Your Ultimate Guide To Creating SMS Marketing Campaigns

Published on: 08 December 2022 Last Updated on: 12 September 2024

Every marketer would tell you that there are reasons why text marketing continues to become a mainstay in marketing agencies.

In fact, both conventional and modern companies highly rely on their efficacy when it comes to reaching out to their target audience. Because when you think about it, every person checks their text message inbox every time they receive a ping.

Leveraging communication strategies like an effective SMS marketing campaign allows you to grow your brand more, target more audiences, and even build closer relationships with prospects.

There are a lot of things that SMS marketing can help you with in terms of achieving business goals. But before you partake in this marketing tactic, it’s important to understand the concept behind this marketing practice. Use this guide to make successful SMS marketing campaigns.

What Is SMS Marketing?

It’s crucial to understand first the concept behind this old but gold marketing strategy. SMS marketing refers to a short message service you send to your customers to build relationships with them. It’s important for text marketers to communicate with their target audiences in a respectful and compliant manner.

No matter what your business goals are, SMS marketing puts you one step ahead of achieving them. For instance, you can drive more leads, introduce new products, lead them to check your website, and so on. The ideas that you can do with this marketing method are limitless.

Compared to email or push notification marketing, SMS marketing has several advantages. For instance, every person who receives an incoming message in their phone inbox will surely take the time to check and read them one by one.

While some people might check their emails at least once a day regarding text message inboxes, people often check them as soon as they receive a message.

Your message can be concise and clear with SMS marketing. There’s no need for lengthy advertising messages. With brief sentences that can take up less than 160 characters of the SMS limit, you can already deliver what you want to say to your prospects.

Choosing The Right SMS Marketing Tool

Now, it’s time to understand the tool to use for this marketing strategy. With the advent of technology, there is now text marketing software at your disposal. For one, you can take advantage of Drop Cowboy Ringless Voicemail service and some other brands that offer reliable text messaging as marketing services.

Text message delivery depends on the tools and services you choose. Such software comes with pricing plans that fit your marketing budget and goals. Unlike any other conventional marketing promotions like print ads, TV ads, and billboards, this marketing campaign is priced reasonably better. Also, consider partnering with the best SMS marketing service provider to automate your text messages to your target recipients.

How To Maximize On SMS Marketing Campaigns

As mentioned, a high percentage of people open text messages every time they receive one. By sending promotional messages via SMS, you ensure your customers will read them because they will arrive directly in their inboxes.

Check out these ideas in which you can maximize your SMS marketing campaigns.

1. Limited-Time Promotions

You can use an SMS marketing strategy to encourage your customers to avail of coupons and discounts or even redeem incentives or gifts. Offering these incentives for a limited time makes them even more effective.

Announcing that the campaign only runs on a promo period is an effective call-to-action strategy so your customers won’t miss out on such opportunities. It’s one effective strategy to get your business to high ranks.

Considering SMS marketing’s high open rate, it’s the most effective way to communicate time-sensitive offers with customers. As a result, you ensure your customers don’t pass up a good deal. This yield win-win situations for both the customers and your brand. They get discounted rates, and you could convert your sales funnel more effectively.

2. Reminding Customers

One good purpose for SMS marketing is when you could send notifications regarding the recent actions of your customers.

For instance, whether they checked your website, changed passwords, or linked different payment modes, an SMS notification will be sent to inform them that the activity is successful. Sending notification messages is essential for many businesses, and they’ve realized how effective it is in retaining customers.

By relaying notifications about their recent purchase or online activities, the customers will grow their trust in your brand. It could lead to continuous patronage. Also, they will feel at ease by getting reminders of how your brand is already dealing with their orders or purchases. Receiving reminders is valuable, especially for customers who are always busy with other things and obligations.

Make sure your brand is always at the top of your customer’s minds. It’s a job that SMS is best suited for. With SMS marketing, you can remind your customers about everything from their most recently liked products to the purchased ones that are going to arrive soon.

3. Order Updates And Confirmation

An SMS is also useful for customers to receive updates regarding their orders. Once they make a purchase, a message will be sent regarding the successful transaction. It ensures peace of mind for the customer.

Also, the confirmation messages sent via SMS will allow them to use them as proof or evidence regarding their purchase. If products don’t arrive as planned, they can refer to the SMS notification.

4. New Product Release And Launches

SMS advertising is also useful for announcing new product releases. It’s the most cost-effective way for marketers to advertise new product launching. Without paying for the expensive talents of celebrities to promote new products, a large number of users will discover your new product offering through the message they can read in their SMS inbox.

