Multi-channel marketing is becoming more popular in recent years to increase brand awareness and customer participation significantly. SMS (texting) is a powerful yet often overlooked channel for marketing campaigns. SMS messaging opens up new opportunities for engagement and conversions.
If your business is running a multi-channel campaign, it is hard to overstate the importance of utilising SMS. We’ve put together this in-depth guide on the importance of SMS in multi-channel marketing.
How Do SMS Auto-Replies Work?
SMS campaigns use automated messaging to connect with customers and follow up on customer conversions. When a customer performs a specific action on your site, you can send an SMS auto-reply to stimulate customer engagement.
Businesses in virtually any industry can benefit from SMS campaigns. Companies use SMS campaigns for:
- Feedback
- Alerts/notifications
- Delivery/appointment reminders
- Opt-in/opt-out services
SMS campaigns have been around since at least 2003, but they have exploded in recent years. SMS messaging traffic increased to over 2.5 trillion as of 2019, and over 50% of retail businesses say they want to explore SMS marketing options in the future.
Benefits of SMS Marketing
The main draw of SMS campaigns is their reach. Nearly 53% of the world’s population (4.2 billion) uses SMS data services, and Australians send over 85 million texts every day. As such, SMS marketing represents a massive pool of potential leads and conversions.
Here are some other benefits that show the importance of SMS in multi-channel marketing.
Fast Responses
One of the best features of SMS marketing is providing customers with quick responses to their questions and inquiries. Auto-reply messaging allows you to send responses immediately, even if there is not a live person to follow up at the time. Quick text responses help the customer feel like their engagement is valuable to you.
Time-Saving
Automated SMS messaging is also a convenient way to save time when responding to customers. With auto-replies, you don’t have to send the same message to all your clients manually. You can set up a regular schedule to send automated texts, so you can focus on running your business.
High ROI
SMS as a marketing strategy has some of the highest click-through and conversions rates, even more so than email marketing. SMS messaging has a nearly 100% open rate, compared to a 20% open rate for email marketing. Moreover, customers are almost five times as likely to respond to SMS than to email.
Wide Reach
Cell phone ownership is practically ubiquitous in the modern day. SMS messaging can also help you reach customers you may not otherwise, such as those who don’t use email or own a computer. And, of course, greater customer reach means more customer engagement.
Track Results
SMS marketing is also easy to track, so you can monitor your campaign’s performance and adjust accordingly. You can monitor customer engagement or track delivery times, similar to what you can do with email. Tracking results lets you save time and money by building a more effective SMS campaign.
Tips for Using SMS in Multi-Channel Marketing
Personalise Messages
If there is one thing customers hate, it’s generic boilerplate marketing copy. Customers want to interact with a real person, and creating personalised text messages is a way to get that experience.
You can make SMS messaging more personal by including actual names and details about the customer. Even an automated response can feel personalised if properly written.
Don’t Be Too Formal
Texting is a casual form of communication, so don’t be afraid to make your marketing copy a bit more informal. In fact, many customers might be off-put from a text message with exceedingly formal language.
As a general rule of thumb, you want SMS messages to sound like they come from a friend, not a corporate lawyer. Things like slang, emojis, and other casual language are perfect for SMS campaigns.
Be Concise
A standard text message can hold up to 160 characters. That is not a lot, so make sure you use that space wisely. Statements should be concise, clear, and in plain language. The longer your messages, the less likely it is that the customer will listen.
Integrate With Other Channels
SMS messaging is an excellent way to initially contact and build a rapport with customers, but it should not be the only part of your marketing campaign. SMS messages should include a method to get in touch with a live representative and run in tandem with email, phone, and print campaigns.
Use Automation
Automation is one of the best tools for SMS campaigns. Setting up automated responses lets you create a tight marketing ecosystem where every input feeds into one another. For example, you can follow up your email responses with an automated message or confirm delivery orders with a text. Automation lets you save time and money as well.
How Can TouchSMS Help?
TouchSMS aims to simplify and quickly get you up and running with SMS marketing. We offer a wide range of SMS marketing services for all accounts, including:
- Virtual numbers
- SMS API
- Email SMS
- Integrations
- Template management
- Text in keywords
- Message personalisation
- Real-time reporting
Plus, we pride ourselves on our highly competitive rates. We charge a prepaid 5 cents per SMS and provide credit for Australian and New Zealand numbers.
What’s more, we don’t charge any monthly fees, and you only pay for the contacts you use. We will even give you ten free SMS credits when you start, so you can see if our system works for you.
SMS for Multi-Channel Marketing
SMS messaging is the perfect complement to your multi-channel marketing strategy. With SMS auto-replies, you can streamline your marketing funnel and significantly increase campaign reach and customer engagement.
TouchSMS can help optimise business connections with SMS marketing. We can help you create, set up, and monitor SMS campaigns for individuals or groups. If you are ready to take the next step in your marketing campaigns, contact us, or call today at 1300 794 419.