SMS Marketing
In SMS Marketing, there is no mystery to develop business relationships with your customers. If you want to reach out to your customers, you can’t wait for them to come to you. You have to be one step ahead and go where they are.
No, I am not telling you about marketing or knocking on all your customer’s doors – It will sound pathetic!!!!
Instead of this, you can send an SMS to them.
This is the best way to reach the masses. As people are becoming more attached to their mobile phones, SMS Marketing become the most direct way to contact the audience.
What is SMS Marketing?
SMS Marketing means sending promotional campaigns and transactional SMS for the purpose of marketing business using rich text messages (SMS). These messages are meant to communicate with customers in some way of UPDATES, OFFERS, ALERTS, DISCOUNTS, etc…..
In simple words, it means Sending bulk SMS messages to promote something called SMS marketing.
For Example – You send 1000, 2000, 10000 SMS messages to people in a certain location or targeted by niche so that you can promote your services or get traffic (like in email marketing).
Types of SMS Marketing
There are two types of SMS marketing:
- Outbound Campaigns – Like businesses send messages to their customers.
In other words, it refers to any kind of marketing where a company initiates the conversation and sends its messages to the customers. For Example On Radio, newspapers, magazines, brochures, etc…
Some characteristic features of Outbound Marketing
- The business sends SMS to its target audience.
- The character limit for the SMS is 160 characters.
- You can send longer messages. However, after every 160 characters, it will be treated as an additional message (not recommendable).
- These messages could be Promotional or Transactional SMS.
* Difference Between Promotional & Transactional SMS is as under –
PROMOTIONAL | TRANSACTIONAL | |
Nature | Sent by businesses to promote their offerings | Sent in a reply to the action taken by the user. Ex – OTP, Delivery, etc. |
Delivery Window | 9 am to 9 pm | 24 hours |
Template | No approval is required. | SMS gateway needs to approve the message template. |
Masking | Not possible | Possible |
Priority | Low | High |
- 2. Inbound Campaigns – Like customers send messages to businesses.
In other words, it refers to attracting customers by creating valuable content, to building a meaningful relationship with them by allowing them to ask queries. It forms a connection between the company and customers for what they are looking for and solves problems they already have.
Some characteristic features of Inbound Marketing
- Great way to get the mobile numbers of the target customers.
- Customers send SMS and business provide shortcodes and keywords.
- For Example – SMS “SUNDAY BIG” to 567890 to get a buy1 get1 free coupon for shopping.
Where 567890 is the shortcode and “SUNDAY BIG” is the keyword.
- Premium SMS – * Where sender charge at premium rates for the message.
* SMS Gateway shares the revenue with the business.
Message Campaign Tips
- TIPS – How to compose SMS?
Try to use normal language which is understood by the reader. No short forms. Maybe the short form is understood by you but not the reader.
Try to Make the first line attractive by spelling out unique words like “The offer” So, anytime when readers see the message it will compel them to open the SMS.
Think of notifications on smartphones. The only part of the message appears as a notification. Compose message so that the part appearing as notification creates interest.
- What Works?
Deals/ Discounts
Like 50% discounts, But 1 get 1 free!!
Unique messages
Let’s say, somebody whom you’re sending a message to saying ‘EXCLUSIVE DEAL’, which meant to think something interesting.
Latest Information
If you want to inform them of something people will open it. Latest info. may or may not include using of discounts, using of deals, you can use the latest information in a way where people will go to the site.
- When to send messages?
‘Always send messages during business hours
Most people don’t appreciate messages after business hours because they wanted to give that time to their family members, friends, going to party or anything.
‘Time the message well based on occasion / Events’
It’s like an opportunity for us because it is the time when people are searching for offers, discounts. Let’s say ‘Diwali is coming’.
So, you want to make sure a certain number of days before the occasion to send the message that you’ve got special offers to go and garb for greater discounts.
‘Look for opportunities to send transactional messages’
Transactional messages are something that customers will definitely see. Like, you can use an image to make the message more conversational.
Why SMS Marketing?
SMS Marketing boasts greater attention from customers than other digital marketing methods. That’s why there are certain reasons why we use SMS marketing. Some of them are as follows:
- SMS is read more than any other form of digital communication.
- 73% have replaced their wristwatch with their phones.
- 150 times a day is the average, person who looks at their phone.
- 90% of text messages are open within 3 minutes.
- 91% of mobile phone owners keep their phone within one meter 24/7.
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