What is SMS marketing?
Successful businesses know that the use of SMS marketing has become one of the methods of wide access to the target audience. With this digital marketing method, you can interact with customers more effectively through their favorite channel. According to statistics, about 89 percent of people prefer communicating through text messages over phone calls. Text messages reach the recipient in a fraction of a second, they are read quickly and without the need for the Internet, and they are supported by all smart and non-smart mobile phones. Different brands encourage customers to use the offered products and services by sending promotional, interactive and "call-to-action" (CTA) SMS.
Since January 2020, when the covid-19 pandemic emerged, businesses have become more inclined to use these communication channels, and since mobile has always been with people, SMS marketing has become very popular with everyone. But to implement SMS marketing, you need to know its principles. Let's see what these SMS marketing principles include.
Types of strategies for SMS marketing
Although it seems that sms marketing is very simple, there are different types that need to be done carefully. The types of strategies for SMS marketing that you can choose are;
Welcome SMS
When your customers register on the website and enter their personal phone number, they will receive a welcome SMS.
Personalized ads
After your customers buy from a certain product category, you can send them similar offers in the form of personalized SMS ads.
Introducing new products
If you have added new items to your product list, you can inform your customers by sending SMS.
Information about campaigns and special discounts
Information about end-of-season discounts, attractive offers, special sales conditions, etc. can be done using SMS marketing.
Invitation to fill out the questionnaire
If you need a survey to provide new services, change the location of the store, unveil a new product, how to provide services, change the logo, etc., you can use SMS marketing. It is enough to send the survey link in the form of an SMS to invite customers to fill out the questionnaire.
Remarketing
One of the best ways to remarket the brand is to use SMS marketing.
SMS marketing principles
1- Do not send text messages to the recipient without their permission
Maybe you have already taken the phone numbers of your different customers; But that doesn't mean you can text them whenever you want. Just like email marketing, SMS marketing requires permission from the customer.
2- On the website or other channels, ask the customer for permission to send him an SMS.
To get permission from the customer, for example, send an SMS and ask him if he wants to send him an SMS or not; And the answer should be yes or no, or 1 and 2 so that the customer doesn't need to bother.
3- Pay attention to the time of sending SMS
Unlike email, which people check several times a day, when an SMS arrives, they usually open it right away. This is an advantage for your business, but you should not abuse it and send SMS now and then. When you meet with a client in person, the best time to send a text message is shortly after your meeting. For example, send an SMS and thank him for choosing your company.
4- Write the name of your company in the messages
When sending group SMS, use special numbers, not personal numbers. In order for the recipient to understand where this message is coming from, write the name of your company in the SMS.
5- Consider the length of the SMS
The maximum number of characters allowed for SMS is 160 characters. The SMS you send should be precise, clear and as short as possible.
6- Do not send spam SMS
When you want to send text messages to customers, ask yourself how the tone of the text message is, is it clear if it was sent by a real person or a robot? SMS should not be such that the audience feels that a robot sent it, otherwise it will be spam and it will harm your business.
7- Use SMS marketing to complete your digital marketing strategy
The good thing about digital marketing is that it has many communication channels. Together, these channels form the marketing communication system that the business uses to cultivate leads and turn them into customers and then loyal customers. To get the most out of digital marketing, don't focus on one communication channel. Communicate with customers through different channels to succeed.
Is SMS marketing effective?
If you were using email marketing before or if this marketing method is useful for you now, now you should have a better idea of SMS marketing and how great this method is. While some messages may sound exciting, remember that many consumers may just open a text message to get rid of a notification on their phone. Depending on the content you share with your audience, text messages can outperform email in terms of click-through rates and conversion rates.
People often read quickly when they receive a text message. According to statistics, in fact, 90% of users open SMS within three minutes. If you have a special offer that you want your subscribers to take action on immediately, email notification means that users may miss your message. Instead, if you send them this timely message via SMS, they are more likely to see it sooner.
Short message is how people communicate with their friends and loved ones. In this way, you can have a personal relationship with your customer or user and send him messages. You can categorize your messages and send them to each group of users with a specific purpose. Also, using this type of marketing makes your message reach the customer quickly.
For what businesses is it necessary to use SMS marketing?
Using this type of marketing can be useful for any business, but there are certain businesses that cannot continue without SMS in their marketing strategy:
1- E-commerce stores: Whether you are sending advertising campaigns or order confirmations, SMS is a great tool for e-commerce stores.
2- Travel companies: SMS is essential for travel companies because customers need real-time information. This includes flight time updates, terminal changes, cancellations, weather alerts and other information. With SMS, you can tell customers exactly what they need to know, without worrying about whether they will see it in time or not.
3- Service jobs that require an appointment: Make sure your clients never miss an appointment by sending SMS reminders. This saves time and money wasted on no-shows and late appointments.
4- Large organizations with more than 100 employees: internal communication is important, but it is difficult to communicate with every employee in a large company. For urgent information, email is too slow. Using SMS for your internal communications is the best way to ensure that every employee receives the information you want to send them at the right time.
