What is SMS marketing and does how it help your Business?
SMS marketing
Every business owner (including us) wishes to reach out to more people quickly and inexpensively, no matter their size and industry. Well, there are multiple exhausting and time-consuming ways of doing so but what if we tell you that there’s a much more effective & inexpensive solution for this! Got you thinking didn’t it? The solution is SMS marketing which allows you to contact a very large consumer base at comparatively lower costs. We’re not talking about contacting a few hundred people; we’re talking about contacting thousands if not a hundred thousand.
In this blog, we’ll help you understand what SMS marketing is all about and its benefits. SMS (short message service) is a mobile marketing channel that uses text messages to communicate with customers. It’s quickly evolving into a very popular method of reaching out to potential customers.
SMS marketing is a core multi-channel marketing strategy for reaching out and communicating with your customers. It is also regarded as a communication channel with a higher return on investment. The myth that it is impossible to target a specific group of customers while on the go is debunked by the fact that an SMS can not only reach the target group with precision but it can also initiate two-way communication with the consumer and the brand.
When did it all start?
SMS marketing has quickly become a valuable tool for small and medium-scale businesses. You can use SMS marketing to provide information about products, services, and promotions to their customers while also promoting the products to them on their mobile devices.
In many ways, SMS marketing is similar to email marketing. The only difference is that with this type of marketing, you can only send short messages or texts. This allows users to send updates or important business information, as you would with email. SMS messages have been used by Nokia phones in Finland since the early 1980s. Customers began sending messages using their new mobile devices, and advertisers saw an opportunity to connect with customers using this relatively new marketing strategy.
Why should you use SMS marketing?
SMS and mobile usage aren’t going away anytime soon, according to many statistics. It’s expected to grow rapidly until at least 2025 as the usage of mobile is not a passing trend and is a force to be reckoned with. Here are some reports that’ll help you in believing so:
- Smartphones will be used by 71% of the world’s population by 2025.
- By 2025, high-speed networks will account for two-thirds of all mobile connections.
- By 2025, researchers estimate that 6 billion people will send and receive SMS text messages.
- By 2025, 61% of the world’s population is expected to use mobile phones to access the internet & connect with each other.
This just shows that SMS is an excellent method to get your customers’ attention now and even in the future. SMS marketing is easily integrated with other channels such as email, CRM, and management systems. Many brands use SMS as just a reminder or follow-up for customers to open their newsletters in marketing campaigns.
How does SMS marketing help your business?
SMS marketing plays an important role in helping your business build better communication with users, but it’s much more than that. SMS marketing helps your business build long-term and valuable connections with your clients and consumers and generate new leads as well. Most business owners believe that SMS marketing is just a means to strike conversations with users but with the increasing use of smartphones (which doesn’t seem to slow down anytime soon), SMS marketing has become an integral part of multiple businesses marketing strategies and growth. A study by Statista shows that in 2021 there was a 75% year-over-year increase in the popularity of SMS and text, which was 2nd after Social messaging.
The constant use and importance of mobile phones in our lives is a major factor in the growth of SMS marketing however its success depends upon the creativity, content, and value that you have to offer to clients. Several big businesses like Dunkin Donuts, Pizza hut, CNN, Express, IKEA, and Starbucks have been able to expand their reach and attract more customers through SMS marketing. So what’s stopping you from doing so as well? Here are some amazing benefits that SMS marketing offers that’ll help you make your final choice in adding it to your marketing strategies, they are:
Open rate is higher than Emails
Due to the constant access, we have to our mobile phones, up to 98% of users open a text message sent to their phone mainly due to the vibration or notification ring we get while receiving a message on our phones. This makes the open rate of SMS marketing significantly higher than that of cold calls and email writing. Having such a high open-rate SMS marketing makes it easier for you to reach users more consistently and promote new offers. Moreover, in case of cold calling, a customer may not tend to pick up and for emails, the mail can be sent to junk files. However, nearly all of the users become aware of a message sent to them and receive a notification for the same.
Drives more conversions
Compared to the new-age marketing tactics and strategies SMS marketing delivers a high conversion rate, which is the main goal of any marketing strategy. Due to the 160-word limit, SMS marketing makes the message short and concise which plays a major role where most readers skim through content. It helps build trust through quick communication which drives a better conversion rate.
Cost-effective and better ROI
Sending bulk text messages doesn’t cost a lot of money and time as compared to TV or Facebook ads. This makes SMS marketing a go-to choice for many small and medium-scale businesses that can’t allocate a large amount of their marketing budget to a single marketing strategy. A well-timed and targeted SMS strategy with the help of an experienced marketing agency in Mumbai like AdsCult can generate an excellent ROI due to its high conversion and open rate.
Covers a large Audience group
According to the 2021 report by Statista, approximately 492.78 million people in India use a smartphone. This offers you a large market to explore with SMS marketing and reach a larger potential audience group. Moreover, it helps you reach people all around the globe and not just India which increases its geographic capabilities and reaches a larger demographic. Moreover sending and replying to a text message doesn’t require internet access which makes it possible to target all users having a sim card.
