SMS Text marketing (text messages) has become one of the most effective forms of digital marketing available today. Not only do more than 96% of Americans have mobile phones, but 90% of these people also read their messages within three minutes of the message arriving. In the end, up to 98% of recipients open their text messages. Email open rates, by comparison, remain at around 22%, according to HubSpot.
With this in mind, you may want to start considering investing in appointment reminder texts, promotional SMS campaigns, and other forms of SMS marketing. Here are six creative ways to use SMS to boost your campaign.
Use text messages for customer support
Save both you and your customers’ time by responding to their queries via text message. If a customer wants to know when their shipment will be ready, ask them to drop you a text message to get an instant response. According to a survey by eWeek, 52% of consumers are excited to chat with a customer rep via text messages. At least 52% also said they prefer text message support over other means of communication. They say it’s more personal and makes them feel that the business or brand truly cares about them.
Send promotions using SMS Text Marketing
In a 2018 survey by Code Broker, 60% of the respondents said they’re more likely to redeem a text message coupon within a week compared to a coupon received in the mail. What’s more, 25% of the respondents said they redeem their text message coupons within three days! Additionally over half of the respondents said they prefer SMS coupons over receiving a link to an online coupon.
Run loyalty programs with SMS Texts
SMS Text message marketing is one of the best ways to drive loyalty programs. Another consumer loyalty study by Code Broker shows that 75% of consumers are excited to enroll and participate in text-based loyalty programs. Even if you wish to share a reward via a URL, consumers prefer to receive the URL via text message rather than email or an app. That’s because it’s easier to access text messages.
Consider automated Text campaigns
Automating your text campaign could be the move that takes your business to the next level. When you automate your SMS campaign, you not only free up valuable time but also provide your customers with exceptional service and experience. This increases the likelihood of conversion. According to one U.K. text marketing service provider, automation guarantees a 14.5% increase in sales productivity and up to 12.5% reduction in marketing overheads.
Create Text-to-answer polls and surveys
Whether in organizations, companies, small businesses, or large enterprises, SMS marketing can be used to poll consumers to find out if you’re delivering to their expectations. In a company, for example, you can run a text survey to determine whether users like your latest product. Meanwhile, in universities and schools, text SMS uses now include polling students on various matters. Most higher education institutions also use SMS polls during student elections.
Use Text messages to Enhance Communications
You can also incorporate SMS text marketing into your sales management processes. For instance, you can use text to follow up on a product demo. Marketing Profs reports that following up through SMS increases lead conversion by 112%. Savvy marketers are also using text messages as a cadence touchpoint. You can, for instance, use text messages to engage consumers and get them excited about an upcoming sales event.
Colleges and universities are also finding value in SMS text messaging as a communications tool. Universities and schools are using SMS to notify their students of alerts, updates, and other important information.
As well, many service businesses are finding the value of sms text messaging for appointment reminders. A service like JookSMS appointment reminder software can streamline the follow-up process, send automated reminders, and therefore cut down on missed appointments and the lost revenue from them.
Get Started Today
If you haven’t considered an SMS text messaging campaign yet, this is the time to consider it. Messaging is here to stay and is a key form of regular communication globally today, so businesses and organizations need to be ready to consider using it. Remember, however, to get permission from the customers, just as you would for an email campaign. If you are looking for SMS Text messaging services, check out our post on the best text messaging marketing services.