If you ever own small business, you might have learned by now that there are so many tools out there, which will help you to stay connected with people, who matter quite a lot for your business. You might have also discovered that with the introduction of new technology like tablets and smartphones, your way to use tools has also changed quite a bit over the past couple of years.
Just like your evolvement, your customers did the same. If you run a business in the USA, many people walking through the same door will do so with a smartphone in pockets. It helps in presenting both challenges and opportunities when it is about keeping audiences engaged and informed about stuff that you are working as part of the business.
Reasons to add text to the mix
One major reason for smaller and larger #businesses to add #text messaging to mix is to take advantage of the recent surge in current #mobile activity by just adding text messages into the #marketing mix. Click To TweetYes, you might be thinking why. Text messages are not just something to be done amongst college students or teenagers. At this present moment, the majority of Americans are actively using text messages just to stay in contact with family members, friends, and colleagues. These people are the one actively engaged in content they are receiving.
At this present moment, around 90% of text messages are read within three minutes of delivery. Do you still have any doubt in mind? For your information, a text message can easily fit perfectly into stuff that you have already been doing to market small business.
How SMS marketing fits the bill into an email marketing strategy?
As SMS marketing comprises of definite differences from email marketing, this section further shares some similarities too, which will create that perfect complement to email marketing based efforts.
The 1 – 2 punch of the text and email marketing allows people to send the right message at a correct time to virtually all of customers. Even better than that, both these channels will offer you with two-way communication. After all, it is about engaging to have a proper conversation between business owners and prospective clients.
You have every right to use text messages for time sensitive and short communications. That means, right from appointment reminders to some last minute sale alerts, you can use SMS marketing for anything. On the other hand, you have email marketing for sending more information and content to place where customers are already there. With around 43% of consumers accessing emails through mobile devices, combining SMS and email marketing will help in adjusting to the needs of a mobile audience.
Things you need to know while adding SMS marketing to the mix
Are you still not sure how you can mix SMS marketing with email sector? Well, if not, then following some important rules when using SMS sector might help you a lot and complement email marketing campaigns.
Just like email, SMS is based on permission
It is mandatory for you to have permission before you can text anyone. The most common and generalized way in which people will opt-in for receiving a text message from your business perspective is by texting a keyword to a personalized shortcode. In a layman’s term, the shortcode is defined as five or six digit number, used for sending and receiving text messages.
You have to add text messages limiting to 160 characters
If you want, you can always string multiple texts together, but it is always advisable to work against it. The beauty of sending 160 characters limited SMS is that it forces you to get to point quickly and save a lot of your customers’ time. You can use SMS length checker tool to check the cost of each text message for your marketing campaigns
If your current marketing emails are a short story, your contemporary marketing texts will be killer sentences. These points will prove you the right point as you have asked for.
The clear form of incentivized CTA for promoting the keyword
Well, everyone is well aware of the SMS based promotional help in marketing. Even the bigger giants these days are using incentivized and clear form of a call to action as the best way to promote the keyword, they have chosen for SMS marketing.
Well, you can get an example for better understanding. Try sending a text like “Text Pizza to 121212 and Receive 50% off your next order and join texting list.” Here, the message is short and simple, yet it is offering all sorts of information you want your customers to have through that simple e-message option.
Need to find the right frequency
It is not hard to state that it is a lot easier and less time consuming to send valuable short messages than emails. But, as a major rule, you might not want to text your customers more than once or twice every week. Sending way too many SMSs will force them to start ignoring your message, and they might even get disturbed at a point and unsubscribe from your mailing list. If more people start doing it, then you might be losing your chance to grow your business. You have to set correct expectations right from the start.
Your message should be read completely within less than 5 minutes
There are so many creative sides of SMS marketing. Well, the easiest way to do so is by boosting the bottom line. It will make customers really happy to get an offer with a deal like “show this text to the extent your discounted deal” and more.
Make sure to send the message at the right time, which will urge people to visit the place and end up making the purchase or buy a product you are advertising on.
Start working on it now
These points as mentioned are enough to portray the value of SMS marketing with its addition to current marketing efforts. Now the question is how quickly you can work on it. Once you have collected phone numbers and got permission, things will start moving easily from there.
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