SMS marketing is loved by marketers all over the globe because of its high delivery rate and the personal touch it adds to messaging. It allows brands to create long-lasting relationships with customers whiles providing valuable information.
Consumers opt-in to sms communications because they feel it’s convenient as compared to other channels where businesses can reach them.
According to a 2021 report from Attentive Mobile, more than 90% of consumers are open to signing up and receiving text messages from brands they love.
Another survey by Attentive Mobile showed that about 96% of marketers agree that text messaging helped in increasing revenue for their businesses.
The SMS channel is popular and used by all brands regardless of the industry because it works! restaurants, religious bodies, financial institutions, etc. are a few examples of businesses benefiting from Text messaging marketing.
In this guide, you will find everything you need to help you get started with sms Marketing in 2023.
What is sms marketing?
SMS marketing, also known as text message marketing is a form of marketing where businesses leverage the SMS channel to send promotions, alerts, coupons, discounts, appointment reminders, etc.. to their customers.
SMS is fast – has higher open and response rates as compared to other marketing channels; making it one of the most popular ways to reach your customers and also build brand loyalty.
SMS offers businesses cost-saving benefits as compared to radio & tv ads, where you have to increase your budget anytime you want to reach your audience.
How to use sms marketing
Sms marketing is used by all businesses regardless of your industry. Religious bodies, NGOs, government institutions, and restaurants can all use sms marketing.
You can use sms marketing in several ways to sell, educate, or build loyalty or trust. Here are various ways you can make sms work for your business.
1. Appointment reminders
2. Discounts and special promotions
3. Order confirmations
4. Loyalty programs
5. Event reminders
6. New product announcements, etc.
How to get started with SMS Marketing
Depending on the platform you choose for your sms marketing campaigns, you may face a few difficulties setting up your sms account the first time.
However, when you choose the NALO SMS portal, our easy-to-use interface makes it simple to navigate your way. In a few minutes, you can begin sending your text campaigns.
Here is how to get started;
1. Setup SMS account
To begin your sms journey, create a free sms account with NALO Solutions. It should take less than three(3) minutes to complete.
After, you will be asked to log in to your sms account.
2. Upload the contact list
Once your account has been created, it’s now time to upload your sms contact list on the sms portal. Without your list, you cannot send any sms.
3. Choose the sender ID
A sender id is an alphanumeric character you can choose to help customers identify your business. Since sender ids help customers to easily identify which brand is texting them, always choose a name that helps customers identify your brand.
4. Add SMS message
This is where you add the sms promotions you want to send to all your customers.
5. Send SMS
After proofreading and making sure your campaign is in order, it’s now time to complete the sms campaign by clicking the Send SMS button.
6. Visit Analytics
After your sms campaign has been sent, visit our reports tab to learn more about your campaign performance. This will guide you to make the most of your campaign the next time you hit send.
P.S. Looking to connect our sms portal via API?, visit our SMS API documentation page to proceed.
Benefits of SMS marketing
The benefits of text message marketing to businesses are enormous. Here are some of the benefits of sms to your business.
1. SMS is a cost-effective method of advertising for businesses as compared to paid ads.
2. SMS can help brands engage in conversations with consumers which helps increase loyalty amongst businesses and consumers and vice versa.
3. Sms is instant – messages sent to consumers are received instantly and acted upon, as compared to paid ads that “learn” first before going out to everybody.
4. Because of its personal nature, constant sms reminders make consumers feel a connection with brands they want to hear from.
5. Sms promotions can help reach sales goals hence impacting ROIs.
Best practices for sending SMS
While we encourage your business to reach out to customers through sms, we also entreat you to do so with a well-thought digital strategy that will help you reach your business goals while providing value to your subscribers.
Here are some best practices you can use as a backbone for your sms marketing campaigns.
1. Always get permission first.
People treasure their phones so much that sending them an sms they haven’t subscribed to may get you marked as spam. Getting permission first before sending sms ensures that you have the license to send messages to them.
You can ask for permission by adding checkboxes to your lead gen forms for consumers to agree to receive text messages from your brand.
2. Always allow consumers to opt-out
Apart from transactional messages like debits and credits alerts, where messages are sent based on consumers’ activities, all sms promotions to customers should include opt-out options for consumers to unsubscribe when they want to.
3. Timing is important
Your sms should be timely and sent out at a time consumers are most likely to interact with it. For example, sending a promotional message early in the morning may not do so well as compared to sending the same message at midday.
Choose NALO for your SMS Marketing
Ready to kickstart your SMS Journey? Create a free SMS account and join brands like yours that are building lasting relationships with their customers.
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