More people worldwide own cell phones than toothbrushes! In fact, the number of mobile users is estimated at over 3.7 billion, with over 95% of Americans owning a cell phone.

If you want to reach your customers, you need to go mobile! Otherwise, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to make your mark. With an SMS strategy, you can reach your target audience and start generating sales.

It’s not enough to start sending SMS promotions, though. Instead, you need a strong SMS marketing strategy that puts your business on the map.

Get in front of customers and ahead of the competition with these tips for creating a strong SMS strategy today!

Learn the SMS Promotions in SMS Marketing Campaigns

1. Know Your Audience

The best way to start any marketing strategy is to know your customers.

Who are they? What do they care about? How do your customers speak and text?

Complete thorough audience research. If you’re targeting a broad audience, break it up into smaller buyer personas. You can segment your audience based on:

• Age
• Gender
• Location
• Buying habits
• Interests
• Household income

The more you know about your audience, the more likely you’ll personalize your messages. You want to make sure each message is unique for each audience. That way, your text will resonate with those consumers.

While 95% of Americans have a cell phone, 81% of them use text messaging. Of those that text, 82% open all the text messages they receive. By personalizing, you can maximize your open and clickthrough rates.

First, try using custom fields. Include the customers’ first names at the beginning of the text.

Then, take personalization a step further by improving your messages. One text message won’t resonate with every consumer. After all, an 80-year-old is bound to text differently than a Gen Z shopper.

Test different messages to see which texts best resonate with each buyer persona.

2. Keep it Professional

Try to avoid overusing slang, abbreviations, and emoticons. Instead, make sure your marketing SMS messages match your target audience.

For example, you might use one or two emoticons if you’re texting Gen Z shoppers. Older consumers, on the other hand, might respond better to a professional-sounding text.

When crafting a professional message, try to:

• Keep it personal (don’t sound robotic)
• Match your brand’s voice and tone
• Avoid caps-locking
• Minimize over-using question marks and exclamations

Make sure everything you use in your message gives the text value. Otherwise, your message could end up looking like spam.

You’ll also want to make sure you’re using HIPAA text messaging best standards.

Keeping your message professional will help you make a strong impact with your customers.

3. Use Precision

People have short attention spans. When drafting your marketing SMS messages, make sure your message is focused. What goal are you trying to accomplish?

Let’s say you’re trying to advertise an upcoming sale. What information is essential for your customers? For example, you’ll likely want to tell them when the sale starts and ends.

What items are on sale? Are items 25% off or 50% off? Get specific.

Precise messaging will help you avoid miscommunication. Your messages will also convey value, which can help you attract customers to your store.

A vague message, on the other hand, might fail to make an impact.

4. Keep It Brief

Remember, people get distracted easily. Your SMS promotions should get straight to the point. A long, tedious message, on the other hand, might get deleted before consumers read to the bottom.

Keep it short, sweet, and to the point! Try to keep your message within 160 characters. That way, your message doesn’t get cut off between texts.

To develop a strong message, think about the main message you’re communicating. What are you offering your customers?

Then, focus on the value you’re offering them. Keep that value condensed.

You can include a link within the text that goes into more detail. Then, close it with a strong call-to-action (CTA).

5. Make It Timely

Timing is everything. As a restaurant, you might want to send SMS promotions at 11:30—right before workers break for lunch. Retail stores, on the other hand, might send marketing SMS messages on the weekends.

What action do you want your consumers to complete? Think about what time you would best respond if you were in their shoes.

Don’t worry; you don’t have to hover your thumb over the “Send” button. Instead, you can schedule your texts to ensure they send at the best possible time.

Don’t forget to consider your buyer personas. You might want to send different SMS marketing campaigns at different times. Consider how your customers behave on a daily basis to determine what time is best for sending each text.

6. Use a Strong CTA

Your CTA will compel consumers to take a specific action. Without a specific CTA, you might leave consumers a little aimless.

What opportunity are you providing consumers with? What action do you want them to take? When do you want them to take it?

Make sure to communicate urgency within your CTA. For example, you can use “Today” or “Now” at the end of your CTA to encourage action.

A strong, compelling CTA will increase your clickthrough rates and conversions.

If you include a link to your website, make sure the CTA on your landing page matches the CTA in your SMS promotions. Otherwise, you could risk confusing your audience.

7. Keep Testing

Remember, different buyer personas respond to different messages. You might feel uncertain about which messages your target audience will respond to. That’s okay!

This is where A/B testing comes in. Consider testing different messages and strategies with the same target audience. Then, measure your clickthrough and conversion rates to see which strategies worked best.

When A/B testing, change only one item within each message. For example, you might try different images or CTAs. Changing one item will help you isolate which changes boosted conversions!

Ring in Major Business Growth: 7 Tips for Strong SMS Promotions

Give your business a major boost! With these seven tips, you can start creating strong SMS promotions that generate results. Watch the sales ring in with these tips today!

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