Are you loyal to one screen? We don’t think so. Neither is your customer. Millennials especially, switch between mobile phones and their laptops. They are the ‘mobile first’ generation. Millennials may be your current customers and will definitely be your future customers. You need to ask yourself whether your marketing strategy is using the means of communication that they prefer: SMS Messages.
Add SMS Messages to Your Marketing Strategy
Do you treat all screens the same way, when you’re planning your marketing? Most marketers surveyed in a Gartner study said that for mobile, they used tactics that were extensions of web marketing, like ads. They ignored technologies unique to mobile, such as texting.
Mobile and web are two different mediums and you should leverage the strengths of both for a complete marketing strategy. At the same time, you need to prioritize the areas in each medium where you should allocate your marketing budget, for maximum ROI.
Should you go the app way?
By 2018, the average number of applications a smartphone owner will install and use regularly will plateau. You can be mobile-centric in other ways. Texting is an app (read functionality) that comes on every phone—smart or dumb. Even those buying the relaunched Nokia 3310 will be able to get your message.
6 SMS/texting tips for an effective mobile marketing strategy
You can decide how mobile-centric your strategy should be depending on your business. The tips below will give you some things to think about that can strengthen your approach to incorporating SMS messages as a marketing channel.
- For products with a limited shelf life
If you’re selling perishable inventory like hotel rooms or food, a timely text will alert prospective customers to choose your brand. Don’t forget about the timing: texting offers sent on Friday night drives last-minute sales for hospitality businesses.
- Encourage prospects and customers to text you
You can advertise a discount to entice leads to opt-in for your text marketing messages. This will help you build your database and increase conversions as you build better relationships through real-time engagement.
- Qualify leads through texting
Confirm information about your prospects through texts, such as verifying email addresses and discovering their interests. Text messaging is an easier action for leads to take. And they’re more likely to respond than they would be if you call them.
- Automate follow-ups with SMS messages
80% of sales happen after the 4th follow-up. Persistence pays in marketing, as well as in sales. When you combine the two, you’ve got a winner. Send your prospects a text message to set appointments. Send a follow-up text before the appointment as a reminder and ask them to confirm or reschedule at their convenience.
- If you have mostly repeat customers
Create a text-based loyalty program that makes it easy for your customers 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.
- Products that can offer a self-service option to customers
You can text a menu of service options to your customers so that they can take action themselves rather than waiting for an agent to get back to them. FAQs, installation steps, and troubleshooting tips are all easy to refer to in a text.
Keep Pace with Your Customers’ Preferences
The world is changing fast. Today’s flavor-of-the-day app could be forgotten tomorrow. Betting on simple technologies that will always be there will help keep pace with your customers. People take in 5x the information they did in the 1980s, according to The Economist. Your 160 character text might 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.
To know how to use texting in your marketing strategy SMS/Text ‘DEMO, FirstName, CompanyEmailID’ to 36343.
