Bulk SMS Marketing – Benefits, Use Cases, Best Practices

No matter which digital communication channel comes in and has its moment in the sun, the value of SMS as a potent marketing tool for brands will never diminish. It is one of the easiest and most surefire ways for your brand to connect with audiences. After all, you can directly connect with anyone that has a mobile phone – and that includes almost 6 billion people globally! Not even an internet connection is needed. You can get in touch with a whole new pool of people who maybe not be internet-savvy otherwise, who do not use social media or other messenger platforms, or those that don’t use email frequently. The value proposition of SMS as a marketing tool is unbeatable. Most people read an SMS as soon as they receive one – as per some surveys, almost 90 percent of people read an SMS within three minutes of receiving it. The open rate of an SMS is a whopping 98 percent, far higher than that of any other platform like an email, which is less than 30 percent. Naturally, businesses of all sizes have been leveraging bulk SMS marketing to reach their target audiences in real time. It has a great ROI, and can give results instantly. Customers also prefer businesses that have SMS option available.

What Are the Benefits of Bulk SMS Marketing for Your Business?

Bulk SMS marketing is a great tool for businesses to connect with customers directly through text messages. It gives them a definite edge. Some of its many advantages are:

High Open Rates: SMSs have a significantly higher open rate of 98 percent compared to other channels such as emails. Most SMSs are read within minutes of receipt, ensuring that your message gets seen and doesn’t get lost in your customer’s inbox.

Exponential Reach: With almost every person having access to a mobile phone, the reach of SMS marketing is humongous and extends to include those without internet access or smartphone capabilities. Almost all mobile devices support SMS, something that can’t be said of other channels.

Cost-Effectiveness: As marketing teams are tasked to do more with less, it becomes important to work with a channel that is cost-effective and offers a high ROI. Compared to traditional marketing channels or even digital advertising, sending bulk SMS is relatively inexpensive. With an affordable monthly plan, you can definitely get more bang for your buck.

Real-Time Delivery: An SMS reaches your audience instantly, allowing you to disseminate information quickly. This is particularly useful for time-sensitive promotions.

Simple and Concise: The character limit forces messages to be concise, making them easier for businesses to compose and for recipients to understand and act upon.

Highly Secure Pathways: SMS connections are inherently secure and are trusted by customers.

What Are Some of the Use Cases of Bulk SMS Marketing?

Bulk SMS messaging serves a wide variety of marketing use cases for brands, including:

• Product launches
• Special offers
• Insights
• Promo codes
• Back-in-stock alerts
• Feedback surveys
• Abandoned cart recovery

You can share clickable links via SMS that enable customers to make purchases. SMSs can be used to send a variety of brand communication including order status, account updates, events, and more.

Best Practices to Maximize the Effectiveness of Bulk SMS Marketing

To run a successful bulk SMS marketing campaign, there are a few things that need to be kept in mind.

Always Obtain Consent

Do ensure that you have explicit consent from recipients before sending SMS messages. This not only respects the privacy of the individual but also complies with legal regulations.

Personalize Your Messages

Whenever possible, personalize the SMS to the recipient. Using the recipient’s name or tailoring the message based on their preferences will help you increase engagement.

Add a CTA

Your ultimate goal is to get your audience to act on your message, so make sure to direct them to take action with a clear and compelling call-to-action. Whether it’s visiting a website, calling a number, or using a promo code, the CTA should be straightforward.

Time Your Messages Well

Send messages at appropriate times. Avoid early mornings, late nights, or known busy times for your audience. Timing your SMS for when your audience is most likely to engage can significantly impact its effectiveness. Also, if an event or sale is coming up, send your messages well in advance so that your customers have time to prepare for it.

Draft Clear and Concise Messages

Convey your message in clear, concise language that’s easy to understand at a glance and will not take up too much of the recipient’s time.

Test and Optimize Your Campaigns

Regularly test different messages, CTAs, and sending times to see what works best with your audience. Use this data to optimize future campaigns.

Comply With Regulations

Familiarize yourself with and adhere to regulations governing SMS marketing in your region, such as GDPR in Europe or TCPA in the United States, to avoid legal issues.

Segment Your Audience

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to business messaging. Make sure you segment your audience according to their demographics, interests, past behaviour, location, or even their stage of customer journey, and then send relevant blasts to only your chosen segment. Sending ad hoc messages can do serious harm to your brand’s reputation and may cost you customers, so it’s really important to segment your audience beforehand.

Ensure Integration with Other Channels

Use SMS as part of a multi-channel marketing strategy. Integrate it with email, social media, and other platforms to create a cohesive marketing campaign. Make sure your customers never miss a single message from your business by setting cascades of alternative fallback channels like WhatsApp and Push in case your SMS delivery fails.

Track the Results of Your SMS Campaign

You must constantly monitor the results of your campaigns to make data-driven improvements to them. A few metrics you can consider are the click-through rate, conversion rate, unsubscribe rate, and earnings per message.

Respond to Customer Replies

Be prepared to monitor customer responses and always follow-up with recipients who reply to your messages. Interactive communication can enhance the customer experience.

Select Your SMS Bulk Messaging Provider Carefully

It’s important for you to choose your SMS messaging provider carefully. Ensure they have the capability to execute campaigns without any technical glitches, adhere to all regulatory guidelines, provide affordable plans, have automation as well as integration capabilities, and the tools to monitor the results of your campaigns.

By adhering to these best practices, your business can leverage the benefits of bulk SMS marketing to effectively reach and engage your target audience, driving sales and building customer loyalty.