Many marketing agencies are still relying on tried and trusted communication channels for customer engagement. But how about taking things to the next level with a digital, mobile-first solution which, can improve engagement and reduce costs? This is where SMS from Esendex can help.
The always-on consumer presents an opportunity and a challenge: with competition from push notifications, email, social media and messaging apps, how can you break through the noise? Retailers, utility providers, and financial providers (amongst others) have all been striving to gain a competitive advantage by publicising their special events, new products, and promotions in new and innovative ways.
That’s where the role of a forward-thinking marketing agency comes into play, to make sure that each of the customer touchpoints during any promotion are as engaging as they can be. A massive part of this is using communication channels which connect with audiences in a way that makes sure the message is delivered, read and understood.
To do this, marketing agencies have to think digital, and more than this – mobile first. Enter SMS.
Why should Marketing Agencies be using SMS for promotional activity?
Here are some of the key stats which make SMS a compelling choice for marketers who are looking to boost their client’s promotional effectiveness:
Massive audience potential
91% of the world’s population now own a mobile phone, giving SMS an outstanding audience reach. (Source)
High open rates
Email is great, but the simple fact is that not that many marketing emails ever get opened – let alone acted upon. In fact, only 20% of marketing emails ever get read. This number is measly when compared to a much more impressive 95% from SMS. (Source)
Cheaper communications
When compared to traditional promotional channels like paper mail, SMS represents significant savings for marketing agencies. The cost to mail 1000 promotional letters would be around £500 when compared to around £38 for an equivalent SMS campaign. SMS would also represent a much better response rate too – around 10% compared to 2.5% for paper mail. (Source)
Personalised communications
Personalised marketing is nothing new, but its effectiveness can’t be denied. 44% of consumers say that they will likely become repeat buyers after a personalised shopping experience, and 57% of consumers are willing to share personal data in exchange for personalised offers or discounts (source). This is easy with SMS. It’s simple to import marketing agencies’ existing data and create tailored messages for each customer. This leads to more engagement, and ultimately more conversions.
Works in synergy with other communication channels
While SMS works great as a stand-alone promotional tool, it’s highly effective when used as a multichannel promotional tool. Marketers can link to web pages where cross-sales can take place; they can include phone numbers which, when selected by the customer, can take them to an automated telephone order processing/payment line. Or how about linking to something like a Mobile Journey where the customer can do lots of cool things like shop, redeem discounts and even make payments?
What more can you do if you’re already using SMS?
We speak to lots of marketing agencies who use SMS to boost their client’s promotions. Here are some of the tips and considerations they’ve told us about when using the platform:
Include a discount code
Customers love to get something for nothing. That’s why including a discount code that can be redeemed online or in branch can be a great way to incentivise engagement.
Don’t over communicate
You might be tempted (especially when we consider the cost savings that SMS brings) to send more communications to your customers. That might work – but make sure you don’t send too many messages and find your sweet spot for engagement. Too many messages will only ensure your audience delete your messages, and in turn, have a negative impact on your sales.
Timing is everything
Receiving promotional messages from your favourite takeaway on a Monday morning wouldn’t have nearly the same impact or conversion rates, as the same message received on a Friday night. Make sure that the timing of the message is relevant to when it is most likely to convert.
Don’t be too pushy
Being told to “BUY NOW” or “VISIT OUR SITE TODAY” can be off-putting. Word your messages in a way that encourages, rather than demands, action. A better message would be something like “25% off – today only”.
Most important details at the start
If there’s a particular detail that is more important than anything else in your message, put it at the start. That way it will appear in the preview text of your message, and reduce the chances of it being deleted.
Keep it short
A single SMS is only 160 characters long. If you are using links within your message, try and use a URL shortening service to reduce the number of characters that link takes up.
Like to know more?
If you’re interested to know more about how Marketing Agencies can use SMS to increase promotional effectiveness please get in contact with our team today on 0345 356 5758 or email us at [email protected].