Using this method will generate buzz and interest, and you could even entice old customers to come back and check out what’s new. You can also use SMS campaigns to drive traffic to your website or storefront. Thus, you can simply include a link they can visit to check your new product or any offers.

5. Send Welcome Messages

Send your customer a welcome message once they subscribe to your SMS marketing campaign. Companies must start building relationships with their customers. As a result, you will be able to communicate with them right away, as they will know they have been subscribed.

It also alerts them to expect a few messages from your end every now and then. There’s no need for lengthy or complex welcome messages. Sometimes short but sweet thank you message about their subscription are already enough for your customers to remember your business.

6. Customer Service Tool

SMS is not limited to being a marketing tool; it’s also a customer support tool. In this era where customer service should be at the forefront of any business, SMS strategy can be used to ensure customer satisfaction.

It’s imperative that your work processes are as transparent as possible, and you can achieve this by constantly sending them SMS in case necessary. After all, a text message is the easiest way to communicate with pre-sale customers and post-sale tech support.

7. Collect Customer Feedback

It’s essential for businesses to receive customer feedback to determine what they are doing well and what they need to improve. And it’s something that’s being offered with SMS marketing. You can send out surveys through SMS, and customers can answer them timely and convenient.

There are many ways to create survey forms for them to easily fill out. The key is to attach the link to your SMS. Another option is to ask customers to rate you using a ranking system that’s easy for them to use.

8. Announce VIP Programs

By offering a VIP program, you can encourage loyalty among your subscribers and customers. If you want to make your VIP customers feel special, offer them VIP-only discounts. This sense of exclusivity allows your customers to treat your brand with more respect and value.

Also, use this program for customers to gain early access to sales and other promotions. One way for them to qualify for your VIP list is to encourage them to fill out a signup link. However, since it’s VIP, make it seems more challenging for them to enter this list. The harder it feels to qualify, the more special and valued they would feel.

Tips To Apply Effective SMS Marketing Strategies

Applying SMS marketing strategies require effective implementations. When done right, they can produce the best outcomes for your business. Here are some tips to apply effective SMS marketing strategies for your brand:

1. Ensure That Your Customers Opted In

Your customers probably already provide you with their phone numbers. However, one common courtesy is to get their approval to start receiving SMS from your brand. Mass texting them without their consent is ethically wrong and will only lead to adverse effects on the customer. Ensure to get your customer’s clear opt-in before starting to send out text message campaigns.

Your website or other online channels can allow customers to opt-in to receive text messages. However, you should get a text confirmation before you send them anything. There are ways to get their opt-in consent. One is to make them reply Yes or No to your single SMS regarding SMS subscription. Another way is through your website.

They can press a CTA button regarding their receiving SMS messages from your brand. When the user clicks the link in the offer, they can fill out the subscription form and enter their number so they can start receiving your SMS campaigns.

2. Take Time To Introduce Yourself

A good practice is to take the time to introduce your brand in any of your SMS campaigns. Chances are your customers don’t know where the messages are coming from. Failing to include your company name or brand name on the message will only forfeit its purpose. Hence, it’s important to include your company or brand name in that short message that you’re sending.

3. Make Messages Fun And Short

It’s common for people to use SMS messages to communicate with friends and family informally. Texting should remain fun in your SMS campaign in the same way as a fun communication tool between people. Be friendly and personal with customers to build trust.

Use local trending words that are popular with your target audience for the time being. It ensures to catch their interest and make them read your text message completely. The maximum number of characters in an SMS message is 160. With an opt-out option and the need to identify yourself, that’s not much to work with. Don’t waste any characters, and go straight to the point of what you want to say.

4. Don’t Forget To Use Target Keywords

To encourage users to connect with you, you should select contextually relevant keywords alongside simple messages and shortcodes. Using such keywords will allow them to easily remember anything about your brand or company. If they want to research you online, they can use the same keywords found on your SMS.

5. Give An Option For Customers To Opt Out

All marketing communications should follow these standards and rules. Much like getting their buy-in, you should also give them the option to opt out and unsubscribe from your SMS campaigns. You are more likely to lose customers if you constantly text them when they do not want to hear from you.

Your messages should come with the unsubscribe option, so your customers can freely opt out anytime they want. There are some viable reasons for them to do this. But it doesn’t entirely mean that they won’t be good prospects for you in the future. It’s just that not everyone prefers to get this kind of information via text.

SMS open rates tend to be much higher than those for email, so you should also expect a higher unsubscribe rate. After a message is sent, unsubscribes may spike and treat it as a normal occurrence.

