Have you ever considered the ability of SMS marketing to take your business to the next level? If not yet, maybe it’s the right time to do so.
SMS marketing is one of the most powerful and effective marketing strategies most businesses use today. Why? Because most people turn on their phones around 150 times per day to check updates and messages. This leads to a higher open rate of 98%, compared to the 20% of emails and other messaging platforms. These numbers are the reason many businesses are hooked on SMS marketing. With the best SMS marketing strategy, you can give your business a boost and generate more sales. So, if you’re still not using it, you’ll miss out on a lot of opportunities to grow more.
An effective SMS marketing campaign starts with a compelling software solution. If you’re looking for a reliable and trusted provider, you may visit Drop Cowboy or any reputable local SMS solution provider for more information. However, using an SMS software solution doesn’t guarantee success, even if it has the best features in the market. Thus, in this article, you’ll discover tips and techniques to help you run your SMS campaigns effectively.
How Much Is An SMS Marketing Campaign?
SMS marketing is one of the most cost-effective forms of marketing. The cost of SMS marketing usually depends on the following factors:
- Features – The better the features, the higher the cost. So, make sure to get only what you need to save money and prevent unnecessary expenses.
- Plans And Subscriptions – The money you’ll have to shell out would mostly be based on the plan you’ll opt for.
- Pay-Per-Usage – Some service providers charge companies based on the number of messages they send, whether successful or not.
Usually, subscription plans start at USD$20 for 500 messages (USD$0.04 per message), depending on your chosen service provider. Also, don’t always go for the big names in the industry. Instead, choose what’s best suited for your company’s requirements. This will help you save thousands of dollars in the long run.
For more information on these SMS marketing services, you may check out this video:
What Are The Strategies To Run An Effective SMS Marketing Campaign?
Running an effective SMS marketing campaign is no easy task. So, you might want to consider the following strategies:
1. Text Blasting
Text blasting is an effective technique that allows businesses to send hundreds of messages at the same time, only for a couple of minutes. This helps you build better relationships, foster engagement, and increase brand awareness.
Here are some tips to improve your SMS blast messages:
Provide Opt-In Messages: Opt-in messages give recipients control over the situation. They have the option to participate in campaigns they deem necessary and important for their wellbeing. Here’s an example: “Hi there! Thanks for connecting with Mystic Arts Inc. Please reply YES to receive more updates on exclusive deals and events.”
Create Easy Opt-Out Messages: Opt-out messages allow customers and subscribers to unsubscribe and stop receiving any message from you. Here’s an example: “Hello there! If you want to stop us from giving alarms and updates, please reply STOP. We wish you the best and hope you had a good time with us.”
Provide Necessary Details: Make sure to describe your promotions properly. Remember, you’re sending hundreds of messages at the same time, so there’s no room for mistakes. You may also include a link that’ll redirect prospects to your terms and conditions, as well as your privacy policy.
2. Allow Your Prospects To Reply
More than half of SMS recipients would like to have an option where they can simply reply to text campaigns they receive. Unfortunately, only 15% of businesses are open to that suggestion. So, if you let your prospects reply to your messages, they’ll find your company attractive, giving you a strong advantage over your competitors.
Here’s an example conversation to give you additional insights:
Sales Agent: Hi, Janine Patricia! We just released our new line of hand-held cordless vacuums. Want to try them out? I can refer you to your nearest branch. Where are you located, by the way?
Prospect: That sounds awesome! I’m located in New Hampshire. I’ll wait for your confirmation so I can test that out.
Allowing your customers to reply to you will help you accomplish your tasks more effectively and efficiently. Also, don’t forget to be as specific as you can, like the example discussed above, to achieve better and more positive feedback and replies.
3. Offer Exclusive Deals And Promotions
Tempt your customers and prospects by giving them special deals through text messaging campaigns. With this, they’ll feel like they’re a part of a special community or a highly prestigious club.
On top of that, delivering exclusive sales and discounts through text messaging platforms is one of the most engaging and cost-effective ways to connect with your customers. This is why more companies are implementing this strategy in their campaigns.
Here are some examples you may consider for your business:
Hurry! Our all-time favorite skincare packages are selling lightning fast. Get yours now and grab our 20% discount for every USD$25 purchase. Click the link below to clear out your shopping cart now.
Hello, Marrietta! We’re selling fresh fruits and vegetables at the farmer’s market near Napa Valley. We offer a 10% discount on all concord grapes and sweet red Moscato. Get yours now before they’re gone.
4. Keep Your Messages Short And Sweet
People should be able to read and understand the gist of your messages in just seconds. This makes SMS marketing one of the fastest marketing strategies to connect with clients. So, keep your messages within the 160-character count—not much shorter and not much longer. It’s an ideal length to ensure your messages are straightforward and valuable, motivating your prospects to provide positive responses.
Also, remember that long messages are likely to be deleted once seen. Why? Because they may take much time to read completely. Short messages, however, may share the same fate as longer ones. This is because people may find them lacking in substance and concrete details. Therefore, your best option would be to keep your messages within 160 characters and don’t forget to nurture them with enough details people would appreciate.
