A business owner has to market and launch their products through various channels. Among those channels, SMS marketing has been making waves in the retail world for some time now, as they can be read just within three minutes.
Overview
What Is SMS Marketing?
SMS marketing is a method of sending promotional messages and campaigns to your customers, using text messages. Retailers often use it to communicate with and inform customers, with updates about their products, offers, discounts, and many other business notifications.
This type of mobile marketing is more advantageous than email, as these messages are short (with a limit of 600 words), which only takes few seconds to forward. It is also very handy with push notifications.
For retailers, SMS marketing service is an effective channel for campaigns to reach their targeted and prospective customers. According to a marketing charts article, 49% of marketers and agencies use SMS/text messaging, which is even the most widespread channel for mobile marketing.
How Can SMS Support Retail Business?
Act As A Supplement To Email Marketing
Marketing through text messages is easy, as SMS open rates are huge, as high as 98%.
Increase Customer Engagement
On average, people spend more time on their smartphones, hence text messages can boost customer engagement by reaching them quickly and conveniently.
Increase Sales
SMS Marketing engages and nurtures customers, to repeat purchases and increase sales.
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Support Campaign Creation
Using text messages is short and quick, and from that companies also know how to segment customers with their interests and behavior. Segmentation is useful to send unique and personalized messages.
Raise Brand Awareness
Text message marketing has a high impact on customers, by using branded links. In fact, the click-through rates of SMS are up to 39%.
Best Ways to Optimize SMS Marketing
About 97% of companies found that customer communications are more efficient after launching SMS marketing. Given the importance of SMS/text in marketing, what are the best ways to optimize your strategy?
Support Loyalty Programs
Always send an SMS to new customers to build a good rapport, as this could make them feel welcome. SMS Marketing can also be used to send personalized messages to your loyal customers. You can also forward product-specific information based on their previous purchases, or take special considerations to address VIP customers by their first name, before you address the rest of the customer base.
Promote Offers and Discounts
You can promote offers and discounts by creating MMS (SMS with pictures). This can include special offers and discounts to increase the excitement, and encourage them to make a purchase. This kind of approach is used for flash sales or to move excess inventory.
Send Abandoned Cart Alert
Similar to email marketing, text marketing can be used to remind shoppers that they have left products in their cart before checkout.
Announce New Arrivals
Forward exclusive announcements to your SMS subscribers about the new products, to encourage them to get these items before sold out. This method can help you to build brand loyalty and increase sales on new inventory.
Send Back-in-stock Alerts
Sending out messages is a great way to announce when the items are back, due to its high open rates. You can forward back-in-stock messages to your customers.
Introduce Events
SMS Marketing is effective for time-sensitive messaging, for instance to spread a word about upcoming pop-up events very easily. Make sure to include CTA (Call to Action), so that the customers can sign up or add them in their calendar.
Support Customer Service
Integrate your SMS Marketing software with your Customer Service Software, to develop a two-way text messaging conversation with your customers. This can be an easy inquiry related to your business.
Act As A Sales Channel
Omnichannel creates a seamless customer experience, so adding your text marketing service to an omnichannel selling strategy can be an inspiration for your business. If you are looking for a new marketing channel, text messages can direct you in many different ways to increase your revenue.
ConnectPOS offers a wide range of technological solutions for your retail business, such as providing an omnichannel experience. Contact us if you have any questions.