How to Use SMS in Your Influencer Marketing Campaigns

In the dating world, scoring someone’s phone number is the ultimate test of whether there was a real connection. In the world of influencer marketing, SMS messaging is the same kind of score

Influencers can take the audience beyond the confines of social media platforms and show up in their text inbox. Here are some top tips for how to use SMS marketing in influencer campaigns!

Why Use SMS in Influencer Marketing Campaigns?

Texting can be leveraged in a number of ways, from promotional campaigns and SMS list building to creating paid groups or targeted communities. If there’s a promotion, SMS makes the whole lead generation and purchase process streamlined and easy to track.

Phone Numbers Are the Ultimate Personal Data

Emails come in droves, social media notifications can be shut off, physical mail can be thrown out. Text messages are much harder to ignore, and users tend to be more protective over who has their phone number than other contact information.

Furthermore, SMS is one of the most immediate channels. Texts have a read rate around 97% within 15 minutes. 45% of SMS campaigns generate successful ROI, often better than email marketing.

SMS Marketing Means Laser-Focused Targeting

SMS marketing is mostly permission-based, so brands are communicating with customers who chose to open themselves to communication. Most of these customers have had previous interactions with the brand and may have made a purchase, generating better returns than cold leads.

Text Message Marketing Makes a Brand Feel Accessible

When influencers are building a targeted or paid community, texting is another, more tangible way to establish a deeper personal connection with online followers. It can transform an influencer’s identity from an untouchable celebrity to a relatable friend, making it the ultimate extension of influencer marketing.

SMS Communications Make Customer Feedback Nearly Instant

Customers expect rapid responses from brands and better personalization. SMS marketing offers just that with rapid delivery, fast responses from customers, and opportunities for brands to gather important feedback.

How Can SMS Marketing Be Used in Influencer Marketing Campaigns?

SMS marketing is flexible. Depending on an influencer’s needs, there are numerous approaches to take.

Grab Immediate Sales

As mentioned, customers who opt-in to the SMS marketing campaigns typically have relationships with an influencer or brand already. This is an excellent opportunity to sell, upsell, or cross-sell products to customers who are warmed up and just need a gentle nudge toward a purchase.

Push a Launch

SMS marketing campaigns can be used to drum up excitement for an upcoming product or service launch, new content, exclusive events, and more. Messages not only get the word out quickly and conveniently, but they give the recipient a feeling of being in an exclusive club or in on a secret.

Drive Traffic to a Specific Landing Page

Well-designed SMS campaigns have a link to send the recipient directly to a web page. If that link isn’t there, they may lose interest or get distracted and forget to return to the site. SMS campaigns support links to direct recipients to a specific landing page to promote a product or retarget potential leads or past customers who haven’t made a purchase in a while.

Before Using SMS In Influencer Marketing Campaigns, Understand the SMS Laws

SMS marketing is an excellent option for influencer marketing campaigns, but it’s important not to stay compliant with SMS laws.

Opt-In/Opt-Out Rules for SMS Marketing

Audience members have to opt-in or give you permission to text them. Influencers cannot send mass text messages unless a user opts in, as required by the FCC and FTC. But this works in the influencer’s favor over time.

Rather than followers having to text an influencer for access to each promotion, they can be added from the list of those who have opted-in to the marketing list. Influencers can then regularly issue content and promotions.

Get ahead of the FAQs with SMS content. Let subscribers know that message and data rates may apply and that they can reply with “stop” or some other predetermined phrase to opt-out at any time.

Telephone Consumer Protection Act

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act is a US federal law that requires businesses to get expressed, written consent for consumers with mobile devices before sending marketing text messages.

It’s important to be clear about consent, not hiding it in the fine print. Consumers should receive a text saying that they’ve subscribed and consented to recurring marketing messages. Pop-ups, online forms, written forms, or keyword texts are effective for ensuring consumers are aware of their opt-in.

