In general, e-commerce brands that use SMS marketing make more money using SMS marketing programs. Thus, through their own marketing channels, they can generate more revenue.
What is SMS marketing?
SMS marketing is the action of a company sending SMS campaigns, promotions, updates, news to registered customers.
In fact, the word “SMS” means “short message service”. In order to interact with their buyers, some brands opt for this type of communication. Text marketing helps build real connections with customers.
Apart from SMS messages, you also have the possibility to send MMS messages (multimedia messaging service) to your customers. MMS is a sent text message containing images or GIFs.
The main types of SMS marketing
When you use SMS marketing, you can send two kinds of SMS to the public: promotional and transactional SMS.
Promotional text message
Promotional SMS marketing involves texts or messages sent to the public. Here, the objective is to promote a product, boost sales or improve brand awareness. These can be one-off SMS campaigns or integrated into workflows through automation text messages.
To give more information to your customers, you can choose this type of message. For example, a product launch, a special promotion, a sale proposal, an announcement share and many others.
Transactional text message
Transactional SMS marketing contains texts or messages that carry the information customers need (ex : shipping information, order confirmation details,…). If a customer buys, sending a delivery update via SMS is a better way to build customer loyalty.
Unlike emails, transactional SMS are very easy. Also, you don’t have much creative freedom with transactional text when it comes to design or content.
Good reasons to use SMS marketing
Every trend of SMS marketing messages shows that it is an effective channel to target customers well. But why is it important to use SMS marketing as part of your communication strategy?
High message open rates and increased consumer engagement
Texting generates extraordinary engagement rates, with 98% open rates. Keep in mind that several clients do not enable text messages except if they want to get rid of notifications on their mobiles. That’s why you need to focus on engagement metrics like clicks and conversions.
Luckily, depending on what you’re sharing with your audience, text messages can outperform email. In the first quarter of 2022, the average click-through rate on text messages was 8.3%.
– Reach consumers instantly
Most people often read the text quickly after receiving it. If you want your subscribers to take action instantly, notifying them via email means they might miss your message.
Conversely, if you send them a message in a timely manner, there’s a good chance they’ll read it once they receive it.
– Create real customer relationships
text messages are the way some people communicate with their friends and loved ones. So their phones are frequently within reach.
To communicate perfectly with your highly engaged customers, use text messages as a more unique channel.
How to start an SMS marketing program?
While you need to think strategically about how to use SMS marketing and integrate it into your existing marketing strategy, there are a few essential things you can do right now to determine your SMS marketing program. So what are the main steps to follow to get good results?
Using message forms for compliance
For your compliance and SMS marketing program, how you gather customer phone numbers is important. Discover four things the most powerful SMS marketing brands do when they collect information:
- To properly educate subscribers and stay compliant, these brands implement multi-step forms.
- They build unique desktop and mobile versions and test them A/B separately.
- These brands offer a percentage discount on signup and deliver that discount instantly.
- Some of them use stylish designs and images corresponding to the image of their brand.
Creating message automations
The big brands that use SMS marketing have these 4 feeds:
- Exclusive SMS Welcome Series
- Abandoned Cart SMS
- Browse text messages abandoned
- Inventory alerts or winback customer
The use of SMS campaigns
The most successful brands opt for SMS campaigns to complement their email marketing efforts in the following ways:
- Sending 2-3 per week
- Sale announcement
- Use of holidays
- Promote new products