For brands, SMS marketing is an effective marketing channel. Compared to a phone call, email, or Facebook post, text messages have a 209% higher response rate.
It's imperative that your business approach SMS marketing with careful consideration, even though the benefits of SMS marketing are limitless. Unwanted texts and untimely messages may frustrate your customers.
Sending SMS promotional campaigns is easy with SMSala. You can build powerful growth funnels with the platform.
This post will show you how to avoid common SMS marketing mistakes and give you practical strategies to grow your campaign.
1. Sending Unwanted Texts
The nature of SMS makes it highly intrusive since your customers cannot decide whether or not to open it. Their device receives it automatically. Therefore, you should avoid sending unwanted messages to your audience.
Knowing your ideal customer's pain points will help you create an SMS campaign. Understand what your customers need when they need it, and what messaging will resonate with them. It's not just about providing a solution; you need to ensure that it solves your prospects' problems.
2. Messaging Opted-Out Subscribers
You are prohibited from sending marketing messages to people who haven't signed up for your campaign. Spam laws in Australia can lead to heavy financial penalties (up to $210,000 per day) and legal action in the Federal Court. Learn about the penalties your business may face under your country's spam laws.
3. Forgetting an Opt-Out in Your SMS
It is required by Australian law that you provide your customers with an easy way to opt-out of receiving texts from you. You must include this opt-out in every marketing SMS you send.
As a result, SMSala can help you automate your opt-out process. Unsubscribes can be tracked automatically through the platform's mobile-optimized unsubscribe facility. Your communication can be improved by identifying potential gaps in your messaging.
4. Sending Untimely Messages
The timing of everything is crucial. If you received a special offer from your favorite brand in the middle of the night, how would you feel? I don't think it's useful.
Sending SMS messages based on your email campaign schedule is a good way to test what works for your brand. Timing will vary depending on your industry, product, and customers. Once you have determined the days and times of the week, you can run A/B tests.
5. Sending SMS Without a Strategy
SMS should be one component of a broader marketing strategy in order to maximize your marketing efforts. By coordinating SMS, email, and social media content, you can create a monthly or quarterly content calendar.
To determine who you should send messages to, start with your customer lifecycle. Your customer experience should be tailored to the subscriber's journey.
Automating complex sequences is also a good idea. Send an SMS only on the last day of a promotion or if subscribers don't open their emails.
This post was contributed by Tim Preston of SMSala in partnership with SL Interactive. It’s specific to Australian SMS laws and regulations. Before starting an SMS marketing campaign, be sure to check your local laws regarding data privacy.
