How to build an effective SMS marketing campaign
SMS marketing has a 98% open rate, yet most marketers are still passing up on the opportunity to take advantage of this. Don’t make the same mistake. Follow these simple steps for your first SMS marketing campaign. It only takes a couple of minutes.
1) Permission to send
Before you start, make sure you have permission to send to all your contacts. No one appreciates an unwarranted text message. Your first message should remind customers how they subscribed to your service. Try to give them something to be excited about.
Hey [First Name], thanks for signing up to the [Store Name] loyalty program. Get ready to receive members-only discounts, freebies, and invites to exclusive launch parties.
Opt-out reply STOP
2) Personalise it
Text messages are personal, so make sure your messages are friendly and invitational. Refer to your customers by their names. Satisfy spam-compliance rules by adding your business name, a solid call-to-action, and an opt-out.
Here’s more information on being spam compliant.
3) Add a call-to-action
Add a website link, SMS keyword trigger, or both to prompt your customers to take action.
Our summer line launches this Saturday. Come by the Pitt St. store for free cocktails and appies at 6 pm. RSVP by replying: YES. Take a sneak peek here: TapTh.is/link
Opt-out reply STOP
Learn about other ways you can apply call-to-actions with virtual numbers.
4) Use Virtual, Gold, or Vanity Numbers
By default, you get a shared pool of virtual numbers. Sending a message through them is free, but you share this number with thousands of other businesses. It also means that your shared number will change every time you send a message.
Stand out and protect your brand by purchasing a dedicated virtual number. For serious marketing campaigns, you may also want to consider a gold or vanity number. Gold numbers are easy to remember, like 028990000. Vanity numbers are a special set of numbers that can be used to spell out a specific word, such as 0404AWARD.
5) Stay relevant and measure your campaigns
Make sure you are delivering content that your customers want. This can be done by tracking your campaign statistics, paying attention to opt-outs, and listening to customer feedback. Track your links and all your landing pages. Make sure you’re using mobile responsive landing pages.
6) Start sending
Now that you know how to start the perfect SMS marketing campaign, all you need to do is signup for an awesome online SMS service like Burst SMS. If you need ideas, take a look at our SMS Templates.
