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SMS promotions for businesses with 'off-peak' periods or quieter times

The efficiency of SMS for businesses with quiet periods is undeniable.

SMS marketing has proved to be an extremely useful tool for sending SMS messages to attract new clients, as well as consolidating customer loyalty among existing clients. An effective SMS marketing campaign involves creating and sending out promotions to clients who are used to reserving appointments in advance, advertising times at which business is normally a little quieter.

15 minutes of reading
Publication: 07.20.2016
Última modificación: 10.13.2022

SMS promotions for businesses

An example would be what the owner of a beauty parlour could do, which has its peak periods around noon, say between 11:00 and 14:00, and again between 17:00 and 19:00. If the business sends SMS messages with a special promotion inviting customers to make appointments for the morning, mid-afternoon and even in the evening, it would significantly increase the number of customers.

The same technique can be applied to restaurants, gyms, hairdressers, dentists, bars, specialised medical services or any business or company that offers products and services to the public. Regardless of the size of the business, which could also be a franchise chain, a small cafe or a large establishment, the SMS service for businesses is an essential option to increase profits, helping the company to to grow and become more productive.

1 Viability

Whenever a company plans its marketing strategy, the question of viability comes up. In the case of SMS promotions, the very fact that companies already have an extensive client database available makes this a creative, low cost strategy. What's more, designing a promotional strategy through SMS can now be easy and efficient with the use of the internet.

Thanks to the use of certain tools, companies will be capable of sending bulk or individualised messages which can be personalised or segmented. It's worth highlighting that this technology is available to anyone who needs it, and it's easy to start. Designing an SMS campaign is simple, and at LabsMobile we can help you to create great corporate communications and ensure they are a success.

One of the most important aspects of SMS communication for business is knowing how to employ the right tone in your messages. Let's say, for example, that you are the owner of a spa, and Wednesdays are a particularly quiet time for clients. You have decided to create an SMS promotional campaign. With your marketing team, you've come up with a message such as:

"You are one of our most valued clients, and for this reason, we want to offer you our Premium Hydro-Treatment with a 50% discount, ONLY for this Wednesday and ONLY for the first 10 that book an appointment quoting this message".

If we look closely, the message has a feeling of exclusivity, very useful when you want to promote customer loyalty, and the imperative which makes it clear that today is the day to take advantage of the promotion. It goes without saying that these types of promotions, when they are well planned, generate a viral effect which will increase the number of customers or clients using your business, particularly over the days and times that are usually quiet periods.

2 Benefits

In general, SMS for businesses maximize profitability of companies, helping them to better take advantage of their resources and investments, generating a feedback loop which contributes to growth and expansion. We see that:

  • If your business is in a particular area, capture clients which live around it. By taking phone numbers on first contact, you can offer new promotions which, with total security, will generate viral content, new clients and most of all, more activity around your business.
  • With this service, loyalty rates, an important variable to consider, will improve considerably. New clients will then approach your business in a natural way. Mouth-to-mouth publicity is really effective; that's why we call it "recommendation marketing".
  • In today's busy world, with so many things to do, clients value receiving good quality information first hand. Nowadays everybody has a mobile phone. In an instant, after just a few clicks, you can send an SMS which will reach all of your clients.

3 Advantages

  1. Users read SMS messages 98% of the time.
  2. Sending and receiving an SMS involves an immediate action, nothing complex.
  3. SMS messaging can be measured: messages sent, the clients that have received them, the clients that have read them, the clients that have bought your product or have called about the promotion etc.
  4. Based on the above, SMS messages can be adapted and modified as promotions advance and are evaluated. Depending on your success, you can receive or increase the quantity of messages, or make changes to the promotion.
  5. Large mobile applications are moving to SMS as a channel of communication between people; the importance of SMS for businesses-client relationships remains high.

Sectors that could utilize these SMS promotions

Almost any business can benefit from SMS promotions, including:

  • Hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, clubs.
  • Hairdressers, beauty salons.
  • Gyms, spars, health centers.
  • Locations for meetings and events.
  • Different types of shops: clothing, shoes, pre-loved, health foods, cosmetics etc.
  • Travel agencies, insurance.
  • Mechanics, repair, technical services etc.

Possibilities and examples for SMS promotions:

Travel agencies usually have a large volume of sales during holiday periods or 'high seasons'. They always have a database of their clients available, which can be segmented to reveal the clients who travel regularly in high season. From here on, the only limit is your creativity.

Another possibility would be to offer special discounts over the whole year to clients that travel frequently to the same destination, whether it be for work or pleasure - the promotion itself could be adapted to reflect this.

It's also possible to imagine a clothes shop, shoe shop or health store sending discount promotions with short-term deals, so that customers are encouraged to spend money on impulse. This type of campaign can also serve to prepare the clients for a larger upcoming sale, for example special discounts on clothing to get rid of stock, which happens once or twice per year.

Bars and clubs, places that are mostly frequented by young people between Thursday and Saturday, could also utilize SMS to send out big discounts on quiet days and nights. Just think, for example, in the link that you could establish between the purchase of an item of clothing, and a beauty treatment or entrance to certain restaurants, bars or clubs:

"We know that you love to enjoy yourself, and because you are a special customer to us, buy a dress in-store and you'll get a free drink in the cafe ... and a special discount on Friday night at ... nightclub. Offer only valid until Tuesday".

In addition, if there is something which we care about and are grateful for as consumers is businesses and companies that we use frequently helping to save us money. You can do this in a wide variety of ways, for example, warning clients and customers that on certain days the business won't be open, or that you have a delivery of a special item, or that their delivery has arrived and is ready to be collected and enjoyed.

Also, just like travel agencies can use SMS to encourage people to travel in low season, hotels can do exactly the same, sending out promotions on national holidays or over long weekends for clients who want to escape the city for a few days.

Beauty salons and health centers can use this technology to let clients know about changes in timetable, remind them of appointments and of course, offer them new products and services:

"We are so grateful for your loyalty to Spa Venecia over the last few years...we want to invite you to a conference this Saturday with Dr. Love, the world' leading expert in quantum beauty today. He'll be revealing the best tips as well as a surprise that you won't forget. Only for you..."

SMS promotions for businesses with 'off-peak' periods or quieter times

SMS promotionsare an important ally which will allow you to fill those "off peak moments". Utilize the technology available and create a creative campaign not only to attract more clients, but get them coming back for more. Go to www.labsmobile.com to get started.

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