Best SMS marketing tips for small business growth

Best SMS marketing tips for small business growth. There is no better action based marketing than with SMS. We tell you how to make it easy

Why use SMS anyway

First of all over 90% of people will read an SMS immediately and a percentage will act on the message. This depends of course on content

best SMS marketing tips have legal implications

Using the legal bits to better use

What the heck are the legal bits and how do they affect you?
You can not send random messages to anyone. You need prior consent gathered within your business dealings. However you should build your list at every opportunity. Get those names, emails and mobile numbers so that you can market to them at anytime.

Every country has different laws so if you are in doubt please check with the local authority.

Secondly you must offer the receiver the option to Opt-out of future messages and maintain a register so you don't continue to bombard them with mail.

Importantly it is a good thing when they do choose to leave you. They are not your customers and never will be so don't waste your time on them.

A nice tidy list is far better than a random base of numbers.

Gathering your contact list

Your contact list has a real value. Not only will it provide a regular flow of business it will also be a valued asset on your balance sheet.

You can sell your list on the sale of your business based on the long term returns you may expect. This could be in the hundreds of thousand of dollars so it is important.

Every website, page, post or blog should carry a link that your readers can subscribe to.
I have installed one below that goes directly to my SMS base and confirms with you that you are a valued customer.

Every, invoice, quote, order or collateral should have a way of gathering your contact information. Make your staff aware and insist they develop a habit of gathering the vital data.

Your data base is an Asset just like Real Estate so treat it with respect

Using newsletters to gather data

Using automation

This is the age of automation where your contacts get loaded to a list instantly and welcomed as premium customers that can expect more from you in the future. Be nice early and get liked for your presentation so that they will trust you enough sometime to buy from you.

Have a link on your Social Media your web pages and anywhere else possible. Every new customer has a real value to you therefore treat them extra well.

Have your list in a format that you can use at any time with a simple cut and paste.

Personalise your list

It always helps to address your recipients by name however you must also remember that this takes up valuable characters. Hello Mr Jonathon Armstrong blows away about 28 of your available 160 characters therefore consider if the benefit out ways the return.

The advantages of a fixed number

Many of you will either ignore this advantage or simply be blissfully unaware that it has a 5X impact.
Most businesses use a bulk SMS generator that uses a variety of numbers when sending mail,
In a large blast they may use a dozen or more different numbers.

In fact my daughter queried with me how her doctor and dentist shared a number. Her appointment confirmation came from the same number. By coincidence both services used the same carrier and the number had been generated from both. She had saved it in her folder for future use however it would never receive return calls.

I always encourage the use of a fixed number even though it comes with a small monthly cost.
It should be considered part of your branding and provide both ways access at any time.

Your phone will recognise the incoming mail and advise who is messaging thus instant recognition.

Todays customers are busy and the use of SMS is proffered to any other form of communications. The older generation may make a phone call but we are a dying breed as technology passes us by.

Let them message you straight to your email so that anyone can handle the query and it is not lost on a Mobile phone with a flat battery.

Best SMS marketing tips for great results

Instant gratification

Because most messages are looked at immediately on receipt the user has a decision to make, either delete or reply.
The reply provides instant feed back and is ideal for instigating a small test market.
Message a small number from your base and then see what the stats say. Then make any changes that you think are necessary

Sending an offer and offering excitement

There is no better way than to build excitement than with an SMS.
Many had waited for a new product line and were told to register an interest. An SMS on the appropriate day had punters lined up at opening time to beat the rush.

Should businesses give product away

Cost per click return beats most marketing measures

Over 90% of SMS messages are opened immediately and most are acted on. Whereas emails have a 30% open rate and may sit for days before a response is initiated.

Cost of a message is immaterial, cost of return is everything.

A busy health provider sent out about 500 messages saying they had not seen the customer in their Gym for some time and would love to have them back. The cost was about $100.
Forty three people reacted and signed a new term contract returning $12,000 in income.
Furthermore it was done in a very short time.

A busy restaurant has the occasional quiet night. This is a restaurant that is hard to obtain a table on most nights. However they are staffed for a full house so they need to fill more tables quickly. Taking a slice from their data base they send a message offering a quick booking with a special offer, the offer is always taken up. Cost a few dollars the return a few thousand dollars.

Wholesale supplier has monthly trade meetings where clients are invited for an early morning meeting. After trying several ways they found that a message one week prior and then one hour prior bought a maximum attendance.

Large plumbing supply group tried a quarterly car park sale. Press advertising was over
$10,000 a time with average results. They found that SMS messaging lifted the response and cut the cost by about two thirds thus bigger profit.

How could a SMS marketing plan work for you.

Outsource your work

Sometimes you are just too busy to do everything required of you. You know you should but don't have the time or the suitable personal to do it.

When we host your base all you need do is tell us what you want to say, and when. Then wait for the sales to come in.

Depending on volumes and time a small cost my be added for labour content.

My SMS wrap up

Having seen this work so well, so many times for many years I am confident that it will deliver results every time. However it can be overdone so it requires good forward planning. Therefore set out your annual calendar, plan the events and no in advance what you want to achieve. Furthermore you may add other forms to the mix. Email is a great support act and even a cold call as a reminder depending on the time between contacts.
A multiple touch method will capture a slightly larger group and stick in the minds of the recipients that bit longer.