6. Be More Informative Than Promotional

You should be extremely considerate of your buyers’ inboxes since promotional SMS messages can easily be turned off. Therefore, staying informative and interactive is best, and not focusing too much on sounding sales or promotional.

A good rule of thumb is to focus most of your communication on order, whether a status update or a request for feedback. Schedule your promotional messages and send them at least only twice a week at a minimum. No one wants to keep receiving promotional messages that are obvious that they want to make money from you.

Conclusion

You can increase engagement with your target audience by using SMS marketing. Keeping your customers’ attention is easier if you market to them where they are most active.

Therefore, if your target audience is always in their phone’s SMS inbox, it’s worth considering SMS marketing as part of your marketing mix. Use this guide and wait for results to reflect your bottom line soon.

Read Also:

What Is Not A Benefit Of Google Analytics Remarketing

Arnab

Arnab is a professional blogger, having an enormous interest in writing blogs and other jones of calligraphies. In terms of his professional commitments, He carries out sharing sentient blogs.

View all posts

5 Most Common Digital PR Mistakes And How To Avoid Them

Introduction Do you know if done in the right fashion, Digital PR can help a brand in several different ways from sales to branding? Are you looking to pursue a Digital PR strategy but do not want to make some of the most common mistakes? Have you tried listening to the advice of some of the leading firms and thought leaders in the field of Digital PR? In the last few years, more and more brands want to pursue a Digital PR strategy in an aggressive manner. It needs to be pointed out that the needs and requirements of every business are not the same as Digital PR. This means that a one-size-fits-all strategy does not work when it comes to Digital PR. In this article, we speak to some of the leading names in the PR world and ask them about five common mistakes, which brands should always look to avoid. Digital PR: What is it? Digital PR refers to a set of online marketing activities and strategies pursued by an individual or a brand with the following expectations- Increasing the sales, revenues, and profits of a brand Establishing and building relationships with existing and prospective target audiences Creating collaborations and partnerships with journalists Building brand exposure and visibility in its relevant niche Attempting to become a thought leader in the industry Whether it is search engines or social media, or press releases, digital PR covers almost all platforms. With the rise in the number of consumers searching for brands online, digital PR is also strongly linked to a brand’s reputation management. List of 5 Most Common Digital PR Mistakes 1. Not establishing relationships with Smaller Publishers- Many brands make the mistake of trying to establish and build relationships with only the big publishers. They do this because of the increased traffic on big platforms helps brands. However, if you start building relationships with smaller publishers, when they become bigger, they will not forget your favor. Brands should look to strike a balance. 2. Not paying attention to the quality of the Content- Sometimes, brands end up spending so much time, energy, and money in making contact, negotiations, and getting the deal done that they fail to focus on the content. This is one mistake, which should be avoided under all circumstances. You should always ensure that content takes priority over everything else in your digital PR efforts. 3. Not fixing Objectives or KPIs? Doing Digital PR just for the sake of it is not going to help you in any way. There should always be a strategy and a campaign, to help achieve some objectives. This means that brands should fix what they are trying to achieve from the digital PR efforts. This will help give the campaign a direction and make everyone understand what they are after. 4. Blindly believing in the Publisher- Remember how the Influencer Marketing scam rocked the industry in early 2019? It was found that nearly all major influencers were paying for their followers and engagement. Brands have lost billions of dollars believing in the profile of influencers blindly. Make sure to verify and research everything before you proceed with the publisher. This will protect your investments. 5. Not taking help from Innovative Strategies and Technologies- It is important to innovate and think-out-of-the-box at times. If you are not doing the same, you stand the risk of becoming obsolete because of following all the old strategies. Run something new and use CRM tools and data to inform your decision-making process. Without using the latest technologies or strategies you cannot expect your digital PR to perform in a certain way. The Final Word Making experts state that being successful at Digital PR is an art. This is the reason why some brands are tearaway success when it comes to this, while others are not. If you follow the article, you will be able to save yourself from committing five mistakes that will ultimately contribute to making your digital PR successful. Read Also: How Digital Advisors have Transformed the Investment Sector Essentials For Digital Marketing Effective Ways to Utilize Digital Marketing

