Introduction to SMS Marketing Services
We have all been using the mighty service of texting that has made the life of people in general much easier. The SMS marketing service of text messaging has come to our aid numerous numbers of times. If we are busy somewhere and can’t take a call at the time then we could just drop a message to the caller. If we have something important to tell the other person but can’t really call the person or don’t want to get into the formalities of calling or just can’t reach the receiver that the moment then you can just drop a message for the person. But there are some other functions that the text messaging has been performing. The text messages have not only made the transfer of information easier but also helped many business houses in the promotion and the marketing of their business.
SMS marketing services or otherwise known as the short message service marketing technique allows you to send promotional text messages to people after acquiring their permission for the same. For example, the text message received by you regarding the various offer schemes available from the various showroom or outlets that you become a member of. It is a way or a means of SMS marketing services where the particular showroom or the outlet is letting you know about the various different schemes available in their outlet so as to attract you to shop there.
The process of getting registered for the text message marketing service is quite easy. All you have to do is to send an initial shortcode to the company. Once the code has been sent to the company, the mobile number will be stored in the software of the text marketing. This way you can be sure of receiving all the recent updates about the various schemes available in the market. Once you have sent the text expressing your wish to subscribe to the marketing text, you will receive a confirmation text explicitly stating the receipt of the confirmation and also stating the code for unsubscribing the text messages, if the need is in the future.
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The benefits of this type of marketing can be endless. The text messages help you in notifying the customers in your vicinity without you having to go through the process of using the push notification application. The main aim behind the service of SMS marketing services can be defined as a process to increase the customer base and customer loyalty towards the company. The SMS marketing services of the company are helpful for the companies who want to notify their customers in the vicinity about the updates and various offers available.
The SMS marketing services can also be used as a way to remind people about the various upcoming events in their company and make them participate in the various polls and know their opinion on various topics. There are many customers who prefer SMS marketing services over email marketing as it helps in a segmentation of the messages to be sent and the customers to whom they are to be sent on the basis of the response received from the various customers.
The SMS marketing services of the company can be considered as the most effective way of marketing because the emails can remain unread in the inbox of the recipient, the phones can be ignored by the receiver or even left unanswered and the leaflets can be thrown out without a second glance but the text messages are most often read and they are read really quickly. This helps in ensuring that the customer is informed about the new marketing scheme provided by the company. According to James Citron, about 95% of the customers to whom the text messages are sent, open and read the message as quickly as within the first 3 mins of receiving the text. That probability is highly in favor of the companies sending the text message.
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But it is important to understand that the SMS marketing services system only works with the consent of the customers whom you tend to send the message to. It is not only unethical but also illegal to send such messages to the people without their consent. But the ease with which the customers can opt for such messages and opt out of receiving such messages which makes the whole system of SMS marketing services much easier. Hence it saves you the trouble of spam emails that you receive almost on a daily basis. And also the system of opting in or out also makes the whole process a much more effective process than the sending of emails.
The email marketing system just has so many wrongs in it that the SMS marketing services system was just a big hit when it was introduced. As stated by James Citron, the marketing emails contain about 95% of spam emails even if they are opt-in by the customers, so they mostly end up in the spam box. And even if they don’t end up in the spam mailbox, but the customers receive so many emails on the daily basis that the mail most likely is supposed to end up lost. Hence the importance of SMS marketing services cannot be undermined. Therefore it is important to make sure that the SMSs also don’t get lost and it is important to understand as to how exactly will this SMS marketing tool work.
6 Best ways to know how exactly SMS marketing services work
1. Get the consent of the customers
It is important for any company to make sure that they have the consent form from the customers wherein they specifically state their desire to receive such promotional messages from the company. The company needs to make sure that the consent given by the customer is not out of un-attentiveness or forgetfulness. Hence they need to make sure that in order for the customer to give their consent, they need to do something specific that they cannot do in the state of forgetfulness like asking them to send a particular shortcode to a particular number or scanning a particular QR code. This way the company will have the consent of the customers and the company will be able to prove that the consent received by them is not an illegitimate one. This is so because sending spam mail or text is illegal and hence the company also needs to maintain records of the consents received by it for the promotional emails. Also, the message sent by the company confirming the consent of the customer should also contain the method of opting out of the marketing messages. And should be explicitly stated.
