Why SMS should be part of your marketing strategy
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SMS has been around for a while, but it’s getting smarter. How can this method of communication be used in marketing activities?
SMS, or short message service, has been around for years with unassuming little text-only messages, but we never stepped into video mail and the all-digital, glamorous world. did. But unlike many other companies, SMS has never completely disappeared.
Since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), e-commerce, and smartphones have reshaped shopper behavior, brands are turning to SMS as a powerful way to keep their customers up-to-date, engaged, and supported on mobile devices. rediscovering. One of the main reasons is that customers are starting to associate her SMS with important, urgent, or useful messages, such as credit card usage alerts or delivery updates.
So what has changed? It’s not SMS itself that has evolved, but the landscape surrounding it. Conversational AI technology has advanced by leaps and bounds, improving integration and data flow capabilities between systems, and increasing the ability of marketers to collect, segment, and personalize high-quality data. All of this has unlocked new and interesting use cases for SMS. marketing.
To be fair, SMS already had some solid strengths, including:
- It’s short, so it’s always handy. It’s so short that you can read most of the messages in the notification panel itself.
- Go straight into your dedicated SMS inbox, which is relatively uncluttered and free of ads.
- It’s as immediate as the instant messaging that today’s consumers expect.
- Embedded links give customers a clear call to action (CTA), and UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) code helps measure and track the performance of each message.
- According to various reports, SMS delivery and open rates are 90%, far higher than any other channel, and unsubscribe or opt-out rates are relatively low.
- No internet or Wi-Fi connection or app download required. Pre-installed on most mobile phones.
On the flip side, it’s not as flashy or interactive as we’re used to today, and it works only on phones, not laptops and tablets. These negatives are by no means a deal breaker, given changing consumer perceptions of the In a world full of glorious distractions, that simplicity might even help SMS stand out.
Functionally, SMS today enables personalized, two-way conversations that flow seamlessly into other channels such as chatbots, helpdesks, and landing pages. Marketers who take it seriously are getting a big return on investment while keeping their cost per message low. But what makes conversational SMS marketing stand out is its versatility. We provide interesting use cases at each stage of the buyer journey to help with awareness, engagement, conversions and retention.
So, what should marketers keep in mind when considering SMS marketing as a way to build stronger CX with their company data and make it part of their conversational AI stack?
Related article: 3 ways sentiment analysis can improve the customer experience
Know your use case
Modern SMS marketing, like all other martech, has become more targeted and immediate. A smart SMS marketing tool powered by machine learning, part of its Conversational Marketing Toolkit, can categorize and respond to messages based on language, intent and emotional triage, says customer service software provider Zendesk. said Jon Aniano, his senior vice president of product. But starting with a specific use case is key to getting results.
In general, text can be informational, transactional, service or engagement oriented.
info text
Perfect for personalized appointment reminders, points updates, order and shipping status messages, new product launches, sale previews, pre-debit notifications, and more.
deal text
Trigger-based, personalized messaging that directly impacts sales, including abandoned cart reminders, sale and price drop alerts, due dates, offers and deals, time-sensitive reminders, and new product purchases.
service-oriented text
24/7 customer service availability with keyword response, chatbot, help desk, and customer feedback recording.
engagement text
This post-purchase drip campaign by dog supply company Rex Specs triggers an SMS immediately after product delivery, resulting in higher usage, lower product returns, and higher reorder rates.
Of course, smart SMS is smarter, but Ian Reither, chief operating officer of communications API provider Telnyx, reminds us that it’s not always the default choice. Smart or AI-powered SMS marketing is ideal for enhancing brand services 24/7, while one-way SMS marketing is best for mass marketing campaigns and promotions, and two-way SMS marketing is basic. A quick and convenient way to address sensitive customer concerns. Doesn’t really require human intervention.
In all its forms, SMS is convenient, fast, and has the highest open and engagement rates of any communication channel, making it a worthy addition to your marketing mix, he added.
Invest in list creation and segmentation
Aside from technology, one aspect that has changed the performance of SMS marketing is the quality of the listing and how well it is segmented. Years ago, bulk purchase lists were the bane of SMS marketing. Today, first-party data lists are a boon for hyper-personalization of SMS messages.
However, message relevance is based on segmentation quality, which can be based on a variety of criteria such as join date, order category, cart abandonment, and feedback. SMS allows you to experiment with different segmentation options. Run campaigns and optimize for what works.
Plan your integration from the beginning
SMS is exponentially more effective when part of a one-two punch sequence. For example, campaigns that use a combination of SMS and email can yield great results, but email alone has poor open rates for younger audiences.
E-commerce sites often send discount codes via SMS to first-time users right after they sign up. According to Aniano, his model of SMS + chatbot + agent also offers seamless CX and significant savings in call processing costs, provided the system is integrated, allowing agents to interact with the customer in context, regardless of channel. Keep your history up to date.
Matt Ramerman, president of Sinch for Marketing, says that to make sure SMS marketing is set up to work with other channels, you need a conversational API (application programming interface) that acts as a hub for your conversational marketing efforts. ), save customer preferences, and consider purchasing. See history across channels and facilitate handoffs from chatbots to live his agents if needed.
Design your SMS campaigns to fit your customer journey
Relevance (based on segmentation and targeting) and timing (offers based on events or behavioral triggers) are key to successful SMS campaigns.
For example, smart SMS can be a great hook or kickoff point to start a conversation, respond to an inquiry, drive an order, drive product usage, or drive repeat purchases. There is a nature. When a customer engages via her SMS, you can use NLP (Natural Language Processing) chatbots and rich messaging to move the conversation forward. For example, you can check the availability of products in stores near you, help you change reservations, or even share a carousel of products that interest you for purchase. Chat, said Jennifer Shambroom, her CMO at her commerce company Clickatell.
A welcome flow can take multiple paths based on the customer’s response. Similarly, customer service escalations and sales drip campaigns are both highly effective with conversational SMS. According to Shambroom, 79% of customers now prefer live chat over other forms of communication, including phone calls.
Related Articles: Connected Customer, Connected Data, Connected Journey
SMS should be privacy first too
Of course, like all marketing channels today, SMS must respect customer privacy, Reither points out.
Business SMS has many rules and regulations, and brands should provide good evidence of opt-in, opt-out options for each message, and documented policies and processes to keep their lists up-to-date. Additionally, compliance must be maintained to avoid legal and financial penalties. .
Where does smart SMS fit in the stack?
As SMS marketing technology becomes more intelligent, it moves from automation (automated marketing messages, autoresponders) to action, providing recommended content, next steps, answers to live agents, or self-service to customers. Shambroom says it will actually offer it. Purchases and relationships with brands can occur within his mobile messaging.
And now, smart SMS offers marketers a golden opportunity to test and build mobile-first personal connections that are cost-effective and measurable.
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