Marketing

Matt Peters, Search Manipulator CEO, on Mission & Motivation

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, maintaining a pristine online reputation has become an indispensable part of personal branding and business strategy. With digital footprints being scrutinized more than ever, it is not only what you do in the physical world but also how you're perceived online that can define success. This is where Search Manipulator steps in—the vanguard of online reputation management. CEO Matt Peters, at the helm of Search Manipulator, unravels the importance of curating your digital narrative. As both a shield and a sculptor, Search Manipulator adeptly protects against online vilifications while simultaneously amplifying the positive aspects of your digital persona. In today’s digital-first world, Google search results hold the power to shape destinies. The content ranked at the top of a search result—be it laudatory or defamatory—has substantial influence over the prospects and perceptions encountered by businesses and individuals alike. Key Elements Of Online Brand Reputation Management The success of a business depends on establishing the credibility of a brand. This is why a business organization earnestly engages in the online world to spread a compelling story. It helps establish the brand identity. However, on the other end, some elements work with a vicious intent to tarnish your reputation. This is where the role of brand reputation management becomes important. This section discusses a few key elements of brand reputation management. Your Digital Presence Establishing a strong digital presence is important for an effective online presence. Reputation management begins with optimizing diverse online platforms. They include reviewing websites and also the industry-specific directories. Consistency in the branding efforts across platforms helps create a good image. Customer Service And Behavior Another key element to online brand reputation management is customer service and behavior. The brand needs to oversee the different social media channels actively. Besides, they review websites and other platforms. It ensures addressing the pain points and grievances of the customers. Employee Advocacy The employees can be effective advocates for online reputation. A business organization must ask employees to engage with the brand's online presence. It helps share the positive experience and, after that, contribute to the thought leadership initiatives. It helps build authenticity and credibility among diverse groups of people online. Customer Feedback And Engagement Actively asking for customer feedback with the help of surveys and reviews increases the brand's credibility. Positive customer reviews work both as a brand reputation and also serve as valuable social proof for the potential customer. Great Content Strategy Content is the king in the market, and a business must do all to ensure its content resonates with the audience. This way, they can position themselves as industry experts and thought leaders. If you have been successful in creating a brand strategy using the social listening tool, it can help you create a variety of content formats like videos, infographics, and also blog posts. It ensures high-quality content and then enhances the credibility of the brand. Analyzing The Competitors Online brand reputation management involves actively working with one’s competitors and studying the competitors' efforts to improve their online reputation. It is crucial for maintaining a competitive advantage in the market. Brand online reputation management is also about pinpointing the areas where the competitors are doing well. It helps them extract insights and build potential strategies to improve the brands’ online presence and reputation. This very information assists in active decision-making after that, ensuring that the brand remains relevant in the digital world. This is where the positive role of the search Manipulator becomes important. Brand strategy and shielding one’s reputation is key to staying competitive in the landscape of shoestring competition. What Search Manipulator Does? Addressing this decisive factor, Search Manipulator leverages cutting-edge SEO strategies to assert your best foot forward. It's about more than quelling the flames of negative reviews; it’s about igniting the fire of your most commendable work and letting it guide the narrative. The freedom of expression that the internet provides is often a double-edged sword—one that can cut through a reputation within moments. From a single customer’s negative review to personal attacks like vendetta-driven articles, the web can be unforgiving. Search Manipulator understands the gravity of such scenarios. Their sophisticated software suite is designed to suppress undesirable content, ensuring that past grievances or misleading postings don't overshadow your true value. Strong That Managing An Online Reputation At Search Manipulator, the belief is strong that managing an online reputation transcends beyond an immediate quick fix. It's a methodical endeavor enveloping all facets of one’s life: mending the past, nurturing the present, and securing the future. Bolstering Your Reviews By highlighting positive articles, bolstering your reviews, and optimizing your home page with best-in-class SEO practices, Search Manipulator positions you to not only avoid reputation pitfalls but also to connect genuinely with your audience and thrive in all your digital engagements. Matt Peters states, “ "SEO is integral to any digital marketing strategy," Matt states. "It's a powerful tool that can dramatically increase the likelihood of consumers finding and choosing your business over competitors. By investing in SEO, brands not only improve their online presence but also contribute to their long-term success." Solutions Search Manipulator’s innovative solutions have drawn esteemed accolades, including recognition as the 2022 Impact Company of the Year by Dotcom Magazine. Their methodology and results have been spotlighted in prestigious platforms like the Huffington Post and ESPN Radio's Lunch N' Learn, demonstrating their authority and effectiveness in the realm of reputation management. Search Manipulator's mission is to provide a complete suite of services tailored to manage your online reputation. From removing complaints to enhancing your online ratings, from driving website traffic to connecting with customers—Search Manipulator equips you with the arsenal needed for the digital age. Conclusion In conclusion, in a world where your digital presence is as significant as your presence in reality, Search Manipulator is dedicated to ensuring that your online footprint is a true and powerful reflection of your real-world integrity and excellence. Take charge of your online store, and let us help you shine in the vast digital cosmos. To learn more visit: Read Also: Is Consumer Services A Good Career Path? Customer Service Gripes Revealed In New Survey How Customer Service Is Impacting Your Business In 2022!

