The essential guide to SMS marketing

The number of services available on our smartphones is rapidly increasing, and this trend is only set to continue!

However, the function of SMS messages is still pertinent and can be a powerful part of your marketing strategy. Why use SMS messages in marketing, and how to do it effectively? We’ll be answering these two questions in the following article.

The essential guide to SMS marketing

Why utilize SMS messages in marketing campaigns?

The principal reasons are the probability of people opening an SMS message, and the impact of this type of communication. On average, SMS messages are read just 5 seconds after being received. Moreover, the rate of opening is nearly 100%, while the rate of communication is 6 to 8 times better than that of an email.

A SMS messaging campaign, therefore, generates very good return of investment and conversion rate statistics – superior to many other communication methods.

Guide to launching an SMS marketing campaign

10 things which every SMS marketing campaign should do:

• Combine different technologies such as email marketing, social networks, traditional media etc. Each method of communication has its advantages and inconveniences, and every action needs to be adapted to the technology or media you are using. Different actions using various types of media, well applied, multiplies results. SMS messages are especially good for communication such as reminders, alerts, coupons etc.
• Extend your database. It collects all the possible information to draft and personalize the messages.
• Stick to concise communications. With SMS communication, less is more. Short messages have more impact.
• Start the message with key words. Chose 1 or 2 words which sum up your action, and put them at the beginning of your SMS message. These words will appear on the device’s screen a number of times as a notification before the user opens the message.
• Always add a call-to-action. Clearly express what you want to convey and direct the user to the objective or conversion.
• Personalize the sender with the name or your company or brand. The user will instantly identify the message’s origin, which will generate loyalty.
• Include a telephone number in the message so that the user is able to get in contact. This will generate trust and confidence in the user.
• A link (shortlink) for further information usually retains the user. Make sure you optimize the landing page for mobiles. You’ll also be able to collect a lot more information from your users when they access the landing page (devices, location, day/time of reading etc.)
• Select the best moment to send the SMS. The general rule is that the best time of day to send SMS campaigns is at midday and just after the end of the working day. But this rule should be adapted to each case – if the campaign is international, or contains different groups of users, it’s better to segment the sending of messages.
• Segment your audience. Group your contacts according to their interests, needs, location, behavior, previous campaigns and actions as users. Personalize the whole campaign based on this segmentation: the time of sending, the message, call-to-action etc.

Get started now with SMS marketing

At LabsMobile we provide the tools for you to get started with your SMS marketing campaigns. We offer the best rates and several developed applications (WebSMS y API) to make the campaigns easy and efficient. Contact us and we’d love to provide you with support and advice in launching your first campaigns.