For the past two weeks, we’ve been writing about how important an SMS marketing campaign is in today’s digital times, the best practices to follow, some easy tweaks to your campaign efforts, as well as indicators of success and failure. But what if you’re just starting out? What if you just recently subscribed to Busybee PowerBlast or Busybee BrandTxT and you have no idea where to start? Fear not, dear reader. As always, we got your back. Below are some tips on how to start your SMS marketing efforts.
Build a database
You can’t start your SMS marketing campaign without having anyone to send messages to. You have to build a text blast database first. You can create one through a number of ways. You may ask customers for theirs when they transact with your business, making it crystal clear that you’ll be sending them promotional materials via text. You may also create flyers, ads, and leaflets asking customers to opt-in to your database by contacting you via SMS, call, or email. If you have a social media presence, you can easily create a Google Form and ask your followers to fill it up. Though free, these methods take some time to produce results.
But perhaps you want to have a large database in the fastest way possible. You can purchase a database list in that case. It will cost you money, and the people in the database may not even be your target market. Heck, they may not even be interested in whatever you say. It’s a numbers game if you choose this route. If luck is in your favor, you’ll find diamonds in this rough. If it isn’t, well, you can still create your database the manual way.
Ask for your customers’ permission
Have your database? Good. Before sending out your first SMS campaign, embark on a quest to doubly ensure that your customers are fine being on your text blast list. Yes, even if you already asked for their permission beforehand. This weeds out those who are really not interested. Even though your database may become thinner, those who remain opted in are the ones most likely to take action on your campaigns.
Remember to also include an unsubscribe option with each of your SMS marketing efforts so customers can opt-out whenever they want. The last thing you want is for your brand to be seen as spam.
Begin creating and sending your SMS marketing campaign
Once you’ve undertaken the two steps above, you can then begin your SMS marketing campaign. To make your very first one memorable, reward those who opted in with an exclusive deal, such as a huge discount, a buy-one-take-one promo, or first dibs on your new products or services. By showing that you appreciate being allowed into their mobile phones, you’re automatically building a good working relationship with your customers. Keep doing that with new opt-ins and see your business grow. Moreover, keep rewarding those who remain subscribed to your texting list. A loyalty program ensures high customer retention throughout the life of your business.
