Nothing beats SMS marketing when it comes to sending the right content at the right time. However, it’s not as simple as texting a friend.
As the world becomes more and more digital, businesses of all sizes are turning to SMS marketing as a powerful tool to reach and engage with their target audience. With its high open rates, instant delivery, and personal touch, SMS marketing is a must for a modern business’s marketing strategy.
Still, many businesses struggle to implement effective SMS marketing—either due to a lack of knowledge or simply not utilizing it to its full potential. To set you up for success, this comprehensive guide will cover the basics of SMS marketing for beginners and advanced strategies for those looking to take their campaigns to the next level.
What is SMS marketing, and why is it effective?
SMS marketing is a form of digital marketing that involves sending promotional messages, alerts, notifications, and other types of information via text message to targeted audiences. These campaigns are a proven way to raise brand awareness, increase retention, and positively impact a brand’s bottom line.
Many organizations use SMS marketing to:
- Reach consumers with their preferred method of communication: The statistics clearly show that we love our phones. Most people have their phones within reach at all times, and a majority of them prefer to communicate through text messages. In fact, reports indicate that 66% of Americans check their phones an average of 160 times a day, making it a popular and effective way to reach consumers.
- Increase reach: According to the Pew Research Center, 97% of Americans own a mobile device, virtually all of which are SMS enabled. You don’t need a smartphone, a downloaded application, or a data plan to subscribe to a company’s SMS marketing.
- Increase read rate: People use mobile phones to connect with friends and family, so most are tuned in to the “ping” of a text notification. Statistics show that 98% of texts are read within the first three minutes, so if you send a text message to a consumer, you can be sure your recipient will read it almost immediately.
- Boost conversion rates: Marketing texts—specifically those that include ads, discounts, and QR Codes—are incredibly effective. 51% of consumers are more likely to make a direct purchase if they receive an SMS message with these unique offers and features.
Many industries can find value in SMS text message marketing, including (but not limited to):
- Retail
- Restaurants and travel
- Service industry
- Nonprofit organizations
- Education
- Healthcare providers
- Auto mechanics
- Nonprofits
Types of SMS marketing campaigns
SMS marketing is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Different businesses have unique goals and target audiences, so it’s important to tailor campaigns accordingly.
Some common types of SMS marketing campaigns include:
- Sales promotions: These campaigns promote products, services, limited-time discounts, or special offers to customers. They are often time-sensitive and aim to drive sales even during slow seasons.
- Transactional campaigns: These are automated messages meant to deliver essential updates and information, like order confirmations, shipping updates, or appointment reminders. These maintain communication lines and improve the customer experience.
- Customer loyalty programs: Brands can use SMS to reward loyal customers with exclusive offers and discounts. This fosters a sense of community among customers and incentivizes repeat business.
- Surveys and feedback: SMS marketing for post-purchase engagement can help gather customer feedback through surveys, allowing businesses to improve their products and services based on customer preferences.
- Event notifications: Businesses can use SMS to announce upcoming events, send reminders about event details and updates, and encourage attendees to RSVP or purchase tickets.
- Appointment reminders: These campaigns benefit service-based businesses such as healthcare providers, salons, and mechanics. SMS can send automated appointment reminders and avoid no-shows or late arrivals.
- Abandoned cart reminders: Cart abandonment is a common issue for e-commerce businesses. SMS can send gentle reminders and encourage customers to complete their purchases.
- Personalized offers: Marketers can use SMS to send personalized offers and discounts based on a customer’s past purchases or preferences, increasing the chances of conversion.
- Urgent or emergency updates: In crises such as natural disasters or public health emergencies, businesses can use SMS to quickly reach out to their customers with important updates and instructions.
- Content updates: SMS can also be used to send updates on new blog posts, product releases, or other relevant content to keep customers engaged and informed.
SMS marketing 101: Beginner SMS marketing strategies
If you’re new to SMS marketing or looking to strengthen your foundational strategies, here are some beginner tips to help you get started and avoid making SMS marketing mistakes:
Build a quality subscriber list
Starting with a robust and permission-based subscriber list is crucial for the success of any SMS marketing campaign. This approach fosters trust and ensures that your messages reach an audience that is genuinely interested in your offerings.
Collecting phone numbers should be transparent. You should strategically use opt-in forms on your website, engaging social media posts, or in-store promotions where customers can quickly sign up. For example, incentives like discounts or exclusive offers can significantly enhance sign-up rates.
Complying with regulations such as GDPR, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and the CAN-SPAM Act is vital. These laws mandate that businesses must obtain explicit consent before sending marketing messages, protecting consumers’ privacy and rights.
Failure to adhere to these regulations can result in legal penalties and damage to your brand’s reputation, so it is important to prioritize compliance as you build and maintain your SMS subscriber list.