Highly customizable & flexible
SMS marketing is quite flexible and versatile when it comes to sending the type of message you want be it announcing a new sale, temporary discount, customer rewards, new product launches, and other promotional messages. Thus SMS marketing can be used by businesses of all sizes to drive sales and build awareness of their brand. Since most messages are sent through a cloud-based & encrypted system, it makes SMS marketing secure & the customers feel much safer.
Quick delivery
SMS marketing has virtually zero wait time and the text is delivered to all the targeted customers almost instantly. There are multiple tools available to help you send bulk messages instantly and AdsCult helps you utilize them to their full potential. Thus you can use SMS marketing to send extremely urgent messages like a location change or the end of a sale with the higher open rate being a cherry on the top.
Highly targeted and engaging
With the introduction of modern marketing strategies it has becomes quite important to implement highly targeted messages rather than general TV or radio ads. SMS marketing is permission-based, so it allows you to reach people who register their number to your website and social without invading their privacy. Study shows that it’s 5x easier to sell to existing users than newer ones. The personalization and targeting make the message more engaging for users to read & keep them hooked.
Instant Opt-in and Opt-out option
Spam messages often annoy a lot of users and that’s why SMS marketing offers users an easy way to opt out of an existing SMS stream. This helps you to avoid wasting your time and resources on uninterested customers and focus on others. Using a shortcode or a long code number the customers can easily opt-in or out of your text stream. The response is almost instant using simple keywords which increases simplicity and customer satisfaction.
What strategies to use for SMS marketing
Before starting your SMS marketing campaign you need to first analyze and understand the needs of your business and then curate a strategy that fulfills them. Your main motive could be to drive sales but if your campaign is focused on creating awareness it wouldn’t be of much use, would it? Your end goal should be to drive more sales and provide customer satisfaction. So in order to achieve this here are some things you should keep in mind while sending bulk texts.
Follow the KISS rule
Yes, it may sound weird but you need to follow the KISS principle while starting with your SMS campaign. KISS stands for “Keep. IT. Simple. Stupid” and is focused on proving that most systems work seamlessly if you keep things simple. You need to make sure that your message is clear with a simple call to action that is easy to find.
Create a Sense of Urgency
Adding a sense of urgency makes the user feel that they’re going to miss out on a deal or offer if they don’t click or reply to your text. It creates a type of FOMO that encourages a customer to make their decision quickly. So always make sure to add an expiration date to your offer (don’t use it as clickbait and keep it legit).
Add a Link and clear call-to-action
The most important thing that drives conversions to your texts is a clear and precise call to action. Users tend to prefer having a direction of where they should go next and are aware of the steps they’re taking. You should also add links in your text to direct your audience to your landing page or any other page. Before adding a link make sure to consider whether you want to drive traffic or create engagements.
Personalize your texts
Adding a little personalization to your text makes the receiver feel special which motivates them to read more and take action. Even when sending bulk texts you must create a template that allows you to add your subscribers’ names and address them directly. Also, make sure to select the right target audience for a particular promotion with relevant texts based on their preferences.
SMS marketing best practices that you should follow
Text to win contests
In this type of SMS marketing, a campaign is launched in which customers can enter a contest simply by responding to a text message sent by your company. A winner is chosen at random after the contest deadline has passed.
Many businesses use SMS marketing to give away gift cards, gifts, or even complimentary services to winners. This is not only one of the simplest SMS marketing strategies, but it is also one of the most entertaining – for both businesses and customers.
Flash Sales
This is a form of SMS promotional campaign that only lasts a short time. In most cases, it features a limited time for a business’s service or product.
This type of promotion differs from a traditional sale because of the time factor. Long-term promotions and/or discounts are available with traditional sales. The flash sale is distinguished by its high level of urgency.
Alerts & Notifications
Many different types of alerts and notifications can be sent via SMS. Standard company updates, business hours, event updates, new product updates, new services, restock notifications, sales, and even emergency alerts.
In most cases, a brief message is sent along with a shortened URL that the recipient can use to learn more about the offer or information contained in the alert or notification.
Social Networking
Obtaining followers for your company’s social media accounts can quickly become a full-time job if you are not careful in your approach. Don’t be afraid to send a text message to your SMS marketing audience inviting them to follow you on social media. If the response is positive, you might think about giving a prize to those who follow you on social media.
Why choose AdsCult as your SMS marketing agency
Forbes magazine has named SMS marketing the “Tool of the Future“. This just shows that in a world of so many modern marketing tools SMS marketing still stands out and is here to stay for a long time. However, in order to maximize the fullest potential of SMS marketing, you’ll need the help of a professional digital marketing agency like AdsCult.
Our team of marketing experts and content specialists helps you create effective and engaging SMS marketing strategies that are catered to your specific needs.
We’ve helped clients grow their revenue by 16% and generate a 50x ROAS in just 30 days. Our team helps you increase your brand awareness and drive more sales no matter the size of your brand as we at AdsCult ‘Make IT Happen’. So what are you waiting for? Click here to book a consultation and start your SMS marketing journey with AdsCult.
