What is text message marketing?
Text message marketing is a digital marketing strategy that helps build brand awareness on a more personal level. This ongoing process of communication allows businesses to relay news, promotions, and other relevant information to their customers via SMS. As this marketing strategy continues to modernize the business world, some companies are tentative to implement this strategy because they are under the impression that a phone has to be by their side at all times to field responses. However, we are here to tell you that those notions are inaccurate! With automated software systems and drip campaigns, a single text can be sent out to each contact in your entire database with just one click.
How to start text message marketing?
- Build A Database
Create a contact list of past and present customers in your database by collecting names, email addresses, phone numbers, and locations. This not only can act as a client relationship management (CRM) tool but can compile qualifying data for your customers.
- Segment Your Audience
Group contacts within your database by a common demographic, date of service, etc. to target a more specific audience. For example, instead of sending out a text to your entire database, filtering your contacts can help create a more personalized message while still reaching its intended audience.
- Include A Call To Action
CTAs not only improve user experience but help guide prospects through the sales funnel. Filtering your company’s contacts to a specific city and sending out a mass message that you will be in their area on a particular date is an effective way of encouraging interaction. By prompting an immediate sale, the likelihood that the recipients will seek your services increases tremendously.
- Track Your Analytics
After mass texting clients, people that you work with, or prospects, you can see if they clicked on or interacted with your message. Once these metrics are gathered businesses can monitor, track, and improve their text campaigns.
You may also be interested in reading: How Much Does Text Message Marketing Cost?
How will text marketing be beneficial to my local service business?
Text messages are statistically proven to generate remarkable open rates of 90-95%, while emails produce open rates ranging from 15-30%. Therefore using the most effective method of communication to send hyper-personalized messages allows your business to create more meaningful interactions with customers. By relying on a database consisting of customers’ names, phone numbers, email addresses, and locations, mass text messages can be sent to qualified leads with ease. This data will also help your company track your sales process and gain traction for your business.
5 Tips for text message marketing
- Add Value
Make sure the information you are providing is relevant and adds value to the consumer’s experience within your brand.
- Don’t spam
If a customer receives an overwhelming influx of messages from your business, they’ll unsubscribe. From what we have seen, the best SMS marketing results are gradually done and sent quarterly or semi-annually.
- Keep it simple
The texts you send to contacts should be short, yet straightforward. If you continuously send lengthy messages, users won’t bother reading and will opt out of receiving messages in the future.
- Be personable
We have found that SMS marketing with local service businesses is most effective with a personalized messaging plan. Instead of beginning your message with “This is Phlash Consulting” try “Hi this is Phil from Phlash Consulting” for a more affable introduction. By sharing your name instead of just your company your message will come off more naturally to customers.
- Have a plan
For ultimate success, these messages should follow a structured, efficient marketing campaign. Sending sporadic, aimless messages may cause people to opt-out of the campaign.
Phlash Consulting understands the challenges of growing your business in a modern world, which is why we partner with local service businesses to help them grow using technology and digital marketing. With SMS marketing your business can connect directly with your leads and loyal clients on any device to foster relationships. To learn more about how text message marketing can nurture real-time conversations with your clients and how our digital marketing team can help grow your business click here.