SMS Marketing : Definition, BENEFITS and overview.
In this article I will be discussing all the points to be noted in running an SMS Marketing Campaign, Definition, overview and benefits of SMS marketing..Text messaging is one of the best strategy to drive sales and grow your business.
POINTS TO BE NOTED in text messaging CAMPAIGNS.
Text messaging marketing is a good strategy to generate leads and drive sales.
Real Time Visibility : If we are sending an Email ,Some people view your mail on the same day its send while few take 2 or 3 days and the rest at least a week. But, text message is different. People often check their messages and updates regularly so that your message will be viewed just after few minutes of sending or at the same time.
High Open Rates : According to the study conducted by Forbes, the following was the results(2016).
Email open rate : less than 20%
Social media promotional messages open rate : 20%
Text Message Open rate : 99%
That means the SMS sent will be viewed by the customer within the first 3 mins. That’s really good right!
Content : Type of content plays an important role in running a Text message campaign.
- Content should be valuable. It should provide something good/useful to the customer.
- Contents can include instant coupons like coupon codes or for example it can be news updates. If the weather is bad or if there is a warning then we can use text messaging to let people know . or it can be for example if you are running a dance studio and on a particular day you wish to cancel the class then you can inform through text messaging . Or suppose you are providing offers like 10% Off for your product/service , then you can run a text message campaign.
This marketing strategies works best for cafe and restaurant type of Business.
Example :
Start Building your List : The list means contact numbers. Build a list of contact numbers. But unlike email marketing, here there are some laws to be followed in sending SMS to customers. We have to follow the rules provided by the telephone consumer protection Act or else the consumer can sue you.
You cant simply add numbers and send messages regularly. First we need to get consumer permission. Firstly, send an Opt-in message with a short code along with a valuable content. If the consumer is interested then he/she will reply back . Hence you got the permission and the particular contact is added to your opt-in group and later you can start messaging them the offers and incentives you provide to them.
SMS Account : There are so many bulk SMS providers like bulksms.com, nexmo and lot more or work on contract basis with Etisalat or Du (Telecommunication service providers in UAE) . They have a very good Database.You can use any SMS account according to your convenience and budget.
Text Format : Text should be short and valuable and should not exceed 160 characters. Include Url shortners and and video links as possible.
Tools: There are 20 SMS marketing tools no business should be without . You can check it here
Measure results & Subscriber Growth: Track your Audience. Check how many new customers you have attained. Analyze how many opt-outs /unsubscribes occurred.
Timing : Check the right time based on your audience.
TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL SMS MARKETING CAMPAIGNS
Manage your database: Build your contact list wisely.
Segment your Audience: Segment your Audience based on purchase, or demographics or interests.
Short & Simple : Text should be short and simple and do not exceed 160 characters.
Opt-Out option : Provide an Opt-out option in your text message . This helps to identify the genuine Audience.
Make it Personal : The content of the text should be friendly and personal.
Make your Message with Urgency : sending a message with urgency increases the response of the campaign. For example if we are providing a special offer and mentioning that this expire on that day itself with the date. Then People become more active and the response would be much higher.
Provide a Call to Action Button : Always a message with a call to action button increases response rate than the one without it. For example you can write the text and then include a contact number to get more information … or a link redirecting to a page which you wanted them to fill etc.
Create a Valuable Offer : Every offers wont work . There should be something good or some value to the audience.
Review your Message: After writing the text , check whether you have included everything and there is no errors before sending.
Measure Growth results: Analyze the number of people joined or responded and also check how many have opted out.
CONCLUSION:
Thanks for reading this article. If you have any doubts or queries please comment below.
