How To Create An SMS Marketing Strategy

Text Marketing/SMS Marketing is a forgotten art amongst many, but those that have stuck by it are reaping the fruits of a very cheap and direct form of marketing.

SMS marketing is the practice of sending marketing messages by text message. It is a kind of opt-in marketing where customers subscribe to get the information.

More than 70% of web traffic is via mobile devices, and a form created specifically for mobile shoppers will look and convert far better.

DID YOU KNOW? MonkeyPesa is a unified customer communications platform in which you can manage both email marketing and SMS marketing side-by-side.

This creates a holistic view of how your customers engage with you. It also lets customers decide between if they want SMS updates or email updates via a central preferences page, and solves conflicting attribution issues.

The abbreviation “SMS” is for “short message service. This communication might be a one-on-one conversation between a staff member and a customer. It could be an automated text triggered by a customer action, or it could even be part of a mass text sent to a group of customers who have opted in to receive texts from your business.

How To Create An SMS Marketing Strategy

In case you missed it, your competitors have been sending SMSes and texts to their clients. Ordinarily treated as the bastard child, SMS Marketing is now at the table and being served the main course. A well-planned strategy will have you reaping ripe from SMS marketing.

1. Build your subscribers list

Get the basics out of the way. Get your clients to subscribe to your SMS marketing plan. make sure you get the go-ahead for you to send them SMSes.

You can send a gratitude message, thanking them for providing the number and asking if they would be interested in SMSes in the future.

Ways to motivate customers to join your SMS list:

• Create a unique offer—especially one that’s only going to your SMS list.

• Give customers a time-sensitive deal, like buy one, get one (BOGO) for the rest of the day on items you need to clear out.

• Send information that’s necessary to customers who might want to participate in an event.

• Introduce new products or services, especially if you’re giving your SMS list first dibs.

2. Welcome Texts

Everyone loves a good welcome message. Customers want to feel valued when they come into contact with your business. So on top of that welcome email, escort it with a warm, welcoming text. Text marketing works wonders seeing as SMSes and texts boast a high message open rate. The average open rate of a text message sits at about 99%, with 97% of messages being read within 15 minutes of delivery.

Basic elements that can help you send an impactful first message:

• Send it immediately after opt-in

• Include your store name

• Personalize the message with your subscriber’s first name

• Let subscribers know how much you appreciate them being on your SMS list

• Provide a clear call to action

3. Grow your SMS list

To see results from your SMS marketing efforts, you have to build a solid list. But when it comes to growing your list, you can’t rely on a go-with-the-flow approach—you need a strategy for consistent growth.

Always look for an opportunity to ask customers to opt-in without interfering with the user experience. There is no reason SMS Marketing and Email marketing can't work together. Use strategic targeting and show SMS-only forms for those already on your email list.