Mobile devices have significantly changed the way we interact with the world, and they are no longer used solely for communication purposes. Brands should leverage creative mobile marketing strategies to reach customers through an engaging user experience.
Since mobile phones provide ease and convenience, customers can view and respond to them faster than emails. This makes SMS marketing a must-have strategy for promoting your product pages, increasing customer engagement, and personalizing your customer experience.
This article will examine why creating an engaging SMS user experience is essential for companies and some tips on how you can do just that.
Make the most of your SMS marketing campaign
Businesses that deliver valuable text experiences and satisfy consumer needs are rewarded with long-term loyalty and higher lifetime value. Here are several ways to incorporate SMS marketing to the benefit of your business:
Create a plan and stick to it
Before you commit to SMS marketing, make a rock-solid strategy for how it can augment your greater marketing plan. This plan is also a way to create a consistent approach that lets customers know what to expect from you, making SMS marketing a strong lead generation strategy.
Among other things, your SMS marketing strategy should include:
- The number of messages sent out to your subscribers every week / month
- The timings for these SMS
- Customer segmentation demands to personalize the SMS
Support other channels
Your marketing campaigns should work well with all channels in your digital marketing arsenal. For example, SMS is a great way to boost your email and social media campaigns and should be carefully integrated to maximize effectiveness.
Along with being great on its own, it can also remind customers to read an email or send reminders to check out a live session on Instagram or Facebook. A simple follow-up like “Did you check out our latest newsletter?” can increase email open rates and drive more traffic to your website.
Incorporate rich media in your SMS
You might think mobile messaging is old-school, but that’s not always the case. You can include more than plain text in an SMS these days, and that’s a great way to engage your subscribers. For example, brands can incorporate rich media in messages, including GIFs, polls, or surveys and quizzes.
Rich Media Messaging (RMM) can improve customer experience and increase engagement rates and click-through rates. Here are a few ways to use RMM in your next SMS:
- Event invitations or reminders
- Interactive surveys
- Bill payment reminders that take customers to the payment page
- Cart abandonment reminders
- Product images/links or coupon GIFs
Make sure you hire a professional graphic designer when you plan to incorporate RMM. You can expect to pay $25 an hour for early career freelance designers, so hiring freelancers can be a great way to save money and increase your ROI.
Adjust the timing of your messages
It probably goes without saying that recipients are most likely to open messages when they are awake and their phone is within their reach. So if you send them exclusive offers, coupon codes, and new launch timings at four in the morning, they’ll not only ignore the message but might end up unsubscribing from your messages.
You can find the optimal time for messaging your subscribers when you:
- Review Google Analytics. The ‘Audience’ tab shows the highest and lowest traffic times. Check to see when web traffic increases via mobile, and send SMS messages right before those peak times.
- Know your time zones. Remember to take different time zones into account when scheduling your SMS campaign. For example, the right time for your audience in NYC might not be suitable for your subscribers in LA.
- Ask your customers. Sometimes it’s best to use two-way communication platforms and ask your customers when they are most likely to be available.
Just remember to give your subscribers the option to stop the messages or decrease the number received if they do not like your new strategy.
Keep it brief
Remember that SMS messages are supposed to be brief, and you only have 160 characters to shine. Avoid sending long paragraphs, as the system will break your SMS into two if it’s any longer.
Also, sometimes longer messages aren’t delivered on time, and your subscribers could receive it in parts, which looks unprofessional. As a general rule, the shorter and less complex the content is, the faster the load time for both websites and mobile texts. Large images and other content that takes up a lot of bandwidth may not come through on certain carriers or across all platforms, and it may slow things down.
So with the 160 characters in mind, make sure your message is to the point and delivers valuable information which can prompt recipients to take positive action.
Personalize your messages
SMS marketing is an excellent opportunity for companies to personalize their messages and build a one-on-one relationship with their customers. Make sure that your subscribers genuinely feel like you’re trying to add value to their lives instead of just being another contact in your messaging list.
Customers like to receive personalized messages, and they are more likely to move through the sales funnel when addressed by name. You should also be segmenting marketing contact lists to tailor your messaging to different user demographics.
You can personalize your SMS further by mentioning a recent interaction or customer activity. For example, if they recently bought something from you, ask them how they like it and then upsell with a related item. You can also customize the message according to the customer’s geographic location, which is especially important if your business is spread across different cities or countries.
Conclusion
SMS marketing campaigns can engage users with timely, personalized messages, and that’s how you can get them to act on your CTAs and take positive action. Engaging text message marketing can also help a business make a strong impression in the post-purchase part of the user journey. Follow these best practices so you can get ready to start an effective SMS marketing campaign today.
