The mobile market is growing faster than any other within the digital landscape. More than ever, we all use our mobile devices to get information on the go, check our email, shop, or use apps to make our daily lives easier.
Research giant gartner stated in a press release in early 2016 that "global sales of smartphones to end users totaled 349 million in the first quarter of 2016 – representing a 3.Represents 9% increase over last year. In addition, smartphone sales account for a total of 78% of all cell phone sales in the first quarter of 2016."
So one thing is clear: smartphones and mobile devices determine our everyday life. But how can marketers take advantage of this fact?? It's simple: by using one of the most effective channels to get in touch with customers – intelligent SMS marketing.
SMS is still one of the most popular communication channels; no change in sight. About 4.2 billion people around the world send SMS, and more than 18.7 billion SMS messages are sent every day (not including app-to-app messages). More than one-third of all business professionals in the survey said they send a maximum of 10 min. To be able to let the time pass until an SMS is answered. Now imagine what this could mean for your communication with brand loyal customers.
On the other hand, the fast pace and immediacy of SMS means that marketers need to be mindful of what type of content or messages are being shared via SMS. Successful SMS marketing messages should definitely be high quality & relevant to integrate with an overarching omnichannel strategy. Communication via SMS is comparatively personal and therefore should be done with utmost caution and expertise.
Mobile marketing, SMS marketing first and foremost, has excellent potential to achieve success and build lasting customer loyalty. How it works? Through close and personal communication with the customer – on a technical device that is made for immediate access to the consumer and his/her wishes and preferences.
Below, we present four tips on how to make your SMS marketing even more successful.
1. Automated messages
The average time between an app download and an associated purchase is one week. During this time, mobile engagement should be effectively supported and promoted: z.B. Through automated messaging that goes beyond SMS messages. Emails, push notifications, and in-app messages can help keep communication alive with customers.
This encourages & supports initial purchases as well as customer engagement in the second step. For example: it makes sense to (also) send an email to a contact who has signed up for push notifications via an app. This keeps your company relevant to the user and, if in doubt, you can find out even more about your potential customer, and in the next step, tailor your content even more precisely to the customer's needs.
2. Make your customers a good offer
When a contact gives his/her consent to receive SMS messages, it's a great sign of trust. Finally, your contact gives you access to one of the most personal channels of communication. SMS can enjoy a 98% open rate. Emails, on the other hand, only achieve a value of 20%. Perhaps more importantly, 90% of all SMS messages are read within the first 3 minutes of receipt.
The close proximity to the consumer requires that your news is informative and relevant to the customer around the clock. You should also deliver immediate and meaningful compensation for your contact. After all, few things are as valuable as access to the customer's life. Your messages should reflect the benefits & added value of your brand. This is an effective way to build customer loyalty and get your contacts excited about new products or services.
3. Perfectly targeted mobile engagement
If SMS marketing is to be meaningful and successful, it must be done with almost surgical precision. After all, few things are as detrimental to healthy & sustainable customer relationships as ill-considered & woolly mass SMS messages.
Data-driven automation solutions can help reduce hard bounces, duplicates and invalid phone numbers, increasing your own effectiveness and saving budget in the long run.
4. Test content and timing
SMS marketing campaigns should be regularly put through their paces if they are to be successful and sustainable. More specifically, both content and proper timing should be tested at regular intervals. This is the only way to ensure consistent quality and value for the customer.
Real-time SMS reporting helps marketers stay on top of their SMS marketing campaigns and monitor the performance of individual messages. Meanwhile, almost everything can be tested: from content & timing, to initial optimizations & their impact, customer reactions based on clicks, conversions and opt-outs, to the individual timing of individual reactions.
Conclusion
SMS offer an ideal way to reach customers quickly and directly. Customer loyalty and successful customer retention can be sustainably supported by intelligent & attractive SMS marketing programs. Combined with integrated omnichannel campaigns, customers can be reached anywhere in the world – on and offline.
Want to learn more about how to adapt to a mobile-first world? Then download our whitepaper now.
Michael is a digital content manager at emarsys. He is responsible – together with his team – for the marketer + machine content hub and podcast – creating informative and innovative content for e-commerce and digital marketers. Michael has written articles for industry-leading publications such as the content marketing institute, jeffbullas among others.Com, business2community, and many more written and published.