Exceptions to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act

There are exceptions to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Existing relationships have assumed consent if the consumer has interacted with the business previously. This applies if the consumer has requested information about the business or used products or services within the past 18 months.

Some businesses are exempt by the type of business, but that usually doesn’t apply to influencers. These businesses include non-profits that aren’t selling products or services or providers for health insurance that need to update consumers about changes.

Children’s Online Protection Act

The Children’s Online Protection Act is a federal law made to limit the collection of personal information about children from website operators.

Website operators must include a clearly written privacy notice on their homepage and anywhere else on the site where data is collected. This must outline who is collecting and maintaining the information supplied to the website and provide contact information, explain how the information will be used, and state if it’s shared with third parties. The law also requires that operators get verifiable parental consent before getting or using personal information from children.

SMS Marketing Best Practices

SMS marketing has a lot of value for influencers, but it’s important to go about it the right way to earn the trust of customers.

Use Simple Promo Keywords

For each campaign, use custom keywords that the audience can easily text to the number provided. But keep them simple. The name of the influencer plus the discount associated with the offer is common — for example, “Sophie35” or “TargetSophie,” or “15Sophie.”

Place these keywords strategically in the content: in graphics, as text in stories, and in the description of reels and posts.

Set Expectations

Set expectations right away. Assure them they won’t get five texts a day but share how often the content will be sent out, so they feel more comfortable opting in.

Don’t Bait & Switch!

Bait & switch advertising is deceptive and has the potential to ruin a customer relationship. For example, brands may offer a freebie if a customer texts a key phrase to their phone number. In fine print, it may say that the customer consented to receiving marketing and promotional messages by sending that message. This is not only a blatant violation of the law, but it makes customers feel deceived.

Turn on Two-Way Texts

Two-way texts are about starting a conversation with the customer. This is an excellent way for brands and influencers to serve the customer more effectively and build meaningful relationships.

For example, a customer may ask a question about an upcoming event. Instead of being directed to another platform, the influencer would simply answer the question and eliminate a lot of time and frustration. Make sure two-way texts are turned on.

Pay Attention to Send Times

SMS marketing can get intrusive quickly. Avoid sending messages outside of normal business hours, and pay attention to time zones. Sending a message at 4 am or 10 pm may be fine for some customers, but others may feel like it’s an invasion into their lives.

Stay in Touch! Drive Traffic and Engagement

Don’t text once for the initial promotion and ghost the leads! Just like an email list, influencers own these leads, be sure to work them! Always use their name and keep the tone conversational.

Influencers can drive traffic to other content on the blog or social media and push sales by sending followers new product or service announcements.

Followers should be nurtured with value-driven episodic text content containing valuable tips and tricks. Get direct feedback with SMS polls and surveys. Influencers that are going live soon can send SMS invites to make sure followers can attend.

Best SMS Platforms for Influencer Marketing Campaigns

SMS platforms support SMS marketing by offering automation, templates, custom fields, and other features that streamline the process.

Community

This cloud-based conversational marketing platform connects businesses with their audiences via text messaging. It has numerous support options and an array of features, including third-party integration, analytics, and campaign management tools.

SlickText

SlickText is an automation tool for SMS marketing with an array of features and excellent support. Using a template, brands can launch campaigns in minutes. Forms, keywords, QR codes, and more are available.

SimpleTexting

Purported to be the only all-in-one text messaging service, SimpleTexting features fast, affordable SMS marketing campaigns with two-way capabilities, integrations, picture and video messaging, and live support.

TextMagic

TextMagic supports personalized text campaigns that can be forwarded to specific segments or large audiences. There are numerous free tools, including carrier lookup by phone number and length calculators.

Heymarket

Heymarket is a business texting platform for SMS marketing that offers messaging for customers on any channel, integration with business apps like Microsoft Teams, message scheduling, and more.

SMS Marketing for the Win

SMS marketing is a powerful way for influencers to connect with followers and promote sales or events. Influencers should always include a click-worthy call to action and relevant, valuable content that boosts engagement.