Are you aware that there is a simple approach to target an audience that could be in the billions? You can interact with your patrons through SMS marketing, which is the communication channel they prefer. Nearly nine out of ten people prefer to communicate two-ways through messaging channels and applications rather than via verbal conversations over the phone.
Incorporating SMS into your promotional approach is a great option for companies of all sizes.
Despite having a massive potential to capture the attention of customers, most companies have not implemented text messaging in their strategies yet; this gives you a competitive advantage. Discover the revolutionary potential that SMS could have on your marketing plan!
What is SMS Marketing?
The action of advertising via text messages is known as SMS marketing. With text message marketing, a business can share a variety of marketing and sales materials with customers, including:
- Promotions
- News
- New product rollouts
- Shipping information
Here is an example of how SMS marketing works: When a customer consents to messages, send them a text on a weekly basis to remind them about your weekly promotions. Include a connection to your website or application so the customer can investigate and purchase additional of your items.
Once an order has been placed by a customer, send them notification through SMS providing product details, shipping updates, and also requesting them to leave a review on their purchase.
Why Savvy Marketers Love SMS Marketing
Approximately 60% of marketers have not taken advantage of using text message marketing, despite the fact that it is an intimate and direct route for communication. In addition, text message marketing is really inexpensive.
Marketers who are utilizing text messaging appreciate the quickness and the capability to consume customers’ attention promptly. Last-minute sale? Send a swift message, letting your followers be aware of it immediately. Announcing a new product? Write an SMS message to be sent when the rest of your campaign is released.
It is not hard to imagine that this type of advertising can be very expensive, and it can also take a considerable amount of time to integrate it with other programs, but this is simply not the reality. It is difficult to recall what strategies were in place prior to incorporating SMS into your other marketing steps. And so will your customers.
Build Trust by Requiring an Opt-In
A major justification for marketing experts to utilize SMS marketing is that it operates on the basis of permission. This implies that your customers must consent before you can deliver them messages.
Why is that good? This conveys that they are interested in your input and that they have trust in your product. It means they trust you!
More Flexibility for Your Business and Customers
With SMS marketing, you’re only limited by your imagination. You can use SMS messaging for more than just sales and marketing notifications. You can use it to update customers about the state of their orders, such as tracking information.
You could also communicate with them and provide them with a link to their help desk ticket so that they can access it from any location. You can configure a chatbot to answer messages customers send to your help line.
Instant Customer Engagement
Would you estimate that people look at their cell phones around twelve times in one day? Maybe 30 or 40 times? Try 90+ times per day. When they do view it, they communicate via text more rapidly than almost any other form of interaction – 95% of people will read and react within three minutes.
Easily Scalable and Cost-Effective
You won’t be up against any competitors when you use a text message instead of costly media purchases or pay-per-click advertising. There is no need to be anxious that your messages will not be delivered or even read. Text messages via SMS are economical and don’t require a large amount of money.
Increase the number of your text message marketing initiatives with the growth of participants in your list and your business, and spend your marketing resources in the most effective way – using messages as an essential part of your projects.
Powerful Segmentation
Some forms of marketing are highly sophisticated versions of an individual promoting their goods by shouting loudly on a street corner. It may be the case that a person shouts in the street in such a way that 1,000 people become aware of them, yet only a small number will have a need for what they are offering.
With SMS marketing, it’s the opposite. It’s as if strangers are approaching you in public to inquire about your merchandise. By getting an understanding of what their requirements are, you can explain to them how your items fulfill those needs.
Text messages can lead your clients to personalised pages and promotions based on their identity and how they have engaged with your business previously.
Supercharged KPIs
And the kicker on top of these almost-unbelievable benefits? Almost unheard-of KPIs. Text message campaigns are more successful – they can boast an opening rate of 98% compared with only 20% opened emails.
When looking at the response rate of other forms of promotion, a 5% success can be considered positive in some cases. SMS Comparison states that text message marketing generally has a click-through rate of 19%.
How to Generate Leads with Text Messaging
Due to the fact that SMS communications is a relatively novel advertising technique, it is yet fascinating to future clients. Thus far, they have acclimated to firms encouraging them to retrieve their lead magnet, send a message, or commence a discussion with their automated assistant.
However, seeing “Interested? Text me at #” is still quite curious.
It is essential for entrepreneurs or business owners in the fitness and health sector to come up with new ideas. Large exercise centers find it difficult and time consuming to alter their protocols to incorporate newer approaches such as SMS campaigns. But your size is an advantage. You can be nimble and use messages to demonstrate that you truly have concern for your clients. It is of utmost significance if you are portraying yourself as the face of your own brand.
Make “Text Me” Your CTA
Once you have persuaded possible prospects that your proposal is beneficial, it is time to complete the agreement with your call to action. It is common for health advisors and fitness business owners to use calls-to-action such as “Schedule a consultation.” Nevertheless, this is practically an expected approach at this point. Everyone is using it.
Using the messaging app “Text Me” would surely provoke interest and be far more pleasing and individual.
Those at the forefront who are ready to make a judgement will be more inspired to act instantly. It is straightforward to contact you, which will make it easier to generate leads. Typically, potential customers have to spend time completing forms or writing emails. Messaging via texts allows people to feel confident that you are the most suitable person for the job.
Try using the TextMe app or Google Voice.
