SMS as a marketing tool? That may sound strange to many, as we are increasingly using instant messenger services and have almost completely eliminated SMS from our everyday communication. What many do not know, however, is that SMS offers great potential, especially for companies, if it is used correctly as a marketing tool. We all suffer from a new widespread disease called FOMO or written out: Fear of Missing Out! In other words, whenever our smartphone reports, we look directly because we are afraid that we might miss something important – and that is an excellent tool for marketing.
The opening rate for SMS is significantly higher than that of newsletter e-mails
The smartphone is our constant companion. Some people can no longer do without it, because the smartphone becomes the communication
Communication is generally the exchange of information. In marketing, communication policy is one of the four marketing instruments (4 P’s) that is used to evoke certain reactions in the target group: attention, positive attitude, purchase. By means of communication, potential buyers should be informed (that the product is offered), convinced (to buy the product), and reminded (that the product exists). There are various defined types of communication that compete with each other: controlled (= the 4 KIs) vs. non-controlled (= word of mouth, publicity) – pull (= directed at the consumer who is supposed to “pull” the product through the sales channel) vs. push (= addressed to the trade who should “push” the product through the sales channel) – personal communication (personal sales; direct marketing) vs. Mass communication (via TV, radio; with posters).
-“href =” https://marketing.ch/lexikon/kommunikation/ “target =” _ blank “> Communication controlled, it replaces the wristwatch, the notebook and the camera. A German study shows that the participants every 18 minutes Interrupting their activities to stare at their smartphones – therefore lies According to another statistic, the opening rate of SMS was 98 percent. So it’s an incredibly good way for companies to reach customers, especially when you consider that the The opening rate of e-mails is just under 22 percent lies. It is also assumed that of the 98 percent who open an SMS, 90 percent read the SMS within the first three minutes of receiving it. The numbers are not only amazing, but also convincing – it is really worthwhile for companies to think about the subject of SMS marketing and just give it a try.
Planning is half the battle
Any strategy requires planning so that successful results can be achieved in the end. Just like other campaigns, SMS campaigns should be carefully planned. For example, it is possible to send an SMS on important public holidays. Christmas, Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day are just a few examples. If you want to increase the sales of your products with SMS marketing, you should think about when it makes sense to send SMS. Here are a few tips to help you implement an SMS marketing strategy successfully.
Inform customers about the order status
Your customer just bought a product? Perfect, you can send him news and updated information about the order status with a text message. This keeps the customer up to date and at the same time strengthens their trust in your company – they feel well looked after by you. In this way, you should also notify your customer if, for example, the shipping is delayed.
Reduce cart abandonment
Studies disagree on how many people fill their shopping carts and then end up not shopping. Statistics actually speak of a dropout rate of almost 70 percent. Companies can get in touch with shopping cart abandoners via SMS. The way of communication
Communication is generally the exchange of information. In marketing, communication policy is one of the four marketing instruments (4 P’s) that is used to evoke certain reactions in the target group: attention, positive attitude, purchase. By means of communication, potential buyers should be informed (that the product is offered), convinced (to buy the product), and reminded (that the product exists). There are different defined types of communication that compete with each other: controlled (= the 4 KIs) vs. not controlled (= word of mouth, publicity) – pull (= addressed to the consumer who should “pull” the product through the sales channel) vs. push (= addressed to the trade who should “push” the product through the sales channel) – personal communication (personal sales; direct marketing) vs. Mass communication (via TV, radio; with posters).
-“href =” https://marketing.ch/lexikon/kommunikation/ “target =” _ blank “> Communication can be designed individually here. So it would be conceivable to provide help or answer questions about products. In some cases it is guaranteed to be sufficient to simply resend the link to the shopping cart and thus win back the customer’s interest.
News per SMS
Information about new products, services or other news from the company doesn’t just have to be sent by email. It works just as well via SMS. Special campaign days and sales can also be ideally communicated as SMS messages. Above all, discount campaigns increase customer interest and should therefore be sufficiently advertised by every company. If you send the appropriate SMS, you can address your target group very effectively. As the above opening rates show, it is very likely that the majority of the customers contacted will also read the SMS.
Define buyer groups
Good SMS marketing tools provide various data and statistics about contacts. This helps you to define buyer groups, which can then be specifically addressed. The data provide information about various, customer-specific factors that should then be used in a campaign. The segmentation should be done according to sensible categories. A shop for sporting goods could, for example, categorize according to type of sport, age and gender. If there are currently a particularly large number of articles for women who play tennis, customers who are interested in this sport can be written to by SMS and informed about possible offers.
This is what an SMS message should look like
SMS are direct, limited in their number of characters (max. 160 characters) and should therefore be worded particularly succinctly. In any case, the SMS message to potential customers should focus on a specific statement. Unlike longer texts, an SMS is read very quickly, which is why the content should reach the recipient in an easily understandable manner. If you have a specific goal, there is a good chance that the message will be effective. Emojis and different formatting of the text can underline the content and make the message even clearer.
Personalize messages
An SMS should always be written via you, we will contact our (target
One goal is a desired state, for example contribution margin per product, which is determined on the basis of a situation analysis.
-“href =” https://marketing.ch/lexikon/ziel/ “target =” _ blank “> Target) customers in a format that would otherwise only be used to contact them privately. Therefore, an overly impersonal SMS can quickly be used as advertising Exactly as with e-mail marketing, it is possible to address the recipient by their first name, for example. Companies should definitely use this option, because the customer does not feel part of a broad mass of customers, but rather individually perceived by the company.
SMS marketing can therefore make a significant contribution to building and maintaining close customer loyalty. Further personal design also means that the sender is presented as a company name, or even better, with the first name and company name such as ‘Ephraim from marketing.ch’. The customers then do not see a number, but directly from whom the message was sent. In any case, this looks much more serious and creates trust.
Accommodate call to action
There is also space in the SMS to accommodate the URL of a landing page or website that refers to products or services. At the same time, further data can be collected about the customers, which provides information about their interaction with the SMS. Here, too, it is important to maintain the personal tone and to package the benefits of the offer directly in the call to action.
Start automation
Marketing campaigns take up time, which is why it is absolutely advisable to use automation wherever possible. Incidentally, this is also possible for SMS campaigns. To this end, a company can, for example, specify that an SMS is sent automatically after certain actions by a customer. For example, an automatic SMS can be set for shopping cart abandoners or on a specific date, such as Christmas. Once defined, automations run all by themselves and you can sit back and relax and focus on other important tasks.
The right time to send SMS
SMS marketing tools can be used to define the times at which an SMS should be sent. For example, a message cannot be delivered for three weeks or two hours. For companies, it is important to know that the smartphone is a personal and constant companion. Therefore, an SMS campaign will not go down very well with customers if messages are sent at three in the morning and, in the worst case, even wake the recipient. The SMS should therefore be sent at moderate times.
Why it pays to rely on SMS marketing now
Few companies use SMS marketing. Possibly because many people think that for most of them, SMS no longer exists. But this is exactly where the advantage is. As a marketing channel, SMS is not yet so overcrowded and 98 percent of smartphone users open incoming messages on their mobile phones. This gives companies a huge opportunity in connection with targeted e-mail marketing to address their customers directly and, above all, to ensure that the content is actually read. Special SMS marketing tools help to make the sending of messages as efficient as possible and to automate some processes.
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