It’s Not Too Late to Add Text Messaging to Your Marketing Strategy

• Nearly 35 percent of consumers indicated they would view a business more positively if it offers SMS messaging capabilities, and more than 35 percent of users who opted in to receive texts from companies saw those messages as “somewhat useful” or “very useful,” according to research from TextMagic.

And this is just a miniscule amount of all of the data compiled over the past few years to suggest a strong and growing consumer preference for and acceptance of text messaging as a business marketing tool.

Another challenge among businesses that adopt text messaging often lies in gauging the success of those efforts. “Depending upon the industry, companies have different objectives and marketing campaign goals when it comes to text messaging,” Reid says. “However, one thing we have learned from doing our own research with companies is that 86 percent of businesses we have asked have found that texting improves the level of customer engagement.”

Customer engagement is an integral component in the customer experience, and industry research by Bain & Company found that companies that are successful in creating meaningful and impactful experiences with their customers grow revenue 4 percent to 8 percent above market. In turn, these customers become product promoters to others in their circles of friends and acquaintances.

BEST PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS

For companies contemplating a more robust text messaging strategy with their marketing, a number of best practices have already been established.

Below are seven of the most widely accepted ones:

1. Develop the text messaging communications channel. Many companies grow their text messaging audiences by making offers to their customers that are only available through text messaging.
2. Personalize text messages with detailslike customers’ name, references to prior purchases, or messages that appeal to their interests.
3. Use images.“Images are very important in text messages,” Reid says. “They generate increases in customer response rates and figure into sales conversion factors.”
4. Invite customer engagement. Customer engagement definitely contributes to bottom-line sale results, and text messaging can help. It does so by creating a sense of urgency and immediacy with customers. Text messages make it very easy for customers to respond.
5. Develop messages that are respectful and that comply with industry standards.Customers should always have the opportunity to opt in or opt out of receiving text messaging.
6. Use keywords.An example would be to ask customers to respond by texting “I’m in” to receive exclusive deals on merchandise each week.
7. Make your text messages customer-centric. Companies absolutely must be focused on their customers with every piece of marketing content they send. This applies to text messages as much as any other content. This means knowing the customer; what the customer has experienced with the company, such as their sales and service histories and satisfaction with past product purchases; and being able to personalize text messages for each customer based on their unique experiences with the company.

Text messaging as a marketing channel is still nascent in many companies, but companies can’t go wrong by using it for the following purposes: sales promotions and marketing campaigns; new product announcements; getting customer feedback post-purchase or post-service call; giving tracking and status details on orders, deliveries, and service calls; issuing appointment reminders; and sending out event and activity alerts. Ultimately, then, the key to integrating text messaging into your marketing strategy is knowing when (and when not) to use it. 

Mary Shacklett is a freelance writer and president of Transworld Data, a technology analytics, market research, and consulting firm. She can be reached at mshacklett@twdtransworld.com.