Here’s an example to help you:
Hi, Alphonse! We recently launched the earthy and rich Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Grigio in Sonoma County. You may click the link below to order.
5. Have Clear Calls To Action
Getting your target prospects interested and attentive is one of the main goals of running an SMS marketing campaign. However, it may not be as easy as it seems, especially if you lack the necessary creativity. If you’re unable to convey the essence of your message, your brand will suffer, and all your efforts will be all for naught.
Fortunately, calls to action are here to save your brand from potential doom. They’re powerful elements that’ll help you interact and communicate with your clients. Also, they should be able to:
- Provide an exclusive and valuable offer
- Pique people’s interest and attention
- Motivate a prospect to participate in your campaigns.
Here are some examples you might want to try:
- Hi, Jonathan! Kindly confirm if you still want to proceed with the house tour scheduled for the 18th of August, 3 pm sharp. Please send YES to confirm and NO to cancel your bookings. Thank you, and have a nice day ahead.
- Hi, Julia! Our team will be having an annual sales event next week, January 1st. It’s a week-long celebration with tons of freebies and prizes. If you’re interested in joining, please click the link below to register.
Furthermore, make sure your calls to action are clear and compelling, so your clients will easily understand the purpose of your campaign. This will motivate them to participate instead of deleting your messages as quickly as possible.
6. Integrate Multimedia Resources
Sometimes, words aren’t enough to express the message you want to convey, especially when you’re limited to 160 characters. That being said, you might want to consider using multimedia messaging services (MMS) to boost your SMS campaigns.
MMS is one of the most effective ways to ignite customer interest and attention. According to HubSpot, the brain can process visual aids 60,000 times faster compared to text-based content. In addition, people are more likely to make a purchase once they’re being presented with a video clip or an image relevant to what they’re planning to purchase.
However, using MMS alone may not be enough to win the game. That said, here are some creative ideas to integrate MMS into your SMS marketing campaigns effectively:
Use Relevant Images: Send images related to what you want to promote. For example, if you’re promoting wine, you may send your prospects some infographics regarding the process of winemaking.
Insert Details: Edit your images by adding some important details your prospects would need. For example, if you want to send a photo of wine, you may add the age of the wine, the barrel used during fermentation, or the grapes used and where they’re located.
Use Video Clips: Sending videos is one way to engage with customers effectively. For example, you may send a 30-second to a onr-minute video of a tour of your vineyard, highlighting its features.
Send A Link: Aside from short clips, pictures, and infographics, you may send a link to your YouTube channel to promote your content. Also, this allows prospects to learn more about you, including how you operate and the products and services you offer.
7. Boost The Results Of Your Email Marketing Campaigns
As mentioned earlier, SMS marketing campaigns have a higher open rate compared to emails. So, if you want to boost your email campaigns and achieve the best results, you might want to get help from your SMS campaigns.
Instead of sharing the entire message through your SMS campaigns, make it more mysterious by sending the missing part through emails. This will stimulate the curiosity of your prospects and make them open and check their emails as soon as possible.
These days, most people don’t often read their emails unless it’s something relevant to their work. They won’t even know if you send tons of emails to their inbox. It’s not that they don’t care about such things. It’s just that they don’t open their emails often. So, to prevent your email campaigns from becoming useless, give your prospects some clues through SMS and invite them to uncover the truth by checking their emails.
Here’s an affective sample:
Hi, Janice! We’ve got some mystery deals exclusively for you (and some surprises) that can be found in your email. Check it now and see what the mystery deal and surprise are all about. Hope you like it!
8. Send SMS Campaigns At The Right Time
Day and time are among the most important factors that can influence the success of your SMS marketing campaigns. You may be sending out the funniest and most clever text message ever to exist, but if you deliver it at the wrong time, your efforts will all be in vain. So, when is the right day and time to send your SMS campaigns?
It’d be best to send your text messages around 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm. This is when most people are packing their things up and preparing to go home. So, they might have plenty of time to spare for reading and responding to your SMS campaigns.
However, should you send messages in the morning? Probably not, because most people have more important things to do around 9 am to 12 noon. They might see your messages, but may not have the time to respond.
On the other hand, try not to send text messages on Mondays. Why? Because many people may have weekend hangovers. They won’t even try opening your messages. Also, it’s not a good idea to send sales messages on Fridays. This is when most people are preparing for the weekend.
The best days to deliver your SMS campaigns are Wednesdays and Thursdays. Why? Because this is when people are concentrated and focused on getting things done. So, they might make time to read and respond to your messages.
In summary, it’s best to send SMS campaigns around 4:30 to 5:00 pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays to achieve better results.
Final Words
SMS marketing is one of the most powerful and effective forms of marketing that yields great results. Unlike other marketing strategies, prospects and customers are most likely to take action when receiving text messaging campaigns. However, SMS marketing is no easy task. For this reason, you may consider the strategies discussed above. Thryv offers sms marketing tools to help improve your campaigns to create more sales opportunities and generate more revenue.
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