Have You Heard About Text Message Marketing?
It is So Effective it is a Little Scary and Its NOT Just for Bars.
I first discovered SMS or Text Message marketing when I was in the UK in 2008. All types of businesses from bars and restaurants to salons and dentists were making a killing using this form of communication. I was a little surprised to return to Canada and discover that practically nobody here was leveraging it to its full potential.
What is SMS or Text Message Marketing?
Text message marketing is the practice of sending promotional message via SMS to recipients that have asked to receive them.
What are the Benefits?
- High read rates. 97% of text messages are read.
- High redemption rates. Mobile offers have redemption rates TEN TIMES those of paper coupons
- Word of Mouth. Nearly 20% of all text messages are forwarded to at least one friend
- Greener. No more expensive and wasteful paper flyers or coupons.
- Cheap. Starting at about $50 per month (see below) this is a no-brainer.
- Higher ROI. Your marketing costs will go down, your repeat business will jump and your best customers will tell their friends about your business.
So basically, you’re sending messages to people that have agreed to receive them, those messages get read 95% of the time and they can be acted on immediately. That is why I consider text marketing to be hyper-direct marketing.
Text Marketing Isn’t SPAM
It is important to note that text marketing is highly regulated – much more so than email. This is a good thing for honest business people like ourselves that offer great value to our customers. Every person on your list must ask to receive messages from you, confirm that they agree to receive them and be given the opportunity to get off your list at any time.
I know this sounds complicated but it isn’t at all. In fact, it ALL happens automatically for you.
How it Works
Setting up your SMS marketing campaign is so simple it is ridiculous. In fact, there are only three steps and you can complete them in about ten minutes:
- You choose a word that you would like your customers to use to indicate they wish to receive text messages from you. It should be something short, relevant and memorable. Examples might be ‘Rayspizza’ if you own Ray’s Pizza or ‘Mondohair’ if you’re the owner of Mondo Hair Emporium. This word is exclusive to your campaign for any specific number or short-code.
- Your next job is to come up with an offer or something that is interesting enough to your customers to make them want to join your SMS list. Suggestions might be coupons, contests, free information, sample products, free entry, VIP membership, etc. You know what your customers want just make sure that it is enticing. Contact us if you want some ideas specific to your business.
- Then you get what is called a short-code. This is usually a 5 digit number that your customers would send your word to when they decide they wish to receive messages from you. When people text your word to your short-code they will be subscribed to your SMS list and you have their permission to send marketing messages to them.
Test it for FREE
The simplest way for you to see how this all works is to try it yourself. If you text FREETEST to 70734 you will see exactly how the process works. Note that this short-code only works within Canada. When you do that you will be subscribing to our SMS list. You’ll only receive a text message a day for three days which provide you with other ways to use mobile marketing in your business. After that you will not receive more than one message per week from us.
You can remove yourself anytime by texting STOP to the same number.
Is This Applicable to Your Business?
You might be thinking, “That’s cool but how does it apply to my business?” Business owners are very innovative and I’m always amazed at how they’re constantly finding new ways of leveraging this technology. Here are some examples to get your thoughts flowing:
- A restaurant owner sends out a text to 1,000 of his subscribers on a slow Tuesday night and fills his restaurant
- The local pizza joint offers a free appetizer on any order over $15 and manages to steal marketing share from the two national franchises competing with higher marketing budgets and name recognition
- A realtor allows prospective buyers to text a word to a short code for a specific listing. Prospective buyers can then view full information on the listing on their mobile phone while looking at the property.
- A doctor replaces postcards and phone calls with text messages to remind patients of upcoming appointments
- A non-profit organization allows donors to make donations by sending a text to their short-code
- An auto dealership uses text messaging to update customers of new product arrivals or to remind clients of service dates
- A retailer rewards SMS subscribers with early notifications of inventory or upcoming sales
- A night club sends texts to announce upcoming events or to invite subscribers to bring a friend in exchange for free entry
- Schools and universities replace email as the preferred form of communication with students
- the list goes on and on…
I trust that you’re beginning to see the opportunities that SMS marketing offers to businesses of ANY size.
The Best for Last
Beyond the fact that these campaigns almost always generate a positive ROI, text messaging will provide your customers with a service they’ll appreciate and share with their friends. It is also a means for you to build a very valuable business asset – a responsive SMS list of customers that know, like and trust you.
More importantly though, text message marketing is cheap. I’m in the process of setting up a partnership with a supplier now and it is looking as though the costs will be about $50 per month per campaign. There is always a small one-time setup fee to create the campaign and add the keyword(s) to the system but that is usually no more than $250.
That is all there is to it. It takes about 24 hours for us to set up a campaign for you once you choose the word(s) you wish to use. Contact us if you would like to get started now of if you simply wish to learn more about SMS marketing.