Create clear, concise messages
Lengthy SMS messages can annoy customers, so keep your messages short and to the point—no more than 160 characters long. This will ensure your message is delivered in one concise and easily digestible chunk.
The following format can be used as a guideline for creating effective SMS messages:
- Start with a greeting or personalization.
- State the purpose of the message in one sentence.
- Include a clear CTA (call to action).
- Provide any necessary details or instructions.
- Include an option to unsubscribe from receiving future messages.
You need to make every word count and grab your audience’s attention in a limited space. Use emojis sparingly but strategically to add personality and emotion to your message.
Remember that timing is everything
Knowing your audience’s habits and preferences can significantly improve your campaign’s success. If you’re targeting young adults, sending messages during work hours may not be the best strategy, as they are likely to be busy and less responsive. Instead, try sending messages in the early evening, when they’re more likely to have free time.
A/B testing different send times can also help you determine the best text schedule for your audience. Send messages at different times and track response rates to see which times generate the most engagement. Use this information to refine your sending schedule and increase the likelihood of a successful campaign.
Measure the success of your campaign
Set benchmarks and measure key performance indicators (KPIs) to track your SMS marketing campaign’s success. These can be based on industry standards or past campaign performance, and they help you understand how well your campaign is performing.
A/B testing different campaign elements, like messaging, timing, and CTAs, can give valuable insights into what works best for your audience. Use this information to set realistic goals for future campaigns and continuously improve your SMS marketing strategy. Regularly track and analyze metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to measure the success of your efforts.
SMS marketing 201: More advanced SMS marketing strategies
For those who have mastered the basics and are ready to elevate their SMS marketing, these advanced strategies are for you:
Segment the audience for personalization
Segmentation allows you to divide your audience into smaller, more targeted groups based on criteria like demographics, purchase history, or engagement level.
When you segment your audience, you can send personalized messages and offers that resonate with each group, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversions.
Incorporating customer data, like their name or past purchases, into SMS messages can help create a more meaningful connection. Addressing recipients by their name fosters a sense of familiarity and attention, while referencing past interactions lets customers know that you recognize their preferences, making your marketing messages more compelling and relevant.
Create branded links for credibility
Using branded links in SMS opt-ins further increases the credibility of your campaign. Customers may be hesitant to click when they receive a message containing a standard, unrecognizable URL, fearing it could lead to spam or malicious content.
A branded link lets your recipients know that the message is coming from a legitimate and reputable source, increasing their chances of clicking on the link.
Bitly is a popular link-shortening and tracking tool that allows you to customize your links with your brand’s name. This makes it clear to recipients that the link is safe and reliable.
These links also help track and measure your links’ success, giving you valuable insights into customer behavior. Don’t underestimate the power of branded links; they can significantly impact your SMS marketing campaign’s engagement and conversion rates.
Integrate SMS with other marketing channels
To maximize the impact of your SMS marketing efforts, consider integrating it with other channels like email, social media, or in-app messaging. This can create a cohesive and multi-faceted approach that reaches customers at different touchpoints, increasing the likelihood of engagement.
You could use SMS to drive traffic to your social media pages or website, where customers can engage with more content and offers. Or you could use email marketing and in-app messaging to reinforce your SMS messages and provide more detailed information or exclusive offers.
A multi-channel approach is proven to increase customer engagement and conversions, making it a valuable strategy for advanced SMS marketers. You can measure and track multi-channel campaigns using tools like Bitly to gain insights into the effectiveness of each channel and optimize your SMS strategy accordingly.
Invest in automation for efficiency
Automation tools are a game-changer for SMS marketing. With these tools, you can schedule messages in advance, create automated responses for specific triggers like subscriber sign-ups or birthdays, and set up drip campaigns that send a series of messages over a period of time.
Bitly’s link-shortening feature can also be a valuable tool for automation. If you use short links in your SMS messages, you can track engagement and easily measure your campaigns’ success.
Using automation technology with Bitly can take your SMS marketing to the next level and help you achieve even higher engagement and conversion rates.
Elevate your SMS marketing with Bitly’s tools
Every business can benefit from incorporating SMS messaging into its marketing strategy, whether you are a beginner working on personalization and segmentation or an advanced user focused on multi-channel integration and automation.
However, the right tools are essential to elevating your SMS marketing efforts and achieving maximum engagement and conversions.
With Bitly Links, you can create custom-branded links that not only build trust with your customers—they also have a cleaner, more professional appearance than lengthy URL strings, and fit perfectly into short SMS messages. When you use Bitly Analytics alongside your SMS links, you can get great insights into how your customers are interacting with your messages, allowing you to monitor your SMS campaigns in real time. These insights can help you iterate and optimize your strategy for long-term success!
To unlock the full potential of SMS marketing with Bitly’s tools, check out our pricing plans and choose the one that best suits your business needs.
