People across the globe are becoming more accustomed and comfortable with receiving and responding to text messages from relevant merchants and their service providers. As a result of this, SMS campaigns are on the rise for a huge range of different businesses, each incorporating them into their marketing strategies due to their direct response component. A recent survey carried out by SAP, established that 64%of consumers believe that businesses should converse with customers more frequently via SMS messaging.
Furthermore, 82% of consumers were found to believe that organisations should make it as simple as possible for customers to communicate with them. Similarly, 76% of customers claimed they were far more likely to read a message sooner if it were delivered in an SMS rather than an email form. In addition, customers also find SMS messaging useful to ensure they are provided with a quality service. Businesses should strive to be of USE to their subscribers first and foremost, and then utilise it as a method of promotion. SMS messaging should initially be used as a means to raise the quality of service being provided to consumers, thus building strong long-term relationships with current customer bases.
Key Aspects to Remember for SMS Marketing
Similar to email and social media marketing, mobile-based marketing works on an opt-in basis, therefore businesses must initially recruit a following through other channels. For example, websites containing clear icons, inviting visitors to subscribe to service alerts and additional promotional messages could increase a business’ following. It is good practice for businesses to couple such invitations with an FAQ page, allowing customers to learn more about how it works, how often to expect messages and also provide them with your privacy policy, thus ensuring they know exactly what they are signing up for.
If a business has a physical market presence with consumer traffic such a store, they should work to promote their mobile channel in a clear and eye-catching way. For example, positioning a bold poster on the wall or small leaflets with straightforward instructions on how to sign up for SMS messages and the benefits of doing so. Consumers need reasons to subscribe to SMS messages, therefore businesses should provide a set of incentives to drive them to do so. Explaining the perks of SMS subscription to them can motivate any customer to share a small portion of their privacy with your business, thus allowing you to deliver SMS marketing messages to them in exchange for such benefits.