As a smaller organization, chances are you’re familiar with exploring all of the options set before you, especially when it comes to stretching a budget as far as it can go. After all, being creative with your resources is the best weapon in your arsenal when it comes to playing with the “big boys” in your industry. To ensure you’re not leaving anything on the table in terms of SMS marketing, let’s look into the five pillars of success for small businesses on this front, as well as a few key tips and tricks your brand can implement to further optimize these practices.
Knowing Your Audience Comes First
The first key point that leads to SMS success, according to the experts over at ITWeb, comes in the form of identifying and researching the habits and desires of your audience. While some brands rely upon the mass message approach that aims to fire off texts to literally anyone who is willing to accept, smaller businesses are better off refining their approach and honing in on the consumers who are most likely to respond. By sketching out the particulars of your audience, then continuing to develop this viewpoint into a narrower focus, your brand can reach out to the segment – or segments – of this group who are ready and willing to build a text-based relationship with your organization.
Timing Matters More Than Ever
Of course, it’s also important for your brand to take a good, hard look at the situation and find out where timing fits into this equation. Otherwise, don’t be surprised when your brand earns the unfavorable reputation as the company that’s willing to text shoppers at all hours of the day and night. Depending on the lifestyle patterns and habits of your targeted segment, the answer to the question regarding when the best time is to fire off a message can vary drastically. However, once you’ve pinpointed the appropriate part of the day for a great SMS message, don’t be afraid to run with your research and start implementing your marketing strategy accordingly.
Engage Your Audience
In terms of the style of your content, South Africa’s Cape Business News suggests skipping the passive experience and actually interacting with your viewership instead of simply talking at these shoppers. As hard as it may be to openly address for some, far too many small businesses have everything fall apart when the time comes to actually generate engaging content. To avoid this unwanted scenario for your brand, try to mix in some surveys, feedback requests, promotional competitions, and anything else that can help turn your messages into an interactive experience.
Understand That Some Lines Aren’t Meant to Be Crossed
On a more technical note, the team behind the Cape Business News report goes on to explain that in the world of SMS marketing, there are definitely plenty of lines that aren’t meant to be crossed – unless you’re interested in ending up on the wrong side of the law. Naturally, the rules and regulations regarding spam violations and other illicit activity can vary from region to region, but ignorance isn’t an excuse for breaking the law.
Before you start racking up fines and penalties, spend some time consulting with SMS experts who understand what it takes to play by the rules in other parts of your country or the world at large. This way, you can move forward with confidence and clarity regarding opt-out clauses, sign-up requirements, and other technical details as your SMS operations lead your brand to new heights and greater audience reach.
Nothing Can Replace Value
Finally – and most importantly – is the fact that when it comes to truly succeeding via SMS marketing, nothing replaces the allure of value. As Small Business Trends’ Megan Totka points out, creating value helps keep customers satisfied and willing to spread the word to others about your campaign. From giveaways to coupons, providing these shoppers with a reason to go all the way on a purchase is the single biggest key to your SMS success.
If you’re able to pair this take on value up with the rest of what you’ve learned here, there’s nothing that can stop your brand from making the most out of even the tightest SMS marketing budget. Considering how important it is to level the playing field with the bigger brands in your area, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better path to success than the route laid out by these five pillars of the SMS process.
