There’s no question that the Philippines is in love with phones, whether they be feature of smart. In fact, the International Data Corporation reported that the country is now the fastest growing smartphone market in the ASEAN region, receiving 3.5 million smartphone shipments during Q1 of 2016 for a 20% year-on-year growth. As devices become cheaper and purchasing power becomes stronger, the number is only expected to further balloon. Feature phones, with all their simplicity and affordability, are also expected to linger around for a long time.
The figures only spell good things for text marketers. More smartphones mean more customer touchpoints and a wider possible customer base. To make conversions through text more likely, businesses should follow some of the best SMS marketing practices below.
Make Sure Customers are Compliant
If you’ll be engaging in a text campaign for the first time, and you already have a customer database with their phone numbers, don’t just begin SMS blasting them out of the blue. Rather, contact them and ask for their permission to be included in your texting list; have them opt-in when they revisit your establishment; or create an information campaign through other means such as flyers, posters, and the like. By taking the extra step to get their consent, you’re showing that your brand is a professional and trustworthy partner.
Have S.M.A.R.T Goals
You can’t just begin blasting promos and offers to your customers without having an end goal in mind. To get the most out of your budget, you should look at your overall business and determine where SMS marketing can help. Once you’ve aligned your text campaign with other communication initiatives, make sure you have Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based objectives. It’s infinitely easier to keep focused when you break down the process into clear chunks.
Short and Sweet Call to Action
A call to action (CTA) is what you want customers to do once they’ve read your message. Some of the most common and effective CTAs begin with “Buy”, “Show”, or “Text/Send X to Y” where “X” is a keyword and “Y” is a short code or regular mobile number. Skip fancy wordings for your campaign CTA. You want your customers to immediately understand and act on your CTA, not grab a dictionary. Clear and simple CTAs will also help you track the progress of your SMS campaign since its easy to measure sales increase, promo redemption, and replies during the initiative’s duration.
Location- and Time-based Offers
One of the ways to make SMS campaigns more relevant to your customers is to make them location- and time-based. Location-based promos allow customers to conveniently redeem promos based on their geographic location. Meanwhile, businesses can also take advantage of holidays, whether legal or fun such as World Donut Day, Pizza Day, and the like. Seasons like summer, typhoon, or travel can also be used as a campaign anchor. These timely, once in a blue moon offers are more special, and should result to an increase in inquiries and sales.
Reward Opt-Ins and Loyal Customers
If customers are going to let you into their phones—their most precious and personal sanctuary—then there should be something in it for them. More than information on your products and services, people want promos, discounts, and free things. Save your biggest offers such as price slashes and giveaways for opt-ins, and reward frequent customers with loyalty programs like a points system and exclusive deals. You can also create special SMS services for loyal clients such as item and shipment notification and reminders.
Be Consistent
Don’t create an all-in campaign and expect customers to keep returning long after the big bash is done. The truth is, they’ll forget about your business if you drop off the grid for weeks at a time. But in the same light, don’t spam SMS either. Remember, each text should have something relevant and valuable to say. Take time (but not too much time!) creating engaging messages that will keep you a top of mind option.
These are just some of the SMS campaign tips that will help you take your text marketing skills to the next level. Of course, you also need the proper tools to manage bulk SMS messages. Equip yourself with our latest digital marketing solutions by visiting https://www.mybusybee.net/ (or follow our Official Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/officialbusybee.textblast/ ) and contacting (02) 929-2222 or (63) 917-837-2000.
