While there are countless ways to market your company, utilizing SMS is a tactic that is often overlooked. However, it can be one of the most effective marketing methods – if incorporated correctly. But, not everyone knows how to go about making full use of SMS marketing strategies.
Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, weāve got you covered.
Let’s take a look at everything you need to know!
1. Strong CTAs
One of the most common mistakes that businesses make within their SMS marketing strategies is a weak CTA (or no CTA at all). Not only will this drastically reduce the likelihood that your customer will interact with your brand, but it may also cause them to opt-out of the service.
For example, if a customer receives a message from an athletic apparel company detailing their new winter releases but doesn’t provide a link or any incentive to learn more, all the message managed to accomplish was waste the customerās time.
The best-case scenario is one where the recipient navigates to the company’s website on their own and manages to find the section of their store that has details about the new release.
As you may be able to tell, it’s not realistic to expect this to frequently occur. For smaller businesses that have a small pool of customers, it may not occur at all.
Your CTA also must be clear. A button where the customer has no idea what will happen when they press it is unlikely to perform well. Here is an example on a website that sells coffee. The CTA says āJoin the Adventureā, but what actually is the adventure? It is likely for customers to be confused where this button is about to take them.
2. Proper Timing is Crucial
In order to get the highest level of engagement, you’ll need to thoroughly research the demographic that you’re targeting. Their daily habits (such as when they’re likely to get home from work, go to bed, etc.) are essential to know, as well as the time zones each customer lives in.
Texting someone too late during the evening could cause you to miss out on engagement, as many people in higher age brackets tend to not use their phone at night and go to bed early.
Similarly, texting during the afternoon while someone is at work could lead to similar results. In general, though, you’ll want to send your message sometime between 8 AM and 8 PM to avoid disturbing anyone.
It’s important to note that SMS marketing works best when it creates a sense of urgency. So, if a sale you’re running is going to end on a Sunday evening, it’s best to send out your marketing message on a Friday afternoon.
3. Contact Those Likely to Engage
Casting a wide net and targeting your entire customer base isn’t often a tactic you want to employ with SMS marketing. This is especially true if your demographic has a particularly large age range, as the tendency to engage with SMS will vary highly among different groups.
Instead, focus on those who have already proven that they’re likely to interact with messages of this sort.Ā
This same concept applies to the product or service that you’re marketing. You can analyze a customer’s purchase history/past interaction with your brand in order to determine what type of offer you should present to them.
If your company has (or is) an online store, also consider the recipient’s geographical location. This is especially true with clothing, as apparel needs are fairly diverse from region to region.
Those who have shown that they’re willing to interact with your brand in the past are often ideal candidates for this type of marketing.
4. Be Creative When Driving Sales
A short SMS that’s meant to drive a sale can come off as impersonal and spammy, which can hurt your relationship with your audience in the long run.
Instead, be creative and try out other methods such as centering your CTA around visiting your company’s social media profiles as opposed to a sales page on your website. As long as there’s relevant information about your products and services, it will still help increase sales over time.
This is particularly effective if you’re running some sort of promotion (such as a contest), as social media is often the best place for your audience to engage with these campaigns.
Linking to your social pages comes with another noteworthy benefitā it likely increases your brand’s number of followers.
While this may seem to have little value at first, people who follow your account will be able to see offers that you make in the future. This fact in itself can indirectly help you generate more sales through SMS marketing.
5. Personalization is Key
A key factor of consumer behavior to keep in mind is that people love to make purchases, but nobody wants to be sold something. Personalizing the messages that you send your audience can go a long way in increasing their level of engagement.Ā
One of the easiest ways to do so is to address the customer by name as opposed to their order number or user ID. There’s a lot more familiarity with “Hey Nicole” than there is with “Hey nicole@outlook.com” or “Dear Order #478270.”
The more ‘human’ that you make your audience feel, the more your SMS marketing will feel like a friendly update as opposed to a sales tactic.Ā
Other methods to include are product recommendations, discounts related to their past purchases, referring to a product they have put in their shopping cart but not converted on, etc. Put simply, tailor each message exactly to the person you’re sending it to in order to have the best results.
Incorporating SMS Marketing Strategies Can Seem Difficult
But it doesn’t have to be.
With the above information on SMS marketing strategies in mind, you’ll be well on your way toward making the decision that’s best for your business and hitting metrics like never before.
Want to learn more about how we can help? Feel free to get in touch with us today to set up a conversion strategy review and see how SMS marketing can amplify your operations.