SMS Marketing: How You Should Text Your Customers

A proven SMS marketing strategy is one of the best ways to build genuine brand connections with your customers. Your text message marketing strategy must be engaging, personal, and compliant with regulatory requirements. Learn how SMS marketing campaigns can help you reach your customers.

You can reach more people through text message marketing. This will allow you to build relationships with your customers and increase prospects. Mobile marketing offers many advantages, such as open rates, a receptive audience, and scalable promotions.

Why Use SMS Marketing?

Because your target audience is likely to have their phones at all times, text messaging can be a conversational marketing tool that allows you to reach customers directly. An SMS marketing strategy can easily be integrated into any campaign you already have.

You also benefit from an effective mobile marketing strategy in many ways ( Finances online, 2022).

1. Unbeatable Open Rates

Mobile marketing strategies can reach more people by ensuring that 95 percent of text messages are read and opened. Research shows that text messages have an average open rate of 98 percent worldwide ( Tech Jury 2022). Other outreach methods are far less effective. Facebook messages and posts have a 2.5% open rate, while push notifications have 3.10% ( Venturebeat 2022).

2. Preferred Business Communication Channel

One survey found that 90% of consumers prefer SMS as a customer engagement portal (SMS Comparative, 2021). You can use it to send reminders, alerts, and other short forms of business communication. It is also viewed by around 80 percent of users as a quick, easy-to-use, and convenient brand messaging system (ClickSend 2019, 2019).

3. Method of Customer Support Preferred

You can use SMS to increase conversational marketing and communicate effectively with customers. Today, more than half of consumers prefer to receive a text message than a call from customer service representatives. Today’s consumers are more inclined to send and get text messages about customer concerns (SMS Comparison 2021). It is one of the fastest-growing business communication channels. In 2020, more than 48.7 million Americans opted for text messages to be received from companies rather than phone calls.

4. The Best Way to Send Promotions

75 percent of consumers want to be informed about new promotions. 48% prefer to receive text updates about loyalty offers, so it should be a part of every customer engagement strategy.

5. Stellar Response Rates

Only 8 percent of people respond to marketing emails. However, 45 percent reply to SMS marketing messages (SMS Global 2021). It is a powerful conversational marketing tool that can be used to engage customers. It can be used as part of your overall customer relationship strategy. You will gain insights into your customers’ needs, which will allow you to position your products or services as viable options.

6. Better Brand Image

77% of customers have positive perceptions of companies who communicate via SMS. Mobile Marketing Watch, 2016, states that SMS marketing platforms are a good investment to increase customer engagement and build a positive brand image (Mobile Marketing Watch).

Stay Compliant With SMS Advertising Laws

You must ensure that your SMS marketing strategy complies with the SMS advertising laws when creating it. Similar regulatory requirements for mobile message marketing are for email and phone communications. To be compliant, marketers must understand two laws:

1. Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

The law protects consumers’ privacy and limits telemarketing calls, text messages, and faxes. It regulates prerecorded and artificial voice messages, as well as auto-dialing systems.

2. CAN-SPAM

Any person or business sending emails to consumers is subject to the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 (CAN-SPAM). Consumers can request that businesses cease sending them promotions or other communications. There are also harsh penalties for violating this law.

These tips will help you comply with the laws.

* Only send communications during business hours
Do not send prohibited content: hateful, violent, illicit, or threatening words.
* Give instructions about how to opt-out.
Always inform recipients of text that signing up for programs will result in fees.
* Let customers know how many SMSes they will receive each week and month.
* Please indicate the purpose of your communication.
Get the consent of all consumers.
* Verify the age of consent based on location.

SMS Marketing Best Practices

Your marketing team must design an SMS marketing strategy that complies with the guidelines and regulations. These are some best practices:

Get Permission

As we mentioned, it is necessary to ask customers’ permission before launching any SMS marketing campaign or solution. You can request permission by submitting an online opt-in form to your website or other customer engagement portal. A lead magnet or landing page can be used to get permission from potential clients to receive SMS messages and exchange numbers. Personal information is exchanged for a valuable asset, such as an eBook or guide or a discount offer.

Use the SMS Short Code

SMS marketing platforms like Klaviyo SMS can integrate shortcodes and allow for SMS marketing automation. This is a five- or six-digit code with unique features that allows you to opt-in to SMS marketing messages, vote, and enter promotional offers. You should include a short number to make it easy for customers to opt out of your SMS campaigns. Shortcodes can be obtained from the U.S. Short Code Administration and email marketers.

Use the right keywords to start a conversation.

Simple messages should include keywords customers can use to send you shortcodes. This makes it easier for customers to respond to your offers and encourages client interaction. You can respond to customers instantly using SMS marketing automation technology (e.g., autoresponders).

Get in touch with SMS and Email Marketing Experts.

702 Pros Marketing Agency’s mobile marketing experts can help you create a customized SMS marketing campaign, track its performance, analyze metrics, and increase your return on investment. Expert guidance is also available to help you fine-tune your SMS marketing strategy and integrate it with other effective SMS marketing platforms.

Why Use Klaviyo SMS

Klaviyo SMS allows businesses to connect easily with their customers through a mobile marketing platform. Klaviyo integrations can be used to streamline your marketing systems, create advanced audience segments, receive detailed reporting and analytics, and get high-level support.

Build Customer Trust With An Expert Text Marketing Agency

702 Pros Marketing Agency has been trusted to help businesses create SMS solutions that build customer confidence. Our SMS marketing automation services include Klaviyo integrations, the most recent technological advances in the industry, and we can help you with your business.

Our experts will create custom TCPA-Compliant campaign designs based on your company’s requirements. After carefully reviewing your marketing strategy, we create and deploy SMS and broadcast automation campaigns based on your key performance indicators and customer metrics.

To streamline your text messaging campaigns, we integrate all existing marketing platforms like BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Shopify. We make SMS delivery easy and stress-free at 702 Pros.

Call us today for more information about how we can make SMS campaigns more compliant and effective.