With the digital landscape (and customer preferences!) shifting focus toward hyper-personalization, authenticity, and real-time communication, staying on top of trends can be challenging. As SMS continues to be a frontrunner in customer engagement and conversion, here are some quick tips on how to make the most of this powerful marketing tool in the coming year.
- Boost Messaging Personalization
As a general rule of thumb, customers only want to see what’s most relevant to them, otherwise they tune out. To build a stronger connection with your audience and see a higher conversion rate, tailor messaging to your customer’s specific needs.
- Let Them Know About Product Launches
Not only does generating buzz about new products encourage pre-orders or reservations, but it also helps customers feel connected to your brand. Giving them the scoop on what’s new will increase the likelihood of them trying it out.
- Push Time Sensitive Offers
It’s no secret that flash sales or limited-time offers work great with SMS. The immediacy of the platform is perfect for the urgency of the messaging. This trend of companies creating urgency will only continue to grow as it often leads to quick purchase decisions.
- Remind Them to Reorder
In an age where convenience is king, it’s a great strategy to send timely reminders to your audience when they may be looking to reorder products they’ve purchased in the past. This shows that you care about your customers’ needs, which in turn fosters brand loyalty.
- Send an Abandoned Cart Notification
It only makes sense to include SMS in your Abandon Cart cadences as a large portion of shoppers are making purchases right on their smartphones. Whether you include an incentive for continuing to checkout or simply send them a gentle nudge, you have a greater chance of conversion implementing this tactic.
- Tie Your Product or Service to Major Holidays
Three words: increased customer spending. Tap into what is already a lucrative time for retail by sending holiday-themed SMS. Determine what holidays make sense for your brand and get ready to grab that extra revenue!
- Include Attention-Grabbing Graphics
For added visual appeal, include images or gifs in a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). They can give your customers a sense of what you are selling or simply just help you stand out in their inbox.
Now that we’ve covered best practices, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the importance of following SMS regulations. It’s not just beneficial for the customer; SMS regulations actually safeguard your business’ reputation, build trust with your customers, and help you avoid pesky fines! The three most critical regulations to keep in mind are consent, opt out, and timing.
Consent
The most notable of the bunch is consent. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) requires you to get written consent to send SMS for business purposes and clarify to the customer what enrolling entails. This is essential when setting expectations about the kind of messaging and frequency they’ll receive.
Opt Out
Another cornerstone of SMS compliance? Giving your audience the ability to opt out of your SMS program if they want!
Timing
Don’t forget, SMS messages can only be sent between specific hours of the day and these are local to the recipient. Work with a partner that can help you manage send times so this doesn’t trip you up when it comes time to touch base with your audience.
If you found value in these tips and would like help creating a world-class mobile shopping experience for your customers through SMS, contact us today for a free quote!
