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Brands know that communicating with their customers has a direct impact on the overall growth of their businesses. That’s why they continuously explore various channels of making contact with their clientele.
Short message service (SMS) or text messaging is, by far, one of the most effective methods of doing so. There are more than 292 million people in North America that make use of SMS, and companies that ignore this statistic do so at their own peril.
The potential revenue that can be gained from mobile phone users simply cannot be ignored, which is why SMS campaigns have become integral to almost every business’s marketing strategy.
But what is SMS marketing? It is the use of text messaging to engage with a brand’s target audience by sending promotional materials such as special offers, sales deals, and loyalty rewards. Customers can consent to receive SMS marketing offers over the phone, at the physical store, or on the brand’s website. Once an individual has given their permission to receive text messages, they become part of that business’s database of clients.
Today, various industries make use of SMS marketing to enhance their business and deliver a better customer experience. One example is in real estate. Real estate agents use SMS marketing to send interested buyers listing information, as well as links to book a viewing appointment.
This practice saves time because prospects aren’t kept waiting for the details that they need about the properties they are interested in. This helps facilitate faster and more efficient sales. If you want to find other ways to utilize SMS marketing to jumpstart your real estate career, simply click here: http://www.proagentsolutions.com/real-estate-sms-marketing-software/
SMS marketing can also be used to promote other businesses, too. Here’s how text message marketing can revolutionize the way you run yours:
The Approach Is Personal
Before you can contact and send your customers text messages, you will need to ask for their mobile number. They may have to initiate the exchange themselves otherwise. Whichever the case, you’ll need your customers’ permission to engage with them through SMS. This brings a more personal quality to the conversation, allowing for immediate and intimate one-on-one interactions—something that many clients prefer over formal and more official business communications such as email.
Messages Are Brief and Simple
With a limit of 160 characters, text messages, especially ones sent for marketing purposes, need to be concise. In a way, this makes them the perfect vehicle for engaging your target audience simply and effectively. Through brief messages, you can provide your customers with valuable information on special promos, new products, contests and giveaways, opt-in surveys, and polls.
You can also use text messaging to send a code or link that will direct customers to your business’s website or social media pages. Through these efforts, you can better encourage clients to interact with your business.
It Has a High Open Rate
Text messaging is considered one of the most personal ways to communicate, as we typically reserve them for family and friends. This means that most people won’t hesitate to open and read an SMS without a single thought, regardless of who the sender is. The open rates for SMS can be as high as 98 percent within 15 minutes after delivery. Marketers, then, have a better chance of getting noticed by their target audience if they utilize SMS.
Messages Are Highly Targeted
As a permission-based interaction, individuals who sign up for SMS marketing are often already interested in the brand. It also offers unmatched flexibility: you can personalize messages for each individual customer on your database or send a mass text to reach out to more people. Other specific text message marketing strategies you can implement include promoting brand awareness and offering new products.
However, it’s important not to abuse the appeal of text messages by flooding recipients with numerous messages. Instead, limit your text blasts to 2–4 messages each month to avoid aggravating your customers.
It Performs Better than Other Marketing Channels
Because text messages have a high open rate, it is a more effective marketing tool as compared to Facebook and push notifications. Additionally, SMS marketing can lead to higher engagement rates, thus delivering a more successful return on investment (ROI). While it’s clear that SMS outperforms other channels when it comes to immediately being noticed, it is even more successful when combined with other channels such as social media and email marketing services for a holistic marketing strategy.
The Results Are Easy to Monitor
Efficient measurement of results doesn’t just determine whether your marketing campaign was a success or a failure. It also provides insight on how you can improve your approach to resonate better with customers. The process of signing up for SMS marketing can help you build a customer database of personal information that includes their demographics, interests, and purchase history—all things that can be used to improve your products and services.
SMS marketing can also be integrated with customer relationship management software, allowing you to measure the performance of your text messaging campaigns in real-time. You can then adjust or improve your strategies accordingly using the results it provides.
There are several advantages of using SMS marketing to promote your brand. It helps keep your business relevant among existing customers while reaching out to prospects. Next time you are crafting digital and mobile marketing strategies, remember to include SMS marketing for a successful campaign.
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