Sharing message blasts with customers is one of the most powerful ways for businesses to reach out to leads and customers directly. Almost all customers have mobile phones capable of receiving messages, so messaging is a tool no brand wants to miss out on. And if you can reach hundreds and thousands of leads and customers at once, even better! Blast messaging is ubiquitous among most brands today – enabling them to get their messages out to thousands of customers simultaneously even when budgets are tight. Ever since the availability of this form of mass texting, consumer brands have enthusiastically incorporated it into their marketing strategy. They have used blast messages across platforms such as WhatsApp (broadcast messages), SMS (bulk text messages), email marketing messages, push notifications, Viber messages, or others, tailoring the content to suit the unique needs of each platform. Blast messages have served a variety of purposes for businesses – from promotional campaigns to urgent alerts, and others. Let’s look at some of their many benefits for your brand.
Blast messages, when used effectively, help to accelerate your brand’s growth quickly without many cost trade-offs. Some of the many advantages they offer are:
Astounding Reach in Minimal Time: Helping marketing teams reach a large audience quickly, blast messages are particularly useful for promoting limited-period offers, events, or even making announcements such as store closures, new collection launches, etc.
Cost Effectiveness: Compared to traditional marketing channels like print or TV ads, sending blast messages is usually more cost-effective. Your cost per message reduces when you send messages in bulk. What’s more, blast messages can be automated and scheduled, reducing the resources and time needed for their execution. It’s one of the least labor-intensive marketing strategies.
Measurable Results: What do your open rates look like? Are you meeting your click-through goals? Which messages are performing better than others? Digital blast messages can provide immediate and measurable feedback on this and a lot more. You can track the success of your messaging campaigns by analyzing delivery rates, bounce rates, open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, unsubscribe rates, and other metrics by viewing the texting platform’s dashboards. These metrics offer provide valuable insights into what’s working for you and what’s not, so you can make adjustments to and optimize your future campaigns accordingly.
Personalization and Segmentation: Message blasts need not be generic – audiences can now be segmented and each segment can receive personalized blast messages. This reduces ad hoc blasts and enables more targeted and relevant communications, which can significantly improve engagement and conversion rates.
Brand Awareness and Consistency: In a world where brand recall is becoming increasingly difficult day by day, sharing blast messages from time to time enables brands to stay on top of mind of customers. Customers can be informed about the brand, its product and service offerings, and more.
Prompt Customer Feedback: Blast messages are great in soliciting feedback from customers, who are more likely to reply to messages with the single click of a button. Such feedback provides valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviours.
Flexibility in Content and Design: Marketing teams can experiment with different types of content (text, images, videos) and designs to see what works best with their audience.
Building and Maintaining Customer Relationships: Regular, valuable communication through blast messages can help in building and maintaining relationships with customers, keeping the brand at the top of their mind.
Driving Traffic and Sales: By including calls-to-action, blast messages can drive traffic to websites and social media platforms, improving chances of sales.
Automated Communication: Many platforms allow for the automation of blast messages, saving time and ensuring timely communication.
Integration with Other Marketing Efforts: Blast messages can be integrated with other marketing strategies, like social media campaigns or event promotions, creating a cohesive marketing effort.
Reaching Mobile Users: With the increasing use of smartphones, blast messages (especially SMS and mobile-friendly emails) can effectively reach users who are on the go.
A/B Testing and Optimization: Marketing teams can use blast messages to test different marketing messages and strategies, and then optimize based on the performance data.
However, it’s important to use blast messages judiciously in order to get the desired results. There are some laws you need to follow, irrespective of the platform via which you are sending a blast message.
Sending a blast message, regardless of the platform, is without doubt a powerhouse for marketing teams, but it requires careful planning to drive the best possible results for your business. Executed poorly, they can dent your brand’s image. Here are some key factors to consider
Before you start blasting messages, you need to get a clear opt-in from customers. After a subscriber has provided their phone number, send a message asking them to confirm their subscription by replying “yes” or “no.” Acquiring the consumer’s express written consent is key not just from a regulatory point of view, but it also implies your customers know what they are opting for and that they consent to it. Even when sending them emails, you should ideally seek their permission to send messages from time to time, and make it easy to opt-out with a single click in case they wish to do so. Also, try offering incentives for audiences who sign up, e.g., exclusive discounts, real-time alerts, tracking of shipments, etc.
Just because you are sending blast messages doesn’t mean you can send the same message to your entire database (unless it’s some urgent message that applies to all your customers). You need to segment your customers as per their age, demographics, purchase habits, interests, location and even what stage of their customer journey they are at. Identifying your target audience and tailoring your blast message to suit the needs of the segment you are targeting help to ensure your content is relevant and provides value to the recipient. Avoid sending ad hoc messages that might be perceived as spam at all costs.
The timing of your messages is almost as important as the content. You do not want your message to get lost. Choose the right time to send your message. Consider time zones, work hours, and typical online activity patterns of your audience and schedule messages accordingly.
Text messages definitely have great open rates compared to many other channels, but it doesn’t mean you swamp leads and customers with too many messages during the day or week. Too many messages can lead to audience fatigue and may increase the likelihood of recipients unsubscribing or ignoring future communications. Adjust your frequency based on the channel you are communicating from (e.g., four push messages a week may not be perceived as being too many, but four emails a week could well be). Decide on the right frequency and stick to a schedule to appear consistent.
Each platform has its own set of rules and best practices. For instance, what works on email may not be suitable for social media or a messaging app. Newsletters are best sent over email whereas time-sensitive messages are best sent on SMS. Familiarize yourself with what works best for each platform and draft messages accordingly.
Wherever possible, personalize your messages. Even in a blast, addressing recipients by name or segmenting your audience based on their preferences can work wonders in improving engagement.
Compliance is key when you are mass texting. Even a single mistake can cause you to pay hefty fines to regulators. You need to avoid violating message marketing laws Ensure your message complies with relevant laws and regulations, su ch as the GDPR< CCPA, and CAN-SPAM Act for emails in the United States. This includes providing a clear way for recipients to opt out of future messages.
Make sure to include a clear call to action, whether it is BUY NOW, BOOK APPOINTMENT, TRACK SHIPMENT, SIGN UP, or any other action you want customers to take. This increases chances of engagement as customers can take the next steps by simply clicking on a button, ensuring they move ahead in the sales funnel.
Use automation tools for scheduling and sending messages. This can help in timing your campaigns precisely and managing large-scale dispatches efficiently.
Make your message clear, concise, and to the point. People are more likely to read and engage with messages that are easy to understand and direct.
You must consider A/B testing, spinning multiple versions of your messages, and test them against certain audience segments to see which ones are performing better. You can then select the best version and share it with your entire database for that campaign.
Always monitor customer responses and feedback for messages you share. This can provide valuable insights for future communications. Also, be sure to follow-up if customers have questions or queries.
While some platforms are mobile-based, e.g., SMS and push, there are others that may or may not be. Do ensure your message is optimized for all devices. Make sure your email is mobile-friendly as your customers will most likely check emails on their phones.
Focus on the quality of your communication rather than the quantity. It’s better to send fewer, more valuable messages than to bombard your audience with content.
Considering these factors beforehand will help you maximize the effectiveness of your blast messages and help you develop meaningful relationships with your audience.
When selecting a blast message service provider, there are several key things you need to watch out for:
Want to use a trusted blast message service provider? Get in touch with edna and start blasting right away!
