SMS marketing is a simple way for any business to engage with its consumers. You can send out offers and opportunities and easily communicate with your target audience. In fact, 47% of consumers said they’d react negatively if a company didn’t offer a way to text.
Even if companies recognize the importance of an SMS program, many aren’t sure what to do with it once it launches.
The popular business blog, Business 2 Community, offers seven SMS strategies that just about any business can use, and are made simple using SMS software.
1. Run Sales & Deals
When you’re trying to sell your products and services, timing is everything. That’s why text messaging can be vital. Unlike other broadcast media, text messaging can be timed precisely.
Reaching the consumer when they’re most inclined to make a purchase, can be the difference between a passing thought and a completed transaction. As B2C notes, “If you sell pizzas, it’s probably better to send out a promotional push in the evening right when people are starting to feel hungry for dinner.”
2. Play with Contests
Sweepstakes, giveaways, or other contests can be a powerful incentive to inspire people to register for your program. We’ve seen firsthand how effective a well-timed contest can be. For example, Simon & Schuster engaged young readers by offering readers the chance to win prizes during Comic-Con.
3. Improve Your Customer Service
“More than half of consumers say they would prefer text as a customer support platform,” says B2C. Texting is easy for consumers and easy for businesses too.
That’s one reason why more and more hotels are using SMS to communicate with guests.
4. Provide Tips and Advice
With the ability to easily segment and target your SMS messages, you can send tips and advice when consumers need it most. For instance, a hotel may want to provide upcoming guests with the most recent health and safety guidelines in the area.
5. Don’t Forget About Appointment Reminders
“Missed appointments are a hassle for both clients and the businesses they keep waiting,” writes B2C. “For the businesses, it’s a lost hour, usually with high-paid staff waiting around for nothing. For clients, they now have to go to the trouble of re-scheduling.”
SMS is a great way to automate appointment reminders. We’ve seen numerous healthcare organizations use appointment reminders to make sure their patients show up on time. That’s good news for patients – and equally good news for the providers’ bottom line.
6. Personalize
Because a mobile CRM saves all your customers’ data, you can easily send people targeted messages that not only use their name, but refers to their specific purchase history.
B2C writes that “73% of customers want to engage with businesses that use their personal information to provide more relevant shopping experiences for them.” Learn how you can make your SMS campaign even more personalized to your users.
7. Ask For Feedback
What’s the best way to learn what your customers think? Ask them! An SMS survey or poll can offer you valuable insight into the people whose opinions matter most. Consider sending a survey after an event or after releasing a new product or menu item. You might even want to send a survey about your new SMS text program.