How to Get What You Want at Work By Strategic Negotiation

There are things at work that employees want to get and things that employees want to achieve at work, but they keep thinking that it is hard. However, there is something that employees can use to get the things that they want, and that is through strategic negotiation. Negotiating is one of the things that people seriously don’t like. Whether it is a confrontation or mindset that they are people that don't deserve to win, there are a lot of people who avoid any situations which require negotiation. However, strategic negotiation doesn’t have to be always like that. Negotiation can be helpful to achieve the things that you want. Here are the things that you can do to utilize strategic negotiation in getting something at work successfully. Always Prepare When entering a negotiation without a proper plan, strategy and preparation can already conclude your defeat. Always prepare for the battle. Start with yourself. Ensure that you are apparent on the things that you want. Conducting research is important. It can be helpful to understand their needs, as well as their weaknesses and strengths. Ask for your manager or co-employees for some help and opinions. Take Your Time Instant approval for any request at work can tend to be lousy. Some managers do not enjoy negotiating and want to get done with it as soon as possible. It is understandable. However, it is important to take time on asking for something. Just like SEO experts in NYC who take their job seriously, It’s much better when you don’t rush things. Negotiating Process is Continual, Not an Individual Event Excellent negotiating results are just an outcome of a healthy relationship with the involved party. It is necessary to cultivate a relationship ahead of time. For the same reason, it is important that you constantly look for opportunities that will grow your relationship with the management. There are cases that even before having any discussions, managers determine the outcome already. Find the Bargaining Chip In addition to taking advantage of someone’s weaknesses, focus on taking extreme advantage of your strengths. It is essential to establish a firm foundation while negotiating. You can also demonstrate your expertise and knowledge about things. However, make sure that the skills that you’ll show will have a substantial impact on the thing or position that you need. It can determine a good result especially if the managers see that you deserve it. You are already establishing your credibility at work. It is challenging playing catch-up while negotiating, so it is better to take the initiative and guide the process in the direction that will favor you. Don’t Tag Your Ego Along Employees who attain success in getting the things that they want don’t usually show that they care about the result. However, it is their strategy to make the other side feel that it is okay to reject them, just as long as they tried. Timing is Everything Timing is everything, so it is important to pay attention to it. Timing is key in any negotiation. It is important to know what to ask, but you also need to be sensitive when to ask for it. There are times that you can go forward, and there also times that you need to wait. It is best to look for the best time before pressing for the thing that you want. However, watch out of pushing things too hard, because it may pollute a long-term relationship with you boss. Go For a Win-Win Solution Throughout the negotiation, always try to determine things that are acceptable for the management. It can be a mixture of various things that aren’t necessarily everything that you wanted. It is important that you understand the management or your supervisor's priorities, like how you also understand your priorities. So it is better to think of the things that you would do if you were in their position. When constructing a negotiations or requests to your boss, it is okay to attempt in satisfying some of the company's priorities but make sure that it doesn’t weaken your position. Always be ready to give up some things in exchange for the things that you want. It is smart if you know your limits, and how far are you willing to go just to get the deal. Stick To Your Principles As an individual and employee, you will have your set of values and principles that you don’t want to compromise. If you see that the negotiations will break some of those principles, then it can be something that you can throw away. Getting What You Want You can compare successful negotiation to a chess game. It requires different things like awareness, creativity, timing, and anticipation of your opponent’s next move. When using negotiation to get something from work, it is important to anticipate that your boss might have something up their sleeve to rebut and say no to your request. Your moves must be progressive so that you can expect the same from your boss. While creating the plot of the strategy, it is important that you anticipate the end game. Also, you need to be ready for the outcome. After getting the job done, and getting what you want, it is appropriate to end the negotiation with a handshake. Takeaway As an employee, some requests and promotions seem too hard to attain. Negotiations can be helpful for employees to have an approval on the requests and promotions that they are aiming. With proper planning and an in-depth strategic negotiation, you can easily achieve it. The things listed above are the things that can help you get what you want at work.

Your Ultimate Guide To Creating SMS Marketing Campaigns

What Is SMS Marketing?

Choosing The Right SMS Marketing Tool