Creative SMS Marketing Strategy
It was just announced that Starbucks is the Mobile Marketer of the Year for 2012 for its ongoing successful mobile marketing strategy. Among the various mobile channels Starbucks has been utilizing, SMS marketing (text messaging) has proven that building on the one-on-one customer relationship not only increases consumer spending but also drives customer loyalty to the brand.
Having Phone Numbers of Customers is Key
How can any business resist utilizing an instantaneous call-to-action function for its customers? Here are some fantastic examples of how well known corporations are using innovative ways to promote their products and brands:
- Starbucks encourages SMS marketing with rewards program sign-up and promotions like the “Frappucino Happy Hour Reminder”. These are often delivered both on a consumer's phone and the offers are often reinforced with offers on social media as well as on the corporate website. This is all made possible with the implementation cross-domain, cross-device tracking codes.
- Kraft developed mobile-optimized landing pages to view recipes, which you can share with others through SMS messaging. Each text message is tailored to the individual user based on past behavior and predictive analytics.
- Caribou Coffee launched a text-driven sweepstakes to promote their new location in Illinois. They decided to send text messages to specific members of their target audience, and achieved outstanding conversion rates.
- 7-Eleven this past holiday season sent time-sensitive coupons for convenience items with GPS capabilities to find the nearest store. SMS marketing software can provide very precise geographic targeting. It is even more effective when it is combined with behavioral triggers using the Hubspot Inbound Marketing Platform.
- Ford created an SMS-driven branding campaign where attendees at racing games can receive a personalized autograph from a professional race car driver. They've since repeated this type of SMS marketing campaign during other events with great success.
Besides using SMS Marketing Strategies to promote themselves, what other aspects do these campaigns have in common? Innovation and creativity to promote their offers!
Must Comply with Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
Due to the challenge of keeping consumers opted-in to SMS marketing promotions, it is important that the campaigns have a clear call-to-action and a unique offer that is customer worthy.
Here are five ways to keep on top of the game in terms of creating unique ways to utilize SMS Marketing for your business:
- Take advantage of common customer inquiries.
- Adapt promotions around a special time, place, or event.
- Cross-reference your marketing platforms to get your customer base to opt-in to SMS campaigns.
- Attend national conferences for Mobile Marketing for inspiration.
- Keep your customers on their toes.
Statistics say that over 90% of text messages are read within minutes of delivery, which makes it obvious why more businesses are moving into the SMS direction.
Differentiated SMS Strategies
It is important for a business to differentiate the usage of their SMS strategy from one another as well as use it wisely. It also critical to employ proven best practices. This includes providing easy ways for a SMS message recipient to Opt Out. SMS messages can be sent relatively cheaply on a per message basis. However, the cost of sending SMS messages, using SMS message platforms, such as Twilio, can add up quickly, especially if you're sending SMS messages to thousands of recipients daily.
SMS Business Consulting
Using SMS marketing messages in a unique and inventive manner will help guide you to find your distinctive touch to your SMS marketing tactics.
SMS Marketing Service
Our SMS business consulting experts specialize in designing, unique, behavioral driven, high-converting SMS campaigns. Our sweet spot is the combination of Hubspot and your SMS marketing Platform, fully integrated with each other.
SMS Marketing Campaigns at Scale
There are many types of SMS marketing campaigns, from simple and straightforward to more complex.
One of the most effective forms is:
- Promotional SMS marketing campaigns are designed to generate interest in a product or service. They can include discounts, coupons and other special offers. Coupons and promotions can be an excellent way to drive more people to your store or website, especially when accompanied by a quality call to action (CTA).
Use SMS Messages to Provide Customer Care
For ecommerce retailers, who often use Shopify as their ecommerce platform and Hubspot for content marketing, providing shipping status, repair updates, and other messages that help retailers build deeper relationships with their customers has proven invaluable.
Five SMS Marketing Tips
For more SMS Marketing Hacks, get our 5 Ways to Keep Your SMS Marketing Fresh. These work whether you are sending out only few SMS messages per day, or 100,000 a day, like some of largest customers are doing.
Until Next time...
