With the rise of social media and email marketing, people generally want to know whether SMS marketing is relevant today.

answer? Yes.

SMS marketingIt is still the most extensive, direct and effective communication channel.

SMS participation rate is a measure of email marketing participation rate6 to8 times, This fact is enough to include it in your marketing plan, rather than ignore it.

However, it is not as straightforward as it seems. Companies make some mistakes, which can hinder performance and cause a lot of losses.

So, if you want to know why SMS marketing efforts have not paid off, here is a look at what you might have done wrong and how to improve.

Without permission

Imagine having to pay $47 million due to marketing errors?

Jiffy Lube, a car repair company, is like that. It was accused of sending text messages to customers without their permission. Jiffy Lube, who violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), was arrested$47 million fine.

Now, this is a costly mistake.

The customer’s permission must be obtained before it can be included in the campaign (no, getting the phone number from the invoice does not count).

By including explicitOpt-inOr choose an exit code to explicitly ask for their permission.

SMS example

You can also use other communication channels (such as email and social media), and if people want to receive your messages, encourage people to opt-in by sending a code to a designated number.

Send a mass message

Whether it's email marketing or SMS marketing-there are not a lot of general messages today. Customers want to receive valuable news tailored to their needs and interests.

Personalization is not limited to greetings with the customer's name. This is more aboutAudience segmentAnd send them relevant messages. You can segment it based on demographics, buying behavior, and location.

SMS is a highly personal medium, so you must also add a personal touch to your communication.

No clear call to action

Call to action is an integral part of any marketing activity. After all, if you don’t clearly inform your customers of their expectations, you cannot expect to see results.

So whether you want to discount or direct it tolog in page, Make sure to add a clear call to action to encourage them to take the desired action.

SMS example

Another mistake marketers make is adding too many messages and calls to action. Don't confuse customers. Insert a call to action, and you may see better results.

Ignore the vision

Visual contentIt is used more and more in all marketing channels, so why leave a text message?

Occasionally, it is best to support your communication through rich media such as images or GIFs to attract customers and arouse interest. This is called MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service).

Multimedia Information Service

Although MMS marketing is more effective, it is also a more costly option. So make it count. Use it to emphasize your communication and send it to people who are more interested in the products you offer.

Time difference

Want to switch customers? You must catch them at the right time.

SMS is a very time-sensitive medium. When the customer is able to take immediate action, you need to send a text message.

Suppose you are implementing a week-long Mother’s Day offer. Sending the SMS near Mother's Day is not a good idea because the customer may have already purchased the item. Therefore, please send it out at least one week before the start of the promotion so that people can consider your offer.

In addition to aligning it with business goals, you also need to be sensitive to the time of day. Sending a message at a strange time, such as late at night or early in the morning, can make people shrink and make them unsubscribe.

Does not integrate SMS and email

This has nothing to do with SMS marketing and email marketing. This is a combination of the two to strengthen your marketing efforts.

So, how to combine the two? You can take advantage of each of them.

Suppose you want to host an event. You can send an email one day before the start of the event to introduce the event, arouse interest and collect RSVP, and you can send SMS as a reminder.

The key is to know when to use each medium to expand your communication. At the same time, don't make the mistake of duplicating communications on emails and SMS, as this is just a waste of time and money.

From generating buzz to generating a sense of urgency, text messages can help act quickly, increase engagement and boost sales.

So yes, SMS marketing is undoubtedly a powerful tool, but it is important to avoid these six mistakes to make it suitable for your brand, optimize your campaign and produce better results.

 

Source: https://manychat.com/blog/