Jacob Morrow
2024-10-18 10:05:39
Are you wondering what is SMS marketing? If you've wondered how to take advantage of text messages in an effort to reach your customers, and feel a little overwhelmed, then this is the place for you.
Understanding SMS marketing can be a bit confusing; it seems like every other day there is always a new rule or fast-moving trend. This article will help clear up the confusion. We will explain what SMS marketing is, the different types of SMS marketing, and the benefits it offers.
Plus, we'll go over the best practices, strategies for your business, and review the top platforms, including EngageLab. By the end, you will know how to connect with your audience using SMS marketing.
So, let's get started.
What Is SMS Marketing?
Well, SMS marketing is a means of sending promotional messages right to phones. It's all about helping you connect your customers with short messages that can involve special offers, updates, or reminders.
People usually read their text messages in a very rapid manner, so this is quite an effective way of reaching them via SMS.
Source: https://www.istockphoto.com/
Types of SMS Marketing
There are a few main types of SMS marketing:
Promotion Messages:This text allows one to inform about some discounts, special offers, or other events that may encourage users to visit or buy something from you.
Source:https://www.sinch.com/
Transactional Messages: These messages provide notifications about specific actions, like confirmation of orders, details of shipment, or reminders concerning appointments.
Informational Messages: These are utilized when one wants to inform his or her contacts about something important regarding his or her business, such as new products or events, or hours.
Source:https://www.labsmobile.com/
Engagement Messages: These are targeted towards engaging the customer, such as surveys, feedback, or updates on loyalty programs. These help connect with your audience.
Benefits of SMS Marketing
Following are several benefits of SMS marketing:
- High Open Rates:Most people read their text messages within a few seconds of receipt, so your message is seen sooner rather than later.
- Immediate Delivery: Texts are sent and received almost instantly, which is great for urgent updates or offers.
- Personalization: You can tailor messages with regard to customers' likings or needs, thus making them more relevant.
- Cost-Effective:SMS marketing is often cheaper compared to other marketing methods you will employ in your company, giving you a good return on investment.
- Easy to Follow: Most SMS platforms don't just send out messages but generate reports on the performance of your messages.
Knowing these fundamentals will get you started with SMS marketing. In the next section, we cover best practices that make your messages effective.
SMS Marketing Best Practices
Following are a few case studies on SMS marketing best practices:
1. Always Get Permission
Case Study: Retail Store Chain
A chain of retail stores wanted to use SMS marketing in its seasonal sales promotion. They sought customers' permission in advance. They asked customers to subscribe to text messages on the website and in-store.
Source: https://www.textline.com/
They also promised customers several benefits like special discounts, early access to sales, etc. Having done that, and with respect to choices exercised by the customers, they recorded a 25% increase in engagement compared to their previous email-only campaigns.
2. Keep Messages Short and Clear
Case Study: Restaurant
A local restaurant used SMS marketing to let customers know about daily specials. Such examples include: "Today got 20% off on our lunch offer. Reserve now at 555-1234." This ensured a clear message was conveyed, capturing a 30% increase in bookings for lunchtime and reducing the number of complaints pertaining to misinformation.
Source:https://www.linkedin.com/
3. Time Your Messages Wisely
Case Study: Fitness Studio
A fitness studio wanted to increase the number of people attending classes. They experimented with sending reminder messages at various times and determined that 7 PM the night before worked particularly well.
Source:https://blog.textedly.com/
Sending reminders this time in the evening allowed clients to make more insightful planning in their schedules, which then raised class attendance by 40%.
4. Personalize Your Messages
Case Study: E-commerce Business
An e-commerce business used SMS to send order updates and promotions. Example: "Hi Sarah, get 15% off on items you viewed last week. Use the code XXX at checkout!" Because of its personal touch, there was a 20% increase in repeat purchases and happier customers.
Source:https://www.smscountry.com/
If you follow these best practices, you will note that creating SMS marketing campaigns may be effective and well-appreciated.
SMS Marketing Strategies
Here are some detailed strategies to implement in order to make your SMS marketing really work:
1. Segment Your Audience
That means segmenting or dividing your customer list into smaller groups based on particular criteria. You may want to segregate customers into separate segments according to their past purchases, purchase frequency, or location.
By using this SMS marketing strategy, you can easily deliver more targeted and relevant messages to each segment. In the case of the store, for example, you can provide repeat customers who buy similar items with exclusive discounts on winter clothes.
This way, your messages speak to the interests of each person and therefore are more likely to engage them.
2. Use SMS to Complement Other Marketing Channels
Another effective SMS marketing strategy is to make SMS work in conjunction with the rest of your marketing. For example, if you had an email campaign targeting customers regarding a new product launch, follow that up with an SMS reminder with regards to the same launch.
Similarly, if you are advertising a sale via social media, send an SMS with a last-minute reminder or special offer related to the same sale. This multi-channel approach applies not only to making sure your message reaches the client via different touchpoints but also to increase the likelihood that they will see and then act upon your message.
3. Automate Where Possible
By automating, you save time and provide timely communication. Set up automated responses via SMS on common scenarios. You can automate the confirmation of order texts right after the purchase, or appointment reminders a day before the scheduled time.
Automation tools can also provide follow-up messages concerning the purchase of a product or service, which would request feedback or offer some form of special deal. In this SMS marketing strategy, you will be able to maintain consistent communication without having to send out each message manually.
4. Track and Analyze Results
Key metrics monitoring is central to the understanding of your SMS campaigns' performance. You have to be cognizant of the open rates that reveal how many out of those receiving the SMS messages read them, the click-through rate for links taken, and response rates for general engagement.
