How can SMS marketing improve your brand's reputation?

Marketing SMS, or SMS marketing, is a powerful tool for reaching your target audience through text messages to promote your products, services, offers, or events. In addition to the mentioned benefits, it's worth noting that SMS marketing can also be an environmentally friendly option. Unlike printed materials or physical mail, it doesn't contribute to paper waste, making it a sustainable choice for businesses aiming to reduce their carbon footprint. Furthermore, with the rising awareness of environmental issues, showcasing your eco-conscious approach can resonate positively with your audience, adding an ethical dimension to your marketing strategy.

The remarkable aspect about SMS marketing is its inclusiveness and its ability to create a sense of loyalty with customers. This inclusive aspect becomes more relevant when potential customers have given their consent to receive them (opt-in). In many countries, this part of marketing still lacks a legal framework and leaves room for deviance, but the method remains highly effective for creating a community and making a name for brands

In light of the robo-texting phenomenon, SMS and brand reputation is a thorny topic. My recommendation is for companies to first consider awareness and education to their customers about how communications shall occur. This includes sharing information about what telephone numbers shall be used to communicate with customers. Bad actors often rotate through different phone numbers as they engage in brand impersonation via texting. This type of SMS phishing (known as "smishing") is a big problem for brands. Therefore, it is important to let customers know that only certain registered/verified telephone numbers shall be texting them. By definition, all other numbers are fakes attempting to trick consumers. Reach me via LinkedIn for more info.

According to my experience, the SMS MKT still is one of the best options to improve awareness and put your brand in the consumers mind. Despite the fact that other messaging options are available in the market, such as WhatsApp, one recommendation is to have opt in from the end user, so they will have more openness to receive brand communication and fight against spam or unwanted messaging. Bottom line: when it's possible, try to get Opt In from the targeted consumer.

Its tool/way to remind and send new offers and people can choose to respond or not without invading much of their privacy. its cost effective specially for companies into ecommerce.

It adds to the omnichannel marketing. Nearly everyone (98%) opens a text message. Compare that to email (around 24%) and you can instantly see the power and potential SMS marketing has.

It depends on the industry that you're in. I believe SMS marketing is still effective for specific sectors like banking, government, etc., but not in the majority. There has been a shift of consumer trust to micro or nano-influencers, so social media marketing is way ahead. However, SMS marketing is still better than email marketing when it comes to B2C communications.

SMS marketing shapes a brand's reputation by offering a direct link to the audience. Executed well, it enhances perception through timely offers and valuable content. Immediacy boosts engagement, but misuse can harm reputation; user consent is crucial. Trust-building, respecting privacy, and adhering to regulations showcase ethical practices. SMS allows personality showcase, reinforcing authenticity. Effective, personalized messages strengthen the brand-consumer relationship, while irrelevant ones can damage the brand's image. SMS marketing reflects a brand's commitment to transparency, relevance, and ethics, influencing overall perception.

SMS messaging is way easier to manage in the long term when compared to other forms of advertising like email or direct mail. It takes longer to set up in many countries due to regulatory and/or registration requirements but when done, it is super simple for anyone to manage and send out a campaign with the proper tools. There is no HTML or graphics to worry about (although that will change in the future once RCS gets going fully), the character forces the advertiser to write clear and straight-to-the-point ads.

One particularly noteworthy aspect mentioned is encouraging feedback and reviews from customers. This not only helps in improving products and services but also showcases social proof and credibility. Positive reviews and testimonials are powerful tools for influencing potential customers. They can be the deciding factor in whether someone chooses your brand over a competitor. Moreover, addressing negative feedback promptly through SMS demonstrates a commitment to customer satisfaction and problem resolution, which can ultimately turn detractors into loyal supporters.

To plan a successful SMS marketing campaign: Define Goals Know Your Audience Build a Quality Subscriber List Craft Compelling Messages Timing is Crucial: Schedule messages at optimal time Personalize Messages Incorporate a Clear Call to Action Test and Optimize Comply with Regulations Integrate with Overall Marketing Strategy Monitor and Analyze Results By following these steps, you create a strategic foundation for your SMS marketing campaign, maximizing its effectiveness and impact.

SMS Marketing Campaigns are regulated by each Country's Telecommunications Regulatory Body. Some common rules below: 1.Opt in Mechanism: Only send messages to individuals who have opted in to receive SMS. This can be through consent during sign-ups, or by sending a specific keyword to a short code. 2.Opt-out Mechanism: Provide a clear and easy opt-out option in every message. This is usually done by including a reply with a keyword (ex STOP) to unsubscribe. 3.Respect the DND Hours: Countries ex. France, India etc. have established Do Not Disturb hours meaning that from 20:00-08:00 it is not allowed (even with Opted-In clients to send a Marketing SMS. 4.Identify the Brand: Clearly identify your business on the beginning of your messages.

The technical limitations of the SMS channels can impact the regulation compliance. For example, an SMS sent during business hours may arrive to the destination during DND hours, after the subscriber has opted out to receive marketing offers, after the offer is no longer valid and so on. It is important to understand how SMS delivery works to mitigate this kind of issues. Key technical concepts to understand: ? SMS validity period ? SMS Center retry policies

To comply with SMS marketing regulations, secure explicit user consent, specifying message details. Include a clear opt-out option and respect time zones. Identify your brand transparently, avoiding deceptive practices. Maintain accurate consent records, update databases, and adhere to data protection laws. Monitor third-party compliance, educate your team, and stay informed for policy updates. Communicate privacy practices, and seek legal guidance to ensure ongoing compliance. These practices not only meet legal requirements but also build trust with your audience.

Continuous A/B testing is an effective strategy to optimize the SMS campaigns. Two or more versions of the same campaign with different phraseology or different time slots are benchmarked in parallel. Sometimes a very small change in the text can increase or decrease the acceptance rate significantly. The A/B testing is useful to refine the texts and other parameters to burst the campaign results.

Data, data, data. Always look at the data and optimise accordingly, but also continuously address the brand and ask "is this how the brand would talk". To find your brand's SMS voice, picture your ideal customer and then think about how you would most effectively talk and engage with them. THAT is the voice and language you should be using in your texts.

SMS marketing, a long-standing tool, is now integrated into modern Martech solutions as a component of comprehensive CRM strategies. However, it comes with drawbacks – it's costly and can be intrusive. Therefore, it must be employed judiciously. The essential approach is to target customers who are receptive to this communication channel. This selective targeting ensures that SMS marketing is both cost-effective and respectful of customers' preferences, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of a 360-degree CRM strategy.

There are different types of SMS useful for Marketing purposes. For example, a Flash SMS or SMS Class 0 can be less intrusive because it is not saved to the inbox. You can send an SMS to replace a previously sent SMS. Not every mobile phone supports this feature. If it is supported, it can be used to overwrite expired offers. If you put a URL into the SMS some smartphones can load a preview with a picture to enhance the UX. The preview images can make a huge difference when promoting food, real estate, tourism and many other services using plain text SMS. A pictogram (Unicode symbol) or Emoji can make the SMS text more appealing: ??????. Most smartphones do display these symbols correctly.

SMS can be used for SO many things. Do not fall into the trap of going "Well, I've set up an abandoned cart workflow and and sent a campaign. All my work is done." No. Think outside the box. Can you send your customer a text of the parcel before it is all sealed up so they can see it has been packed safely? This also covers you if it arrives damaged.

SMS are a good tool, but they need to be used correctly. No one gets angry about an email, but they do get angry about too many SMS. No one knows why this distinction is made, but it happens and it can generate negative reactions if it is not used correctly.