The world of digital marketing is constantly changing, and so is the role of text messaging in marketing. While traditional text messaging is still popular—SMS (short message service) for texting and WhatsApp for messaging—new platforms like Snapchat and Facebook have created their own challenges for marketers.
SMS marketing still has a lot going for it. First of all, it’s free. Second, it connects with almost every digital channel we have today, from email to social media.
But, with the rise of TikTok and other major platforms, text messaging might not be as effective as it once was for marketers.
Here, we’ll discuss how to use SMS and e-mail marketing to grow your business. We’ll cover everything from what you should include in your messages to how to measure the success of your efforts.
Build A Database
One of the major challenges of using text messaging for marketing is building a database of potential customers. While you can certainly start with your current customers, you’ll need to expand your outreach to capture the interest of new customers. And the best way to do that is through a lead magnet such as an e-book or a mini-course. Not only will this draw in potential customers, but it’ll also create credibility for your brand. This is especially important if you’re trying to gain credibility with B2B (Business to Business) customers.
Pro-Tip: Look into offering a free trial or a free demo of your products or services. Not only will this increase your credibility with potential customers, but it’ll also allow you to determine whether or not they’re interested in your product. Interested customers will be attracted to your offer, while disinterested customers will move on to the next offer—resulting in a greater opportunity for you to grow your business.
Personalization Is King
In today’s digital marketing landscape, personalization is essential. Not only does it increase the chances of a customer engaging with your content, but it also makes it more relevant to them. Tailor your content appropriately based on what you know about the customer. This way, the customer will feel like you’re speaking directly to them and their needs will be met.
Pro-Tip: Use personal pronouns in your correspondence. When a business gets ahold of a customer’s personal information, whether it’s through a breach or unintentionally, that customer has the right to be upset. So, use pronouns such as “you,” “your,” “yourself,” and “yours.” This shows that you’re speaking to them and not just a character or a logo.
Measure The Success Of Your Text Marketing Efforts
Once you’ve started collecting subscribers, you’ll begin to see the benefits of sending out periodic emails or texts. But, before you can claim victory, you’ll need to set up a measurement system to determine the true success of your efforts.
The first step in this measurement process will be to look at your key performance indicators (KPIs). These are specific measurement metrics that you’ll use to determine the effectiveness of your text messaging campaign. Your KPIs should reflect the goals you set forth when designing your text messaging strategy.
What do you hope to see from your text messaging campaign? More traffic to your site? New subscribers? A combination of the two? Set up your KPIs appropriately, and you’ll be able to determine the true success of your campaign.
Pro-Tip: Use statistical analysis to determine the impact of your text messaging campaign. If you’re using an SPSS plugin like Hello Analytics, you can perform simple statistical analyses like Linear Regression, ANOVA, or mediation analysis. These will give you a clear picture of the relationship between your input factors (like the content you send out) and the effectiveness of your campaign (like new subscribers or website traffic).
Make Sure You Maintain Good Quality
Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that your customers are only as good as your engagement. Just because you have a large database of qualified leads doesn’t mean that every member of that database will be a good customer. You need to stay engaged with those leads to create value for them and maintain a high quality subscriber base.
So, make sure that you engage with your subscribers by sending out regular engagement updates. This could be a weekly email outlining the top new products or services, or it could be an occasional status update on your efforts to improve your business.
Pro-Tip: Use tools like MailChimp and AWeber to manage and track your email marketing campaigns. With these tools, you can set up automated campaign cycles and connect all of your social media accounts to pull in new subscribers. Plus, you can segment your email lists based on customer needs. So, if you’re getting a lot of spammers on your email list, you can remove a large portion of them without taking a hit to your email performance. Not every email marketer is as lucky as we are.
Traditional Vs. Digital
Let’s say that, in the future, traditional text messaging falls by the wayside. Or, at least, it becomes less effective. Would you be prepared to adapt your marketing strategy?
What would your dream situation look like? Would you prefer to use digital marketing instead, given that it is a platform-independent method of reaching customers? Or would you like to see a combination of the two?
Whatever your answer might be, you need to be prepared to adjust your strategy. As new platforms emerge and new technologies evolve, the landscape of digital marketing will continue to change. But, as long as you continue to adapt with the times, you’ll be able to grow your business successfully.