Increases engagement. 90% of text messages are read within three minutes of being received. This sets the perfect environment for you to deliver your offer with a high success rate.
Squishes the email marketing loop. Email marketing is a great marketing strategy. But, it is more long-term and the major downside is that emails can go unread for days.
Multiple usages. For businesses, SMS marketing can be used to send out offers, alerts, news, competition, appointments, password confirmation etc.
Businesses of all sizes can use it. Whether you run a large business or a small local one, businesses of all sizes can use it.
No bounces. As long as you have your users consent, your text will always deliver. Even if their phone is off and they have no connection. Once it is back on and connected your message will be received.
Marketing Tips On Using SMS Marketing
The savviest marketers like yourself will know that using a mix of marketing channels is
the best way to reach your goals.
SMS marketing works really well alongside email marketing. If an email fails to deliver, you can rely on SMS to deliver the same message.
Here a few more tips on how you can leverage the power the SMS marketing.
Know your customer. Using CRM software will help you better manage your customer database.
You can analyse history and demographics to make sure you are sending out the right message to the right customer.
Be clear. You only have a certain amount of characters in a text, so you need to get straight to the point. Be clear, concise and avoid abbreviations.
Use a CTA button. Using a call-to-action button is a sure way to increase engagement. CTA's like
"buy now," "Text-to-Win" and "Click here" are popular CTA's.
Timing. If a customer has trusted you with their phone number, then you need to respect it and
not be intrusive. If you have a promotion coming up let them know a day before, but not too early or too late.
Usually, between 9 am and 8 pm work well.
Platforms for SMS Marketing
Setting up an SMS marketing campaign is pretty straightforward. However, you should take the
time to research which one will best suit your marketing needs.
Here are five popular SMS software to help get you started...
Bitrix24
Routee
Intercom
Clearstream
MessageBird
The Bottom Line
SMS marketing covers you in the areas where your marketing strategies may stumble. It's effective, direct, and more importantly, it works.
When done correctly, your ROI will increase dramatically.
Now that you know the importance of SMS marketing, all that is left for you to do is to set up your campaign and get sending!
