And even if you are using SMS campaigns, are you getting the results you need? It’s time to step up your SMS marketing game.
When done well, SMS marketing campaigns are a direct pathway to grab someone’s attention and get them to take action– something that is increasingly difficult to do.
Here are some SMS marketing campaign ideas that can help you get the results you need.
Exclusive Offers
Reward the folks who gave you permission to text them. Come up with exclusive, text-only offers that aren’t available anywhere else, and don’t be shy about making that plain.
If you offer something worthwhile and make sure you show enough value on the lock screen, you’ll see better open rates.
What you should choose to make exclusive is going to depend heavily on what your company offers, but some ideas for an SMS exclusive campaign are:
- Free shipping
- A free or discounted upgrade of some kind
- A certain percent off of a purchase
Reward your customers with something great for checking the SMS messages you send, and they’ll keep coming back for more.
Launch Campaign
Your SMS list is a stellar place to announce a new product launch to make a big splash.
You can even consider giving all of your SMS subscribers an “early bird” look a day before an official launch so they feel more like VIP customers.
It’s dependant on profit margins and product as to whether or not you want to offer discounts on a launch.
If you’re unsure, keep your new product at full price, and offer discounts on similar items or add-ons people can bundle together.
Including an SMS campaign at launch and coupling it with a social media push, an email campaign, and potentially even some paid advertising is a great way to make a splash with a new product.
Ask People Their Opinion
In a time when having your own first-party customer information is crucial, you can also use text marketing to find out some all-important details from your SMS list.
Many companies think they know who their customers are and what they want, but why guess?
Send a text message and ask your customer a simple, direct question and let them tell you what they think.
Keep it short and simple if you want to actually get responses. You can also incentivize participation by offering all participants a discount code.
For example:
“On a scale from 1-10, how happy are you with our products? Reply for 10% off your next order.”
Or even try an open-ended question like:
“If we could improve on one thing, what would it be?”
If you send relevant questions, you can get some incredible customer insights from the people that do send texts back in response.
Seasonal Deals
People love to get festive and celebrate throughout the different seasons of the year.
While folks are changing out their decorations and shifting their wardrobes, leverage those warm and fuzzy seasonal feelings to make some timely sales.
Launch a season-centric, SMS-based marketing campaign featuring a product or service that makes the most sense, and provide a discount to celebrate the season.
You’ll also have a full stable of emojis at your fingertips to evoke the hot deals of summer, the newness of spring, the pumpkin-spice-flavored-everything of fall, and the coziness of winter.
(Don’t forget holidays as well– and not just the heavy hitters. Consider Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and others. The calendar is loaded with opportunities to run a promotion no matter the time of year.)
Flash Sales
These campaigns are great for getting a quick response. The idea is to offer something that is deeply discounted or too good to pass up for a limited amount of time.
So how long should your flash sale be? You want to give people enough time to act, so a good rule of thumb starting out is to give customers a few hours at least.
Flash sales are also a fantastic way to handle any leftover stock or to move inventory you’re trying to get rid of.
Use language in the message that gets the urgency across, and clearly states the deadline (and include a call to action).
For example:
“From now until 12:00 midnight Eastern we’re having a 50% of sale on all of our Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Pods. Click now to get yours while supplies last! -Jojo Java”
Use TextCalibur to Slay Your Next SMS Campaign
If you’re like most business owners, you’re underusing your SMS list as a marketing channel, and missing out on revenue.
TextCalibur is the marketing tool you should be using for your SMS campaigns, hands down.
With insanely competitive messaging fees and universal carrier fees, coupled with dozens of flexible, turnkey features– if you’re not using TextCalibur, you’re wasting money and missing out on increased revenue.
Sign up now and get an entirely free account (not just a free trial) and try one of these campaign ideas.
Getting approved is quick and easy. Combine a powerful SMS campaign with your social media and email marketing strategies to increase your sales today.