15 strategies to make SMS marketing works!
Mobile usages have surpassed the “fix internet access” in the world for some time now. Hence, it is undeniable that in order to grow a business rapidly, it is essential to have the marketing strategies targeted on the mobile phone audiences in order to promote the products or services offered effectively. It can be presented to mobile phone users in all sorts of forms such as mobile banner advertisements, QR codes or even advertisements that pop out during the video games.
Short Message Service (SMS) is considered another one of the aforementioned methods. It is preferred by many companies since it is relatively lower in cost with a high business conversion rate by using text or messages to convey content directly to the customers. Majority of the SMS were actually opened and read by users to some extent, thus it is a great platform to reach and communicate with mobile users effectively when it is put into use properly.
Below are some of the most effective SMS strategies that help to amplify the response rates among the mobile phone audiences.
- Keep the text short and sweet
Almost 90% of the SMS messages are read within 3 minutes, mobile phone users might lose their interest looking at promotional messages if it is long and dull or has taken too much of their time to read. Try to keep the messages with only 160 characters used, make sure the messages you wish to convey to the consumers is straight to the point and yet delivers high value. By keeping the messages direct and short, the consumers are more likely to respond positively.
2. Integrate MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)
If you find it hard to confine the content within the 160 characters limit, try to use MMS to send images or video clips to the customers. It can even include the YouTube URL links to give your customers the visual experiences about your business or products.
3. Creates interactive contests
Make sure to include your business’s social media links or website in the automated reply after the customers had entered a contest or opt in. It is one of the direct and simple ways to link the customers to your online pages, enticing them to click on the links given in the reply messages.
4. Provide incentives
It is a great way to attract the potential customers among the mobile phone users through coupons or deals offered via mobile text or messages, especially to those who have already subscribed to your SMS marketing offers. This will also make your customers feel unique and special as if they are part of the VIP club or community.
5. Send the messages at the right timing
Try to aim for time that won’t clash with your customer’s day schedule. For instance, lunch hours, before and after working hours. To simplify, do not send mobile messages to your customers before 9am or after 9pm.
6. Have a clear call to action
There are 2 factors that drive a SMS campaign which are the short code and the keyword. If you wish to have the customers to engage in your SMS campaign that requires them to reply via texting the keyword to a five digit number (the short code), please make sure those two required info stand out and aren’t buried in the message.
7. Encourage the customers
Mobile messages can be one of the ways to make your customers share your social media links. The best advertisement is through word of mouth, awarding your top referrers with special deals or complementary products.
8. Creates an exclusive deal
It is wise to include the fact that the deal is being offered to only VIP text customers in the messages in order to make them feel unique and as a part of something special. If you make the message offers available and open to anyone, the deals offered will definitely become less attractive especially to your SMS subscribers.
9. Use SMS as hooks to your social media
SMS can be used as a tool to promote any contests or sweepstakes you held on the social media pages. Text can direct the customers to those pages and then engage with them further there.
10. Send a message as a follow up to an email
If the customers are able to receive both the messages through email and mobile phones, it will ensure a higher response rate and chances in communicating with the customers.
11. Send surveys or ask questions
Always seek your customer’s opinion on a product or service you offered, or even ask them if you should launch a business page on a new social media platform. The moment you have the results, send them to your customers or post the results on the social media pages and direct your subscribers to it.
12. Explore customer’s preferences
Try to explore the customer’s preferred timing on receiving messages from you and mainly what type of information they are looking for. After that, customise the SMS marketing program to meet the customer’s needs.
13. Target a younger age group
It is proven that people of age between 18 to 49 years old have grown up using various mobile devices and are generally more active texters than baby boomers.
14. Creates a sense of urgency
Try to include some sort of validity period or expiration date in the promotional messages in order to obtain greater responses from customers, helping you to achieve desired results or gain information as fast as possible.
15. Personalise the text
Customers usually respond better to materials that call out directly to them, thus it is recommended to include the subscriber’s names. In addition, you can always target your customers with more relevant texts based on their preferences.
Finally, just like any other marketing strategies, the longer the time you spend to enhance the marketing skills, the better the response you will be able to elicit from your subscribers or customers. SMS is indeed a great tool to boost your business’s response rate and hope some of these tips are able to provide you with a better insight!