Short Message Service (SMS) marketing has become increasingly popular for businesses to reach customers quickly. With daily mobile device activity, text messages have become a powerful tool you can use to communicate with your audience immediately.
Please take note. SMS messages have a high open rate, with most being read shortly after received. This makes it an ideal strategy for your company to present promotional offers or time-sensitive information.
On day 21 of your 30-day digital marketing plan, you will focus on starting your company’s first SMS marketing strategy. As you start using text message marketing, you will quickly reach your customers and stay ahead of your competition.
Understanding Short Message Service Marketing
Definition
Short Message Service marketing is a form of mobile marketing that sends your company’s message(s) to customers via text. These messages can promote products, services, events, and other marketing campaigns. Any size organization can initiate SMS marketing to reach customers immediately.
Importance
Short Message Service marketing is an integral part of any marketing strategy because it allows you to reach customers quickly and easily. Unlike other forms of marketing, text messages are delivered directly to customers’ phones, ready to be seen and read. This becomes exceptionally useful for time-sensitive promotions or last-minute deals.
SMS marketing is also an effective way to connect with your customers and build long-term relationships. By sending personalized messages, your company creates a sense of connection with your customers to increase brand loyalty.
Additionally, it has proven to be a cost-effective way to reach your customers quickly. Compared to traditional advertising methods, such as print or television ads, SMS marketing is affordable and provides a higher return on investment.
Overall, SMS marketing is a valuable tool for businesses looking to increase their reach and connect with their customers.
Preparing Your SMS Marketing Process
Building a Contact List
Before sending out any SMS messages, you must have a list of contacts you can text. Building a contact list is done in different ways. One option is to ask customers to opt-in to receive your SMS messages by texting a keyword to a short code. Another option is importing customer contact information into a messaging platform.
When building a contact list, it’s crucial to guarantee that all recipients have agreed to receive your messages. This can be done using a double opt-in process, where customers confirm their subscription by replying to a confirmation message.
Setting up a Short Code
Short Codes are five or six-digit numbers to send and receive SMS messages. Setting up a short code requires partnering with a mobile marketing provider to obtain a dedicated short code or lease a shared short code.
Once obtained, it’s important to include clear instructions on how customers can opt-in to receive your text messages. This can be done through signing up in your store, on your company website, or through social media and email marketing campaigns.
Overall, building a contact list and setting up a short code are your initial steps when preparing an SMS marketing strategy. By following best practices and ensuring that all recipients have agreed to receive your text messages, you can easily use SMS marketing to reach customers quickly and effectively.
Crafting Effective SMS Messages
Message Content
Crafting actionable SMS messages requires careful consideration of your content. Text messages have a limited character count, so it’s imperative to be concise and clear. Your material should be personalized and relevant to the recipient.
To increase engagement, consider including a call-to-action (CTA) inside your message. This could be a link to a website or a discount code for a product or service. It’s vital to make the CTA clear and actionable.
Another major factor to consider is the tone of the content. Your text messages must be written in a friendly and conversational tone to encourage engagement. It’s also important to avoid using all caps or excessive punctuation, as this can appear aggressive or spammy.
Timing and Frequency
Timing and frequency are critical factors to consider. Text messages must be sent when the recipient is most likely to read your content. This can vary depending on the target audience and the message’s material.
It’s also important to consider the frequency of messages. Sending too many text messages becomes overwhelming, leading to unsubscribes, but not sending often may result in low engagement. A good rule of thumb is to send only one message daily and space them out over time.
Overall, crafting effective SMS messages requires careful consideration of content, tone, timing, and frequency. By taking these factors into account, you will create text messages that are engaging, relevant, and effective.
Implementing Your SMS Marketing Campaign
Choosing a Platform
Before launching an SMS campaign, it is essential to choose the right platform. Several platforms are available in the market, and selecting the right one can make a significant difference in the campaign’s success. The following are some factors to consider while choosing an SMS marketing platform:
- Pricing: Look for a platform that offers affordable plans suitable for your company’s budget.
