What is SMS Marketing?

SMS marketing is any type of marketing that involves a company promoting itself by sending texts to consumers. SMS marketing is a great way to conveniently engage with consumers through their phones. This is especially true considering how often consumers use their phones. Did you know that the average American checks their phone 96 times a day? This is why learning how to effectively utilize SMS marketing is so important.  

sms marketing examples

How to Start SMS Marketing

You have many options available for how to use SMS marketing for your business. These are just some of the strategies you might want to use.

Utilize Call to Action Buttons 

When creating an SMS marketing campaign, you should consider using call-to-action buttons in your texts. Call to action buttons help catch the attention of the consumer and make them more likely to engage with your text message. A call to action occurs whenever you tell your reader, in this case, the consumer reading the text message, to do a certain action. Phrases like “buy now” or “order today,” are traditional examples of calls to action in marketing.  By using a call-to-action button, you can analyze your click-through rate to see how you can improve your campaign in the future.

A call to action button is when consumers have to click on a link sent in the text to further engage with the marketing material. Call to action examples in SMS marketing include phrases like “click here” or “click to show full text.” Not only is this a great way to catch the attention of your consumers, but it can also help you determine the success of your campaign. By using a call-to-action button, you can analyze your click-through rate to see how you can improve your campaign in the future. 

sms marketing campaign

Share Exclusive Deals 

One of the ways many companies will utilize text marketing is to send out exclusive deals to their consumers. This is a really effective strategy, especially for companies that have limited-time coupons. You can send out a coupon to consumers via text marketing that only lasts 24 hours. This will encourage the consumer to make a purchase as soon as possible because they do not want to miss the deal. You can send them a link to the coupon in your text, which will take them to your website. This is a great way to get additional purchases that you otherwise might not have been able to get. This will also incentivize the consumer to continue to receive text messages from you. If they know that there’s a chance they could receive a deal, they will likely interact with your text messages more often. Additionally, this could encourage consumers who are not signed up to receive messages to do so. 

Announce New Products 

One strategy many companies will use in their SMS marketing campaign is to use text marketing to announce new products. This is a great way to get the consumer’s attention and get them invested in your brand, especially if you announce the new product first through text message. Consumers want to feel like they are a part of something exclusive. This also encourages additional consumers to sign up for the text message list. 

If your company specializes in exclusive or limited amounts of products, this could be a really effective option for you. Consumers will want to know exactly when a product launches if you are limiting the amount of the product you sell. Make sure that when you announce the new products that you provide a link for consumers to easily access the new products. You want to make it as accessible as possible for the consumer to make a purchase if that new product is appealing to them. 

text marketing

Make Online Review Requests 

Getting online reviews for a business can be crucial. Many consumers will not trust a website if it has very few reviews. Consumers want to make sure that if they are making a purchase on a website, that it is legitimate. Reviews are a great way to get consumers to trust your website. 

Convincing consumers to review your website and products can be difficult. Luckily, you can use text marketing to convince consumers to review your website. Sending out a link through text where consumers can leave a review can go a long way to helping get more reviews. 

Beyond just convincing consumers to trust your website enough to make a purchase, you want your customers to feel invested in the success of your brand. Make sure that when you send out the text that you do not push too much for a positive review. Consumers do not want to feel like they are being pushed towards leaving a positive review. This is why a suggestion to leave a review, positive or negative, is the best approach. 

Send Reminder Texts

Another strategy that is often used in SMS marketing campaigns is to send reminder texts. The reminder texts can be applied to a variety of scenarios. If you allow consumers to make multiple payments for a single purchase, you could send the texts to remind consumers when they need to make their next payment. Or if they are on an automatic payment option like a subscription service you could send them a reminder text each month letting them know that their payment went through. However, you can also send reminders to your consumers outside of their payment methods. 

If a sale is ending soon, you could send a reminder text to inform consumers that they only have a limited amount of time left to take advantage of the sale. This can be a great last-minute push to get some additional sales before your promotion ends. If you think of any other reasons you would need to send a reminder text, you should send it to your consumers. After all, a large part of the reason consumers will sign up to receive text messages from a company is to get updates.

what is sms marketing

Text Payments 

One way marketing professionals will often use SMS marketing is to send out links for text payments. This is a great strategy because many consumers primarily shop on their mobile devices, especially if they do not have a laptop handy. You want to make it as easy as possible for the consumer to make a purchase wherever they are. If a consumer wants to make a purchase but is having trouble accessing your website through their mobile, they will likely get discouraged and not make the purchase. The consumer could of course make the purchase once they have a laptop in front of them, but they might forget or change their mind. If a consumer wants to make a purchase, you should try anything you possibly can to secure the purchase then and there. Luckily text marketing is a great way to do this. 

Text Marketing Polls 

Finally, text marketing is often commonly used for polls. This is great if you are looking for feedback on a certain product or even promotion your company offers. Polling has never been easier than with SMS marketing. You can either text your consumers a link to a poll in the hopes of gauging their feedback or you can create an interactive poll in the text message software. An interactive poll would require using software that would send the consumers each poll question as individual texts. Having a poll also makes consumers feel as though they are a part of your company. They want to know that their opinion matters to the company they are investing their time and money in. 

sms marketing

Pay Attention to What Times You are Sending the Text Messages

When sending text messages to consumers, you should also check what time you are sending the messages. Unlike when you send an email, when you send consumers a text message is important. This is because many consumers will only check their email when they are working or during the daytime. It is reasonable for a consumer to take longer to respond to an email than a text message. Many consumers will open a text message right when they receive it or shortly after. This is why you want to make sure that you are texting your consumers during normal working hours. 

Typically any time between 9 am-5 pm will work since these are the average working hours for many jobs. Additionally, you should consider the time zone of the person you are sending the text to. Just because it is not 2 am where you are sending the text from does not mean it will not be 2 am where the consumer receives the text message.

FAQs

  • What is SMS marketing? 
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