Bulk SMS marketing campaigns are created equal; each has its essence and own impact. Some companies fully integrate SMS marketing into their business strategy, and others see it as a side project.
According to a survey by Scan Life, 89% of consumers use their mobile phones while shopping, and 64% of Americans own a smartphone as of 2015. Given this, which company do you think will have a more prosperous marketing campaign?
If you’re already on board with bulk SMS marketing, here are some tips and suggestions on how to maximize your return.
1. Create an SMS Marketing Team
To conduct a successful SMS marketing strategy, you’ll need various skilled professionals to get the most out of your marketing strategy. One or a few people may fill numerous of these roles. Still, you’ll need an SMS marketing program expert, a retail expert, coordinators for on-location signage, digital creative designers, social media experts, a promotions specialist, an ROI, and discount budget analyst, and more.
These areas need to be adjusted. Since the Bulk SMS timeline is getting more and more immediate, the marketing team needs to work very closely and frequently communicate about plans, strategies, and execution. The more comprehensive your SMS team, the greater the benefits you’ll receive from effective marketing strategies.
2. Know Thy Customer
Use your company CRM (Customer Relationship Management) to measure the success of your messages.
Analyze shopping history and location-based demographics so that you can send the right messages to the right customers. If you’re a cosmetics line, don’t send an anti-wrinkle cream coupon to a twenty-year-old for your store in a different area than hers.
Segment your clients for targeted promotions. Send bulk messages for general sales and promotions that anyone anywhere could take advantage of.
3. Write Clear bulk SMS messages
Get to the point: You have 160 characters to express yourself. Do it in less if you can. Make sure the message is clear and concise, written in plain English. Avoid abbreviations, emoticons, and all caps.
Don’t use open-ended messages. An example of an open-ended message is one that invites clients to a sale but doesn’t say when the sale ends. The client has no idea if it is for a day or a month. By giving a specific date when a sale ends or establishing an expiration date on a coupon, clients are more likely to act because you’ve given them enough information and incentive.
4. Use Call-to-Action Buttons
Calls-to-action increase customer engagement with your bulk SMS marketing texts. That’s exactly what you want from them: to be engaged, to value the texts you send, to read them, interact with them, and act on them.
Here are some call-to-action winners:
• “Show this text.” Asking customers to show the text to earn a discount is a clear and effective way to get them to engage in your promotion. Example: “Show this text for 50% off your dinner tonight.”
• “Click here.” Sometimes you don’t have enough space in your bulk SMS message to include all the information your customer will need. Maybe you’re hosting an event, and you want to add a link to a map or a video about the event or a link to your website where there are more details. In that case, a “Click here” button will provide a link to the necessary details.
• Text-to-Win. Lots of customers would be interested in having a shot at winning a prize or gift from your company. Asking them to text to enter the contest helps increase customers’ engagement. If you’re not offering a sale or hosting an event, Text-to-Win campaigns are an effective way to remind customers of your existence and continue increasing traffic and sales.
• “Buy now.” This is the perfect CTA button for targeted communications. If you know a customer routinely buys a certain product, you can send a text promoting that product with a “Buy now” button to make it easier for them to make a purchase.
5. Get Your Timing Right
bulk SMS is all about immediacy. It takes people an aggregate of three minutes to open messages. Clients’ responses to sales, promotions, and events promoted on SMS are most powerful when they’re last-minute impulses. If you have a store opening event on Friday night, send the message Friday afternoon. If you have a dinner promotion at your restaurant, send it at the end of the workday, not in the morning.
6. Promote Opt-In Across All Media
The most reliable way to get customers to opt-in is to give them the chance to do this at every point of contact:
• Social Media. Add a “Mobile Number” field to your Facebook page sign up and an “Opt-in” button for them to sign on to your SMS campaign.
• Website. Make sure SMS opt-in is a noticeable feature on your website.
• SMS. You can also send a text asking if they wish to opt-in: “Get access to 6 (Company Name) texts per month for SMS-only discounts. Text 7676 to Opt-in.”
7. Focus on Your Loyal Clients
Your best clients are the ones who are loyal, who buy frequently and consistently from you, who give you feedback, and who promote your brand to their friends and family. A smart strategy is to identify this circle of customers (influencers) and dedicate extra time and resources.
Bulk SMS marketing can power up your business effortlessly and systematically.
No matter what kind of company you have, you can leverage the benefits of your Bulk SMS campaign by dedicating time to crafting effective messages, analyzing your customer demographics, investing in an SMS-specific sales marketing team, and promoting your SMS campaign throughout your company’s media. Broadnet Technologies’ versatile and scalable SMS text messaging platform is designed to help businesses across every industry increase SMS sales and customer engagement.
SMS is a powerful tool to improve marketing and sales activities. But many businesses still aren’t getting advantage of the perks.
With Broadnet Technologies, you can take advantage of flexible pricing options and endless customization to send thousands of impactful text messages per day. Plus, you can pair SMS with voice broadcast or an interactive phone experience to engage with mobile customers on a deeper level.
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