How SMS marketing campaigns cut through the noise
In the UK alone 98% of people have access to a mobile phone, and on average we look at them every 4 minutes. Owning a mobile phone is no longer just for the younger generation, an article by Forbes explains that during lockdown the use of mobile phones grew exponentially across all demographics.
If you are looking to accelerate your marketing strategy and want to give SMS campaigns a try, we’ve put together this article to show you how and why text message marketing will put you ahead of the competition.
So what are the advantages of an SMS marketing campaign and why are they so effective?:
1. Instant and Direct Communication
Use SMS marketing to reach customers wherever they are and in real-time. Most people carry a phone around with them and can also receive text messages to their smartwatches, so the chance of them missing one is slim. This is why SMS marketing has a 98% open rate. There are no other marketing channels that can offer this level of success in the first instance. Email marketing, which according to Influencer Marketing Hub has an average open rate of 19.7%!
2. Increased Engagement and Response Rates
It’s not only open rates that are accelerated by SMS marketing messages, but the rate of engagement too. Thanks to text messages being an on-the-go communication for most people, there’s a lot more chance of a higher response rate and click-through rate.
3. Personalisation
Because SMS marketing software allows you to personalise your messages, people are far more likely to lean into your brand and feel comfortable responding to your text messages. A good business SMS marketing software will allow you to add recipient’s names, personal details, demographics, and purchasing behaviour to your database. With this information, you can send more relevant comms to your subscriber. This level of personalisation can even be done with Bulk SMS as long as your database is kept up-to-date.
3. Enhanced Customer Experience
To be heard over the noise in today’s world, you need to deliver a more tailored experience to your customers to boost your conversion rates. One of our top SMS marketing tips is to gather as much information about your customers as you can to build profiles and understand their needs. Use your sign-up process and then continue to gather more information throughout your relationship for constant improvement.
Use segmentation to deliver the perfect SMS marketing campaign to your subscribers to keep them invested in your brand. Find out what they want to hear about, what offers they prefer, what time they are most responsive to your text messages etc. By separating your audience into as many relevant categories as you can, you will maximise customer engagement and grow loyalty.
4. Opt-in and Opt-out Control
With SMS marketing customers have the choice about whether they are involved with your brand or not. Text message marketing is permission-based so all recipients must be subscribers and opt-in in to receive marketing messages.
In the same way, subscribers can also opt-out at any time and it is important to respect that choice. In the UK, there are marketing guidelines that prevent you from contacting someone who doesn’t want to hear from you.
The great thing about permission-based marketing is that you are not wasting time and money on people who aren’t interested in your brand, so will be able to protect your ROI. Another plus point is the fact that no one welcomes unsolicited marketing practices and the brands that use these methods quickly get a bad reputation.
Knowing that they can opt-out at any time will fill your subscribers with confidence and build trust in your brand. These are the customers who will want to hear from you.
Check out our article about transactional SMS that in contrast is not permission-based.
A Formula For High Conversion Rates
The conversion rate and ROI are the metrics that guide business decision-making, and SMS marketing is truly an effective tool. SMS Marketing often overtakes most other marketing channels by delivering highly personalised and highly targeted messages.
An SMS message also gives you instant access to the customers that you are targeting. Unlike email messages, SMS can reach the customer in less than a minute. In the same way, customers can also reach companies instantly and have their needs met easily by automated SMS or by a human operator, the choice is yours.
SMS Marketing Examples
If you are still unsure about how text messaging can help your business, here are our top uses:
- Flash sales
- Voucher codes
- Abandoned cart reminders
- Browse reminders
- Booking or purchase confirmations
- Appointment reminders
- Recruitment
- Internal communications
- Schools and colleges
- Information sharing
SMS marketing is a powerful accelerator for boosting response rates and engaging with your target audience. Its direct and instant communication with high open and read rates, increased engagement, and enhanced customer experience make it a valuable addition to your marketing toolbox. Get in touch today for your free trial with TextAnywhere!