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SMS marketing is one of the most profitable and effective channels to capture customer attention. 84% of customers Text from the company They will read the message immediately and take action immediately.
This form of marketing can make a big difference to your business, but you need to follow SMS marketing best practices.
1. Don’t do cold SMS outreach
Rule 1 Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been clear for years: your contacts need to opt in to receive communications from your company. You have to follow rule number one, but doing so will improve your customer experience and increase your company’s profits.
For example, let’s say I’m a consumer and I suddenly get a text message from you. This text message is my first interaction with your company. I would immediately get angry that I received a text message without my permission, report it as spam, and probably never do business with you again. That would be bad. However, getting people to opt in to receiving text messages is actually pretty easy and makes for a better experience for your customers.
To get your contacts to opt in:
In any contact form or anywhere on your website where you collect contact information, make sure you do two things:
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Ask (or require) you to enter a mobile phone number
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Add “opt-in language” to your contact form. “By submitting this form, you are allowing us to contact you through the information you provide. You can opt out at any time.”
You can also use other marketing to get your contacts to opt in. For example, you could promote keywords like “Text DEALS to get special weekly discounts!” or even add text messaging capabilities to your current business phone line, encouraging them to “Text or call us.” [this number.]”If someone texts me first, it’s okay.”
Related: 5 Ways to Use Text Messaging to Grow Sales and Marketing
2. Use an SMS Marketing Platform
You can get great marketing without spending a lot of money, but you’ll need to spend a few dollars for both compliance and functionality. SMS Marketing Platform You can now:
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Tell all your contacts how to unsubscribe from SMS if they wish.
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Text from your existing business phone number
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Send mass text messages to your entire contact list
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Manage and segment your contact list for different offers and updates
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Process opt-outs automatically
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Track message delivery and engagement
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Give multiple team members access to view performance
Too many entrepreneurs, especially solopreneurs, try to hack into their personal smartphones. Don’t do this. It leads to ineffective marketing and gets you into regulatory trouble that an SMS marketing platform could prevent.
3. Create a message people want to receive
One of the best practices in marketing is to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. SMS MarketingIf you’ve done business with or purchased something from this company before, what kind of messages would you like to receive? These could include:
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Latest opening hours and store information
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Discount promotions for products you have previously purchased or are considering purchasing
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Announcements and reminders about upcoming events
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Customer milestones, anniversaries and renewal notifications
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Requesting feedback and sharing your experience
Think about what you want to receive and start creating a text messaging campaign that fits that.
Related: How Text Marketing Can Become Your Most Powerful Customer Engagement Tool
4. Provide clear instructions for effective engagement
You don’t have to be an expert copywriter to send effective SMS promotions. All the best ads have these things in common:
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Increase your excitement → NEW!
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Make an offer → Buy one, get one
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Provide a call to action → Click this link to buy
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Create a sense of urgency → The deal ends at midnight!
Even with text messages, you have a lot of flexibility in what you say, but you need to be clear about what you’re offering, why people should buy it, and how to get it — otherwise people will see your message but not do anything with it (and that would be a shame).
Pro Tip: Adding images to your SMS campaigns can make a big difference: event flyers, product images, or any other image that is worth a thousand words and makes your promotion more effective. This way you can increase the impact of your campaigns while keeping your text short.
5. Measure, improve, celebrate
Most businesses that start using SMS marketing see almost immediate benefits, but they don’t become experts right away. That’s OK, there’s a clear path to becoming an expert.
Put your all into sending your first SMS marketing campaign. Keep an eye on how it performs: how many people clicked your link or completed an action, and how quickly? Keep an eye on the metrics to see what’s working and what’s not. Ask friends and colleagues for feedback. Make adjustments, send your next campaign, and repeat the process. Soon you’ll be an SMS marketing master and ecstatic with your bottom line.
Related: How to Reduce Customer Acquisition Costs with Business Text Messaging