Analyze this information to determine what types of messages and times work best. For example, if you are receiving a greater number of responses to evening messages, change your campaign schedule since the morning might not be working. Constant analysis helps you fine-tune your campaign for better results over time.
5. Keep Your Messaging Consistent
Ensure that your tone and style in SMS messages are uniform with the overall brand voice. If your brand speaks in a casual and friendly manner, then so too should the SMS messages. Consistency creates customer recognition and attachment to your brand.
For example, if your website and social media outlet are cheery and informal, your SMS must also sound just the same. This mere consistency will help build trust and make communications feel more real.
By considering these explained strategies, you are bound to have a better SMS marketing campaign that keeps your targeted audience engaged better.
SMS Marketing Campaigns Platform You Should Know
Before jumping straight into choosing an SMS marketing campaigns platform, it's essential to understand what to look for in a good one.
What to Look for in a Good SMS Marketing Platform?
Choosing the right SMS marketing platform is potentially the most important decision in running effective campaigns. Here's what to look for:
1. User-Friendly Interface
A good SMS marketing platform should be user-friendly. Simple, intuitive interfaces mean you can build and send messages, and manage them with no steep learning curve, which is what one desires.
Features such as drag-and-drop builders and easy-to-navigate dashboards can make one's life so much easier. EngageLab offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies the process of creating and sending SMS messages.
2. Automation Capabilities
What makes SMS marketing efficient is the automation of processes. So, choose a platform of mass text messaging that has the ability to handle an automated workflow on time for welcome messages, appointment reminders, and follow-up messages, saving a lot of your time.
With EngageLab, you can easily automate welcome messages and reminders, streamlining your marketing efforts.
3. Personalization Options
Personalization will make these messages pop. Find a platform that offers customizable message templates and allows you to include personalized details, like customer names or their purchase history, into your messages. That makes the message far more relevant and interesting to the user.
4. Integration with Other Tools
A good platform will integrate well with other tools you use, such as CRM systems, email marketing software, and e-commerce platforms, to seamlessly synchronize customer data and manage it across all touchpoints.
5. Reporting and Analytics
You will want to measure effectiveness by having complete reporting and analytics for each and every one of your campaigns. Find a system that can give you important metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, or response rates. This will help you understand what works and where you need to do better.
EngageLab delivers comprehensive reporting and analytics, allowing you to track metrics like open rates and click-through rates effectively.
6. Compliance and Security
The platform should be compliant with Sugar, SMS marketing regulations, and data protection laws. Some of the features are quite essential, such as opt-in/opt-out management and protection of data in a secure manner, to avoid any legal implications and to maintain customers' information.
7. Customer Support
Good customer support is a must. Find a platform that offers reliable support through tutorial means, live chat, and quick responses to the inquiries or queries of the customers. This will enable you to get through hitches as fast and as smoothly as possible.
EngageLab is known for its excellent customer support, offering resources like tutorials and live chat to assist users promptly.
By knowing these factors, you will be able to choose a suitable SMS marketing platform for yourself that can help you run a very effective campaign.
Best SMS Marketing Campaigns Platform - EngageLab
EngageLab is recognized as one of the best platforms for SMS marketing campaigns, offering a variety of features designed to optimize customer engagement. Its user interface allows enterprises to create, manage, and analyze their campaigns with much ease.
Automation and personalization lie at the core of what EngageLab, enabling companies to connect with their audience meaningfully.
Key Features:
- Global Reach:Integrated with operators in over 200 countries.
- Advanced Reporting and Analytics: In-depth metrics to track how the campaign is performing.
- High Delivery Rates: 99% delivery rate for messages.
- Robust Security Compliance:Conforms to CCPA and GDPR regulations. Each of these features places EngageLab as one of the finest options businesses can have towards improving their SMS marketing.
SMS Marketing with EngageLab: How Does it Work?
Here are the steps you can follow:
Step #1: Create an Account on EngageLab
You need to create an account on EngageLab. On the top left corner, hit menu option and then click on SMS.
Get Started For FreeStep #2: Create Template
Now you will have to expand the Send Related option and click on Template option. After that, click Create Template button.
You will have to decide the Content Type like Verification Code, Industry Notice, or Marketing. After that, specify the Template Name.
Now scroll down and select the SMS signature and signature location.
After that, start writing the SMS content. It could be anything from live sale notifications to promo code, you just type in the content you want to send to your audience.
Once you are done, selectthe Primary Sending Company location from the given list.
You will see an option about "Is it sent to subscriber", select the appropriate option according to your needs and then select how many SMS do you want to send in the following section.
Once everything is ready, hit theSubmit Audit button to continue.
Step #3: Add Contact List
Once the template is ready, you will have to add the contact list to the tool in order to send SMS. For this, go to Send Related tab and click Contact button.
Now hit the New List button and specify the name and description of the list. After that, hit the Add Member button and upload all the contacts from the list.
Step #4: Send SMS
It's time to initiate your SMS marketing campaign. For this, go to Task option under Send Related tab and hit the New Task button.
Now fill in all the fields according to your needs and hit the Confirm button to send the first batch of SMS to your audience.
Summary
In this article, we covered what is SMS marketing, the various types, and the benefits of SMS marketing. We discussed best practices that one could use to actually send effective messages and ways you can make your SMS campaigns even better.
We also took a look at what to expect from a good SMS marketing platform while also highlighting a top option.
EngageLab is a great choice because it offers quick message delivery, strong security, and useful analytics. If you want to start or improve your SMS marketing, EngageLab has the tools you need.
Get Started For FreeWant to give it a try? Sign up for EngageLab today and start with a free trial to see for yourself how SMS marketing can link up your business with its customers!
