What is SMS Marketing and Why Your Company Needs It

盖瑞Mileva
Last Updated:
11分钟阅读
Social Media

When done effectively, SMS marketing is one of the most effective ways to engage customers and prospects.

Let’s look at these numbers:

With these stats in mind, it's more crucial than ever for businesses to use SMS marketing.

What is SMS Marketing and Why Your Company Needs It:

SMS Marketing Explained

SMS stands for “short message service,” also known as “text messaging.” SMS marketing allows businesses to interact with customers or subscribers via text messages. The content comes in various forms, but they all have the same purpose: to promote your business.

Marketers can only send text messages to those who have agreed to receive them. There are government bodies that ensure and regulate the admissibility of SMS marketing:

  • The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Before sending text messages to clients, review the FCC's strict message distribution and consent restrictions.

  • The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)

The TCPA protects consumers from unwanted mass text messages.

  • The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA)

The CTIA is a trade association that provides instructions and recommendations on SMS marketing.

营销成本,营销人员将茶rged in advance rather than receive a bill after sending bulk text messages. For example, you can buy SMS credits worth $100 and use them as you see fit. You can purchase more when you run out of credits. Just keep in mind that the price per SMS varies in the country you're sending the text messages.

SMS Marketing Examples

Businesses can use text messaging for a variety of marketing reasons, including:

  • Welcome texts

A welcome SMS is similar to sending a welcome email when a customer signs up for your loyalty program. You can give new registrants a discount to encourage them to buy again.

  • Time-limited deals

If you're running a special campaign and want to maximize customer engagement, SMS is the way to go. Incorporate a sense of urgency into your sales and ad wording.

  • Status updates

SMS is outstanding for order confirmation, delivery updates, and tracking information.

  • Customer care

SMS marketing can address an issue before it becomes a huge problem. For example, a simple text message can reassure customers who are experiencing shipping delays. A personal explanation via SMS shows the brand's human side.

  • Special occasions

Show your customers how much you value their business. Remember key events like their birthday or anniversary. To make it even special, offer them birthday discounts or anniversary incentives.

  • Product launch

Send an SMS campaign to let customers know about new arrivals. This is a great technique for driving traffic and interest toward new items.

  • Flash sales

Flash discounts are a great way to say thanks to loyal customers for their trust in your business. Inform them about limited-time, SMS-exclusive deals.

  • Seasonal promos

When it's time to clear out your inventory, text your customers to remind them of your seasonal bargains.

  • Surveys

Surveys are a great way to learn about your customers' needs. Try delivering a survey link through SMS instead of other marketing programs to enhance response rates.

  • Notifications

Sending SMS reminders helps companies to approach customers with confidence. These reminders go beyond sales promotions. They include appointment alerts, payment notices, and valuable info on health services and weather updates.

  • Inter-departmental

Today's businesses rely on SMS to deliver vital information to keep employees informed of company performance and facilitate teamwork.

  • Social media cross-promotion

鼓励您的SMS订户在社交媒体渠道上关注您。添加社交媒体奖励可以帮助客户这样做。

SMS Marketing at Work

Text message marketing relies on a database with your clients' names, contact details, demographics, and other relevant data. Your customer's consent to receive marketing offers is included in this database.

Consumers can give their permission to be a subscriber over the phone, in person, or online. The simplest way to do so is to text a five to a six-digit keyword or a “short code.” The short code often comes from your telecommunication provider, so you must put your business name on every message for recognition.

来源：dirms.com

There are two types of SMS marketing messages:

  • Campaigns

These are "one-to-many" mass texts. They are commonly used to promote (coupons, bargains, etc.) or inform (events, updates, etc.) subscribers.

  • Transactional

These are "one-to-one" messages like order confirmation and delivery notification. Most of the time, transactional messages are personalized. They also update clients in real-time.

So, how can you send bulk messages without messing them up or make sure that the right type of marketing message is sent to the correct subscribers? The solution isautomation, which enables businesses to track hundreds of text message subscribers.

Automation also helps execute high-quality SMS marketing campaigns with a high ROI. You can use an SMS marketing software or app for automation. The tool allows you to tailor your messages and send them to your entire database in mere seconds.

Many SMS software programs work well with other marketing solutions, particularly with Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Your SMS marketing software may share data with your CRM. This type of connectivity lets you sync your contacts from your CRM to your SMS marketing program, saving time and boosting your sales and marketing efforts.

Related Content:

SMS Marketing Benefits

As the world faces unprecedented challenges, SMS marketing isn't simply for promoting a product or service. It has also become a vital communication tool because you can send messages even without an internet connection.

Here are some ways your business can profit from SMS marketing activities:

  • Direct communication

SMS is one of the fastest communication channels available, with a read rate of97% within 15 minutesafter delivery. When combined with other popular marketing campaigns like email and social media, SMS ads provide a successful ROI of over 50%.

  • Convenience

Using a shortcode or keyword in print ads, promo boards, and social media provides a convenient way for your clients to subscribe. This method encourages customers who recognize a brand's shortcode to interact and respond quickly.

