Although almost everyone has a phone in their hands these days, text message marketing has recently skyrocketed in popularity. Especially in the field of e-commerce, mass text message marketing is at the top of the wish list for several reasons.
Why send bulk text messages?
According to Front, the average opening rate of text messages is 98%. An email sent as part of an email marketing campaign usually has a 30% open rate. This number is much lower for organic marketing on Facebook.
Bulk text marketing saves you the trouble of creating great ads. With so many free and open source bulk SMS software available in the market today, it is not only a cost-effective solution, especially for small businesses, but also allows you to implement your marketing plan without much delay. It’s also much easier for consumers to trust a message than random, unsolicited calls and emails. Most mass communication software solutions also provide important insight into campaign effectiveness and feasibility.
Bulk SMS marketing can help businesses of all sizes in many ways. In addition to generating a database of leads, it is a great way to generate leads. Most free and open source bulk SMS programs allow you to create personalized messages that can include special offers and discount codes for specific customers, giving you a better chance of converting them. SMS is also a great way to collect feedback and manage loyalty points.
Optimizing a Bulk SMS Marketing Campaign;
Here are our top tips for creating a successful bulk SMS marketing campaign and getting the most out of your bulk messaging solution.
Create a contact list;
With so many free bulk messaging services available these days, it can be tempting to blindly bombard phone numbers with text messages. It might seem like a great way to reach as many people as possible. However, this increases your chances of sending messages to the wrong customer and can have disastrous consequences. Think about the customers you want to target and why they would want your product or service. Your campaign will perform much better if you spend more time personalizing the right messages to the right customers.
Create a contact list of your past, present, and loyal customers. Sign-up campaigns are a great way to start conversations with potential customers and learn more about their preferences. Consider all the information you have about your customers. Understand what your goals are for each of these groups. Consider your background and location. Continue to edit your contact list while tracking your campaign performance metrics. Delete inactive numbers from time to time.
Remember to follow the authorities’ instructions when creating a contact list. For example, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) protects a customer’s right to not receive spam, to register before receiving text messages, and to cancel your text messages. Most bulk SMS software solutions, including free and open source solutions, are designed to help you comply with these regulations.
Create added value for your customers;
Your text messages will be much more successful if they add value to your customers. If a customer receives an SMS that has no value for them, it will be quickly removed from your contact list. Avoid wasting your customers’ time.
There’s no point in using your bulk text messaging software to email customers about contests, giveaways and offers, and call-to-actions when it’s not the recipient. Think about how you can make your campaign less intrusive and give the customer more control.
A great way to make this easier is to send text messages using keywords like “Text OFFERS to 1234X to get discount codes for your next shopping deals”. Here you can let the customer decide if they want to receive messages from you. You now know that this customer is interested in your product or service and will not hesitate to receive messages from you. It’s also based on your customer opt-in list and won’t damage your company’s reputation by sending spam. Your text message should always offer real added value to the customer.
Create custom bulk SMS marketing campaigns;
To really capture the attention of your customers, you should try to tailor your messages to your customers as much as possible. A word that addresses the customer by name sounds much more appealing than a word that addresses the customer as “customer” or “client.”
Traditionally, communication was a way to communicate with friends, family, and colleagues. Using the customer’s name and personalizing your message as much as possible preserves its essence to the point that the message almost feels like it’s from a friend or acquaintance.
Carefully segment your customers based on demographics and purchase history. Create personalized and targeted messages for each group to ensure maximum results. For example, it doesn’t make sense to offer a male customer a lot of a product or service mainly used by women.
You can run a campaign for months, you just need to set up it once you can select the interval of days as per your requirement so just calculate the days between dates and start sending males to your customers.
Most free bulk text messaging services have a merge feature that allows you to add specific customer names and information to messages. It also helps if the sender’s name appears as a company name rather than a random number.
Personal messages make customers feel important and also help build a long-term customer relationships. A shopper appreciates word of mouth about products they’ve recently inquired about, not just one product they might not have thought of. With all the mass text messaging software solutions available today, there is no excuse to send a random, impersonal message to a customer.
Stay on the step;
The length of the text message is limited to only 160 characters. This character limit means that you should keep your message as short, clear, and concise as possible and clearly state what you want to say. You need to stay on topic, but also avoid being direct.
To enable rapid conversion, you need to communicate your intent quickly. Don’t overdo it with capitals, phrases, and abbreviations. The message should be easy to read and understand. It’s best to use a pleasant and conversational tone in your message.
Everything is in the moment
Think about it. There is a client in your office. It’s almost lunchtime and you get a message from your favorite restaurant with news about a new lunch box on the menu, a discount code for free delivery, and a link where the customer can place an instant order. Timing increases the impact of your message. If the customer receives the message at the right time, he will not see it as spam. Avoid texting early or late in the day. Determine if your message is likely to lead on a weekday or a weekend. It makes no sense to message a client on Monday morning about a new club opening in town.
Also, pay attention to the frequency of messages. If you text too often, you can offend your customers and send them off your contact list. On the other hand, if you send too few messages, the customer may not immediately remember your brand and forget why they decided to receive notifications from you.
There is no right or wrong answer in this case. It all comes down to trial and error. When deciding on the timing and frequency of your messages, consider the nature of your product and service, your target audience, and the goal of your bulk SMS marketing campaign. Pay close attention to the campaign performance metrics that come with your bulk text messaging software to understand what works and what doesn’t. Most free and open source bulk SMS marketing software has scheduling features that automatically send messages based on preset times and frequencies.
Use calls to action (CTAs);
Send a text message with a clear goal in mind. Think about what you expect from your customer after reading your message. Clear statements can leave ambiguity and create ambiguity. CTAs create a sense of urgency and compel the customer to take action. Offers, gift cards, and discount codes valid for a limited time are more likely to activate the customer.
You should also attach a phone number or a link to the message itself so that it is easier for the recipient of the message to understand. When important links and contact information can be found within the word itself, the customer is more likely to act quickly. Make sure the connections are compatible with the device. Use Bit.ly or Goog.gl to shorten URLs. Traditional bulk SMS software solutions will help you with this.
Final thoughts;
By carefully following these tips and best practices, you can dramatically improve your mobile marketing SMS campaign. Most free bulk text messaging services can help you follow the tips in this article. A successful mass SMS marketing campaign is one that does not send unnecessary spam to customers but consciously strives to reach the right customer with valuable information. It is designed to achieve a specific result while closely monitoring campaign performance metrics and adjusting the campaign accordingly to improve profitability.
