Texting has become a ubiquitous method of communication between businesses and their customer base. It is an effective method for keeping consumers abreast of your services and ongoing promotions. However, despite the wide use of SMS in this manner, there are still several ways to get it wrong and turn off potential customers from your business completely.
Fortunately, they are not difficult to avoid. If you want your SMS marketing to make an impact on the success of your business, then the best practice is to personalise your messages. Address your clientele by name, show gratitude for their purchases, and offer them relevant rewards based on their buying habits. Nothing pleases a customer more than feeling like their needs are being catered to before they have even stepped into the store.
The Benefits of Personalised SMS
It pays to build a relationship between you and your customers. Some studies report that a majority of people are more willing to do business with a brand that recognizes them as individuals. Personalised bulk SMS tends to reduce overall unsubscribe rates while providing a unique customer experience.
Other modes of business-to-customer communication tend to be either unwelcome or too easily ignored. SMS messaging provides an effective solution through automatic text notifications, being notable on a person’s phone without being intrusive. It also allows for customisation of notifications on the part of the consumer, allowing them control over how often they would like to receive SMS messages from your business. This heightens customer satisfaction that encourages loyalty to your brand.
Studies show that customers who received personalised bulk SMS from a company were 60% more likely to return, as opposed to the 50% of consumers expected to switch brands when they do not receive a personalised experience.
So, what are the best practices when creating quality individualised SMS?
Crafting a Unique Consumer Experience
To get the best results, it is good to make your personalised bulk SMS as convenient a tool as possible. This means only notifying the consumer about promotions relevant to their interests. The best practice is to gather customer data and interact with customers based on their hobbies, frequented locations, birthdays, etc.
From there you can offer specialised services and discounts, creating a truly unique experience for each customer. For example:
- Personalised E-Commerce - Recommend items from your inventory based on each customer's preferences. Inform them of deals and new arrivals, and even let them purchase your products straight from their phones.
- Customer Care - Provide more effective customer service through personalised SMS. This sets a standard of care that consumers will appreciate, and which will reflect on the success of your business.
- Feedback - Solicit customer feedback quicker and easier with SMS. Personalising surveys frames them as a continuation of the stellar service provided by your business and provokes more responses.
Seeming Human
It’s important to remember that effective personalised bulk SMS drives customer engagement by emulating human interaction. Your messages have to flow naturally, avoiding artificialness in the text, or else you run the risk of driving away your clientele. There are many ways to get more authentic messaging:
- Conversational Tone - SMS messages should be written the same way you would speak to a customer face-to-face. Using their names and personal pronouns like “us” or “we” is a good way to make communication feel individualised.
- Brevity - Keep your texts concise. It is hard to seem authentic when you’re sending messages several paragraphs long. A sentence or two should suffice in getting customers the info they need.
Dedicated Number - Having a virtual phone number that makes and receives all SMS messaging lets the customer build familiarity with your brand.
Contact touchSMS for Business Texting Services
Do you want to get in touch with your customer base through texting? Would you like to hear about our affordable, reliable, and efficient mass text plans? Call us today at +61 2 9518 7455, or at 1300 794 419 in Australia to get started and see what automated text marketing can do for your conversions.
Our services include live delivery reports, auto opt-out management, SMS customisation, email SMS, and much more.