  • Channel integration

SMS is a great standalone medium, but it can also support other marketing channels like social media and email. SMS marketing can urge clients to read an earlier email from the brand. A“Have you seen our email?”text message can increase email open ratesby up to 30%.

  • Brand loyalty

Well-planned bulk texts increase customer engagement and brand loyalty. Customers don't want to read generic or unnecessary content, so you must target them with tailor-made offers.

  • Brand recognition

据考证，45％的客户respond to SMS blasts from popular brands. Startups can leverage SMS marketing to build brand awareness.

  • Data collection

An SMS surveyis completed by around 31%of those who get it. Client feedback is a great way to learn about how your brand functions on a digital scale.

  • Local customer engagement

Many people are now used to texting when engaging with local businesses such as dentists, hairdressers, and garages.

  • Response data

Measuring meaningful ROI, identifying clients engaged via text message, and tracking delivery rates are possible via SMS. Companies can use this data to target their ads better and understand their mobile audience.

SMS Marketing for Specific Industries

Text messaging can be a great way to supplement your数字营销efforts. They play a unique role in providing vital information securely and proficiently. It helps companies to thrive. However, certain businesses need SMS marketing to survive:

  • eCommerce shops

您可以轻松地通过SMS发送广告材料，订单和发货通知以及更多。

  • Travel agencies

Travelers need real-time information such as flight updates, gate changes, cancellations, and weather forecasts. With SMS, you can notify customers of exactly what they need to know without worrying about delivery.

  • 基于任命的组织

Reminding your clients through SMS guarantees they never miss another appointment. This will save you time and money wasted on no-shows and latecomers.

  • 拥有100多名员工的大型公司

Internal communication is critical, yet communicating with everyone in a large business is tricky. Email is too slow for important issues. Using SMS for internal communication ensures that all employees get the information they need at the right time.

SMS营销最佳实践

Because consumers receive tons of notifications throughout the day, it's vital to get your text message right the first time.

  • Seek consent

SMS marketing uses the same opt-in criteria as email marketing. Before sending messages, marketers must get express authorization from consumers. Every SMS message must also include an opt-out like a“回复停下来迪斯科ntinue”or an unsubscribe link (particularly for non-US and Canadian subscribers).

    • The critical issue here is maintaining authorization. Start with full disclosure. Let your subscribers know what to expect from your messages. Don't abuse your privilege. SMS marketing is suited for time-sensitive content. Excessive usage may drive customers away.

  • Keep your messages brief and to the point

There is no room for rambling in SMS marketing because there is a 160-character limit for text messages. The content of your text message must be short and straightforward. A tried-and-tested formula is to capture their attention, communicate your message, and close it with a Call-to-Action. Here's an example of a restaurant reminding customers of trivia night via SMS:

来源：textline.com

It's also important to identify yourself on the get-go so your subscribers know who you are and understand your message. Also, use proper grammar. Avoid using text lingo and abbreviations since they are not generally understood. Use correct capitalization and punctuation. Failing to do so results in an unprofessional-looking message.

  • Send messages at a reasonable time

People check emails a couple of times a day (at most), but they open text messages practically as soon as they receive them. This is great for urgent communications, but don't exploit it by sending texts at ungodly hours. Even your most loyal customer wouldn't want to receive a sale reminder at 3 a.m.

Some countries even have regulations about SMS marketing schedules. In France, the government prohibits marketers from sending SMS messages on Sundays, during holidays, or after 10 p.m.

  • Don’t bombard subscribers with messages

尽可能多的你想要通知你的目标市场about every sale or deal your business runs, control yourself. Consumers may find it difficult to ignore text alerts like the way they can disregard ad billboards. But when they receive one too many SMS promos, they won’t hesitate to discontinue their subscription, or worse, cancel your brand.

  • Use SMS marketing tools

SMS marketing software can help you improve your marketing efforts. Most notably, it can automate and deliver several messages at once. A program can also give you important metrics and reports to help you assess the exact impact of your campaign. With this information, you can optimize your text advertising and experiment with different approaches to improve your ROI.

  • Leverage SMS marketing to boost your overall marketing plan

专门针对发送SMS消息的营销策略在针对观众的目标方面非常有效。但是，如果您可以从一个命令帖子中管理许多渠道，那么您的营销工作将变得更加容易，而且更有效。因此，SMS营销应成为您整体营销策略的一部分。

The most direct way to integrate SMS with your entire marketing campaign is throughemail marketing. SMS and email are platforms that work in tandem. You may design campaigns that employ both systems, such as email for detailed content and SMS for urgent information. These integrated channels result in a marketing communication system that enables your business to gain a wider reach.

Bottom Line

A well-planned and run SMS marketing campaign can help your business grow and improve customer engagement. In addition to promoting your products and services, this can boost brand awareness, build brand loyalty, and potentially generate sales. As SMS marketing becomes more popular, it's vital not to miss out on what can be a highly efficient way to communicate with your customers.

建议

Baidu