Did you know that 54% of consumers want marketing SMS messages but only 11% of businesses send them? Companies failing to use SMS messaging are seriously missing out on giving the personal touch that sets them apart.
If you’re not already using text messaging, add it to your marketing strategy for 2020. Already using it? Here are some tips to boost your results.
How to Add SMS Messaging to Marketing
Do you treat all channels the same way? Most marketers surveyed by Gartner said that they used tactics that were extensions of web marketing for mobile. They ignored channels unique to mobile, such as texting.
Mobile and web are two different channels. That’s why you need to treat them differently to get the maximum ROI from your marketing budgets.
SMS is the personal way to communicate with your audience. Customers are 134% more likely to respond to a text than an email. If you’re not using texting as part of your marketing strategy, you’re missing the opportunity to attract 6X more prospects into your funnel.
6 SMS messaging tips for effective mobile marketing
The tips below give you some things to think about to strengthen your approach to incorporating SMS messages within your marketing strategy.
For products with a limited shelf life
If you’re selling perishable inventory like hotel rooms or food, a timely text alerts prospective customers to choose your brand. Don’t forget about the timing as it relates to your business. For example, texting offers sent on Friday night drive last-minute sales for hospitality businesses.
Encourage prospects and customers to message you
Add an offer with a keyword and code to entice leads to opt-in for your SMS marketing messages. Since you’ll get 6x more responses than with emails, you’ll grow your pipeline faster. You can offer customers special services when they sign up for messaging as well.
Progressively profile to personalize prospect marketing
Begin to ask simple questions to profile a range of personal data that helps you tune your marketing to their interests and needs. Given the difficulty of capturing profile information online, messaging is the perfect way to deeply profile leads, and customers. Simply ask a question every month or so to get a deeper profile, and watch as they respond.
Automate follow-ups with SMS messages
80% of sales happen after the 4th follow-up. Persistence pays in marketing, as well as in sales. For example, you can schedule and follow-up with messaging. Simply send your prospects a message with your calendar link so they can easily set appointments. Then, send a follow-up before the appointment as a reminder and ask them to confirm or reschedule at their convenience.
Supercharge your loyalty program
Create an SMS-based loyalty program that gives customers a reason to stay involved with your brand. Their smartphones are always within reach, whereas they may forget to bring their loyalty cards with them. Customer satisfaction will soar when it’s so easy to do business with you as they take advantage of what their loyalty has earned them.
The Power of Campaigns and Keywords
Did you know that you can use keywords to define specific interest areas, then trigger an automated nurture campaign about that specific area? It’s a powerful way to use messaging. When you begin to interact with a new lead, ask them a question about their interest and offer keywords for them to respond. Each keyword triggers a unique messaging campaign that sends them relevant, compelling information, based on their response. It’s a fast and powerful way to immediately get personal and relevant with every single lead, even before they have a 1:1 conversation with you or a sales rep.
Keep Pace with Your Customers’ Preferences
The world is changing fast. People take in 5x the information they did in the 1980s, according to The Economist. You must find ways to rise above the noise and stand out against your competition.
Your 160 character text will take less than a minute of your audience’s time. They know that, so they’re more likely to pay attention to that message than an email or a phone call, which is more interruptive and takes more of their time and attention. SMS messaging is the channel they prefer, the one they are comfortable with, and the one where they will engage with you. You’ll gain their loyalty and they will appreciate using their channel of choice.
To learn more, check out this infographic on how to grow your pipeline and funnel leads with text message marketing. And of course, reach out if you want to learn how you can implement SMS messaging for your business in 2020!
