How to get sales with Bulk SMS for Business

Bulk SMS marketing continues to be one of the top channels for driving sales because it has an open rate of more than 90%, which is far higher than the average email marketing open rate (20-30%). By properly using text messaging as a marketing channel, you can turn your marketing strategies into profits almost immediately. Here's how you can use bulk SMS for business to increase sales in your business.

Build a Quality Subscriber List

Your success will start with a permission-based approach to marketing; therefore, you should collect phone numbers from as many sources as possible, including your website signup forms, store promotions, checkout processes, and social media campaigns. If you want to increase the number of subscribers, you should offer incentives such as exclusive discounts, early access to sales, and valuable content in exchange for opt-ins to your service. You should also include a clear opt-in statement, as well as make it easy for subscribers to opt out of receiving future messages, to comply with laws such as TCPA and GDPR. The importance of building a quality subscriber database is to focus on building relationships with likely buyers and avoid purchasing lists, which could result in both poor deliverability and harm to your reputation.

Write captivating messages

Each standard SMS message has a limit of 160 characters. Thus, every word should count. To begin with, provide an attention-grabbing message opening that creates a sense of demand and urgency. Be clear on how the recipient benefits from your offer with a clear value proposition. Provide an explosive benefit statement. Use action-oriented words, such as Shop Now, Claim Offer, Reply YES, and others.

Personalization has been proven to greatly improve the conversion rates of your messages. Address recipients by name and segment your audience according to past purchases, preferences or demographics. For example, a message with the following title will outperform a generic blast: “Hi Sarah, Your Favourite Sneakers Are 30% Off Today!”

Choosing the Right Time to Send

Timing matters when sending out messages. You want to send out your messages when the recipient is likely to engage with them. Steer clear of sending messages out early in the morning, late in the evening, and/or during periods when people are extremely busy. Be sure to take time zones into account if your audience is spread out over multiple regions.

Lastly, pay attention to frequency. Sending a subscriber too many messages daily can lead to the subscriber opting to unsubscribe. A good frequency for sending is 2-4 messages per month, unless you have established that your audience prefers to receive messages more than that.

Generate Compelling Offers

Utilize SMS to inspire immediate action through the use of urgent promotions that are time-sensitive. Examples include Daily Deals with countdown clocks, limited inventory offers, and are only provided to those who receive a subscriber option, creating urgency that causes consumers to make quicker buying decisions. The addition of unique coupon code(s) for each bulk SMS for business marketing campaign allows tracking and provides an added sense of exclusivity for the customer.

SMS Abandoned Cart Reminders are proven to effectively recover lost sales. A simple message stating, "Your cart is waiting! Buy within the next hour for 10% off your order," has the potential to increase conversions dramatically.

Integrate With Your Marketing System

SMS is maximized when used in conjunction with an integrated approach to marketing. Combining the use of text message marketing with email marketing, social media, and retargeting ads will create a substantial impact on your customer base. Use SMS for important announcement information regarding products or services, and utilize email for a more detailed description of the product/service. Cross-promote the various marketing channels—make sure to tell your social media followers about the text club and share social media links on text message promotions.

Link to Quick Loading Landing Pages with a Streamlined Checkout Process from SMS Marketing Messages. Targeting your customers’ mobile devices means providing a seamless experience from the time they receive your SMS until they complete their purchase. Each impediment between your SMS and completing a purchase means you will be losing out on potential revenue.

Track, Test, and Optimize

Monitor key metrics in terms of Delivery, Click Through Rate (CTR), Conversion Rate (CVR), and Return on Investment (ROI). Perform A/B Testing on multiple variations of messages, times to send, offers, and calls to action, so you can see which version of messaging clicks with your audience. Most Bulk SMS providers offer an extensive Analytics Dashboard.

Also, keep an eye on the Opt-Out Rate; if you see a spike, you may want to look closely at your frequency, relevance, or messaging. Customer feedback (both directly and through behavior) will help you to continue improving.

Provide Exceptional Value

It's important to offer your Subscribers value beyond promotional messages. Whether you are offering tips or instructions for the proper care of a product, invitations to special events, or VIP previews, providing Subscribers with content of value is what will help to build a relationship with them so that they are more likely to be receptive to the promotional message.

Conclusion

Bulk SMS can turn an Internet Browser into a Buyer when you respect your audience, provide relevant offers, and optimize every aspect of your campaign. Begin with the smallest possible size, test regularly, and grow the winning Strategies into great Sales Channels with Instavo IP that provide measurable results and enhance your Customer Relationships.