The Ultimate Guide to SMS Message Marketing

In our tech-dominated age, getting one’s attention can be as difficult as trying to catch a fish with one’s bare hands. It appears impossible and incredibly irritating. But what if I said you can reach your customers and achieve a 98% open rate? So, let’s talk about SMS marketing, which is often overlooked in the world of digital marketing.

The marketing of SMS messages is not only about sending text messages to people who have their phone numbers available. It requires artistry, professionalism, and strategy with a bit of content. Whether you are trying to increase local sales for your family-run restaurant or a multinational corporation interested in reaching customers on all continents, SMS marketing is the tool you need.

Here, we will examine the complete fundamentals and advanced techniques of message marketing. We will also see the countries of the US, India, and other regions deploy this great tool at their disposal. So, get on board and get ready to capitalize on SMS marketing for your business!

What is SMS marketing?

The purpose of SMS marketing is very evident from its very name itself. The process here involves marketing using short text messages or rather bulk messages containing details of an establishment. However, it goes beyond just the process of making a text or bulk text. Rather, it’s all about establishing an open and personal channel of communication between you and your customer.

Consider this: Holding a phone in your hand or checking the phone, how often do you do that? Most people would say quite a number of dozens a day. Now picture if your business message came up all those times only it is not a personal message but one from your business’s next task. That is SMS marketing.

However, the kicker is that it is not just limited to the mere task of reaching out to the customers, but they should be able to reach out to them. SMS marketing provides short messages to businesses that include promotional messages, updates, alerts, even questionnaires, and more.

Whether you are an SME a Fortune 500 or in between, there is nothing we do not have as far as SMS marketing is concerned. It does not matter the size of the business or even industry; he or she can make productive use of it.

Is SMS marketing legal?

Now, I know what you’re thinking – “Isn’t this just spam?” Great question! The last thing we want is to annoy our customers, right? Well, here’s the good news – when done the right way, SMS marketing is not just legal, but is appreciated by the clients.

In America, SMS marketing activities are bound by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the CAN-SPAM Act. Such laws provide a way in which the needs of businesses do not infringe concepts of privacy as well as make it possible to easily unsubscribe from the messages.

The point of emphasis here is on consent. It is not just a matter of texting everyone in a list of contacts. The customers have to opt in to receiving your messages. It is just like attending a party where you must be invited to go.

To begin with, every opt-in that arises from a call or even a text from your customers will have to be turned back to the customers. It’s like each and every message you wish to send has to come with a clause because it does not let the recipient have the option of leaving out the certain texts he or she wishes not to receive. 

This is all the consideration of the customers because they manage to trust you as their privacy is not violated. Remember, SMS marketing companies that follow these rules aren’t just staying legal – they’re building stronger, more positive relationships with their customers.

How to use SMS marketing

Okay, we can see that SMS marketing has caught your fancy. However, what is SMS marketing? Let’s take it step by step. To start with, first, you must select your preferred SMS marketing service. These are the bases where they provide you with the technology needed to create and run your SMS Campaigns. They do all the technical things so that you can concentrate on shaping the best text message you can ever send. 

Second, create your opt-in list. These must be individuals who have accepted that you can send them text messages. You can collect numbers on your website, at the physical store, or at the point of sale. Now, let’s get to the juicy bit – the creation of the SMS campaign. This might be just a simple marketing message or it can extend into a series of fragments. What you want is simplicity, clarity, and exposure worth every penny in the short messages. 

Last but not least, measure your success. There is an inbuilt analytics feature in most of the SMS marketing solutions that allows you to track the performance of your SMS marketing campaigns. Such information, if intelligently utilized, can have a positive impact on your future campaigns. Always keep in mind that SMS service marketing is not a universal standard for all websites. It is a matter of complementing your individual business and its audience.

Types of SMS marketing

SMS marketing isn’t a monolith – there are several different types you can use depending on your goals. Let’s explore a few:

1. Promotional SMS: These are your classic marketing messages. Think of special offers, discounts, or new product announcements. They’re great for driving sales and generating buzz.
2. Transactional SMS: These are automated messages sent in response to customer actions. Order confirmations, shipping updates, and appointment reminders – all fall under this category.
3. Event SMS: Planning an event? Use SMS to send invitations, reminders, and updates to attendees.
4. Customer Service SMS: Use texts to provide support, answer questions, or gather feedback. It’s quick and convenient, and customers love it.
5. SMS Surveys: Want to know what your customers think? Send out a quick survey via text. It’s a great way to gather insights and show customers you value their opinions.

