SMS Marketing: Is Now the Right Time to Include It in Business Model?
“OK, see you.”
“Hi, how are you?”
“Check out this link – [link].”
That is how most of our SMS messages – known as text messages or texts – look like. But what is the thing that combines their benefits?
It’s very simple – the responsiveness and the way you react to them which is almost instant. In an era that is driven by mobile-first approach with our phones as close as possible to our bodies, it’s definitely a time to start thinking about including them in your digital marketing strategy. Yes, we are talking about a business perspective where SMS marketing is in the spotlight.
Below, we are listing the principles of SMS marketing in today’s mobile-centric society.
1. Instant, Effective and (always) Connected
Glued to our smartphones, we don’t expect anything more than texts from our friends. And that is the exact reason why SMS marketing works. According to some research, people check their phones 80 times per day on average – and the open rates for SMS messages are above 82%.
So, as long as we keep getting texts from our friends, we should expect a few forms of advertisements as well. In the tips below, we are listing how could that (easily) become possible.
2. Using the Right Software
The best way to adopt the trend known as B2C texting is through an advanced software that makes it easy to send SMS messages to numerous clients and customize them as you wish.
There are a lot of SMS marketing tools that can help you get started. One of the best out there are Textedly and Avochato, each with its own set of different features and options that tailor to your exact needs.
3. Number Collection
As soon as you get started with the best SMS software for your needs, it’s time to start collecting the phone numbers of your users. Just like you do it for email marketing, you can start by inserting a field in all of your opt-in forms across your website, asking for a prospect’s phone number.
Another great idea is to offer something valuable in exchange for their number. For example, you can offer a 20% discount on their first purchase after they have put their phone number (with the code for the discount being immediately to them as soon as they sign up to receive SMS messages from you).
4. Get Permission
We can’t stress this enough. Every prospect should give their permission for you to text them and use their number for promotional purposes. This is not only right from an ethical perspective – it will also reassure you that you are legally sound.
Aside from this, you should make sure that all of your text messages used for marketing purposes have the ‘Unsubscribe’ option.
5. Know the Limits and Don’t Exploit Access to Your Prospect’s Phone Numbers
As the last note, you should never exploit your access to a person’s phone number. Instead, you should be mindful of the personal nature of every text message. So, make sure to only send messages when they are absolutely necessary and never spam your audience with massive amounts.
Also, you should know the limits of SMS marketing in the Bay Area. By this, we mean that you should know that it is not a replacement to your email marketing but actually a supplement to your email efforts
We hope this article helped you explore a new way to market your business. At the end of the day, SMS marketing is another great tool in your toolbox and can become an effective strategy for gaining more loyalty and building more credibility and Devine Solutions can help. (www.devinedigitalmarketing.com)
