Is SMS the Right Fit for Your Marketing Strategy? Here’s What You Need to Know
What better way to connect with your audience than a text? With just 160 characters or less, brands have the power to spark excitement, drive conversions, and increase website traffic within seconds. Whether you've been on the receiving end of a message that caught your eye, or you're looking to add SMS to your business, our team of digital marketing experts is here to help. Read on to unlock the full potential of this marketing powerhouse.
What is SMS Marketing?
SMS (short messaging service) is marketing that takes place over text messages. As a marketing channel, SMS is easy to deploy and offers the potential for high ROI, especially if you already use a marketing automation service like Klaviyo, which includes SMS as part of your basic subscription. SMS can be used on its own or in tandem to support other channels’ marketing efforts. Common use cases include the following:
Text-only promotions
Giving order status updates
Spreading the word about promotions
Sharing time-sensitive information
Why Utilize SMS?
Two words: Convenience Factor.
Text campaigns have a lower barrier to entry than email, are faster and easier to compose, faster to be seen by contacts, and enjoy better average open rates than any other marketing channel (over 90% within five minutes of delivery!).
But while up to 91% of surveyed consumers are interested in signing up for texts, less than a quarter of brands actually have a dedicated SMS-sending strategy.
Because of this, SMS offers the perfect opportunity to differentiate yourself while reaching your most dedicated followers. It provides a quick, direct line of communication between brand and customer; think about how many more times a day you check your texts versus your email!
All of the above means that SMS marketing tends to be more cost-effective than other marketing channels and touts a better return on investment.
Still not Convinced? There are Other Benefits, too.
Customer Data Collection: SMS contact information is collected directly from the lead or customer, meaning it is one of the most valuable types of customer data you can have. People who freely consent to receive text marketing are more likely to engage with your brand through trackable actions like clicking links, meaning you can track and analyze behavior more consistently than other channels.
Automation Capabilities: Just like email, most services that offer SMS marketing allow you to build automations that send messages when a lead or customer meets certain criteria or takes action. Automated SMS can be paired with email to maximize messaging visibility.
Keep Customers Engaged: Keeping marketing lists warm is critical to maintaining good engagement rates–you don’t want people to forget they subscribed to your brand! SMS provides an easy way to engage your customers regularly, especially if you don’t send marketing emails very often.
Cross-Channel Messaging: SMS is a key part of a complete cross-channel marketing strategy, a method that uses multiple channels (e.g. social media, email marketing, SMS) to provide context for the messages your leads receive as they continue down the buyer’s journey.
SMS Sending Strategy Considerations
Be Compliant: Make sure that you only send texts to people who have explicitly opted in to SMS marketing and provide an easy way to opt out (e.g. reply STOP). Failing to do so is not only poor practice, it is also outright illegal.
The good news is that most marketing automation platforms that provide SMS marketing services will already have settings in place to make sure you are in compliance.
Identify Yourself: Contacts are unlikely to have your sending number saved in their phone. Mitigate confusion by immediately identifying your brand at the start of the message. This will boost open rates and increase the chance that they will click the link you send.
Consider Timing: Think about when you would prefer to receive texts. Would you appreciate receiving a marketing message late at night or early in the morning? Similarly, would you appreciate a brand that tried to market to you on a holiday like Thanksgiving, when you were trying to spend time with your friends and family?
Include a CTA: There should always be a clear reason why you are sending an SMS. Including relevant links greatly boosts engagement and helps the contact take action more easily.
Don’t Skip Out On Branding: While SMS marketing does not allow the same extent of branding as email marketing, your messages should still contain a clear and consistent brand voice. If you’re sending an abandoned cart or back-in-stock text, opt to send an image along with the text to remind the recipient about the item they expressed interest in.
Ready to Level Up Your Marketing with an SMS Sending Strategy?
Take advantage of one of the most effective ways to connect instantly with your audience, and set yourself apart from your competition. At Digital Retail Partners, we work with you to make sure the messages you send are valuable, easy to identify, and compliant to set you up with a recipe for success.