5 Tips For Sending Effective SMS Messages and How It Can Grow Your Revenue

Is your business generating enough new clients?  Do you have room for another 20-30 booked appointments on your calendar each week?  While referrals will always be the best and most cost-effective way to build your business, there is a new strategy that is highly effective and affordable… SMS message marketing. 

If you feel text messaging is spammy,... think again. 80% of buyers say they prefer to communicate with businesses by text email or phone calls.  66% of people who are already subscribed to a company’s text message list made a purchase after receiving a single message.  Why?  Because people don’t want to be put on hold, or get lost on your website.  Many are not quite ready to book an appointment, but, they will enter into a 2-way communication thread with you over a text message.  The beauty of this strategy is that people almost always have their mobile devices with them.  Check out these statistics on SMS messaging versus email:

• 98% of text messages are opened (compared to 20-35% of emails)

• 45% of text message links are clicked through vs 6-7% click-through rate for emails. 

• 70% of text messages are responded to in < five minutes

Here are 5 tips to start or enhance your marketing strategy with SMS messaging:

1. Personalize Your Messages - use the contact’s name and make the message relevant to what they are interested in when sending outbound texts.  The best text messaging platforms allow you to personalize content to specific groups and mass text the group using security protocols to protect customers from malicious activity. 

2. Make It Conversational - text messaging’s superpower is it allows you to be friendly and human-like.  The best text message campaigns are short and sweet, like a conversation you would have with a friend.  

3. Send Audio, Video, Images or Links

4. MMS (or Multimedia Messaging Service) is the latest SMS technology built on the back of SMS.  It allows you to send multimedia content.  This includes pictures, animated gifs, audio and/or video files up to 30-seconds in length.  You can also send clickable links in a SMS.

5. Adding an image to your message can improve engagement by as much at 250%

6. If your business is struggling to get sign-ups by clicking through a sales page or website?  Then a personalized, concise MMS message may be exactly what your potential buyers need to take action.

7. Is your product/service visually appearling (spa services, weight loss, etc)? A beautiful image and friendly text reminder of your business might make more sense? 

8. Use it sparingly - because text messaging has much greater engagement than other forms of marketing, use it sparingly.  You may be tempted to focus all your attention on this medium after reading these statistics, but that would be a mistake. Text messaging is ideal for very personalized or time-limited offers.  Example:  new stock, sale ending soon, a limited number of free passes, etc).  Offers based on time since the last transaction (example: haircut, car service, teeth cleaning, dog grooming, etc) are another effective way to increase revenue.  

9.  Use automation - with simple workflows you can streamline your text messaging campaigns across all segments of your list that are personalized and timely.  Automating your text message marketing will maximize the value of your contact database.  No more wondering if you remembered to send that message campaign, or if your assistant sent the reminders on the right day.  Smart workflows make you a faster digital marketer.

Here are some ways to use SMS text messaging for your organization:

• Promoting a flash sale

• Exclusive access to an event

• Time-sensitive promotions, masterclasses, events

• Reminders for appointments

• Time since last transaction (haircuts, car service, dental appointments, etc)

• Text-To-Pay invoice links, reminders to pay

• Notifications of emails sent

• Wishing happy birthday with a personalized message

How To Get Started

If you interested in learning more about how to implement an SMS or MMS message campaign for your business, here are some important considerations when choosing a provider:

1. Local number and unlimited contacts: Make sure you partner with a company that allows you to choose a local phone number(s) and message to unlimited contacts.  Many companies who offer text messaging services start out the low cost but get expensive quickly as your contact list grows.  

2. Links to your CRM: Choose a company that links your marketing campaign to your CRM, so you can automate based on your contact’s engagement data.

3. Links to your website, sales page, and eCommerce site: Choose a company that links your marketing campaign to your website, sales page, or eCommerce site so all these tools are connected, which will save you time and money.  

4. 2-Way Communication: Choose a company that links your marketing campaign to instant notification when someone responds back, allowing you to have a quick response and enter into a 2-way conversation from your desk or mobile device.

5. Data and stats: Choose a company that provides dashboard and reporting tools to monitor your campaigns in real-time. 

In summary, it’s absolutely vital that you nurture your contact list with regular messaging about your organization. 80% of customers actually prefer text messages over emails, zoom calls, forms to complete, or finding info on your website.  Remember, short and sweet wins the day.  Using text messaging in combination with email and social media marketing, allows you to maximize your reach in an effortless and affordable way.  Regardless of which text message strategy you use (SMS or MMS), always get permission from your subscribers and make sure your messages are valuable and paragraph upon paragraph of propaganda.  Just like email, compliance with texting guidelines is enforced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Are you ready to unleash the power of SMS and MMS message marketing to grow your business? Book a quick chat with Tamra Millikan to learn if Click Automations is right for you. Our world-class client attraction system fills your schedule, gets you paid faster, collects reviews, and automates reminders and marketing at a fraction of the cost you are spending now. https://clickautomations.com

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