2. Make your message irresistible
There are a number of companies opting for the SMS marketing tool and customers opting for the SMS update service of various companies but what is it that will make your business offer stand out. The only way to make sure that your messages are read and are paid heed upon then make sure that your message or the offer that you are making is tempting. Offer an extra discount to the customers who show the message sent by you informing them about the sale at your outlet. Or provide them with goodies related to the company before anyone else. This way, you can make sure that customers won’t opt out of the update messages being sent by the company and the customers are also given an added advantage so that receiving a message from the company is not just a headache but has something for them in it too.
3. Take into account the customer’s opinion
Most companies often ignore the desires of the customers. So make sure that you ask your customers what kind of message updates they want, when or how often would they like to get the message updates and if the information that you send them through the SMS marketing tool is even relevant to them or not. So once you get the information then customize your messages according to the needs and preferences of the customers that you are sending your messages to. Also, make sure that you send the same information to the customer that they signed up for. Don’t send the messages that they didn’t ask for. This is pretty obvious that it will create a negative image of you and your company in the eyes of the customer. They are your target audience. Serve them well or they will leave your company, and I am sure that is not what you want.
4. Be considerate enough
Being considerate never cost anyone anything. So if you are sending a marketing message to someone then make sure that you are not sending them the message at inappropriate times. Of course, you can’t keep track of all the customers that you are sending the message to but you can definitely keep in mind the few broad guidelines that will help you make sure that you are not disturbing the customer while they are not in a mood to receive any promotional text message. So make sure that you don’t send the messages before 9 A.M. or after 9 P.M. keeping in mind the privacy of the customer and some family time that they might want to enjoy. So don’t disturb them with the promotional text outside the working hours. Or don’t send them messages on public holidays. Why would someone be interested in your marketing messages while they are on holiday? Also, keep track of the time difference between your overseas customers.
5. Think beyond the line
Think beyond the ordinary course of action. Think of new ways to make your text message more attractive. If you think that your marketing strategy can be better explained by a multimedia message then opt for that. The phones that are being used today are quite capable of viewing a multimedia message. Or even if you want to send an SMS then you can use some nice catchy phrases to grab the attention of your customers. You can add links to the websites where you have better explained your marketing strategy like YouTube. It is believed that YouTube can reach 50-60% of customers as against only 10% of customers that are reached out through the use of MMS. And make sure that the images or the video used by you are clearly expressing your idea of the brand or your idea of services that the customer might like. And add something useful for the customer to it. This will help the customer in being attached to the company. And will not choose another company if the marketing strategy is understood by the customer and they understand that the company also has something in store for them too.
6. Let them know about the additional charges
When you are asking the permission of the customer to opt-in for the SMS marketing tool then make sure that you let them know about the extra charges that may apply in order to avail the service. “Caveat emptor” is the strategy that needs to be used here i.e., the customer is the king and he has the right to know everything before he agrees on to anything. This way the customer can’t really challenge the company for keeping them in the dark and siphoning off money from them. Make the terms and conditions of the agreement clearly stated and make sure that the customer understands the terms and conditions of the agreement. Cover all your grounds and leave no loop in the marketing service.
The SMS marketing tool may seem like a lot of work and some people may also say that this way of marketing is not as effective as other sources of marketing but the statistics show a different story. So choosing this marketing strategy is an effective move as long as you know what needs to be done and what does the customer want. If you are able to tick all the boxes for good SMS marketing tool then there really isn’t anything that can go wrong. This marketing strategy can turn out to be quite effective and efficient.
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