Are you looking for a way to increase sales and customer loyalty? Look no further than text message marketing or SMS (Short Message Service). This relatively new form of marketing is the perfect way to stay in touch with customers without being too “salesy.”
You can use it for everything from sending reminders about upcoming events, promoting new products, or simply thanking them for their business. Here we will look at a few benefits of using SMS to grow your business.
What Are the Benefits of Text Message Marketing?
Cost-Effective
Text marketing offers an inexpensive channel to reach customers in comparison to other marketing methods. For example, PPC marketing costs small to medium-sized businesses up to $9,000-$10,000 per month on average. Even social media ads can go for $15-$200 per day. But SMS marketing usually works out to just pennies per message, offering a low-cost way to reach out to your customers that won’t break the bank!
High Conversion Rates
SMS marketing has a higher conversion rate than just about any other form of digital marketing, including email marketing, Facebook ads, or PPC. In fact, SMS messages typically see click-through rates as high as 30% and conversions up to 9%.
Part of the reason for this is your texts are arriving directly to their phone’s messages where they will see it immediately, compared to emails, which can easily get lost among dozens of other emails or, worse still, lodged in the spam filter. It’s also practical because customers actually prefer texts for communication over email or phone calls. In fact, statistics show that nearly 60% of customers want brands to use text communication more frequently!
High Customer Engagement
Text messages can be used to engage customers and keep them interested in your brand. This makes sense, considering that most people’s mobile phone is practically an extension of their bodies! Statistics reveal that 98% of SMS messages get viewed within five minutes of being sent. Plus, you can get new people interested in your business by offering exclusive promotions that are only accessible through text messages.
For example, you could grant text subscribers access to new products before everyone else, or send them a link to a behind-the-scenes at your business that would interest them. It’s also fantastic for running contests, surveys, and polls.
Helps You Know Your Customers
SMS messaging allows businesses to send personalized messages tailored to their customers’ interests, which in turn increases the effectiveness of the message. For example, if you are promoting an event for your business, you can include a discount code in the text. And adding emojis or other fun text can make your messages more personable and engaging.
Customers can reply to your texts which gives you an easy way to chat directly with customers and leads. This helps you get to know your buyers and their preferences. With this information, you can tailor your offerings to their needs and create genuine customer loyalty.
Just-in-Time Offers
In addition to sending promotional offers, you can also use SMS text messages to send last-minute promotions to your customers. For example, if you own a store at an outdoor mall and it’s raining out, you could send a text out to your subscribers offering a special promotion for that day only to encourage shoppers to come out.
Another example is if you own a diner offering an early dinner special, you could send your promotion right when your customers are considering going out to eat. They are much more likely to see and act on it than if you sent them an email.
Compliments Other Marketing Channels
You can use SMS marketing to complement other marketing channels such as email or social media. It’s excellent for increasing the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns and can help you get more customers through your doors. For instance, you can integrate SMS with CRM tools or your email service provider. Beyond that, SMS helps you connect multiple marketing campaigns to enhance results.
Trackable Results
Marketers can track the success of their SMS messages and see how many people clicked on their links to get important insights into what messaging is working and what isn’t. This information can be used to personalize messages further and get better results in the future.
For example, a few days after a promotional SMS text message is sent out, you can see how many people took advantage of it and follow up with those who didn’t. With this information, you’ll be able to send more effective messages in the future that your customers are sure to notice!
Improves Customer Retention
SMS can be your secret weapon when it comes to customer retention. It works because it’s something your customers are used to; everyone has their phone on them at all times. You can get in touch with customers even when they don’t make it into your store by using text. You can also send helpful reminders or other offers that will encourage repeat business and customer loyalty!
For instance, you can program a text with a special offer to be sent to your subscribers on their birthday. You can also use SMS to request feedback on your product and service, which helps you refine your offerings to keep your buyers happy.
Helps You Reach Important Decision-Makers
Because SMS messaging is so popular, the people you’re trying to reach will be more likely to check their text messages than they would email. So if you are looking for someone specific – such as a chief financial officer or an HR manager – your texts are much more likely to get noticed on their cell phones! This makes them great for reaching key decision-makers who are important to your business.
Broadens Your Reach
SMS messages are an excellent way to attract new customers and broaden your reach beyond your local area. Although text messaging is a permission-based strategy, almost everyone owns a cellphone, which means just about anyone can become a lead. It allows you to connect with people across all demographics. No special equipment is needed to become a subscriber since 95% of the population already has an SMS-capable phone.
Keeps Your Brand Top of Mind
SMS marketing is a wonderful way to keep your business top of mind with current and potential customers. To get the most out of this advertising tactic, be sure to include multiple call-to-actions in each text you send so that your subscribers can click through and stay engaged!
Easier Payment Collection
Most companies don’t realize that SMS is a fantastic tool for securing payments from customers. For example, collection agencies report that their SMS strategies are the most effective for collecting payments. Not only that, customers prefer when payment requests are sent by text. It also helps that you can send out scheduled payment reminders every month so that customers don’t forget to pay.
Easy to Opt-In and Opt-Out
SMS is an easy way to collect new subscribers because people are so familiar with receiving texts. To start collecting more subscribers, you can ask people to text in a specific keyword at the checkout of your business location, like “text BOOKS to 555888.” You can even offer discounts or coupons for those who opt into your SMS program. This can help improve customer loyalty and set up your business as the go-to place for great deals.
But customers can also easily opt-out, which is essential because you don’t want to annoy them to the point where you lose them as a customer. Typically, all they have to do is reply “STOP,” and you’ll automatically remove them from your list.
Highly Customizable
Today’s software allows you to customize your text message marketing campaigns to best meet your business needs. For example, you can personalize messages based on subscriber preferences or buying habits. You can also use SMS to send out flash sales or limited-time promotions that customers won’t want to miss!
Gives Your Brand a Competitive Edge
Text is a relatively new form of marketing, and not many businesses utilize text to grow their business yet. In fact, only 39% of marketers say they use SMS! That means now is an opportune time to implement text marketing because you’ll be one step ahead of the competition. You won’t find this advantage with other advertising channels such as email or social media.
It’s clear to see why SMS marketing is trending in popularity and will likely become a significant marketing strategy in the months and years to come. It’s an easy way to reach customers wherever they are without breaking the bank! Factor in its high conversion rate, competitive advantage, and personalization capabilities, and it’s no surprise why more are starting to implement this digital marketing tactic.
However, there are a lot of considerations that come with SMS marketing, like permission, text frequency, and message conciseness. Do you need help implementing an SMS marketing strategy? Contact us at Anthem Sofware today, and we’d be happy to help you get started!
