Do they really like you? It’s the age old question that probably brings back memories of your first crush in middle school. Thankfully, we won’t bring up bad memories about your first awkward date. Instead, let’s take a look at how to gauge the success of an SMS marketing campaign via a variety of tools and metrics. When it comes to getting the most bang for your buck, understanding how to properly evaluate these services can help you cut through all of the talk and find out which marketers can really get your message to the customers in a big way.
Track Opt-out and Delivery Rates
The first place to start is by seeing how often your messages hit the customer’s screen and how often these users say, “No thanks.” The first part, delivery rates, is really easy to grasp – how often does your message actually get to the intended viewer? By incorporating validation services and tracking methods that help limit the unreliability caused by users switching services and carriers, you won’t have to worry about the headaches and frustration that comes along with your texts getting lost in transit.Once you’ve got your delivery rates in order, the next way to check just how successful your SMS campaign really is comes with how often you get turned down. If you’ve kept up with some of our recent posts, you know that laws in the United States and Canada require your texts to give users a chance to opt out. While nobody likes getting rejected, keeping track of these opt-outs lets you know when your message just isn’t clicking with the audience. Naturally, you want this percentage to be as low as possible, although expecting it to be a flat zero is just wishful thinking.
Measuring Churn
Churn, which goes hand-in-hand with opt-out rates, comes up next on the list. Looking over a presentation by Dr. E. Xevelonakis of the University of Zurich can help connect the dots between the two. Essentially, the churn rate looks at how many people join your SMS list and how many opt-out. While having a growing number of new users is definitely something to be proud of, having these same consumers immediately jump ship doesn’t bode well for your long-term success. A churning audience can be summed up in one simple statement – you’re doing something right to get the attention of these shoppers, but things aren’t going so great once they join your list. With this in mind, stability and modest growth will always serve you better than riding the rollercoaster than comes with a viewership constantly in flux.
Targeting and Growth
Of course, none of this really means much if you aren’t reaching out to the right customers. Unfortunately, putting a number on who to text isn’t as easy as measuring your audience once your campaign gets rolling. With this in mind, make sure you work with marketers who understand how to help you gather and sort data related to your customer base. This means tracking everything from shoe size to hometown – whatever gives you an edge and helps build toward a conversion. After all, every company needs different info to maximize the effectiveness of an SMS campaign.Once your campaign’s rolling, you can indirectly measure how well you know your audience by the simplest and most straightforward metric at your disposal – the growth of your audience list. The concept here is simple; if you’re in touch with the right viewers, your list grows at a nice, healthy pace. If your numbers dip or stay flat, then it’s pretty obvious that you’ve got all the justification you need to make a switch to get your campaign going in the right direction.So what’s the point of all of these measurements if you don’t put them to good use? If you’re going to take the time to learn about these tools, the next step is being ready and willing and to adjust your campaign in response. Nobody likes being wrong, but ignoring a failing campaign and hoping for the best won’t do you much good. Instead, if any of these metrics paint your campaign in a poor light, regroup and reorganize to get your bottom line back in the green. If you’re working with a marketer like us to get your message out to customers, have a chat with them to see what they can do to help clean up these issues. If the answer isn’t much, then it’s definitely time to change things up in a big way and work with a marketer who does have the answers.
