In the age of social media, is SMS marketing still effective? Well, the open rate for SMS is surprisingly higher than for emails. SMS marketing is an effective way to communicate important updates to customers and keep your audience engaged. You can find a digital advertising agency in Adelaide that offers SMS marketing as a part of the overall marketing strategy.
SMS marketing campaigns are quick and easy to set up. Most importantly, customers also prefer text updates over email. This should answer why SMS marketing is effective.
Did you ask how I start with SMS marketing? The following SMS marketing guide for beginners should answer all your questions:
What is SMS Marketing
SMS marketing (text marketing) allows businesses to send text messages to prospects and customers. You can send anything from promo codes to shipping notifications via text messages. In fact, it’s one of the key digital marketing trends to watch in 2023.
Types of SMS Marketing
Promotional Deals and Discounts: Send messages directly to customers on deals, clearances, special sales, and discounts on your products/services. This creates a sense of urgency, increasing your chance of making sales.
SMS Coupons: These are often sent via Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) and include a discount.
Text-to-Win Competition: In this type of SMS marketing, customers can enter a contest by responding to your text message. Upon the deadline, a winner is selected randomly.
Flash Sales: It runs for a short period of time and features a limited quantity of a product or service.
Loyalty Programs: These programs encourage people to buy or to engage in referrals with the intent of getting free products or discounts on reaching a milestone.
Alerts & Notifications: This is the most common type of SMS marketing. This is to send updates for business hours, new services, sales, restock alerts, emergency alerts, shipping details, etc.
All Adelaide marketing firms strongly recommend focusing on SMS marketing to stand out in the competition.
SMS Marketing Best Practices
Now that you’re familiar with SMS marketing basics, let’s find out some best practices to get the most out of your campaigns:
Get Recipients’ Permission
As per digital etiquettes, send text messages only to those who have allowed you to do so. Put simply, it’s permission-based marketing, and it’s important for the success of your campaigns. Also, make sure you comply with local laws and regulations.
Entice people to sign up for your SMS by requesting them to opt-in via online forms or contest entries.
Use a Unique Short Code
Short codes are 5-6 digits phone numbers meant for mass mobile communication. The length of these codes is shorter than phone numbers so that you and your recipients can remember them.
Your wireless carrier should approve this number for marketing purposes. So, you can send messages faster than from regular mobile numbers. Short codes are critical, especially for time-sensitive offers.
Short, Clear, and Concise Messages
The length of your text message should be a maximum of 160 characters. This will help you avoid unnecessary fluff and keep your message to the point.
An ideal framework for your marketing SMS should be like this:
- Company name
- Customer name
- Offer
- Conditions
- CTA
- Opt-out option
If needed, you can use a shortened link recipients can click to find more details.
Don’t Spam
Be mindful of your messaging frequency. Sending one message after another, or even sending a message every day, can frustrate your subscribers, making them opt out of your list.
So, don’t spam them by bombarding them with your marketing material. Gain the trust of your subscribers through transparency, and clearly state your intended message frequency. Most importantly, stick to it!
So, if someone signs up for notifications of an event, they should receive only relevant messages. If they sign up for special deals, they should receive texts concerning deals, discounts, and offers.
Integrate With Other Marketing Channels
An omnichannel marketing approach really works. So, if possible, integrate your SMS marketing with other marketing channels. As a result, you’ll have a higher chance of converting your prospects into customers and moving existing customers further in your sales funnel.
Cross-channelling also strengthens your brand image and helps gain increased brand exposure. When you can reach people on multiple platforms, there is a higher chance of them taking the intended action via at least one of these channels.
Track Your Metrics
Is your SMS marketing campaign performing well? You need to evaluate this and measure the performance of your marketing efforts. This helps you understand what works and what does not.
The right SMS marketing campaign offers measurable and trackable results. Being a beginner, you can use Google Analytics to monitor your SMS marketing campaign. Expert marketing consultants in Adelaide use advanced tools to track the overall performance of your campaigns.
Some key metrics you should track include the number of clicks and SMS open rates. You can even perform a split test to find what works the most effectively.
Leverage SMS Marketing to Grow Your Business
SMS marketing has become one of the most essential elements of a marketing plan. When done correctly, it helps you reach and engage your target audience. So, don’t hesitate to try different types of SMS marketing strategies and see what works best for your business.
Looking for the best Advertising Agency in Adelaide who can help you with SMS marketing? Book a free consultation with Marketing Catalyst to know how we can help you.
