Tips to Boost Customer Engagement by Using SMS Marketing Strategy
Thanks to its accessibility, SMS marketing reaches more customers. Find out how to craft the perfect strategy to capture more customers and improve engagement.
SMS (“short message service”), more commonly known as texts, has now been leveraged in marketing, and they work pretty well. Text messages reach people who are not connected to the internet, making them more accessible and personal compared to other marketing channels.
Customers are more likely to open and respond to SMS than emails. Research shows that 75% of consumers prefer SMS marketing over email marketing. More and more businesses are implementing this marketing channel in their strategy to increase customer engagement and generate leads. But, like every tool out there, it has to be done right to show desired results.a
What is SMS Marketing?
In SMS marketing, brands send text messages to their customers to communicate with them directly. Oftentimes, the messages involve promotions, updates, and campaigns. Because of the nature of text messaging, SMS campaigns are short, straight-to-the-point, and simple.
Promotional text messages contain information about discounts, promos, new products, etc. The goal of such campaigns is to establish brand awareness and entice customers to purchase from their store.
Transactional text messages inform the customers of any updates regarding their accounts. These messages could be about order confirmation, a reminder of an upcoming deadline, or shipping updates. Keeping the customer informed about their transaction builds loyalty, leading to increased customer retention.
How to use Text Messages to your Brand’s Advantage
SMS marketing has distinct characteristics from online marketing. However, general marketing rules may still apply to launch an effective SMS campaign. The following are tips to boost customer engagement by using text messages:
Mind the Timing
The timely delivery of SMS campaigns is important for this strategy to be effective. Transaction messages are time-sensitive. Customers need to prepare for every update sent to them. For example, the customer receives a text that their parcel will be delivered the next day. This way, the customer can stay home or ask someone to receive the delivery for them.
Additionally, the time of the day to send the text also matters. Remember that even if the customer is not online, they will receive the text. Even if they’re sleeping, their phone might ring, interrupting their sleep. So, consider sending texts during working hours or at normal times when people are awake or not busy.
Include a Call to Action
Like any other marketing strategy, a call to action (CTA) increases the effectiveness of your SMS campaign. By adding a CTA to tap a link for further details or view the entire campaign, the customer can simply click it to find out more instead of instructing them to check your website.
In addition, branded links have 39% more chances of generating click-throughs than non-branded ones. They also give credibility to your texts, especially in a time where text scams have become prevalent. So, opt to consider using branded links as a way to gain your customers’ trust. A shortened link would work well, too, to keep the text short.
Keep Messages Short, Simple, and Visual
When you’re a business trying to sell something, your marketing messages need to be straightforward. After all, readability is crucial in marketing, so keeping texts short, simple, and visual catches customers’ attention.
Text messages also tend to be cut off when too long, especially if the receiver has an older phone. Chances are the customer won’t see the entire text, or the text will be divided into several parts.
As a workaround, send shorter text messages by being straight to the point. Greet the customer and tell them about a promo or an update right away. Then, follow with a call to action. You may use emojis to add design and personality to the text.
Ask for Feedback
SMS marketing is not just about promos and updates. Businesses can also use it to listen to customers. Since they are more likely to engage with text messages, SMS marketing could be a good option to ask for feedback. You can add the link to your feedback form. Another way to engage customers is to get their feedback through a direct reply option to your text.
Listening to customers improves customer satisfaction and loyalty because it shows them that their opinions matter. Having an avenue for customers to voice their concerns also helps the company improve its services. By constantly working on your services, you can create the perfect customer experience, leading to the success of your brand.
Personalize the Text Message
Personalization improves customer experience and loyalty. It makes customers feel like the brand is putting in the effort to reach them. Personalization uses the information filled out by customers in official forms, purchases, etc.
With this, you can tailor every message to persuade them to act on your campaign. You can segment your audience for better personalization of your campaigns.
The simplest way to include personalization in SMS marketing is by addressing the customer by their name. This adds identity to the text. You give the impression that the text is meant for that one person alone.
You may also use text messages to check in on customers and invite them again to support your brand. An example of a message like this would say, “Hi! We haven’t heard from you in a while …” It is one way of showing that you value them enough to pay attention to their activity with your brand. Or it could be a reminder that your brand is still in business.
The Key Takeaways
Developing an SMS marketing strategy should be geared towards increasing customer engagement and generating leads for the brand. This kind of marketing has a higher response rate, as it is more accessible compared to online channels.
Factors such as timing, readability, and personalization contribute to the effectiveness of the strategy. Customers are also more likely to follow through with a call to action involving a branded link.
Since it’s a way of personally reaching out to customers, it’s one of the many avenues to gather customer feedback and get them back to support your brand. Hopefully, you find the other tips above useful to try on your SMS marketing efforts.