SMS marketing is the most popular communication channel for marketing. But if you haven’t been there before, it may seem difficult to get started. We often hear marketers talk about how SMS marketing isn’t right for their business. Or I’m worried that the customer will react negatively to the message. And these are valid concerns. However, when done properly, SMS Marketing can be a very effective communication tool with obvious benefits for businesses of all sizes.
- Benefits of SMS Marketing
- Relatively low cost
- Open rate close to 100% (highest of all marketing media)
- Almost immediate delivery
- ROI tracking
- Personalization and targeting capabilities
Therefore, if you have a short message that you want your customers to see as soon as possible, sending an SMS is the best way to do it.
Your requirements
Like email marketing, SMS marketing is permission-based. Therefore, it is imperative to obtain consent and comply with anti-spam laws. Here in Australia, the 2003 Spam Act incorporates email and SMS marketing, both of which have the same basic requirements.
- Consent must be present before sending a message
- Recipients need to be able to easily identify the sender
- Recipients need to have an easy way to opt out
ACMA, the Australian governing body, provides excellent advice on adhering to anti-spam laws regarding SMS marketing consent. In addition, Bulk SMS Marketing software providers like Vision6 do not have to worry about processing opt-out requests because they are automatically captured by capturing SMS responses from campaigns.
General use
SMS marketing does more than just send sales and promotional messages to customers. In fact, if these are the only SMS messages you send to your customers, you may need to reassess your SMS marketing. SMS is also a great option if:
- Event and appointment reminders
- Birthday and anniversary messages
- Service alert
- Emergency notification (product recall, etc.)
yes…
Tournament
Time-sensitive promotion
Important considerations
People tend to protect their cell phones more than they are their email address. This is primarily because it is considered a personal device reserved for communication with friends and family. Therefore, be aware of how to start communicating with people via SMS.
Use the message first, then for promotion.
When asking for a mobile number, be clear about why you are asking for it and the type of message people can expect to receive from you.
Always give people choice. Ask them to choose how to contact them via email, mobile, or both.
Send SMS messages only at the appropriate time. No one likes to be woken up by the humming of a phone call at 6am.
Matthew Johnson is an EDM specialist for email marketing software company Vision6. As Australia’s leader in all electronic messaging, Vision6 uses the power of email, SMS, and social media marketing to enable thousands of companies to achieve superior marketing results.
