Anatomy of a
Successful SMS Marketing Campaign [INFOGRAPHIC] |
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Despite all the advances in social media and mobile
phone apps in the past decade, text messaging remains one of
the most powerful ways to communicate with
customers at an individual level. |
According to recent studies, on average, the world sees over
8.3 trillion text messages sent over the course of a year.
If you do the math on that, it breaks down to 16 billion
text messages per minute at any given time around the world.
Additionally, text messages are far more successful at
reaching customers with your content than email. |
An SMS marketing campaign has a ton of potential as a
channel for generating leads. However, the actual
structuring and planning of a successful SMS marketing
campaign can be a complex endeavor. To help beginners
navigate the many pitfalls and gaffs of far too many SMS
campaigns, take a look at this infographic with tips on
making your text message marketing campaign a stand-out
winner. (Article continues down below)
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Analyze Your Audience
The importance
of market research prior to launching a new SMS campaign
cannot be overstated.
To keep your campaign in
compliance with federal regulations, all people with phone
numbers on your contact list must sign up voluntarily and
agree to receive your text messages. When on-boarding new
subscribers, it is also a very good idea to garner as much
additional information as possible. Think demographics and
location of your subscribers. Armed with this information,
you can refine and target your message to reach the greatest
number of people in your audience. Relevance is key to
successfully marketing via text. |
Always Continue to Build Your List
Once you have done your due diligence on your target
audience, start assembling your contact list of the
subscribers with the greatest potential. Pick a core segment
of your audience that you plan to pursue first. For example,
you may find that your core segment is men under the age of
30 for the product or service you promote. You need to keep
your message consistent and to the point for that core
segment, even as you add new subscribers or incentivize your
subscriber base to refer friends and family. A single, clear
message is what brings in new subscribers and retains the
old ones. Keep that in mind as you build your list and
compose those first messages. |
Set a Clear Goal
What concrete
objective are you planning to accomplish with this SMS
campaign?
Setting out to market without a clear
objective in mind is like trying to launch a sailboat
without a rudder or sails. Decide from the beginning as to
the goals of your marketing campaign. Then, set a new
objective after you achieve the first one. Do you want to
increase customer engagement? Put a number on it and set a
deadline for achieving that number. Do you seek an increase
in sales? Set a dollar amount and set a timeframe in which
to bring in those sales. Without a goal, it is impossible to
measure your success. |
Make Attractive Messages
Information
overload is a reality in the smartphone age. Nobody wants
their inbox spammed with multi-message ads. Obviously, you
will need to limit all texts to 160 characters or less. How
do you make the most of that limited space and still keep
your campaign and offers persuasive and on message? Twitter
is a great resource for understanding how to say more with
less without devolving into over-abbreviation. Amazon.com
also does a terrific job with its SMS campaigns and Twitter
feed. Find someone to emulate until you find your own voice. |
Select the Right Keywords
Carefully
consider what keywords to use for customers to put in their
responses to your ad campaign. You must configure this in
advance via your SMS system before you start your campaign.
Keywords should be short and to the point as well as
consistent with your overall message. |
Always Make a Call to Action
Every
message should communicate clearly what you want potential
customers to do with the information you just provided to
them. Focus on triggering actions from the receiver by
providing a link to registration for a promotion or to
receive a discount code. |
Exclusives Are Key
Providing added
value via SMS is one of the most effective ways to get a
customer to click through on a link or respond to a text.
When you offer exclusives through SMS only, subscribers are
far more likely to stay subscribed to your messages. That’s
because you are giving them values and discounts they can’t
receive through any other marketing channel.
Exclusives make your customers feel like VIP insiders that
have knowledge and access that the rest of your customer
base does not. This can be a powerful motivator to shop and
buy only with you since you have put them on the inside
track. |
Make It Personal
It is a fact that
you will never be the only SMS campaign that is vying for
your potential customer’s attention in their inbox. You have
to make every message worth the read, and thus
personalization of every message is crucial to adding value
to each message a customer receives. Accomplish this by
adding the customer’s name to the message or including your
own name.
Create subcategories of users who have been
subscribed for an extended time period. Offer these
extra-special VIPs further exclusives and create additional
personal levels of connection based on your mutually
established relationship. |
Make Your Messages Interactive
One
of the greatest benefits to SMS campaigns is that they do
not need to be a one-way street of communication. SMS
enables any sender to engage an audience with two-way
communication in real time. The conversational approach to
SMS campaigns can be especially beneficial in developing
personal connections with customers. This creates a public
image of approachability and openness. |
Questions and Surveys Get Results
It
is very simple to send surveys and questions to customers to
collect feedback via email. However, text messages
definitely have a better track record in terms of overall
performance and likelihood that a business will actually get
a response…Try using SMS to get customer feedback in the
future rather than a paper or email questionnaire. |
When and How Often?
When and how
often to send messages can be a major pitfall for a lot of
SMS campaigns when they first start. If you send messages at
the wrong time of day or too often, your messages go unread
or ignored. People may stop paying attention to your texts,
or they may simply unsubscribe altogether. A little target
market research will often reveal the best time of day to
fire off your messages in order to help your message hit its
mark.
Typically, sending SMS messages around the time
most people are taking their lunch break is a good idea. |
Conclusion
Ultimately, the success
or failure of your SMS campaign depends entirely on the
amount of planning, preparation and research you are willing
to put into it. The more selective you are about building
your list and marketing directly to your core segment, the
greater the likelihood that your potential customers will
respond positively to your messages. Keep in mind that
timing, as with just about all marketing, is crucial. Make
sure that you aren’t sending messages too often or at
inopportune times of day, such as when most people are
making their daily commute. Look at each message as a
new opportunity to establish a relationship with a customer
that may last for years. Craft each message to be
personalized, and don’t forget to offer exclusives to make
your subscriber base feel special.
In the end,
following these simple tips are certainly enough to get your
started
The future of your campaign depends entirely
on your wit, wisdom and ability to be persuasive in 160
characters or less. Let your subscribers see your business
as a friend and partner that is looking to make their life
better, add value to their purchases of goods and services,
and potentially save them some money along the way.
Above all, remember that these messages are the only point
of contact many customers will ever have with your
organization or marketing agency. |
Make sure that every message leaves a good
impression! |
Now that you know the basics, you are ready to start sending
mass text messages! Get a full text alert system up and
running in 30 seconds with us! There are only two steps to
start sending text alerts. Just
click here and follow the instructions.
If you
have any questions or concerns, you can
contact us and we’ll help you out with your first SMS
campaign. |
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Sources:
Mobile Text Alerts
By Ryan
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