Answer Questions
Potential customers have queries that are holding them back from utilizing your services right away. For instance, a customer may ponder the amount of time required to complete your fitness program. They might have a specific dietary requirement. Sending text messages is an ideal approach to promptly responding to inquiries posed by your potential customers. Thus, they will be more likely to make an appointment when they are positive you are the ideal match.
Furthermore, when individuals contact you via text, you can recognize their common “impediments.” Subsequently, you can customize your material in the foreseeable future and ensure that you have taken away any roadblocks for them.
Build Your List
Leads need time to commit. Rather than your customer base shrinking due to them not being interested in your services right away, you can send them a text. Sending text messages is an effective tool for bringing new prospects into your pipeline and growing relationships with them just as easily as if they were in an email marketing list. Typically, text messaging providers provide a unique keyword that people can use to register for your text messaging program. Subsequently, you can then proceed with enquiries, propositions and additional matters. Construct your marketing messages in such a way that they will resonate with the requirements of your customers.
Follow-Up to Website Opt-Ins
Once your prospective customers have agreed to receive your texts, keep in communication with them. You can remind them of the commitment they made. Will you send them promotions, notifications about new services? Ensure that your subsequent communication is pertinent to the proposition that your potential customers accepted. If you promised someone access to free training videos, make sure to provide them with the link. You can easily send them other offers later on.
Add “Text Me” to Your Digital Signature
Gary Vaynerchuk, a specialist in online advertisement, has recently reinforced his strategy involving texting as a marketing tool. Besides talking about micro content, which will be gone into in the following part, Gary Vee also includes “Text me” with his number in his email footer, on social media, and in direct emails.
You could have the same job as a nutrition and wellness adviser, personal coach, or dietician. This will give you the opportunity to make your texting list more widely known and increase the number of people signing up.
How to Grow Your Business with Text Message Marketing
Finally, using text messages can assist in transforming potential customers into paying ones. Similarly to how you would cultivate prospects through email marketing to let them know that your product or service is suitable for their requirements, you can also do it through text messages. You must be concise when sending a text, which is why text messaging is so successful.
Inspire Your Leads with Micro-Content
Content that is inspiring and pertinent is ideal for life coaches, dietitians, and physical instructors. Consider sending brief, uplifting or informative videos to your SMS list subscribers.
But first, it’s important to understand your audience:
- What motivates them?
- Why are they looking for your services?
- What questions do they have?
Once you have a good grasp of your customers, you can tailor your small pieces of content to them.
Leverage Social Proof
Distribute a satisfied customer’s testimonial to leads like them. If you’re a personal trainer, perhaps they have been successful in their weight loss endeavors. If you are a nutritionist, the testimony can detail how adapting the diet of your client led to increased vigor. It is vital to bring out the advantages that customers are in search of.
If you are in the habit of posting #MondayMotivation content on social media, you can distribute it on Mondays. This is a fantastic prospect to instigate your contacts to collaborate with you and proffer their opinions through message, social media, or any other medium.
Integrate With Other Marketing Channels
Adding text messaging to your overall marketing plan is a great idea. Integrated marketing strives to give your customers a consistent and uninterrupted experience across all channels. No matter the platform, the intention of your brand and the content you create should remain constant.
Consumers love omnichannel experiences. So if you use different channels, stay consistent. You could give snippets of your content to people via text messages.
If you are aiming to coach your leads for transforming them into customers, you can give them small samples for more wide-ranging content such as your recipes, articles, videos, and e-books. You can also encourage your customers to communicate with you via social media.
What to Look for In An SMS Marketing API
Text messaging can bolster buyer fulfillment and is equipped to convey a strong financial return if you have the perfect apparatus – one that is customized to enable you to be victorious.
Seamless Integration
Your SMS API should be able to connect easily with your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and other advertising platforms. Without an API that integrates with your other channels, it may be necessary to construct a complex and tedious system.
Global Compliance
An SMS API that is up to standards will ensure that you remain conforming to the regulations set forth in the locations you are marketing in. This permits you to continue to send correspondence without being penalized.
An Expansive Network
A large network means a bigger reach. The more people you can connect with, the more likely it is that you will be successful.
Customer Insights
Valuable customer knowledge gained from an SMS marketing platform is extremely beneficial. Partners who are at the top of the industry for CPaaS have methods for making communication between customers across channels easier and observing the effectiveness of campaigns. This implies that you don’t have to guess or wait for research or to have the info collected for you!
Intelligent Routing
The best text message services will examine every potential method across networks and make informed choices that will keep expenditures limited and ensure things are delivered quickly.
Local Numbers
Individuals are more likely to interact with a figure if it appears recognizable to them. You should search for a SMS marketing system provider that is capable of giving you 10-digit numbers (10DLC) or shortcodes that are designated specifically for you.
One- or Two-Way SMS Texts
One and two-way text messaging allows you to establish communication with customers using their preferred method. An SMS partner that is dependable will make it easy to both send and receive texts with a user-friendly platform and the assistance you require—whether it’s for one-way updates, allowing direct conversations between customers and live agents, or automated customer service.
How Text Message Marketing Helps You Grow Your Fitness, Health, and Nutrition Business
It is undeniable that using texting as a marketing strategy is a relatively untrophied area among experts in the health, wellness, nutrition and fitness fields. Your clients understand that the communication you have with them is special; this is the reason why message marketing by text helps you to come across as welcoming and ready to talk, two incredibly essential traits that fitness trainers, coaches, and dieticians should have. Texts don’t only help you convert customers. They help you turn your customers into friends.