Picture this: you’ve finally decided to give SMS marketing a chance. You sign up to start building out your plan, importing your contacts from your email list, and getting the ball rolling. Once this is all established, you may start to scratch your head and wonder where to go next. That’s where we come in!
Below are a few different strategies to consider when you’re developing your SMS marketing plan.
Create a Consistent Messaging Schedule.
According to Validity’s “State of SMS Marketing in 2023” Report, 17% (nearly 1 in 5) of respondents claimed that getting messages from brands at “inappropriate times” would be annoying.
Creating a consistent messaging schedule not only allows your brand to organize your campaign plans more clearly, but it also provides a routine for your subscribers, and omits the opportunity of your brand accidentally sending a message at the wrong time. Being weary of sending a message at the wrong time may sound trivial, but it’s quite the opposite.
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA for short), a piece of legislation that regulates rules around phone communication, made it law that “marketers should only send messages between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. according to the recipient’s local time.” Additionally, some states have laws that mandate even stricter calling and texting time restrictions.
Segment Your Audience Based on Purchase Behavior and Other Demographics.
To keep your subscribers engaged with your SMS efforts, it’s important to segment your marketing campaigns based on purchase behavior and other demographics. For example: if you’re offering a discount for first time purchasers, sending it to your entire list, which would inevitably include subscribers who have made a purchase before, could cause them to either 1) reply back that this offer isn’t valid for them, or 2) Unsubscribe from your messaging list.
Building different lists segmented by purchase behavior will allow you to send relevant content to your subscribers more accurately and thoroughly.
Pro tip: encourage subscribers to opt out of certain holiday messaging that may be offensive or insensitive (IE: Father’s Day or Mother’s Day, etc). This is a trend in email marketing that’s already making waves: so much so, that it was featured in a USA Today article just last year.
Offer Subscriber Only Discounts and Promotions
Your business is already aware of how many different platforms there are out there for your customers to pay attention to when it comes to supporting your brand: they’re likely already following your social media pages and have already subscribed to your email list. So why should they give you one more method of communicating with them? The answer to that is exclusivity.
Treat your SMS channel as a place where subscribers receive exclusive discounts, early access to shop, and sneak peeks at new products. The VIP treatment will keep them engaged and excited to interact with your brand via SMS.
Encourage a dialogue with your subscribers.
The beautiful thing about SMS marketing is its unique ability to encourage your customers to engage in a back-and-forth conversation with your brand.
For example, when a subscriber receives a message from you, they can reply with any clarifying questions that pertain to the campaign. Is a promotion good on all products? How long does the sale last? When will “x” item be restocked? The types of questions they may ask are endless, which, in tune, gives your brand endless opportunities to continue the conversation: and drive sales!
Need help setting your SMS campaigns up for success? Get in touch with the Voxie team today!