SMS may have flown under your radar for the past few years with how fast technology is developing. There’s always something newer and shinier to grab your attention, some new development that you have to keep up with, and good, old texting may have gotten lost in the shuffle and chaos.
But, it’s time to move past all that and take a second look at SMS. Research suggests that, especially in a post-COVID-19 world, texting has risen to the top of most effective business communication methods. And why shouldn’t it? SMS is the perfect encapsulation of the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Texting is fast, cheap, convenient, and universal. Almost everyone has a phone that can receive a text message, making it a prime method of communicating with customers and clientele.
The best part is that integrating SMS messaging into your current operations is nowhere near as complicated as you might think. The technology surrounding it is ubiquitous and has been around for long enough that there will probably be technical support for whatever you want to do. Just find the right service provider, and they’ll take care of all the hard parts and you simply get to reap all the benefits.
But, before we get into the nitty-gritty of SMS marketing, we have to answer the biggest question of all:
What Exactly is Text Message Marketing?
As the name suggests, text message marketing is a way for businesses to communicate with their current clientele or potential customer base through SMS.
There are several different ways to go about this. You can send promotional material informing customers about discounts, sales, and promotions. These kinds of campaigns can go a long way in retaining loyal customers and drawing new people in.
You can also use SMS messages to give your clients updates on their transactions. This can look like confirmation messages when they finish an order, alerts for when there’s a change in the status of their products, or a notification if there’s a problem or emergency that may cause a delay. Alongside that, you can also ask for customer feedback through the same message channels once their transactions have been completed.
Finally, if you’re a business with an online portal, you can also use SMS to send one-time pins (OTPs) to your customer to verify their identities and contact details.
So, with all that said, why pick SMS over any other communication option? What sets it high above the rest? Well, here are just a few reasons that may convince you:
Convenience
Texting isn’t as troublesome as calling and is a lot less formal than emails, making them a great medium to establish an easygoing and casual rapport with new and old customers alike. SMS also tend to be short, meaning they’re straight to the point and easy to digest—something every customer out there undoubtedly appreciates.
And it’s not just convenient for the customers, but easier for your business as well. You won’t have any trouble training employees on this, meaning it won’t interrupt your normal operations too much.
Just create a few templates and the system will take care of the rest. Since you’re just gonna be sending out texts, you can fully automate the process without any difficulties. All you have to do is check in from time to time, respond to customer queries when they come, and review your analytics to make sure everything’s meeting your targets.
Personalization
Since your messages are sent directly to your clients’ phones, they give off a more personalized air. A lot of times, you’re going to be addressing their specific concerns and questions. You can even use their names in their messages to make it more specific.
But, at the same time, it’s a lot less immediate than a phone call. It’s a message instead of a question asked directly against your customers’ ears. The message isn’t an emergency or a concern they should immediately worry over.
The result is a more relaxed and intimate relationship with your customers. They’ll feel like you care about them and their concerns and might end up caring back in turn. Because of this, they’ll be more likely to open your messages and take you up on your offers and promotions.
Cost-Effectiveness
SMS is a lot cheaper than other marketing and communication methods. It’s just text, so you don’t have to shoulder the cost of sending out images or audio. You get to reach a lot more people at a fraction of the cost.
That counts for a lot, especially when you’re trying to break into a new market. Every new person you reach is a potential new client to buy your product or make use of your services, so it’s essential that you reach as many as you can.
And since texting is generally simpler and a lot more low-effort than other forms of communication, it’s easier to establish active lines of communication with your clients. It makes detecting potential opportunities and problems with customers, lowering the risk of losing their business.
A lot of rewards for only a little risk—it’s every business owner’s dream. And, when combined with CommPeak’s other services like the PBX and the VoIP phones, you can expand your communication lines to cover all your bases and keep your clientele happy and engaged without breaking the bank.
Tracking
Putting links in your SMS messages is common practice, either for satisfaction surveys, discount links, or promotional material. Whatever you use them for, it’s undoubtedly helpful in directing customers to what you want them to do.
And, with CommPeak, you can easily create special links that shorten your existing URLs to keep your character count down. But, that’s not the only feature they have. These shortened links can also track which customers the links and other related data. This helps a lot with keeping up with user engagement and ensuring that people are reading your messages.
If they are, then that means your campaign is working. Great job! That’s exactly what you want to happen. And if they aren’t, then maybe it’s time to tweak your strategy. Consider sending your texts at a different time or editing your messages to better suit your clientele. You can also review your list of contacts. Maybe some of them are simply dead leads and you’d be better served focusing your attention and resources elsewhere.
Getting Started on Your SMS Journey
Text message marketing is going to be a big help in growing a lot of businesses. It’s a flexible service that can slot into any operation with relative ease. And finding a service provider that’s reliable and can adapt to your own business practices is essential to your success.
Looking into specific SMS platforms is a good first step to improving your communication systems. CommPeak’s TextPeak is both user-friendly and filled with great features that can take your business to the next level, so it’s worth looking into. Here’s just a short FAQ about it if you want to learn more:
How easy is it to use TextPeak?
Very easy. Our dashboard is user-friendly and intuitive, specifically designed to make doing your tasks as simple and convenient as possible.
Do you have all the features mentioned in this blog post?
All of them and more. CommPeak prides itself on being a one-stop shop for all your business communication needs, and that includes your bulk messaging requirements.
What countries can TextPeak send messages to?
TextPeak can send messages anywhere in the world! We have routes for every country, so you won’t have to worry about your messages not reaching their destination.
How many numbers can I target in an SMS campaign?
As many as you want. There’s no limit to how many leads you can send messages to.
Can I use different caller IDs when sending messages?
You have a lot of options when it comes to the caller ID the recipient sees when they get the message. You can let them see your own number or the system can choose from a random set of sender IDs. You can even use a short code sender ID if you want.
All of this sounds great. So how do I get started with TextPeak?
That part’s simple. Just get in touch with us on our website today and talk with one of our technical experts.