The right message, to the right person, at the right time. We know that in 2021 the right moment is a really precise moment. So how do you capture your customer’s attention at the right moment without getting lost in the email mass? Using SMS! Knowing that emails are widely used and arrive in the inboxes not always at the right time, your SMS text will be notified in real time and will get the attention of the receiver. In 90% of cases, it will be read... within 3 minutes. Intrigued? Definition, statistics, tips and best practices: everything you need to know about SMS marketing campaigns is here!
What is SMS marketing?
Definition of SMS marketing
The Short Message Service allows you to send messages of 160 characters through a mobile phone. For commercial messages, the words "STOP ADVERTISING" are mandatory, and therefore you need to limit your text to 149 characters. The challenge is to be clear and concise to reach your audience. This may be one of the keys to have a good performance using this channel!
Some rules for a successful SMS campaign:
Stop Ad
As mentioned, the "STOP AD" mention has been made mandatory by the CNIL.
GDPR
Another essential rule is the consent of your contact. As with email communications, a telephone number is personal data protected by the GDPR. So make sure that your contact segment only includes clients and prospects who have agreed to the use of their numbers for promotional purposes.
Allowable hours
One of the advantages of an SMS is that it is received in real time. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the time you send your message. A promotional message that arrives in the middle of the night will not be good for your image and, above all, it is illegal!
In fact, in France, SMS marketing is forbidden on Sundays, bank holidays and during the week after 10 PM and before 8 AM!
SMS marketing campaign: 2020 figures
SMS open rates and other key marketing campaign indicators:
- 98% of SMS messages are opened (compared to 20% for emails)
- 95% are read within 3 minutes
- Average click-through rate is 36% compared to 3.4% for email
Impact of SMS on the customer experience:
- In 2020, 45% of consumers said they prefer SMS as a communication channel.
- 80% say they find it less intrusive, and 75% find an SMS promotion easier to use.
Source : https://financesonline.com/sms-marketing-statistics/
Who is an SMS marketing campaign for?
Customer communication in B2C
A promotion, a change in your shop's schedule, an incoming order, the reasons to send a promotional SMS can be numerous!
Internal communication
It is not easy to communicate quickly to all your employees. To ensure a good reception, SMS can be an excellent solution.
Service company
An SMS to remind you of an appointment, for example, considerably reduces the number of no-shows.
How to set up an SMS campaign?
Which tool for my SMS marketing campaign?
The important thing is to first understand your needs: collection and/or storage of your sensitive data, SMS marketing campaigns, emails, pop-ins on your website: some softwares allow you to set up all this easily.
With Webmecanik Automation, you can collect your contacts' data, segment them, and set up marketing campaigns on different channels: SMS, emails or pop-ins on your website.
SMS marketing step by step
- Software implementation (e.g. Webmecanik Automation and Twilio)
Ensure data security and ease of use. A support service can be a real plus to assist you and guarantee a successful campaign.
- Collect your contacts' data and their consent
The phone number must be in the right format and above all it is essential that the consent to use the data for commercial purposes is clear and tickable.
- Write a short SMS with a clickable shortcut link
In 149 characters, get your message across and add a clickable link to a landing page for example. To get a shorter link, you can use different sites like Bitly.
- Set up the SMS campaign
From your marketing automation software, send your SMS to the relevant contacts. You can also personalize the messages. Don't forget to double-check the sending time.
- Analyze the results
Thanks to the reports, analyze the opening and click rates of your messages.
5 tips for a successful SMS campaign
-Target your messages
The reason why the SMS messages work so well is because they are not used all the time. To keep your stats glowing, you need to use text messages wisely. Segmentation is the key to sending useful messages to the right person. For example, Pizza Hut ran an SMS campaign in the UK based on the geolocation of their contacts. Anyone passing within 800m of a Pizza Hut received a promotional code via SMS which was used by 73% of them!
-Find the right timing
Apart from the expressed prohibitions (Sunday, bank holidays, after 10 PM and before 8 AM), work to send your message on the right time according to your contacts’ habits. As the message is usually read within 3 minutes, timing is crucial!
- Be concise
149 characters, including spaces, is a very short limit! Your message must therefore be very clear, direct and concise to be quickly understood. No bananas here.
- Add a CTA
As the message is very short, you can include a CTA, encouraging a purchase or leading to a landing page. You can detail your offer there.
- Personalize it!
SMS is an excellent marketing tool, which not only is very effective, but also strengthens the image and reputation of your company. Personalizing messages allows you to reach an upper level, increasing their trust and, therefore, maximizing the results of the campaign.
