Unlocking the Power of SMS: How to Launch a Killer SMS Marketing Campaign

More and more brands continue to jump on the SMS bandwagon to increase their profits. And it’s no surprise why – the results look amazing!

• On average, 46% of U.S. consumers like being contacted by text.

• According to Gartner, SMS open and response rates are as high as 98% and 45%, respectively – far better than E-mail.

• Over 85% of people prefer text over other forms of electric communication.

Source: Statista

While SMS marketing can be incredibly effective, don’t underestimate the effort required to get results.

Scaling a high-quality campaign that offers value while also generating revenue is challenging.

Let’s take a deep dive into the world of SMS marketing and explore how you can integrate an SMS marketing strategy into your business plan.

1- Decide your KPIs

Goal setting may seem obvious, but many business owners overlook this crucial step. 

Your success heavily depends on clarity about what you’re working towards – this is true for any project.

Ask yourself why you want to launch an SMS campaign and what you hope to achieve. Are you looking to enhance customer engagement, boost sales, promote your latest offers/product updates, build a community, or something else?

A clear purpose will help you craft the right messages and measure success. 

2- Create a customer persona 

Source: Breakhtrough

How well do you know your audience? 

Have you taken the time to understand your target audience’s interests, preferences, and pain points? Doing so can help you create an ideal customer persona and craft messages that truly resonate with your audience, leading to the desired results.

3- Content Planning

An SMS marketing campaign is an investment in your brand. 

It’s about consistently providing value to your audience, offering excellent customer service, and ultimately converting them. 

Your content should align with your existing brand messaging for an SMS campaign. To do this successfully, you’ll need a strong supply chain of content that supports your campaign throughout its duration. 

SMS marketing requires specially written content that’s short and engaging. Simply reusing content on your website or emails is a big NO.

People don’t want their phones pinging with spam notifications!

It’s essential to consider your messages’ content and how often you plan on sending them.

Effective messaging is critical, and a content plan can help ensure consistent messaging that compels prospects to take the desired action. 

4- Choose a platform 

So, you’ve got your content all set and ready to go. The next step is finding a suitable SMS text marketing software to deliver your messages.

A reliable text message marketing service is crucial for the success of your SMS campaigns. It can make all the difference!

Look for a platform that provides scheduling, tagging, and upselling features to help you get the most out of your SMS marketing campaign.

Get Permission First

Your customers must consent before receiving promotional messages via SMS, similar to email messages.

You can get permissions by

• Including an extra field for your customers’ numbers in your signup forms

• Requesting customers’ phone numbers during checkout.

• Using “Text to Join,” where people text a keyword to your number to sign up. 

Your SMS campaigns should comply with the TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act). 

To avoid legal issues, it’s important to note that the 2013 and 2016 versions of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) prohibit tying a purchase to customers agreeing to receive text messages.

How do I know if my SMS campaign is working?

 

 Source: Growcode

Tracking an SMS campaign’s success is crucial but can prove tricky. 

This is mainly because of the limited number of metrics SMS marketing offers, unlike E-mails. 

You can track your click-through rate (the number of recipients who click on a link in the SMS messages), response rate (how many responses to your campaign you receive), opt-out rate, and conversion rate (the percentage of recipients completing the desired action). 

This is what Vanilla’s campaign report looks like

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Your SMS conversion rate is the most important metric because it indicates whether you’re achieving your marketing goals.

A higher conversion rate means more visitors become customers or take other desired actions, leading to a higher return on investment (ROI).

Consider a hypothetical scenario where you run an SMS campaign to promote a product with a discount. You send out 1000 SMS messages and receive a positive response from 100 contacts who purchase the product using your discount page link.

This will result in a conversion rate of 10% for your campaign. (100/1000 = 0.10, then 0.10 x 100 = 10)

Plan thoroughly before getting your SMS marketing up and running 

SMS has become a reliable marketing channel and a powerful tool for building one-on-one customer relationships.

SMS campaigns can boost your brand engagement and increase conversions while blending well with your existing email marketing campaigns. 

But sending spammy messages or offering poor customer support can turn people off and damage your brand. Careful campaign planning ensures your customers are getting value through personalized conversations. Take the time to understand your target audience, their needs, and preferences, and tailor your SMS messages accordingly. 

Getting started with SMS campaigns is easier than you think. You can sign up for Vanilla for free and get quick access to pre-built templates and flows that help you launch without hiccups. 

Learn more about how Vanilla can help by contacting us at:  support@vanillamessage.com.

FAQs

1-What is the average ROI on an SMS campaign?

SMS marketing has the potential to yield a high return on investment (ROI), with some businesses achieving up to 8X return on their investment.

2-What is the difference between E-marketing and SMS marketing?

E-marketing refers to promoting products or services through digital channels, like social media and email, while SMS marketing involves sending promotional messages through text messaging.

The main difference is that e-marketing is more varied and can use multiple channels, while SMS marketing is focused solely on text messaging. 

3-Who regulates SMS marketing?

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates SMS marketing in the United States under the CAN-SPAM Act. This act prohibits sending unwanted text messages, or “robotexts,” to mobile devices. Additionally, all commercial text messages should appear as advertisements for the reader’s convenience.