Bulk SMS Marketing: Tips to Increase Conversion Rate!

67% of the world’s population today own a mobile phone, and only 45% of those mobile users own a smartphone. Therefore, SMS Marketing becomes the most powerful channel for marketing your business. SMS facilitates direct communication with your customers and potential clients.

SMS Marketing is very productive while being cost-effective. With advancements in technology, there are several other ways to interact with customers, but SMS Marketing is still every business’s primary communication channel.

After the delivery of a message, a study has shown 82% open rates, and 90% of them open it within 3 minutes.

So – Wondering how to implement SMS Marketing Strategy efficiently? Let’s cover the best practices and tips to help you use this channel to engage with customers and increase your conversion rates!

Opt-In Options

You must always have the permission of the customer to send them messages else you end up spamming them. Spam messages create irreparable damage to your brand. Get customers to opt-in to your text messaging campaigns using a promotional message.

Example

Text OFFERS to 525252 for weekly deals and discounts!

In the message, the shortcode – 525252 is the number to which customers send the keyword. Keep this shortcode easy and obviously, short!

Example

1. Hold the Phone!

Signup for mobile alerts and you will be the first to know about upcoming deals!

Text OPT to 73737 to get 20% off on your next purchase. Offer valid for 48 hours.

2. Want [Brand Name] Deals directly to your Phone?

Text OFFERS to 52525 to start receiving weekly offers!

3. FLAT Rs.200 OFF when you join our Mobile VIP Club!

Text SAVINGS to 44377 to avail Amazing Deals and Discounts! Join Now.

Timing the Messages

Timing is necessary when it comes to sending text messages. Think about your customers’ daily habits. When would they most likely be on their phone?

According to Mobile Marketer, Mondays have the lowest response rates. If your message is not relevant to that day, avoid it. Also, steer clear of commute times such as 6:30 to 8:30 AM and 5:30 to 7:30 PM, when people are driving or cannot get to the phone immediately.

Customers’ response to promotions via SMS is most effective when it is a last-minute impulse. If you have an opening on Friday Evening, send the message on Friday Afternoon or Morning. If you are promoting offers, such as Motivational Mondays or Wow Wednesdays, send the message on the morning of that particular day.

Schedule SMS

In general, the business hours i.e., 10 AM to 8 PM is the most effective for marketers. No one wants appointment reminders or coupon codes at 2 in the night!

Know Your Customer

Using a Customer Relationship Management tool helps you measure the success rate of the SMS Strategy. It also allows you to analyze the purchase history and location demographics of customers. Using this information, you can deliver the right message to the right people.

You can segment new customers from revisiting customers. You can send new customers with promo codes or free shipping offers. Whereas for Revisiting customers, you can give them early access to products or services.

Example

1. Hey [Name],

Use the promo code NEW15 on your first order to get 15% OFF!

2. Hey [Name],

As an appreciation for your loyalty, [Brand Name] gives you early access to our Thanksgiving Sale! Happy Holidays 🙂

You can also use Profile Data such as birthdays to send them promotions such as Birthday Month Discount or to wish them on their birthday. It shows that your brand acknowledges their loyalty.

Example

1. Happy Birthday [Name]!

Show this text to the staff at the store today for a free gift basket!

2. Dear [Name],

[Brand Name] wishes you a very Happy Birthday! Hope you have a great year ahead.

Strong CTA Buttons

Calls-to-action increases customer engagement together with your SMS marketing texts. That’s exactly what you would like from them: to be engaged, to value the texts you send, to read them, interact with them, and act on them.

Here are some call-to-action winners:

1. Show This Message: Asking people to show the message at stores or restaurants to earn a discount could be an effective way of getting customers to interact with your brand. For instance:

Hey [Name],

Show this message to get 30% off on your next purchase!

2. Tap Here: A single Text Message allows about 160 characters. Even though modern phones support up to 1600 characters, building such a huge message is ineffective. A Text Message cannot fit in all the information you want to convey. Therefore you can feature a link to a page or video about the event that contains all the details.

Example

Hey [Name]!

Click here to book early bird tickets for the upcoming concert [Link].

Hurry Up!

3. Text-to-Win: Who doesn’t love winning a prize or a gift? Asking customers to text so as to enter the competition or to conduct a Text Quiz to win something drastically increases customer engagement. Text-to-Win campaigns are an efficient way to remind customers about your brand and to also increase sales and traffic.

Example:

Pop Quiz:

What year did [Brand Name] start?

The first 100 correct responders win a free voucher!

4. Text-to-Vote: Engage customers in mobile polling to seek out how your company is doing in terms of service, product quality, prices, and more.

Example:

Hey Customer!

On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely would you recommend [Brand Name] to a friend?

5. Shop Now: this is the most sought after Call-To-Action button for personalized messages. If you recognize a customer routinely buys a particular product, you’ll send a text promoting that product with a “Shop Now” button to make it easier for them to purchase that product.

SMS Frequency

Does the phrase Less is More mean anything? It is very accurate in the case of SMS Marketing. But how many messages are too many?

After an extensive analysis of SMS Frequency, 4 to 5 texts a month is the most recommended strategy to start. Slowly it can be increased to up to 10 SMS a month – provided that it holds real value. Including the SMS Frequency in your welcome message is also a good practice.

Example

Welcome to our Family!

You will receive a max of 5 messages/month. Msg & Data Charges may apply. Text HELP for help.

Provide a Way Out

The final best practice is to give customers an opt-out option. Under TCPA, the subscribers must have an easy way out if they do not want to get messages anymore.

Example

Hey Customer!

Text YES to get updates from [Brand Name]. Msg & Data charges may apply. Reply HELP for help and STOP to cancel the subscription.

“STOP to cancel the subscription” provides people with the easy way out if they need it. Make sure to include this option regularly so that your subscribers don’t feel like it is ineludible.

Final Thoughts

SMS Marketing seems simple at first but it requires a lot of thought to generate an efficient campaign while keeping the budget and time constraints in mind. Each of these tips and best practices can be combined and used to maximize your conversion chances and to provide customers with exceptional user experience.