Online Reputation Management: 15 rules for SMS marketing
As Warren Buffet once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” In today’s world, where consumers have plenty of choices – reputation is everything.
Build and maintain your online rep
Your attitude, values and professionalism create a great online rep. As in life, the best way to ensure a stellar brand reputation is to act with integrity. Do what you say, help others, exceed expectations, be consistent, and look the part.
To help protect your most valuable asset – make it easy for your customers to reach you. Promote positive brand messaging, and respond appropriately to negative feedback.
97% of respondents say customer reviews sway their buying decisions, while 35% admit one negative review can paralyse their purchase.
Like how you manage your website, blog and social media, you need a strategy for your SMS marketing and virtual mobile number.
Rules for nailing your online reputation with SMS
- Use a dedicated virtual mobile number: For security and brand consistency, we recommend that your messages come from the same number. Of the many benefits of dedicated vs shared numbers, top of the list is that fact you can receive SMS replies. A dedicated number also allows you to choose something memorable.
- Get permission before you hit send: There are laws around how you can contact your customers. Being a spam-free zone builds trust with your audience.
- Make it clear who the SMS is from: Always identify yourself; either in your Sender ID or within the body of your text.
- Give your receiver a way out: Firstly – this is the law, but it also reduces customer frustration around unwanted messages. An SMS service provider will automatically generate an opt-out.
- Use automated responses: Perfect for out of office hours, an automated SMS response is a staple of SMS customer support. Let your customers know when they can expect a reply.
- Say their name: 90% of US customers find marketing personalisation appealing. Personalising your SMS marketing engages your audience. Manage this easily with our bulk SMS marketing service.
- Encourage conversations: Inspire two-way conversations; a dedicated customer service agent can respond to SMS customer support. For a positive experience – answer questions, take bookings and ask for feedback.
- Train your people: Empower the person in charge of your SMS messages to consider and craft them. Good communication skills are essential.
- Put guidelines in place: Build trust and brand recognition, with consistent communication across all platforms. Make a list of rules for how and when you use SMS services. The best time of day to message? Casual or professional? Yes or no to text lingo?
- Make your messaging clear: Bulk SMS is short, so they need to be to-the-point and grab attention quickly. Craft clear and clever messaging your customers are chuffed to receive.
- Ask for reviews: Use your SMS communications to request a review. The act of asking can significantly increase the number of positive reviews you get.
- Gather feedback: Feedback is an opportunity to find where you can focus energy to make things even better. Use a custom survey or stick to the easy Net Promoter Score.
- Track your clicks: SMS campaigns have about a 10% click-through rate. Using a trackable link – adjust your campaign based on who clicked and, more importantly, who didn’t.
- Brand your links: Boost the power of your tracked links with a modified URL. Choose a domain that improves brand recognition, credibility, and click-through rates.
- Be prepared: Have a policy in place in case you need to confront challenging feedback. Know what to say and do to turn things around.
Make it as positive as possible
People will judge your brand based on what they see and hear. These five actions will make your SMS marketing a top tool to influence your brand:
- Meet the relevant laws and requirements
- Engage customers with two-way communication
- Seek positive feedback to influence conversions
- Respond quickly and directly to negative feedback
- Build brand recognition and gain trust
