SMS Marketing remains one of the most effective digital marketing channels available to brands looking to send successful communications that generate awareness, engagement, and increased revenue.
Despite its simplicity, SMS provides strong ubiquity thanks to its ability to reach any mobile device around the world and boasts open rates of 98%. It also offers response times of around 90 seconds – no other digital marketing channel gets close to these impressive metrics.
Keep the Message to the Point
Each SMS is limited to 160 characters per message meaning that you must use copy that is concise and to the point. Ensure that the message is simple and can be understood within a few seconds as your recipients will likely be on the move. You should make sure that you are captivating their attention and fully conveying the purpose of your message as soon as they open it from their inbox.
Consider incorporating capital letters into your SMS for certain words that are going to compel users to take action, including sale, offer, free etc. Keep in mind that you should make sure that you use these sparingly as using them too often can dilute the message that you are trying to convey and be counteractive against what you are trying to achieve.
Use a Custom Sender ID
A custom sender ID is a personalised name or number than transforms your SMS into a powerful branding tool. It is shown as the sender of the SMS when it is delivered and when the user opens their inbox.
Using a custom sender ID means that your brand will benefit from instant recognition once it lands in the recipients’ inboxes, helping you to further enhance the impressive metrics of SMS.
It means that you will develop and further enhance your brand’s identity via SMS Marketing.
Your audience will be far more engaged if they see that the SMS is from a company that they are looking to hear from.
In today’s mobile marketing landscape there is an ever-increasing demand for personalisation. If you are not making use of this as part of your marketing campaigns, then you are missing out on growing your business and enjoying higher levels of revenue.
Short Codes
SMS short codes are another sure-fire tactic to increase your levels of engagement and improve your SMS Marketing campaigns. They are short, memorable codes that are longer than traditional mobile phone numbers and sender IDs. They are the ideal solution if you are running an SMS campaign where you need to generate high levels of response rates.
Even if you not sure what they are, chances are you will have seen or even used one at some point. They are a popular tool to complement SMS Marketing campaigns as they are cost effective and encourage interaction from your current customers, as well as reaching new ones.
If you are running a printed or billboard campaign and want users to take action and interact with your brand, then they are ideal and provide high levels of success. Ask users to text a specific keyword to your short code and watch the performance of your campaign increase.
Using SMS short codes can be especially effective when used as a direct response channel for the following purposes:
- Billboard & outdoor advertising
- TV & Radio
- The Internet
- Print Advertising
Track the Performance
Successful SMS campaigns are the result of the sender having analysed and optimised the campaigns over time and refining them to achieve increased levels of performance. Ensuring that you are using an SMS marketing platform that offers detailed and extensive insights into your campaigns will ensure that you have an advantage over your competitors.
In this way you can better understand your campaigns and what is and what isn’t working and make changes to achieve better engagement and results.
Use 2-Way SMS to Build Stronger Relationships
Having the functionality for your customers to respond to your SMS is an effective way to enhance your relationships and increase revenue. 2-Way SMS allow your customers to directly respond to your SMS and help you nurture the relationship and increase their loyalty to your brand.
They can used for a variety of reasons including customer surveys, service reminders and even sending out personalised offers and initiatives. The feature breaks down the barriers between brands and consumers, meaning that they have a plethora of benefits and opportunities for both parties and are mutually beneficial.
As an ever-increasing number of consumers expect to be able to initiative and interact with brands on their own terms, 2-Way SMS is the ideal way in which to deliver this on a mobile channel that is truly ubiquitous. Allow your customers to contact you from where and when is most convenient to them and enjoy the benefits of increased engagement and interaction.
You also have the added benefit that you can gain more insights into your customers and use this information to refine your messaging and overall marketing strategy to make more informed decisions that will amplify your success overall.
Do you want to start creating effective SMS campaigns for your business?
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