Mobile phones have become integral to our daily lives, and more businesses are turning to SMS marketing to communicate with their customers. There are various ways businesses can interact with their customers through their mobile phones, from MMS to SMS.
SMS marketing offers businesses a cost-effective and straightforward way to communicate with customers. As a result, it has become very popular with clients and businesses.
What’s SMS Marketing?
SMS marketing refers to communicating with your target audience through mobile text messaging. These texts could include product or company information, news, tips, new product information, and offers. This can be done quickly and easily using specific digital platforms.
SMS marketing is primarily consent-based, meaning that every customer must permit the firm to send them these text messages. The company can obtain customer phone numbers through different methods such as offline or online forms, at events or forums where the clients provide their details, a service that requires clients’ phone numbers, or any other legal means.
After collecting client information, you can categorize them into groups based on their preferences and create a targeted marketing message for each category.
Companies can obtain consent from their clients through different means, as mentioned above. Nevertheless, in instances where this isn’t possible, you can send marketing messages to clients and request them to send a reply using a particular text to a specific number to subscribe to the service.
These services can sometimes come at a cost. SMS marketing drives also offer the client an option to unsubscribe from the service through the same means.
Why SMS Is A Viable Marketing Approach
SMS marketing has proven to be an effective way to reach clients. SMS messages are likely to be opened within 5 minutes after they’ve been delivered. This makes this approach excellent for sending promotions and other related advertising content to clients.
People usually carry their phones everywhere they go, even if it’s just moving from one part of the house to another. Whenever there’s an alert on one’s phone, it’s more likely that you’ll view the message instantly.
Additionally, even if you don’t carry your phone immediately, people tend to check notifications when they return to their phones. As such, SMS marketing is an excellent way for businesses that are looking to expand to mobile.
SMS marketing is efficient for companies to generate traffic to offers or website content or convince their existing clients to download the mobile application. It’s essential to note that mobile campaigns that drive clients to web pages on mobile phones are usually more successful when the web page is optimized for phone viewing.
Why Are Most Businesses Reluctant To Venture Into SMS Marketing?
Even though there are many upsides to using SMS marketing, many companies still find it challenging to venture into it. This is because SMS marketing sends unsolicited messages, which most people find annoying.
Therefore, most business owners assume that sending these messages may do more harm than good. This couldn’t be further from the truth—by focussing on those who find these messages; you’re denying customers who want to know about your offers.
This marketing approach is an excellent way to keep your clients informed on what’s new in your business, from services and products to sales and offers. Many customers are usually interested in hearing about this.
Many people usually receive SMS marketing messages from companies they don’t know. Regardless, this approach is still appealing and can amount to massive success. Unknown to many, most people usually subscribe to these marketing messages.
For example, some shortcodes usually send religious or health-related messages. These services usually offer simple and short messages and usually end by asking individuals to subscribe to the service for a small fee every month.
While most people will ignore the message or find it annoying, these messages usually have their audience. For some people, the small fee is nothing compared to the inspirational or motivational quotes they receive once they subscribe to the service.
How To Optimize SMS Marketing
- Create Value: Ensure your message engages your audience and provides some value to those receiving it. You can send your customers information (motivation, gossip, gist, new), service/product information, or offers.
- Obtain Consent: Don’t spam your customers with your messages; ensure you provide them with a way to subscribe or unsubscribe from the service so that you’re confident you’re sending your messages to a receptive audience. You can send this message periodically to a broader audience to attract new customers.
- Don’t Go Overboard: While it’s good to communicate with your audience, you shouldn’t be in their faces all the time. On a web page, one can update their content multiple times daily. This isn’t the case with SMS marketing; you should create a schedule and stick to it.
- Measure Progress: Many online SMS marketing platforms offer reports on vital statistics such as engagement. Ensure you constantly review these statistics to assess the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns so that you can optimize them.
Bottom Line
SMS marketing offers an excellent way to engage customers and generate sales if done well. This approach is usually practical for various types of content and businesses. Therefore, you should do your due diligence to identify which messages may appeal to your target audience and start cashing in on it today!