On the web, email is probably the most widespread marketing channel, so much so that we would forget the other possibilities available to us.
SMS marketing is a very interesting (but often ignored) alternative to the eternal emailing campaigns. It is a winning channel! With a record opening rate of 98%, it is much more effective than email. It’s no coincidence that 61% of brands have increased their SMS marketing budget in 2020.
Given that 65% of e-commerce traffic comes from mobile, it’s easy to imagine the sales opportunities offered by the immediacy of push notifications!
What are the best practices for SMS marketing? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this technique? Coder.com gives you the keys to a successful SMS campaign and take advantage of SMS marketing to increase your sales. So, are you interested?
The benefits of SMS marketing
SMS requires customer authorization
Yes, this is a plus, as prospecting someone against their will is counterproductive.
Moreover, a customer who agrees to receive SMS from you expresses a real interest in your brand: ideal for identifying your best customers.
SMS is very interactive without being too intrusive
Your customers can interact with you in a jiffy, without having to log into a site (and without even having to go online). This way, you don’t take up too much of their time and don’t interfere too much in their lives (provided, of course, that you have their prior consent).
SMS is profitable
It’s just a few lines of message that costs you almost nothing, except the price of sending it.
The SMS is instantaneous
It requires almost no preparation and can be sent on the fly. Very convenient to send contextual messages.
For example, if you run a bar and your city is suddenly hit by a heat wave, you can instantly send an SMS to your customers offering them a free drink.
The disadvantages of SMS marketing
SMS offers limited space
If you don’t want your SMS campaign to blow your marketing budget, be concise!
You can’t repeat the same thing twice
Unlike TV or radio advertising, which often consists of playing the same message over and over again, each SMS you send to a customer must be different, otherwise they will quickly get bored and unsubscribe.
SMS marketing has a limited audience
People are generally quite reluctant to give out their phone number (much more than their email address). So don’t expect to have a huge SMS subscription list.
1. Be consistent
Writing a text message doesn’t mean writing in shorthand or in more colloquial language: be consistent with your company’s image.
If you usually use a serious tone (on your website, in your brochures, etc.) then your text messages should maintain the same style.
2. Get to the point
SMS is limited in terms of space and length, and that’s good! No need to procrastinate, get straight to the point: your customer must understand at a glance the meaning of your message.
3. Offer something
Your SMS will be useless if it does not bring any benefit to the customer. Because if you really want them to buy something on your website or in your store, you will have to give them an additional motivation: offer them a discount or a special offer.
SMS marketing has the advantage of being very direct and personal, which gives the recipient the feeling that he is receiving a special offer: a simple discount can therefore be devilishly effective.
4. Do an A/B Testing
As with your emails, it can be interesting to test different SMS formulas by splitting your contact list.
This will help you know the best way to address your customers for future SMS marketing campaigns.
Some examples of SMS marketing campaigns
SMS marketing offers you many possibilities to communicate about your offers.
Here are 4 examples of campaigns to send to your contact list.
SMS to inform about a price reduction
Receive a 10% discount by using this promo code when ordering: REDUC10
Emergency SMS, for limited time offers
All our products at 25% off until 6pm, take advantage of it!
The SMS campaign on a targeted product
Get 20% off our T-shirts with the promo code : TSHIRT
The localized SMS campaign
One product purchased, one product offered in our Paris boutique
When to send a marketing SMS?
1. Consider typical work hours
Although there are many exceptions, most people work daytime hours. It is best to avoid disrupting them while they are working.
The best times to send your SMS are:
- The middle of the day (between approximately 12:00 and 2:00 p.m.);
- Early evening (between approximately 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.).
Obviously, avoid at all costs sending your SMS at hours that are too late, which are generally dedicated to leisure or sleep, it could cost you a lot.
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