If you are attempting to promote your business in the market, you need to market it effectively on mobile devices. Today, you will find that most of your customers are smartphone users and they are active on mobile devices. If you notice customer trends, you will find that most of them are now moving out of the Internet access that is fixed to one point. So, as a business owner, you should take the onus and change your business strategy. Reach out to the audience on mobiles and the effective way of doing this is by SMS marketing.
What is SMS marketing- How does it impact your business today?
SMS Marketing is a cost-effective marketing strategy that gives you high returns. It uses the simple method of text messaging to reach out to the targeted audience with the content or an offer to customers. There are many reasons for you to test it out as it is affordable for you to start with. SMS marketing is popular due to the fact that most of these text messages are opened within 3 minutes of receipt and read too. If you can use SMS marketing effectively, you will be able to gain a competitive edge in the market as you can reach out to more and more customers boosting the rates of response for your business successfully.
With SMS marketing, you can offer some great incentives to your customers. This can be done by giving them coupons and attractive deals via SMS. The advertising campaign will make customers feel they are part of your community and texts will give them the personal touch.
Given below are some effective tips that help you create a winning SMS marketing campaign with success-
- Keep the message sweet and short- Note that more than 90% of total SMS messages are generally read in 3 minutes of receipt. Note that you need to keep your message short and simple as you only have 160 characters to write a good message and invoke a positive response from the customer. Make sure that the message that you write is precise and delivers high-quality content so that it motivates the customer to respond to your message.
- Your call to action should be defined and clear– Experts in the field of SMS marketing state that two primary factors drive a successful SMS marketing campaign. They are the keyword and a shortcode. Here, you need to ensure that your customers participate in the SMS campaign that asks them to text the keyword to a 5-digit shortcode. It is prudent to ensure that the keyword and the shortcode stand out and are not buried deep inside the message.
- Integrate the Multimedia Messaging Service-In case you find it hard to create a good message within 160 characters, you can always use MMS for sending video clips or pictures to your targeted customers. You can also include URLs of YouTube videos to give the targeted audience visual representation of your business.
- Interactive contests also work quite well- When the customers participate in a contest you conduct, ensure you include links of social media and website in the automated reply. This is a very simple and fast way for you to connect with your customers and direct them to various homepages inviting them to click on the links you want them to.
- Encourage customers to share links to social media- You should encourage your customers to share social media links. Remember that the best form of advertising is via word of mouth. Examine who your referrals are and ensure that you give awards to them with a free product or a special offer or deal.
- Always create an urgency- This is one of the best ways for you to get your customers to respond to your SMS marketing campaign. You should post an expiry date so that you can get the desired results and information as fast as possible.
- SMS exclusive offers to your customers – When it comes to VIP customers, make sure that you send SMS texts that are exclusive. Make sure these customers feel they are an important part of your business and are special. Note that if the offer applied to everyone, it would be less appealing.
- Get opinion and feedback from your customers- When it comes to invoking customer trust and confidence, send them text messages that invite their feedback and opinion. Their replies will give you an insight into how they feel about your business. Moreover, when you ask your valued customers to provide you feedback when it comes to your business, they feel valued and special. They are more likely to recommend your business to their friends and family.
- Follow up emails with a text message– When you send a text message after an email, you can boost the rates of response better and engage your customers in conversation effectively.
- Make sure you send your SMS texts at the right time- Make sure you do not send texts at a time when your customers are very busy. This means never send text messages to your customers before 9 am and after 9 pm. Send messages at a time when they are not so busy, for instance, lunchtime.
Therefore, if you are looking for success when it comes to SMS marketing campaigns always keep the above tips in mind. Reach out to mobile customers and see a marked improvement in the field of returns on investment and sales. Make sure the texts you create are free from grammatical errors. Check the spelling and always proofread before you finally send the message.
The success of SMS marketing campaigns for any business will not be an overnight one so be patient and be consistent in your efforts. They surely will pay off in the long run and give you a competitive edge in the market with success. Also, the results will vary depending on the services that you offer to clients.