In this constantly connected world, digital marketing has certainly changed the landscape for SMEs. From social media advertising to search engine marketing, from video clips to ad placements all throughout the internet, there are plenty of options out there in reaching out to consumers and letting them know what you have in store for them.
However, because of these rapid changes and developments in technology, entrepreneurs seem to have forgotten other unique, previously brand new but nevertheless potentially effective means of marketing to consumers. Among them is SMS marketing.
Ask any business coach what they think about SMS marketing (or any other form of marketing for that matter) and they’ll tell you that, as with other means of communicating with the audience and consumers, it vastly depends on execution and context. Does it work? Yes. In this blog post, we’ll tell you why SMS marketing works and what aspects of it you should take advantage of in spreading the word about your business and engaging your audience.
Start by Asking Their Permission
One of the main reasons why some SMS marketing initiatives fail is the lack of consent in the consumer’s part. Forget sending out unwanted text messages to consumers based on some scummy contact list from some dubious source. Instead, ask for your audience’s permissions in getting their contact details through your digital marketing initiatives, sign-up sheets, and in-store and online forms. Don’t spam and blindly send out text messages as it breeds contempt and violates boundaries. In a sense, your customers’ smartphones are deeply personal space as it contains conversations, information and virtually all other aspects of your consumers digital lives.
SMS Marketing Ban Be Precisely Targeted
Getting your customer’s contact information legitimately allows you to know and profile customers using other information you acquired from them. From then on, every text message could be targeted and personalised in order for your messages to be more meaningful for customers. As an added bonus, some SMS marketing softwares or service providers are also compatible with CRM softwares, helping your company integrate all aspects of your customer relation initiatives.
SMS Campaigns Have High Open Rates
In contrast to emails, SMS messages have relatively high open rates. Given that SMS messages are synchronous, direct, concise and easier to open and browse through, it’s not really that much of a surprise that it posts a higher open rate than emails. Additionally, there are no junk/spam filters in SMS. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should send out messages fairly frequently. Otherwise, your customers won’t pay that much attention to your messages in the long run. Once or twice a month is probably enough.
Instantaneous Way of Reaching Out
The moment a text message is sent out, unless your customer is out of service reach, it only takes a few seconds/minutes for it to get delivered and opened. SMS marketing can take advantage of this instantaneous and synchronous form of communication in order to provide better context for your information or promotion. Send out SMS messages days before a sale. Announce promotions and new product launches at opportune moments. Ride trends and stay relevant.
While SMS marketing has its own weaknesses and limitations, it’s an invaluable and inexpensive tool that SMEs can use to further engage their target audience. It doesn’t take a marketing expert to figure out how this direct and informal means of communication to drive a point and send out a message. Use it alongside other marketing strategies and get one step closer to staying top-of-mind for your customers.
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