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A recent eMarketer article delves into the extraordinary potential of SMS marketing. With nearly 4 in 5 people in the U.S. owning smartphones, the data shared is truly remarkable.
5 Impactful Stats That Showcase the Power of SMS Marketing
Texting is projected to have a similar impact to AI in 2024.
Customers actively use texting to engage with companies.
Text messages significantly boost click-through rates.
There is a clear desire among customers to receive text messages from businesses.
SMS is not just a communication tool but also a valuable retail media strategy.
The article also reports that U.S. adults prefer SMS to message delivery on other apps like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp or via a brand’s own app, according to an April 2023 Webex by Cisco survey conducted by OnePoll. While it’s beneficial to grow a community on social media and to encourage app downloads, sometimes it’s best to meet consumers where they already are: in their native text messaging app.
How to Use SMS Marketing For Your Business
Ad Hoc SMS Campaigns
An ad hoc text campaign is an SMS group campaign that is often unsegmented and unautomated, meaning that your brand will use one standard template and send it to a large group of subscribers. This is a unique message that is often sent once.
Recurring SMS Campaigns
Recurring SMS campaigns are also group campaigns, but unlike ad hoc text messages, these messages are set up at regular intervals and can be automated. Brands that use recurring text campaigns can find ways to seamlessly fit them into their digital strategy.
For example, let's say a farm-to-table restaurant offers a unique daily menu, based on available products from their partners and providers. They update their website with lunch and dinner menus at 10:00 AM Monday-Friday. Recurring campaigns with the link to the website can be scheduled to send to subscribers interested in the restaurant's daily menu.
On-event SMS Campaigns
Unlike the previously mentioned text campaign types, on-event texts are triggered by subscriber action or data. These strategies require an e-commerce, CRM, or POS integration.
These texts usually focus on continuing the customer journey with your brand, by incentivizing existing subscribers to stay engaged with your brand. On-event texts can be some of the most lucrative for marketers as they focus on the behavior of the customer and offer a more personalized experience.
Potential triggers for this campaign type include:
On Birthday: Delivery of this text is linked to the “date of birth” field in the contact database. You can use our webform or Date of Birth question insertion to capture a subscriber's birthday and automatically send “on-birthday” texts.
On Abandoned Shopping Cart: This text is launched if a customer adds items to a shopping cart but doesn’t complete the purchase. In those circumstances, an abandoned cart reminder text can automatically be sent.
Keyword: This text is an autoresponder that is sent automatically when a subscriber texts in a keyword.
Customer Survey: This text is sent a specified number of days after a customer dines with you or makes a purchase. Use customer surveys to boost your Google reviews and gather feedback on how you can improve your product and service. For restaurants using OpenTable, Age Texting can integrate with the reservation software to set up automated customer surveys.
On Date: This type of text is sent on a specific date or holiday.
On Import: This text is sent after an import has been performed. For example, you might want to send a disclaimer text confirming your texting number, link to terms and conditions, and instructions for opting out.
On Signup: This text is sent after a new subscriber has submitted their signup webform. You can embed our webform into your website or use it as a landing page.
When using on-event texts, it’s easy to “set and forget” them. Because these texts offer a tremendous amount of opportunity for additional sales, it’s imperative to regularly review their performance. If certain texts aren’t doing well, make sure to revisit them and refine their messaging.
If you’re not using text marketing, now is the time to kick off your SMS marketing strategy.