- Ease of Use: Choose a platform that is easy to use, with a user-friendly interface and easy-to-understand analytics.
- Features: Look for features such as automation, segmentation, and personalization that can help create a successful SMS campaign.
- Integration: Choose a platform easily integrated with other marketing tools and software.
- Compliance: Check that the platform complies with the current regulations and laws related to SMS marketing.
Launching Your Campaign
After selecting the right platform, it’s time to launch your first SMS campaign. Here are some steps to follow for a successful SMS launch:
- Define the Goals: Define the goals of the SMS campaign, such as increasing sales, promoting a new product, or generating leads.
- Segment the Audience: Segment the audience based on demographics, location, interests, and behavior. This will help in creating personalized and targeted text messages.
- Create the Message: Create a compelling message that is short, concise, and to the point. Use a clear call to action with urgency to encourage quick action.
- Schedule the Campaign: Schedule the SMS campaign to be sent at a specific time, i.e., during business hours, when the audience is most likely to respond, etc.
- Track and Analyze Results: Track and analyze the results of the SMS campaign using the analytics provided by the platform. Use the data to optimize future campaigns and improve the ROI.
Implementing an SMS marketing campaign is a powerful tool for your company to reach its audience quickly and effectively. By choosing the right platform and following the abovementioned steps, you will create successful text message campaigns that drive engagement, conversions, and sales.
Analyzing Your SMS Marketing Results
Key Metrics
To measure the success of your SMS marketing campaigns, you must track each metric. These details provide insights into the effectiveness of your campaign and help you make informed, data-driven decisions. Some of the metrics to track include:
- Delivery rate: The percentage of messages successfully delivered to the recipients.
- Open rate: The percentage of delivered messages opened by the recipients.
- Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of messages opened that led to clicking a link or a call to action.
- Conversion rate: The percentage of recipients who completed the desired action, such as purchasing or filling out a form.
By tracking these metrics, you will see what is working or needs improvement with your SMS marketing campaigns.
Improvement Strategies
Once you have analyzed your results, use the insights to improve your campaigns. Some strategies to consider include:
- Segmenting the audience: Dividing the audience into smaller groups based on demographics or behavior, you can send more targeted and personalized messages.
- Optimizing message content: By testing different message formats, you can decide which connects better with their audience and leads to higher engagement rates.
- Timing messages strategically: By sending messages at a specific time, you see more recipients taking action.
- Offering incentives: Providing exclusive discounts or promotions to SMS subscribers incentivizes recipients to take action.
By implementing these strategies, you will improve your SMS marketing campaigns and achieve better results.
Legal Considerations for Your SMS Marketing
Consent
Before sending SMS messages to customers, it is crucial to obtain their consent. Do this through opt-in forms on your website or in-store or through text message opt-in campaigns. Guarantee that the language used to obtain permission is clear and concise and that customers understand what they are signing up for.
It is also essential to provide customers with an easy way to opt out of receiving text messages. Do this by including an opt-out notice at the end of each SMS or include a link to an opt-out page on your website.
Privacy
When collecting customer information for SMS marketing, it is crucial to ensure that you are complying with privacy laws and regulations. This includes obtaining consent for data collection and securing customer information when stored.
It is also essential to be transparent about how customer data will be used. This includes information about what types of messages customers can expect and how frequently they will receive them.
In addition, it is vital to guarantee that customer data is never shared with third parties without consent. If you are working with a third-party SMS provider or vendor, check that they, too, comply with privacy laws and regulations.
Overall, by obtaining consent and ensuring privacy compliance, you will create successful Short Message Service marketing campaigns that provide value to customers while protecting their privacy.
When you’re ready to discuss or develop your Digital Marketing Plan, we can help. Contact us and schedule a free marketing consultation.