How to Do SMS Marketing
If you want to learn how to do SMS marketing, there are some steps that you should take first. These include establishing a database, planning a campaign, and obtaining consent from your customers. You should also consider the timing of your message campaigns. These steps will ensure that your campaign is as effective as possible.
Creating a database
If you’re thinking of trying SMS marketing as a marketing strategy, you need to create a database to target potential customers. SMS marketing campaigns can be extremely effective, but there are some things to consider before you launch an SMS campaign. The first step is to ensure that the contacts you’re sending SMS messages to are interested in your products text blast. This means setting up a subscription system to ensure that your contacts are not just anyone, but are genuinely interested in your products. This will ensure that you’re not sending out unsolicited SMS or marketing materials and that your contacts are more likely to buy your products and services.
To do this, you’ll need a database of cell phone numbers. This database will contain information such as the location of the recipients, their gender and age, and whether or not they’ve made any purchases before. Then, you’ll need to tailor your message to each segment in your database. To make it more personalized, you can also include the recipient’s name in the message.
Planning a campaign
The most important part of planning an SMS marketing campaign is building an opt-in list of your subscribers. Ensure that you’re sending only relevant and valuable content to your subscribers. If your subscribers haven’t opted-in yet, there are many ways to boost your sign-up rates. You can use gamified popups or text-to-join methods to get them to subscribe at scale. Try to combine these methods with an exclusive offer to further encourage your subscribers to opt-in.
To get the most out of your SMS marketing campaign, you need to develop a clear strategy. Make sure your objectives are realistic, measurable and time-specific. You also need to consider the different departments involved, as the campaign will touch many areas of your business. This is why it’s important to create a cross-functional SMS team to ensure that everyone involved is on the same page.
Once you have a list of your subscribers, you need to decide how to target them. You can use data about the subscribers’ demographics, history, and location to tailor your message to them. You can also segment them by geography to ensure that you’re sending the right message to the right person at the right time. It’s important to avoid sending irrelevant messages to your subscribers as this will only increase opt-out rates and ruin your reputation.
Getting permission from customers
When doing SMS marketing, getting permission from customers is crucial to keep your marketing strategy legal and compliant. You should always include an opt-out link in your text messages and send a ‘STOP’ text message if your customer would like to stop receiving them. This step is vital not just from a legal perspective, but also to keep a good relationship with your customers. After all, no one wants to be bombarded with marketing messages from a brand they don’t want to buy from!
In order to join your SMS marketing list, customers must give their express consent by sending you a keyword. You should also ask for verbal or written confirmation before you can send them marketing messages. Moreover, you should limit your SMS marketing to business hours. According to the CTIA, business hours are from 8AM to 9PM, and you should not send promotional SMS messages outside of these hours.
Consent is only valid if the consumer explicitly agrees to receive marketing messages on their mobile device. Hence, you must provide a clear description of your services and privacy policy to convince consumers to opt in. Further, your text messages should always contain clear instructions about how to opt out and the time frame in which they should be honoured.
Optimizing timing
When you’re doing SMS marketing, timing is everything. When sending an SMS, you’ll want to send it when customers are likely to be most engaged. This is especially true if your messages are targeted to specific audiences. For example, you might send out an SMS about a new line of skincare products, and include a “Click here” link to further explore the product line. This is also a great way to encourage customers to make repeat purchases.
While many marketers use the two-to-six-message rule, the right frequency for your SMS campaign will depend on your product or offer. However, two to six messages per month is a good starting point. However, you should remember that this is not the optimal number, as your customers may expect more frequent updates and may want fewer texts.
When sending an SMS campaign, you should also consider time zones. For example, if you’re sending it to an international audience, you’ll need to consider the time zone of the recipients. For example, a campaign sent at 9 am Eastern time will reach the west coast at 6 am. This is not a good idea, since it could wake up customers on the west coast. If you want to avoid this problem, you should segment your contact list and send your campaign at appropriate times.