BUSINESS

What Is SMS Marketing? The Basics Explained

Do you have an online business? Or perhaps you’ve taken your business online because of the pandemic. Either way, the only way of doing business is gone and we all have to adapt to this brave new world.

But while much has been said about the value of investing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), online advertising, and email newsletters many people are missing out on another type of marketing: SMS.

So what is SMS marketing and what are some top SMS marketing tips to help it work for your business? Here’s all you need to know.

1. What Is SMS?

SMS stands for Short Message Service, commonly known as text messages. SMS is marketing through text.

This might seem like a strange thing to do today as we hardly use texting but it can also be quite effective. Unlike in the early 2000s and 2010s where texting was a fiddly process that often took place using a physical keyboard the invention of the smartphone has made texting a lot easier.

Texting is also cheaper as most mobile phone operators now included unlimited texting as part of their plans. Services like Skype even allow users to text from their laptops or tablets. 

Logistically sending bulk SMS messages might seem challenging but mobivate offer some great solutions you could check out 

2. Don’t Spam

The most important part of any SMS marketing strategy is that you don’t spam. Nobody wants to receive multiple texts a day from the same company and many people feel that text messages are largely spam. This might make them feel harassed in the same way that repeated cold calls might. 

The best way to deal with text message marketing is to come up with a coherent strategy that works. Perhaps sending out one text a week will be enough to get your customers’ attention. 

Cold texting where you message random numbers rarely works as people are distrusting of receiving messages they’ve never heard of. But compiling a database through surveys or by selling other products is a great way of creating a texting database. 

If customers recognize the company or the brand they are much more likely to respond positively to your services. 

3. Using It for Your Business 

Every business is going to make use of text messaging marketing differently. But the best SMS marketing tips are to be yourself or your brand. Don’t try to be too corporate or don’t create a sense of too much informality if that’s not the most authentic way your brand usually communicates. 

Do lots of market research to find out how your customers use their cell phones and how you can best tailor your offering to those customers. You could even combine SMS and email marketing together. 

What Is SMS Marketing? It’s What You Make It

What is SMS marketing? It’s whatever you decide to make of it for your business. Be sure to do lots of market research to establish how your customers use their cell phones and then put that research into practice effectively with a great SMS marketing strategy.

If you are interested in learning more about what is SMS marketing be sure to check out the rest of our site.