Are You Marketing with Your Mass Texting or Just Communicating?
Businesses can use mass texting to communicate with their customers or they can use it as a marketing tool. Many companies choose to do both. It is important that you recognize the key differences between marketing and communicating via text so that you can ensure your program is accomplishing its goal — whether that goal is to grow your business and increase sales, or simply offer another channel for communication and customer service.
SMS as a Communication Tool
You can send messages to your clients to let them know of time changes.
Text messaging was developed as a short form of communication, and it is widely used for personal communication. Businesses also adopted mass texting as a way to keep customers informed, sharing transactional messages, appointment reminders, emergency alerts, changes to schedules, and news about their company. Many groups, schools, and organizations also use SMS to communicate important information to their members. Informational texts are quite different from marketing texts.
Text Messaging as Marketing
As with most communication channels, it was not long before text messaging was adopted as a way of marketing to customers. Because of the FCC’s guidelines and other regulations in place, companies can only send marketing messages to people who have signed up to receive them. Marketing messages include promotions, offers, deals, contests, polls, and surveys. A strong marketing text includes a call to action, action verbs, and other elements that motivate customers to take action and patronize your business.
Knowing Your Goal
Decide how you want to use texting before you start.
Before you develop your message, it is important that you know your goal. This will help you to know whether you want to use your texting program to communicate with or market to your customers. Your company may also choose to create both types of messages. If your goal is to promote or increase sales, then you want to develop marketing messages. Alternatively, if your goal is simply to convey important information, then you are planning to use texts as a communication tool.
Developing Your Messages
When you write your messages, whether for promotion or general information, it is beneficial to start with the goal or intention of the campaign. If your main goal is to promote, then you can turn even a simple informational text into a marketing one. For example, instead of sending out a message that says you have added a new product or event, you can send the same information but offer a special discount on the item to create a two-for-one message. Be sure to include a call to action in your promotional texts.
Staying the Course
Once you have decided whether to use your mass texting for communication, marketing, or both, it is important that you stay the course. If you are simply sending appointment reminders or business updates, you cannot suddenly send your clients a marketing text. Alternatively, if you have launched a marketing campaign, it can be detrimental to start sending out simple informational texts with no call to action, coupon, or other promotional element. Your messaging program can grow and change, but it should do so with purpose that remains true to its original intent. Otherwise, it may be best to set up more than one program, each with its own objectives.
Customer Awareness
It is important that your customers know what to expect from your program.
Regardless of the purpose of your mass texting campaign, you need to be clear about your intentions to your customers. If they have opted in for an occasional informational text and start regularly receiving messages, they may become frustrated and you could face negative consequences, including fines and lawsuits. You also will lose subscribers if they were expecting deals and discounts and they’re receiving information about your company or organization. If you plan to create a blended campaign, customers should likewise know what to expect.
Mass texting is a beneficial method of communicating with customers, clients, or members of your group or organization. Although it is a communication channel, it can also be used for marketing. To get the most out of your program, it is important to recognize whether you are marketing or communicating, and which one you mean to do. Try Group Texting for free to start connecting with your customers today!
Categories: Text Message Marketing Tips