Are you looking for new ways to market to your customers? Do you need another avenue to connect with your audience? We’re going to dive into the world of SMS marketing in this post.
SMS marketing is a form of mobile marketing that involves sending text messages to potential and existing customers. In 2023, SMS marketing is expected to be even more popular as a marketing strategy, as it allows businesses to reach their target audience quickly and effectively.
This form of marketing has been around for many years. In recent years SMS marketing has been made available to anybody that wants to use it. If it’s done right, it can be a highly effective marketing strategy for any kind of business.
The Rise of Mobile and SMS Marketing
The rise of mobile marketing is a trend that will continue to grow long into 2023 and beyond. There are many reasons for this, one of the most important being that the population is becoming increasingly mobile. With an ever-increasing number of people using their phones to access the internet, and with more than half of them using their phones as their primary device, it is clear that there is a need for companies to adapt to this new reality and make sure they are reaching out to these customers in the most efficient way possible.
The Benefits of SMS Marketing for Your Business
One of the main benefits of SMS marketing is that it has a high open and click-through rate. According to a study by TextSanity, the average open rate for SMS marketing campaigns is around 98%, compared to the open rate of emails of 20%. This is a significant improvement over emails. This means that when you send an SMS marketing message, there is a good chance that it will be opened and that the recipient will take action based on the message.
Another advantage of SMS marketing is that it is highly targeted. You can segment your audience based on their interests, location, and other factors, and send them customized messages that are relevant to them. This helps to increase the chances of conversion and improves the overall effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
How to Get Started with SMS Marketing
To get started with SMS marketing, you will need to build a list of phone numbers to which you can send your messages. You can do this by asking customers to opt-in to receive SMS marketing messages through a number of mediums, such as newsletters, social media posts, or events.
There are a lot of ways you can collect people’s phone numbers and trigger an SMS marketing campaign.
- Opting in via your website through a pop-up
- Running a contest/giveaway
- Host an event where you collect numbers during the sign-up
- Run ads on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok that promotes a freebie
The Trend for SMS Marketing
SMS marketing campaigns have been around for years now. And it is still one of the most effective ways of reaching out to customers and generating leads. One way to integrate texting with your marketing strategy is to create text-to-cutouts. These can be placed as part of an advert and your customer will have the option of downloading a coupon for your company when they press the ad. This allows you to send marketing messages that are hyper-relevant and personalize them to individuals as well as generate more leads for you because it helps create a relationship with your customers before they even make a purchase.
According to Attentive, from the end of 2020 to the end of 2021, the percentage of US consumers who opted into SMS marketing from brands increased by 26.1%. Attentive adds that up to 60% of global consumers could be opted into SMS marketing programs by early 2023, if international markets follow a similar trend.
SMS Marketing Best Practices to Follow in 2023
Once you have your list of phone numbers, you can create and send SMS marketing campaigns using a tool like Twilio or Textedly. These platforms allow you to create and schedule SMS marketing campaigns, track their performance, and analyze the results.
Think about whether you’ve personally ever opted into a text message campaign, or given a business your phone number. What do you expect from them? Personally, I don’t want them selling that information, spamming me, or making it very difficult to opt-out if or when I choose to do so.
These are some best practices you should incorporate into your campaigns. Ensure that your audience can easily opt in and out of your campaigns. We understand that it’s difficult to let go of your customers, but sometimes your company, product, or service no longer suits their needs. If they want to leave, let them.
Be crystal clear about who you are. If you market yourself as XYZ, then once your audience and customers enter your “business ecosystem,” they need to see you as XYZ. Miscommunication and improper advertising will leave a sour taste in your audience’s mouth, and they likely won’t return.
Challenges for SMS Marketing
SMS marketing can be a challenging task for marketers. It is not as simple as it seems and it has its own set of challenges. Here are some of the most common ones:
– SMS delivery rates: The delivery rates of text messages vary from one country to another. For example, in the United States, the average delivery rate is 98% while in India, it is only 10%.
– The success or failure of a text message campaign varies on a number of things, such as location, time, and device.
– SMS marketing can be costly. Sending an SMS costs money and this could be an issue for marketers who need to send out thousands or millions of messages.
Conclusion
SMS marketing is an excellent way to reach and engage with your audience in 2023. With its high open and click-through rates, targeted messaging, and ease of use, it can be your business’ next big break. If you’re not already using SMS marketing, now is the time to start.
