Text message marketing helps businesses connect with their customers more frequently on a more personal level. Using SMS marketing effectively can increase sales and customer loyalty.

Why Use Text Message Marketing?

SMS marketing is one of the most effective ways for brands to engage with their customers. The businesses that capitalize on this handy tool enjoy the following benefits:

• Higher Open Rates: Ads, newsletters, and fliers may not even get opened by your customers. Text messages are opened 9.18% more often than any other digital communication channel.
  
  

• Higher Return on Investment: According to Airship, SMS marketing is “considered one of the most cost-effective ways for brands to engage their mobile consumers.”
  
  

• More Touch Points With More Customer:Text messages reach your busy, on-the-go customers in an instant.
  
  

• Higher Conversion Rates: Customers who opt in to text message marketing from businesses are more likely to complete a purchase with the company.
  
  

• More Immediate Responses: Because texts are easy to read and respond to, many more customers reply via text than email.

10 Tips for How To Use Text Message Marketing

1) Segment Your Audience

In any marketing campaign, market segments can make all the difference between high conversion and low. Segmentation means splitting your potential buyers into categories based on similar characteristics.

Some common market segments for service businesses include the following:

• Geographic location

• Lifestyle and personality traits

• Demographic (particularly age)

• Types of services required

• Behavioral traits

Once you’ve split your market into segments you can pick your target market and direct your SMS marketing efforts to that group, taking care to personalize the messages to their unique needs.

Pro tip—it’s best to segment your customer list as you build it. Depending on the tool you use you can add tags or add customers to specific lists to help with segmentation.

2) Personalize Your Messages

Today’s customers are bombarded with emails, ads, messages, and other forms of advertising. Most people barely look at marketing emails that land in their inboxes. 85% of marketing emails are regarded as spam.

Personalized text messages stand out in all this noise. Address the customer by name, refer to specifics about them and the services they requested, and don’t hesitate to bring your personality into the conversation.

3) Sound Like a Human

Because text messages are often sent by bots or scammers, be sure to make your messages less robotic and more life-like. Here are some ideas on how to do that:

• Use conversational language

• Address customers by name

• Inject humor and personality

• Write in first-person

• Ask questions

• Be authentic

4) Use Images

Including pictures, videos, and GIFs in texts is a terrific way to get your customer’s attention. It also serves to make messages feel more human and authentic. A GIF may even make the customer laugh, which means they’ll associate those good feelings with the brand.

5) Analyze How Effective Your Strategies Are

Making marketing decisions without concrete proof they’re working is risky, even regarding SMS marketing. Businesses should evaluate customer responses, conversion, and loyalty to analyze how effective the text messages are. Measuring your results is key to increasing success with marketing efforts.

6) Don’t Send Messages Too Frequently

Value your customers’ time and they’ll value you. Don’t send them messages too frequently (more than once a week, for example), but don’t send them too infrequently either (once a month or so).

Find a sweet spot that works for you and makes your customers feel valued—not annoyed. If you are analyzing your results, like we suggested in point 5, you’ll be able to know how often you should be sending emails.

7) Create Automatic Responses

The ease of text messages means businesses receive quick responses from their customers. Since you can’t be everywhere at once, set up some automatic replies that will keep your customers engaged until you can talk to them directly. The more conversational and human-like those auto replies are the better.

8) Vary the Type of Message

SMS marketing can be used by businesses for many purposes. Varying the types of messages sent can increase customer loyalty because no one wants to receive the same ad over and over. Here are some ideas for the types of messages you could send:

• Promos: Give your customers special offers and discounts over text.
  
  

• Appointment Reminders: A quick text the day before an appointment can make your customers’ lives easier.
  
  

• Requests for Feedback: Ask for feedback on the services you provide via text.
  
  

• Event Invitations: Advertise events you’re holding/attending and invite your customers.
  
  

• Service Updates: Keep your customers informed about changes in the services you offer.
  
  

• Authenticating Accounts: If your business encourages customers to make an account, you can authenticate the customer via text.

9) Take the Time To Leave a Positive Impression

Text message marketing for small businesses can be used incorrectly. When interacting with your customers, always take the time to help them remember your brand in a positive light. Doing so will inspire brand loyalty.

10) Give Subscribers the Option To Opt In or Out

Text message marketing compliance is important to consider when setting up SMS marketing. The United States has laws in place that prohibit an organization from sending unsolicited communications to consumers.

To adhere to text message marketing compliance laws, give your customers the option to opt in and the ability to opt out of receiving messages at any time. When given the option, customers regard the brand more highly, which is better for businesses than customers who are upset that they keep receiving ads they can’t unsubscribe from.

By providing compliant opt-in and opt-out options for your customers you also prevent hiccups with message deliverability with phone carriers.

Allset Uses Text Messaging To Collect Payments

Another way to use text messaging is to collect payments. With Allset Pay by Text, you can streamline the payment process, get paid faster, and avoid credit card fees.