SMS marketing is more cost-effective overall and has excellent engagement and even higher conversion rates. The best part is that it develops better consumer ties and is more personalized than many other marketing methods.
We will discuss in this blog post how to start an SMS marketing campaign from scratch and the basics of SMS marketing for two-way text messaging.
You are only given a certain number of characters to work with when sending an SMS or MMS message. An SMS text message can contain up to 160 characters without an attachment. Any text message containing a file, such as an image, video, emoji, or website link, or longer than 160 characters, is immediately converted to an MMS message. Each is a fantastic way to communicate a brief message or alert, but there are better options for providing a detailed, in-depth story account. Prioritize what you can do to properly deliver your message and produce a result for your company as you analyze the campaign’s objectives.
Following are some examples of SMS campaign goals to include in your marketing strategy:
- Keep a specific offer or coupon to sell your product.
- Create leads by initiating price-based or time-sensitive offers.
- Redirect your audience to your social media platforms to increase brand awareness.
- Promote useful material only available on your website to increase website traffic.
How SMS marketing works
Email and SMS marketing are comparable in terms of strategy. The primary objectives of SMS marketing are selling, informing, or fostering loyalty. Businesses can send one-to-one or one-to-many SMS messages depending on their objectives. SMS is an “owned” marketing channel in which the sender controls the recipient list and dissemination.
After receiving consent from a subscriber, you can experiment with different types of SMS marketing campaigns:
- New product announcements
- Exclusive offers (limited-time sales, free delivery)
- Subscriber-specific offers
- Flash sales
- Text-to-win contests
- Loyalty programs
- Product drop alerts
SMS marketing best practices
Send with an explicit opt-in
Most likely, you already obtain consumers’ phone numbers. That does not imply that you should begin messaging them in bulk. SMS text marketing necessitates an explicit opt-in, much like email marketing does. On your website or other platforms, you might request that users opt-in to receive text messages from you. However, you should receive a text confirming that they wish to subscribe before you start sending.
Sending a single SMS (and only one) to thank them for signing up and asking them to confirm their opt-in with a simple Yes or No is one approach to achieve this. You shouldn’t text them again if they don’t reply. Of course, you shouldn’t text them again if they reply “No.”
Add the option to opt-out.
This is a recommended practice for all marketing communications and is frequently required by law. However, it’s crucial for more intrusive means like SMS. People who don’t want to hear from you are more likely to unsubscribe from your texts than to buy from you.
You should include an unsubscribe link even for transactional notifications like shipping updates or appointment reminders. Not everyone prefers to get this kind of information by SMS.
Your unsubscribe rates will also be higher because SMS open rates are consistently considerably higher than email open rates. Don’t become alarmed if you notice a rise in unsubscribes after a message is sent out.
Do, however, track your unsubscribe rates. You can build an unsubscribe baseline once your SMS marketing campaign has been fully launched. Compare all upcoming communications to that baseline and search for any unusual findings. If the number of unsubscribes is exceptionally high or low, examine the message to determine what caused the shift in the outcome.
Introduce yourself
You can’t just assume that your clients know your SMS contact information. This implies that they won’t recognize the number from which your message is coming and that it contains no inherent identifying information. You must immediately introduce yourself if you want them to listen past the first few words.
Text at the right time
The ideal time must be selected for any marketing message. However, it’s crucial for SMS. People are more likely to have SMS notifications enabled. Therefore, this is the case. You can’t rely on this, even though some individuals put their phones on Do Not Disturb when they don’t want to be disturbed.
The good news is that area codes make it pretty simple to determine the time zones of your target audience. Choose a suitable time and send it out in stages by time zone rather than blasting it out to everyone at once.
Sending SMS messages soon after an appointment is another excellent choice if you own an in-person business. The customer is already thinking of you, and you are aware of their activity level.
Identify Character Count
160 characters are the maximum for SMS messages. When you have to identify yourself and give an opt-out option, that’s not much to work with. You must be sure of your message and avoid wasting any characters.
Keep it concise and add links to include your message details.
Interested in learning more about two-way text messaging? Book a meeting.
