6 Tips to Add SMS Marketing to Today’s Digital Ad Playbook

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Consumers are using their smartphones more than ever before, spending more than 3 hours a day on their phones in 2020. Texting is one of the easiest and most reliable ways to reach this massive audience. For businesses in 2021, SMS marketing should be a pillar of every digital advertising strategy--other than live chat.

These 6 tips will make text message marketing an effective part of your digital ad toolset:

1. Promote Your SMS Marketing Channel

To state the obvious, your business can’t reap the benefits of SMS marketing without any subscribers to send it to. Promoting your SMS marketing is therefore a crucial step in adding it to your digital ad playbook. So where and how should you promote it?

On your website:

• Include your SMS opt-in form in your landing pages and blog.
• Keep your form simple and easy to complete.
• Be specific about what customers are opting into.

On social media:

• Post about your latest SMS deals and newsletter updates to raise awareness of your SMS marketing.
• Share the results of SMS competitions, contests, and polls.
• Use targeted ads to introduce your target demographic to your SMS newsletter.

Physical media:

• Add QR codes to flyers, posters, and menus that customers can quickly snap to subscribe.
• Or share your SMS number and a keyword to subscribe.
• Use instant messaging apps.

2. Welcome New Subscribers

Once someone has decided to join your SMS subscriber list, send them a welcome message to let them know what to expect. This includes outlining the kind of content you will text them, and explaining how to opt-out.

welcome message

A great welcome message does more than just introduce your content, however. This is your chance to immediately engage new subscribers with your newsletter, so don’t be afraid to include some humor or an inspiring quote that resonates with your customers. An introductory discount or offer is also always a great way to thank customers for signing up.

3. Provide Value

To keep your customers subscribed, SMS marketing needs to provide advantage that they can’t get elsewhere. Besides encouraging more customers to sign up, this added value rewards your long-term customers for their loyalty.

Sharing exclusive offer codes and discount links is the simplest way to do this, but you can get a better result by using the strengths of text messaging.

Most text messages are received and read within a couple of minutes. This allows you to make time-limited offers not possible with other marketing methods, such as flash sales that offer major discounts for only a few days or even hours.

Similarly, you can use SMS marketing to give your subscribers early opportunities to buy or pre-order upcoming or limited-stock items. This doesn’t just work for ecommerce stores selling products either. For example, you could offer subscribers the first chance to buy event tickets or sign up for a new service.

4. Provide Content

Value means more than just getting a great deal on a product or service, however. It can also come in the form of useful tips and insights. Creating an SMS newsletter to share information and advice your customers can use keeps them engaged with your business. It can also help them get the most out of your product or service by teaching them about the uses and features they were unaware of.

Covering news outside of your own business also creates valuable content for subscribers, as long as it’s relevant. Content production is an essential things to do. This is especially true for B2B businesses, where customers want to know you have your finger on the pulse and are following the latest developments in your industry.

For consumer brands, you have more freedom to go off-topic. For example, DTC swimwear brand Summersalt launched Joycast in 2020, an SMS service offering customers a mood boost through self-care tips and cute GIFs.

Provide Content

5. Focus on Customer Retention

SMS marketing has the power to keep your customers engaged even when they are not actively buying from you or using your services. For example, text reminders can help your customers out with an alert when it’s time to renew their subscription or buy a refill. Attracting new customers costs 5 times as much as retaining existing clients, so it is vital to keep users engaged between purchases.

SMS marketing is a vital tool for reaching out to customers who are canceling or who abandoned their cart. This can give you another chance to offer a better deal or resolve their issue before you lose the customer.

6. Add Interactivity

Two-way communication is one of the biggest advantages of SMS marketing.

This means you can engage subscribers with more direct interaction, taking their questions and topic suggestions. Furthermore, you can conduct surveys, quizzes, and polls via text to get ideas for improvements and stay in touch with your customers’ interests.

Alternatively, use text messaging or personalized content marketing to run a user-generated content contest. An SMS contest can boost your subscriber count by 34%.

SMS Marketing Has a Vital Role in Digital Advertising

SMS marketing is a powerful tool for both retaining your existing customers and attracting new audience members. It enables you to reward customers for their interest with exclusive offers, but also provide value to them in other ways such as education, insights, or entertainment.