There’s one thing every marketer can agree upon: don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Every strong marketing strategy includes the use of several platforms relevant to the brand. By now, SMS has grown to be a key marketing platform. Tons of businesses are using it, open rates are high, and studies show that 66% of customers prefer to communicate with businesses via a messaging platform. Needless to say, avoiding SMS is a huge marketing mistake. These are the best practices for SMS marketing.
Offer a discount.
It’s important to make sure your SMS subscribers feel like they’re on a VIP list. It’s best to offer a discount code upon signing up for text messages, and then make sure they’re the first to receive discount codes.
Promote sales.
This one’s pretty self explanatory. Any time you mark down products or send offer codes to your email list, let your SMS subscribers know!
Announce new products.
Let your loyal text subscribers be the first to know about new drops!
Send order updates and notifications.
Order confirmations, shipping notifications and delivery alerts can easily be communicated via text. Plus, your customers are more likely to see a text message before an email!
Collect customer feedback.
It never hurts to send short surveys via text asking customers to rate their experience purchasing from your business!
Get permission.
It’s the law! Make sure your subscribers directly opt into SMS marketing and are aware of any fees that may apply.
Include personalization.
Address customers by their name. This will help humanize your brand and keep customers engaged.
Keep it short and sweet.
Maximum length for an SMS message is 160 characters. If your message is longer than this, it will be sent as multiple texts. It’s best to ensure that recipients are only receiving one text message, so keep it short!
Watch your timing.
Be careful with timezones. Nobody wants to receive a text from a business in the middle of the night or early in the morning!
Identify yourself.
Begin each message by stating your brand’s name. Otherwise, your customers won’t know who’s texting them.
Give instructions for opting out.
End each message with instructions to opt out. This is also a legal obligation!
Limit the amount of texts you send.
Bombarding your customers with texts is a big no-no. It’s best to send approximately 1 text per week.
Include a CTA and link.
This is how you get conversions! Link your customers directly to your website, and include a call to action such as “Shop Now”.
Use the right keywords.
With such few characters allowed, it’s crucial to get your message across clearly and directly. Plus, someone is much more likely to open a text with the word “sale”, “discount”, or “new” included.
Converse with your customers.
If anyone replies to your text, make sure to answer in a timely manner. This will make your brand seem reliable and personable.
Segment your audience.
Much like email marketing, segmenting your audience makes a world of a difference. Send more messages to your most engaged subscribers and be sure to recommend products based on previous purchases.
Track results.
See what’s working and what isn’t! By tracking open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates on your SMS messages, you’ll have a better understanding of what content performs best. In the future, only create campaigns that reflect your best-performing texts!
Want expert assistance with your SMS campaigns? Let us help you out! Contact us today.
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