In this fast-paced world, it is the instant communication that drives consumer behaviors. Having an effective SMS marketing strategies at your side is the curial tool needed to connect and engage with customers quickly.
Leveraging SMS marketing ensures that every one of your messages reaches your audience immediately. SMS boosts of the highest engagement rate that few other channels can match. To step up your game with SMS marketing, you need to implement essential strategies now that will get impressive, direct, and impactful results.
This includes higher conversion rates and increased ROIs. A strong marketing strategy will also help enhance customer loyalty so that your customers become your most valuable brand ambassadors.
Read Also: 10 Tips for Optimizing Your SMS Marketing Performance
Here is why SMS should be your top choice when formulating an effective strategy for your marketing campaign:
- It is a native phone app, and there is no third-party access. SMS is secure and does not require third-party platform.
- SMS can work without internet. Your customers can get their OTPs even in low coverage areas, increasing their trust in SMS over other apps.
- SMS is least susceptible to hacking as it is not tied to any apps.
Here are several of our top favorite action strategies to help you maximize the impact of your SMS marketing efforts.
Impact of your SMS Marketing Efforts
- Exclusive offers, time sensitive and text-only offers and deals
Reality check: Even the people who say they don’t like mobile phones will check their SMSs because they are ‘messages.’ Offers on SMS are the incentives that you need to drive immediate results. SMS is ideal for delivering exclusive, time-sensitive offers that prompt instant action. You can also send early access to sales messages to increase a sense of exclusivity.
Remember, customers need incentives in exchange for their info.
- Identify yourself to avoid getting blocked or left on read
Every person gets a dozen texts per day; how do you ensure that they read your texts and don’t let it go in deleted or junk folders? To get immediate results from your SMS marketing strategy, make sure your receivers know who is sending the message. A preface text with the company’s name or a creative trademark with each of the texts is a great way to build a long-term personal connection and a sense of familiarity over time.
Use the power of SMS Marketing Immediacy and leverage the urgency
Urgency is the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of SMS marketing. When crafting the SMS marketing strategy, include messages that convey a limited-time offer or exclusive deals that are ending soon and prompt immediate action. For example, 24-hour flash sales, VIP discounts, countdown reminders, etc.
- Craft messages that are easy to understand at a glance
SMS has a character limit of just 160 characters. Therefore, ‘less is more’ when it comes to SMS marketing. Craft sweet, short, concise, and compelling messages that pack a punch without confusing. Most people read the messages in the notification window before opening it, therefore, make sure the first lines are simple and catchy. They should be able to make sense of your offer without confusion. You can also use the popular keywords and short codes.
Include a clear and visible call-to-action (CTA), and make the content attractive and tempting action. A message like, “FLASH SALE! 20% off on all items until midnight. Use code FLASH20. Tap here to shop now!” is clear and invites engagement.
- Build a refined permission-based subscriber list
Your messages will have more impact and good ROI if they are in the inboxes that want them. Your SMS strategy will be stronger with a permission-based subscriber list of contacts who are genuinely interested in hearing from your business.
Give your users easy opt-in and opt-out options on every touchpoint (social media, POS, websites, messages, etc.). To encourage sign-ups, offer incentives such as preview sales, exclusive discounts, etc.
- Personalize and humanize the message
An effective strategy for SMS marketing is using tools that can help you personalize the message. Use the data insights in your SMS campaigns to tailor the messages based on names, preferences, purchase histories, demographics, and browsing behaviors.
Use first names and reference the products they have shown interest in. Keep the tone of the messages friendly and conversational, for example, Hi Reena, enjoy an additional 30% off on our new range just for you! Use the code REENA30 at checkout.” And then follow up with, “Get an additional 5% off when your friends and family use this code”.
- Right timing will get you maximum impact
SMS marketing strategy should consider the timing of the messages as top priorities. Timing your texts to perfection will add a boost to your SMS campaign performance and get more cash out of the campaign. Analyze your subscriber’s habits and send messages when they are most likely to engage in. You don’t want to bombard their inbox with messages, and neither do you want them to forget you. Here are some tips:
- Avoid early mornings or late nights.
- Send lunch deals in late morning and exclusive deals during peak shopping hours
- 2-3 messages per month is a fair game
- Late mornings and mid-afternoons are considered the best optimal timing for SMS
- Stick to business hours when sending messages
- Time your message according to time zone and demographics. For example, working professionals are most likely to engage during lunch breaks and after work hours.
- Include automation
Set up SMS automation to send birthday or anniversary messages, abandoned cart messages, order confirmations, etc. This will save you time and increase the impact of your SMS marketing campaigns.
- Optimize your brand landing pages for mobile
The effectiveness of a strategy is measured when the recipients are converted into customers. When aiming to drive traffic through the SMS campaigns, make sure that the landing pages are optimized for mobile devices. When the customer clicks on the CTA, it should take them to a page that loads quickly, has a responsive design, and clear checkout process. Make sure that the landing pages are mobile friendly and fit every screen size. Remove anything that distracts or has steps that make the conversion cumbersome.
- Test everything before sending
Test your landing pages on various mobile devices; use A/B testing at different stages to check the effectiveness of the messages. Regularly track the key metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, conversions, etc., to know what is working and what needs to be worked on.
An effective marketing strategy combines segmentation, testing, crafting compelling messages, well-timed offers, and aligning the campaign with other marketing strategies. You can step up your SMS marketing game by driving instant engagement and building lasting customer relationships.
Read Also: From Leads to loyalty: How SMS Marketing Generates Real Benefits
Written By – Ritika Khanna
Ritika Khanna is a senior product solution expert at EnRcloud and a part of the marketing consultancy and growth team. Helping brands to address their Engagement and Retention problem statement using New Age and AI Powered Marketing Automation Platforms. Apart from this, I am adaptive to any work environment and also a good team player.
