11 Cases of Proven SMS Marketing and Sales Success

Although SMS marketing is a great way for businesses to reach customers and prospects, it is often underutilized. This guide will give you the foundation you need to start building relationships and closing sales by using SMS marketing.?

What is the Difference Between an SMS and a Text Message?

SMS stands for Short Message Service and is a type of text message. MMS is the other major form of text message and stands for Multimedia Messaging Service.

MMS supports up to 1,600 characters and rich media like GIFs and video, while SMS only allows text and links and has a maximum of 160 characters. Because of these factors, SMS is more affordable and is used more often for marketing campaigns.

SMS is a powerful tool that can be used by both sales and marketing teams. Marketers often use the terms "SMS Marketing" and "text marketing" or “text message marketing” interchangeably.

Benefits of SMS in Sales and Marketing

• According to Asurian, people check their phones an average of 96 times per day, or approximately once every 10 minutes. This is a 20% increase over the last two years.
• 95 percent of texts can be read in under 3 minutes. The average response time for Viber is 90 seconds.?
• According to Voyage, SMS marketing delivers a 30% click-through rate and a 300% return on investment.??
• Email marketing has a 23 percent open rate and a 3 percent click-through rate per MailChimp. This makes it superior in both of these areas.
• Text marketing platforms typically charge a low price and range from 1 to 5 cents per message. This makes it one of the most cost-effective ways to reach your audience.
• Text messages are sent directly to recipients with push notifications. They do not contain filters or blockers.

SMS Marketing Best Practices

• Be familiar with your local laws. There are different penalties and fines for spamming.
• Ask permission. You can damage your brand and reputation by sending text messages to people who don’t want to receive them.
• Keep it short. Keep your message to 160 characters or less.
• Keep it light. It's best to use clever or witty messages.
• Target. Segment your recipients and make sure the message is relevant to each one.
• Respond quickly. Respond quickly to any text messages.
• Take measurements and adjust. You can improve your results over time by running A/B testing and tracking the results to find what works best for your audience.??

11 Cases of SMS Marketing and Sales Success

It's easy to see why SMS is such a powerful sales and marketing tool. People are constantly on their cell phones, and it's a direct link to your audience. But you cannot just send mass messages and hope for the best. To maximize your results, you should create an SMS marketing strategy based on these 11 proven use cases.

1. Promotions

SMS is a great way to promote general items. Deals like free shipping, a free item, or discounts are all common.

2. Flash Sales

Your company can get a huge boost of traffic by offering flash sales. This strategy involves selling limited quantities of a product at a steep price for a short period of time.

3. Drip and Nurturing Campaigns

Although the terms "drip campaign” and "nurturing campaign" are frequently used interchangeably, there are differences. A full drip campaign is sent to all contacts regardless of their response or reaction. A nurturing campaign is initiated based on the behavior or trigger.

Both cases are good for SMS marketing. You might create a drip campaign to inform your contacts about your rewards or referral program or a nurturing campaign to educate them about your products and services while you move them through the sales funnel.

4. Product Launches

Promotions are often included with product launches. However, if your audience is highly tuned in and there's lots of demand, you may be able to run SMS campaigns that focus only on a product launch.

5. Notifications for Abandoned Carts

If your CRM and shopping carts are interlinked on the backend, you can send reminders about abandoned carts. Sometimes businesses send gentle reminders to customers a day or two after they add something to their cart. Often, the message includes a special offer, such as free shipping or a discount, that will encourage customers to take action.

6. Surveys

For audience engagement, polls work best. For example, brands may ask their customers for feedback on a product or ask them to compare products.

7. Giveaways

To increase their SMS list, marketers often offer giveaways. For example, you might run a campaign to add people to a drawing for either a gift card or a free item if they sign up.

8. Sharing of Content

Sharing content is another way of building engagement. However, it's crucial to ensure that the content meets the needs of the audience. For example, businesses share tips and tricks to maximize the benefits of their products, increase brand awareness through influencer marketing, and other general information that is relevant to the reader.

9. Birthday and Anniversary Messages

Send customers a message to celebrate their anniversary or birthday. It's a token of appreciation that strengthens your relationship. You might also consider pairing it with a discount or freebie.

10. Direct Texting

Direct texting is a way for customers to send you a text message. You might invite prospects to opt-in via text, for example.

11. Two-Way Messaging

Two-way messaging works similarly, but customers will expect a reply via text message. This category includes pre-sales questions and demo requests. Two-way messaging is also used by sales teams to reach out to prospects.

Get Help Improving Your SMS Marketing Strategy

SMS marketing is most effective when integrated into your entire digital marketing strategy and tied to your CRM. I can help you if you don't know where to begin or are not getting the results that you desire from SMS marketing. If this is the case for you, request a complimentary consultation.

You can also read this article on my website, 11 Proven SMS Marketing and Sales Use Cases.

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