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How to Run a Successful SMS Marketing Campaign in 2022

What is an SMS marketing campaign?

SMS marketing campaigns (also referred to as text messaging marketing) are a way for businesses to communicate with their customers through text messages. These campaigns can be used to inform customers of promotions, sales, upcoming events, or send them coupons. They can also be used to get referrals and send reminders to customers about upcoming appointments.

Businesses that use SMS marketing campaigns usually have a short code that consumers will text in order to receive these messages. Examples of this include a business’s phone number or a custom short code that they can purchase from a carrier directly.

In this article, we’ll review how SMS marketing campaigns work and how local businesses can set them up.

Signpost is used by thousands of small service businesses to send text message campaigns! Let us show you how our text software works.

 

Why SMS Marketing Campaigns are Important

SMS marketing campaigns allow you to connect directly with your customers in a personal way with high open rates of 98%, whereas email marketing averages only around 20%.

Customers are much more likely to view a text messages than they are an ad on social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. 

If a business has already used other methods of advertising with mixed results, but still sees potential value in advertising new products or services, SMS marketing campaigns offer a way for the business owner to try out this method at a lower cost.

 

SMS Marketing Campaign Examples

Here are some common instances in which SMS marketing campaigns are used.

  • Welcome Messages: A greeting when they first get to know your business can make the difference in creating their perception of your company as friendly and professional.

  • Sales and Promotions: Sending a message out that informs audiences about a sale or giveaway may just be what they need to get them in the door and spending money!

  • Event Reminders: Let your customers know when and where your next sale, product launch or event is taking place by sending out a quick text message.

  • Status Updates: Update customers on the status of their order or service bookings proactively without them having to follow up. 

  • Appointment Reminders: If you run a business that sees people in-person regularly (plumbing fixes, contractor meetings), remind them about their upcoming appointments by sending a quick text message the day before.

  • Billing Reminders: Remind customers of the amount they owe you by using text marketing campaigns. This will help you collect overdue payments from your clients.

  • Security Codes: Security codes sent via text message are an effective way to communicate sensitive information such as account numbers and passwords with users, while allowing them to remain confidential.

  • Internal Company Updates: Companies can use text messaging to keep employees in the loop about events and projects that they’re involved in. This could include anything from notifications about meetings, office hours, new services, etc. 

  • Review Request: You can send happy customers a review request and give them instructions on how to do it. Some businesses also do things like provide a link to ratings and review sites when they make that kind of request.

  • Referral Programs: Enlisting the help of your customers to get the word out about your business via SMS is a great way to promote your brand and build customer loyalty.

 

How to Create a Text Message Marketing Campaign

Text message marketing campaigns can be a great way to connect with customers, but there are some things to keep in mind before you get started. 

Here’s what you need to know to create a successful and engaging SMS campaign.

 

1. Compile a list of numbers for contact.

When gathering phone numbers, you want to encourage people to willingly leave their contact information without being too pushy. 

You can include sign-up forms on your website, Facebook page, or emails to gather phone numbers of current and prospective customers.

Offer something worthwhile that will incentivize the customer leaving their phone number. This can be a birthday perk, anniversary bonus, or discount on products and services.

Help your customers understand that you will not sell their information, or spam them with text messages, but that you value their trust and will send only valuable information.

 

2. Find an SMS marketing provider.

When you’re looking to start text campaigns, it’s important that you first find an SMS marketing provider. You’ll want to make sure that the provider you choose is reliable, has a wide variety of tools for your SMS marketing strategy such as templates and compatibility with various mobile devices, and is tailored to your specific needs.

When searching for an SMS marketing provider, take into consideration the following questions:

  • What type of software does the provider have? Is it sophisticated enough to meet your needs?

  • Do they offer templates or tools to help you create what you need?

  • What type of clients does the company work with? Are they in a similar industry as you? Do they have experience with small businesses or only larger corporations?

  • What is the service pricing? How will this affect your budget?

  • Are there any additional fees associated with their services? What are those fees for?

 

2. Create the content of your text messages.

The process of creating the content for an SMS marketing campaign can be time-consuming. You have to create the message, consider your target audience and what they want to know about your product or service, and include information that will persuade them to convert. When you’re running a small business that’s competing against larger companies with bigger advertising budgets, it can be hard to get your name out there in the first place.

Signpost’s text messaging tool is great for businesses that are looking for an automated way to send text messages. It offers text message templates that businesses can use, or you can create from scratch! Signpost is the canvas to where businesses can create text messages according to their preferences, so that it can be dispersed to their audiences. 

 

3. Use SMS opt-in and consent.

SMS opt-in and consent are crucial to any SMS marketing campaign. Both the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the CAN-SPAM Act require people who send commercial automated texts to SMS subscribers in the U.S. to first get their permission.

In order to avoid any type of spamming, you must always make sure that your customers give you their express consent to receive SMS messages from you. The best way to ensure that this happens is by requiring your customers to opt-in for text messages when signing up for your service.

By requiring them to opt-in, you’re giving them the choice of whether they want to receive text messages from your company. If they choose ‘yes’, they will be sent a message with a confirmation code. They should enter the confirmation code into a box on your site in order to complete the opt-in process, and they will then be opted-in to receive text messages from you.

You should also provide them the option to unsubscribe in your SMS marketing messages. The universal way to unsubscribe would be for the customer to message ‘STOP’ in order to stop receiving marketing communications.

 

4. Track SMS campaign results.

If you’re managing a mobile campaign for your business, it’s critical that you track the results of each SMS list. The main advantage of doing this is that you’re able to adjust your workflows and your budget as necessary, based on what is working and what isn’t.

By tracking your campaign results effectively, you can be sure that you’re putting money into the right places so you see a good return on investment (ROI). Some businesses even use this data to make future marketing decisions.

You can:

  • Keep track of how many text messages are sent out

  • Track how many people open the message

  • Track how many people click on links in the message

  • Keep track of website visits from text messages

  • Measure sales made directly as a result of text messages

By tracking every aspect of your campaign, you’ll have a complete picture of how well it’s doing and where improvements need to be made. 

Are you at a loss for what to text to your customers? Learn Signpost’s texting best practices for businesses here!

 

Communicate where your customers are at with Signpost

Like we said, SMS marketing campaigns are a great way to communicate with subscribers and drive engagement. When done right, they can help to improve the customer experience.

Signpost’s text messaging tool provides an easy way for businesses to reach out to their customers via SMS. They can be scheduled or sent on the spot, which makes them ideal for last-minute deals or information about sales, events, and other things taking place at your business.

 

If you need software for your business without the headache, Signpost is a cost-effective solution. Request a demo today.

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