8 min read

SMS Marketing Advantages

SMS marketing is undoubtedly one of the strongest tools in the modern marketer’s arsenal. It’s not hard to see why. With open rates pegged at 98% and response rates at 45%, text messages leave other channels far behind in terms of effectiveness and impact.  According to research, more than 90 per cent of people read a text message within the first three minutes of receiving it.  SMS also beats email hollow in terms of click-through rates. The averageclick-through rate for a URL included in a text message is 19% while email CTRs are far lower at around 3%.

Another tremendous advantage that SMS marketing offers is how easy it is to set up and implement. If boosting sales and improving engagement with customers are on your list, without a hefty budget and spare time; SMS is your best bet.  Not only does it save your company time and resources, but it is also an exceptionally cost-effective solution that offers the highest ROI when compared to any other channel. It’s not surprising then, that businesses across sectors and sizes are discovering that they cannot afford to work without a solid SMS marketing strategy in place.

In this article, we walk you through a few easy tips for creating effective SMS marketing campaigns for your business. Let’s get started.

Before you dive into designing your SMS marketing campaign, it’s helpful to first answer the below questions.

– Will your customers be delighted to receive this message on a channel as personal as mobile?

– Is this campaign time-sensitive?

– Does it have a very strong CTA that I can convey in less than 160 characters?

If your answer to the above questions is a yes, you can be sure that SMS marketing is your best bet for the current campaign. So, let’s get started.

Here are 5 tips that can help you run effective SMS campaigns

1. Create targeted and segmented campaigns

As is true for all types of marketing, the key is to send the right message to the relevant audience. Tailor your marketing efforts so that each user gets useful and valuable content. For example –  New visitors could get free shipping or promo code, while repeat customers get early access to new products or an invite to your rewards program.

You could segment your customer lists based on locations, demographics, purchase patterns, history, and more to create targeted campaigns that are sure to boost engagement and improve conversions.

2. Time it right

One of the key benefits of SMS and their immediacy is that you can be very targeted with your timings. Use customer personas before you devise your campaign so you identify the times of day when your customers would be most receptive to SMS messaging, enabling you to schedule messages accordingly.

Make your SMS communications easy and quick to act on, and let your customer know, wherever possible, how long the action is going to take them.

Another effective strategy you can use while designing your campaign is to evoke a sense of urgency using your messaging copy. By using phrases like “ expires soon”, “valid till,” or  “act now”, you can effectively prompt recipients to respond immediately.

3. Create personalized campaigns

Instead of bombarding customers with generic messages, think about how you can personalize your SMS messages to make them genuinely interesting and contextual. For instance, you could thank a new customer for a recent purchase while offering them a discount for their next purchase, or send an existing customer a timely reminder to rebuy something they’ve bought before.

It doesn’t have to stop there. You can use profile data to send new customer discounts, birthday offers, orlocation-based campaigns
to give each user a personalized experience. The more personal you can make it, the more you’ll connect with people, and the more likely they will be to engage with you and remain loyal customers.

Another way to keep things personal? Make It Exclusive. Send exclusive offers or VIP content to select customers so they develop an intimate emotional connection with your brand.

4. Stay true to your brand’s voice

Stay authentic to your brand. Make sure your SMS style captures your personality while focusing on brevity. Develop a unique style that your customers will grow to recognize, trust and love.

That said, don’t forget to keep it fun. SMS is a highly personal channel, making it ideal for entertaining campaigns. Use games, giveaways, polls, interactive content, and one-on-one conversations to deliver fun and memorable customer experiences that will keep them coming back for more.

One thing to note here – even if the campaign has an informal tone, be careful to ensure that the messaging remains succinct and clear.

5. Integrate with social media

Create a well-knit omnichannel marketing strategy by integrating SMS marketing with social media. For starters- you can use SMS to get more social media followers by running contests and sweepstakes that are promoted by both social media and SMS.

You can use social media to enhance customer engagement over SMS. For example – people can enter text-to-win contests by texting a shortcode. Share this code on your Facebook or Twitter accounts, making it easy for your followers to enter the contest.

You can also do it the other way around — you can drive traffic towards your social media channels using an SMS campaign. For instance, you could send your customers an SMS about a contest you’re running on your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram page.

Conclusion

Thanks to its popular yet personal nature, the humble SMS can really turn around your marketing efforts while helping you form a strong emotional connection with your customers. A smart SMS marketing campaign, as part of an omnichannel strategy, can be the perfect way to effectively reach your audience and keep them coming back.