How to Effectively Use SMS Marketing in Your Local Business

SMS marketing, which stands for simple message service, has proven to be a viable substitute for email marketing. It’s getting more and more difficult to find people who are not using text messages in one form or another, and they are not only the world of pre-teens…

Why SMS marketing deserves a serious look

The main reason smart marketers are giving sms marketing a shot is due to the way the medium causes individuals to respond. According to CallFire SMS text messages have a 98 percent open rate and a tremendous 83 percent are opened in the first three minutes! Furthermore, promotions using SMS are found to be used at 20 percent or higher, compared to traditional media such as coupons, newspaper ads, radio, or direct mail, which average rates of two percent. Plus, CallFire further reports that your return on investment can be far higher than in more traditional media. With a monthly cost of less than $30 to send 1000 text messages, and redemption rates of 20 percent or more, it works out to less than .30 cents per customer in your door.

4 Best practices for successful SMS marketing campaigns

1. Be sure to deliver value – Be sure that you’re not wasting their time! Give great value, whether you’re providing a palpable offer or just directing them to somewhere where they can consume more great content. Deliver Value!
2. Keep messages short and personal – This medium is based on trust and familiarity, so do your best to further improve that by personalizing your texts and keeping them short and to the point. Even marketing messages can have a friendly tone. A note like, “Hi Mark, Thank you for your business! We look forward to serving you again soon. Show this msg to receive 20% off your next purchase at [STORE NAME & PHONE NUMBER].”
3. Include a call to action – Be sure that you ask for the action you want them to do. Saying something similar to “Text SaveNow to 123456 to get a 10% off coupon today” will set their mind to action mode.
4. Measure your campaign’s results – Mobile text messaging is terrific for as it gives you an abundance of ways to measure how your campaign is performing. You can view how many people opened, followed and took action, and just what action they took.