In our heavily connected world, the days of single-channel marketing are long gone. With so many options available to reach your audience, marketers have to find ways to increase their chances of getting in front of their target audience. One way to broaden your reach is through SMS or text message marketing. This can be a great way to ensure your audience sees your promotions, messaging, and more.
What Is SMS Marketing?
SMS marketing is a tactic that involves sending direct text messages to your target audience. It is a type of opt-in marketing strategy requiring users to have given you their number and subsequent permission to contact them, similar to how an email newsletter works. Users provide you with their email and consent to send them promotional messages.
What Are Common Uses For SMS Marketing?
The most commonly used tactic in SMS marketing is personalized promotions. This comes in the form of a text message to your cell phone. They often contain a quick greeting and a promotional deal linked to their website. Companies use this tactic to provide discounts to loyal customers to entice them to make a purchase quickly.
Another tactic in SMS marketing is remarketing. Many companies often require a phone number when making a purchase. When customers provide their phone number, they usually check a box that gives the company permission to add them to their messaging list. Now the company can send that customer updates on what’s new in-store, what’s coming up, discounts, and more. This is also a great way to remind customers of an abandoned cart or finish checkout.
SMS marketing is a great way to send out surveys and reviews. You can get more responses with SMS marketing than email because people are more inclined to ignore emails than text messages. Give this a try the next time you need more reviews or get feedback from your customers.
Best Practices For SMS Marketing
The most essential best practice for SMS marketing is ensuring that your audience has opted in. That means that your audience members have permitted you to text them with marketing and promotional messages. One example is having them check a box when buying a product that gives your business permission to text them promotional materials. This ensures that you can send them multiple messages without violating the Can-Spam Act and facing legal consequences.
The next best practice is the other side of opting in. When sending promotional messages via SMS or email, you always have to include a way to opt out of messages. This gives customers the chance to turn off promotional messages from the company. If a customer opts out and still gets sent promotional messages, that company could face legal consequences for violating the Can-Spam Act.
Otherwise, messaging best practices include identifying yourself, not being too wordy, not sending too many messages, and sending them at the right times. Nobody wants to be spammed with messages at night, so be mindful of what you’re sending and when.
The Takeaway
The primary takeaway is that SMS marketing can greatly benefit your business. Whether you need to improve your remarketing strategy, increase sales with a promotion, or get feedback from your customers, SMS marketing can help you achieve all of these goals. Just follow these best practices to avoid any mishaps with your strategy.