Each type of SMS marketing has its place in your overall strategy. The key is to use the right type at the right time to maximize impact and minimize annoyance.

Benefits of SMS marketing for businesses

Now, let’s talk about why you should be jumping on the SMS marketing bandwagon. The benefits are numerous, but here are some of the heavy hitters:

1. Unprecedented Open Rates: Email marketing may seem great, but there are great SMS marketing experts who sayings about that. We are talking of around 98% open rates for SMSas against about 20% for email. It’s like screaming in a cacophonous auditorium, versus speaking right down someone’s ear. 
2. Instant Delivery: SMS marketing is one of the approaches that are very timely because it enables message delivery instantaneously which makes it useful for businesses since they can send time-related messages. This solves the biggest constraint in marketing which deals with timing. 
3. High Engagement: Without knowing the facts, people will respond by saying that technological devices other than text messages will be used, but this is incorrect. Because this makes SMS marketing so perfect for getting responses or actions from people. 
4. Cost-Effective: Compared to the other forms of advertising, SMS advertising can easily be shaped in relation to the budget of an organization. With SMS marketing, most of the time, the pricing is related to the number of messages. It makes it very practical to increase your SMS marketing through budgeting. 
5. Personalization: It can be said that the performance of yogic practices is of great valor. The Multifunctional SMS Marketing Center can help with the adaptation of the advertising for each type of consumer according to their preference, previous transactions, etc. 
6. Measurable Results: This is unlike many forms of advertising where the success can only be guessed. It will contain such elements as the number of messages delivered against targets set, who clicked on the messages, and other forms of responses.
7. Versatility: Whether you’re sending out promotional offers, appointment reminders, or shipping updates, SMS can handle it all. It’s particularly effective for text marketing for small business owners who need to wear many hats.
8. Global Reach: With VoipTalkPro, the trusted leader in communication solutions, you can reach customers across the globe. Whether your audience is in the USA, India, or anywhere else, SMS marketing can help you connect.

5 SMS marketing best practices to follow

Ready to dive into SMS marketing? Great! But before you start firing off texts, let’s talk about some best practices to ensure your campaigns are effective and well-received.

1. Get Permission: We can’t say this often enough: even if you are going to sell air, get permission first. It’s not just a legal obligation especially if you wish to gain your clients’ respect.
2. Timing is Everything: There is not a single person who would love a marketing text message at three o’clock in the morning. Common sense should always prevail whenever communicating with your audience. Factor in the time zone of your target audience and their day-to-day activities. Sending a message at the right time could either lead to a sale or an unsubscribe.
3. Keep it Short and Sweet: You don’t have all the characters in the world for this. Get to the business within a few sentences and let the call to action be direct. Wikipedia should not be a place for this. If the information to be presented is extensive, then the easy way will be to have a link to a landing page.
4. Personalize Your Messages: Whatever customers’ data you have, use it to create better messages for the audience. Just by adding the name of the person to the message body encourages them to pay attention more to what is being said.
5. Provide Value: Every message that the recipient receives ought to carry something valuable. There should be something that your customers will look forward to concerning your text messages, be it an offer, information, or even advice on something.

Remember, SMS marketing companies like VoipTalkPro have the expertise to help you implement these best practices. With 362 projects done and 119 happy clients, they know a thing or two about effective SMS marketing.

Conclusion

And there you have it – your crash course in SMS message marketing! You’ve progressed from the simple definition of text messaging to the implementation of text marketing campaigns. Now you are ready to use text in the business. And remember, SMS marketing is as much a philosophy as it is a technique of sorts, where the focus goes beyond the simple act of sending a text message. It could be for advertisements, answering inquiries from creative clients, or even more than that. That said, SMS marketing is an excellent marketing tool and you don’t have to brave it alone on your way to SMS marketing. In this case, you may turn to VoipTalkPro which is rather good at the telecommunications industry along with the software development part. They have dealt with the VoIP routing plans for cli cc traffic, accepting traffic with low ACd and high cps rates, so they have a bouquet of services for communication.