SMS Campaigns
As with all forms of communication, marketing requires a certain etiquette to ensure the effectiveness of the campaign. It is best to keep in mind that, in this information age, people are being bombarded with information constantly in their waking hours, and to be received well by the customer, the form the communication takes needs to keeps the needs of the customer in mind.
So why an SMS campaign?
Of all the forms of marketing, such as print media, social media, mail shots and the like, the SMS campaign has been proven to still be the most effective. It casts its net wider than all the others. Most people these days own a cell phone, although not always a smartphone with internet capabilities, and the SMS function remains a standard feature on every type of device, regardless of its operating system or manufacturer.
This means that your potential customer base is holding you in their hands, literally, when they receive your SMS.
It costs the customer nothing to receive your information, or even to opt-out, if they so wish.
Etiquette? What does that mean?
Etiquette simply means a few guidelines have been adhered to, to ensure respect and choice have been maintained on behalf of the customer.
A key form of etiquette is to ensure that the SMS contains an Opt-Out option, which is clear in the SMS. This is to maintain the respect for the choice of the customer to be able to opt out from receiving SMS messages in the future regarding your product or service.
Content – what should the SMS include?
A successful SMS campaign will always include these forms of information:
- Quality content – a high-quality message significantly improves the hit rate with customers, so take the time to put together content that is of the highest quality possible;
- Customer support – Remember that whatever forms of support or contact facilities are made available to the customer, these need to be as convenient for the customer to use as possible. Keep in mind that the customer may not have a smart phone or be willing or able to incur cost to make the required contact. Including more than one form of contact allows the customer to make a choice based on their own need and convenience;
- Call to action – The SMS needs to be clear to the customer as to what the service or product is, so that the customer is free to make an informed choice regarding this. Vague language, or unclear options, may result in the customer being lost. Once they’ve opted out from the campaign there is no going back to that customer again;
- Reward – any form of reward for customers in an SMS campaign is going to improve the effectiveness of that campaign. Let your customers know there’s something in it for them to make contact with you, and do business with you.
Successful campaigning to all!