Why is SMS marketing trending and dominant in the market?
Have you ever sent SMS marketing messages for your brand? 66% of businesses or marketers say, "Not yet, but I plan to start." SMS marketing differs from email marketing, which has been around for over 45 years and has an immeasurable number of global active users. In contrast, SMS marketing seems relatively "new," but companies that developed their brands through SMS marketing channels have already reaped the benefit. Not only did they earn extra income, but they also established direct brand interactions and connections with customers through SMS. The most apparent mainstream phenomenon is that the volume of SMS messages sent and the additional revenue it generates are constantly climbing in recent years.
In addition, we have found that:
- The average open rate of marketing text messages is 36%, which is 8 times higher than email (4.5%) *(due to the significant advantage of SMS reading and confirmation habits)
- Younger customers are more inclined to check SMS messages
- The ROI for SMS marketing in the e-commerce industry is: for every $1 invested, you can earn a return of $71
What kind of content is suitable for SMS marketing?
Chances are that all marketers will be tempted after seeing these data and trends, but they may be thwarted by missing the point and not knowing how to extend the reach of SMS marketing channels. This isn’t an easy task because SMS is directly presented to customers, and the business policies and content regulations for SMS in each country are quite strict and complex. Now, let us explore the coping strategies for SMS marketing and quickly capture the key points.
1. What kind of text message content is more popular?
When customers order to purchase a product, they will be happy to receive the latest updates about this order, which helps them confirm that everything is in progress smoothly.
Notification type：
- Shipment notifications
- Order notifications
Another SMS scenario that’s also recommended is discount offers, which are more likely to grab customers' attention and not make them want to unsubscribe.
Discount type：
- Promotion discount
- Birthday discount
- VIP discount
2. What kind of text message content is not welcome?
In SMS marketing, a high open rate also suggests a high unsubscribe rate, which may lead to an unsubscribe rate of up to 0.85% or even higher in some cases. The most common reasons for unsubscribing are frequent messaging and unhelpful content. Therefore, for the following types of SMS content, it may be worth considering sending them via email as distinct from SMS:
- Duplicate content with that of email marketing channels
- Blog articles
- Content sent which is regulated by the source/destination country (Please click here for further details)
3. SMS sending frequency and timing
Sending 1-2 SMS messages per week or at least two messages per month is recommended. If you send fewer than two messages per month, sending again may confuse customers as they may have forgotten they subscribed to your brand's SMS notifications. On the other hand, sending more than two messages per week might raise the unsubscribe rate.
4. Automated SMS reduces workforce and boosts conversion rate
Like email marketing, SMS marketing can also be set up for automated sending. On SmartPush, notifications for Browse Abandonment, Abandoned Cart, Order Confirmation, and Customer Reactivation can all be set up as automated to accurately reach customers and send messages, resulting in higher conversion rates.
How to activate SMS marketing?
1. Collect subscribed phone numbers
Install the “Forms & Popups” application and use the pop-up window for subscription with mobile number (generally, this requires incentives like discounts to attract customers to make a subscription)
2. Draft SMS content
SMS messages are in pure text format and typically do not have specific templates. If you have less experience writing copy for SMS marketing, you can tap into the latest ChatGPT feature that SmartPush has linked to helping you create a more eye-catching copy.
[Important] SMS content review
If you plan to send SMS messages in Singapore, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Taiwan, we recommend that you send your SMS content to the SmartPush Online Merchant Success Team for content review in advance to ensure the effectiveness and quality of the SMS channel due to different operational policies in each region. For more information, please click here.
3. Check the sending performance
Recommended sending times (according to the local time zone):
- 9 a.m.
- 1 p.m. (tea time in the afternoon)
- 6 p.m.
Upon successful sending, you can check the performance results in the SmartPush data report! As SMS tasks do not have open rates, SmartPush will track the delivery rate, click-through rate, sales, unsubscribe rate, and delivery failure rate of the SMS. (as shown in the image below)
Summary
SMS marketing provides brands the most direct and effective way to connect with customers. Through SMS, you can quickly deliver first-hand brand information to customers and create better ROIs.
Join forces with SmartPush now! The free version of the SmartPush plan provides a monthly gift of $1 SMS credit (up to 71 messages in the US). Click here to view the SMS-supported regions.
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