Us Brits may not celebrate Halloween in the same way as our overseas cousins in the US, but the Halloween holidays are undoubtedly not to be missed by retailers across the UK.

With Halloween spending in the UK reaching an estimated £776M in 2024, it’s time to consider how you can make the most of this growing holiday with SMS marketing. And that’s exactly why we’ve provided a few text templates to give you a head start.

1. Spooky contest alerts

Engaging your audience with a spooky contest can be a fun way to interact with your customers. Send out an SMS inviting them to participate and win exciting prizes. For example:

“👻 Ready to test your spooky knowledge? Participate in our Halloween Trivia Contest and answer hauntingly fun questions for a chance to win a £100 gift card. Enter here: [link]”

2. Exclusive flash sales

Consider running exclusive flash sales leading up to Halloween or Bonfire Night. SMS is a great way to create a sense of urgency and excitement among your customers. You could send messages like:

“Hurry! Our Halloween Flash Sale is on! Enjoy 25% off all spooky decorations until midnight tonight. Shop now: [website link]”

Here are a few more SMS templates you can use to drive engagement:

For Halloween:
“👻 Unmask the savings this Halloween! Use code SPOOKY20 for 20% off your entire order at [website link]. Offer expires 31st October. Shop now!”
For Bonfire Night:
“🎇 Light up Bonfire Night with our fireworks collection! Get a FREE pack of sparklers with every purchase over £50. Visit [website link] today!”

Expanding beyond retail

Halloween and Bonfire Night aren’t just about selling products; they also present opportunities for businesses beyond retail.

1. Service-based businesses: Service-based businesses, like spas or pet groomers, can get in on the action too. Send SMS offers like:

“🧖‍♀️ Treat yourself this Halloween with our exclusive spa package. Book now and receive a free pumpkin facial mask! [link]”

2. Restaurant promotion for Halloween: If you own a restaurant, you can use SMS marketing to promote special Halloween offers:

“🎃 Get into the Halloween spirit with us! Join our spooky feast with eerie delights and creepy cocktails. Book your table now and receive a complimentary ‘Witch’s Brew’ cocktail. [link]”

3. Charity and giving back for Halloween: Demonstrate your commitment to the community and charity during Halloween:

“👻 This Halloween, we’re giving back to our community! Join us in collecting costumes and treats for local kids in need. Drop off your donations at our store before October 25th and help make this Halloween a little brighter for everyone.”

Ready to get started with your Halloween SMS campaign?

Ensure that you’ve seamlessly integrated both Halloween and Bonfire Night into your SMS marketing strategy, and use these templates for a helping hand. New to SMS? Then simply start your free trial with Text Marketer today.

The post Ghostly good business – SMS marketing templates for Halloween and Bonfire Night appeared first on Text Marketer.

SMS marketing is a really effective marketing tool, and if you’re not using it already, you should be. The average open rate for an SMS message is 98%, and 90% of text messages are read in less than 90 seconds of being delivered. With stats like that, it’s no surprise that SMS is a vital marketing communication channel!

When used in the right way, SMS can really boost your Black Friday marketing promotion strategy, helping to expand your reach and improve engagement. 

But how do you make sure you’re doing the right stuff, at the right time, in the right way? There’s so much to consider and potentially, a lot of profit riding on it (Black Friday online sales grew 3.5% to $65.3 billion globally in 2022), and so preparing your SMS marketing strategy can feel a little overwhelming. 

However, worry no more as we’ve put together four fantastic SMS marketing tips for Black Friday which will make sure your peak season SMS marketing campaign is a total success and you get the best out of this peak shopping period.

1. Tailor your messaging

Customers like to feel special and understood. They don’t respond well to being treated like just one of many.  You must tailor your messages to the individual recipient, as well as the channel and industry. This is vital if you want your customers to continue on the buying journey once they’ve received your SMS.

2. Enhance your Black Friday SMS Marketing with data-driven insights

To ensure the success of your Black Friday SMS marketing campaigns, it’s crucial to measure their performance and continually optimise your strategies. By tracking metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, you can gain valuable insights into what works best for your audience. Use A/B testing to experiment with different messaging approaches, timing, and offers, then refine your tactics based on the data you collect. This process of measurement and optimisation will help you maximise the impact of your SMS marketing efforts and drive higher engagement and sales during the Black Friday season.

3. Nail your Call to Action 

You need to make it clear what you’re asking the customer to do when reaching out to them with mobile messaging. Your call to action needs to be really clear. 

4. Use SMS hand-in-hand with other marketing communication channels

When you compare SMS with email – which has an open rate of 21% – it may feel like a no-brainer to replace email with SMS messaging completely. But don’t fall into this trap, email can add considerable value to your mobile marketing campaign and you’ll get better results if you use the various channels simultaneously. Let them work together, rather than against each other. 

And remember that while SMS has high engagement rates, only 29% of consumers have signed up to receive text messages from companies. Compare that with the fact that 48% – almost half – are subscribed to email newsletters and you’ll see that if you only look at SMS, you’re missing out on a big chunk of potential business. Therefore, you need to familiarise yourself with the strengths of each channel and use them in a way so they can complement one another.

An example of this is sending out a promotional email, and then sending a follow-up text to anyone who didn’t respond. 

We can help with your Black Friday SMS marketing strategy

Still a little stumped about your Black Friday SMS marketing campaign? Fear not, we’re here to help! Contact us today and we can help you make the most of SMS marketing this Black Friday, or start your free trial with us today.

The post Texting your way to Black Friday triumph: 4 SMS marketing tips appeared first on Text Marketer.

Every year Black Friday sales increase, and incentives to purchase get bigger and better in the quest to win more market share. Campaigns are starting earlier every year – and with most businesses reaching out via SMS, can you afford not to shout about your promotions this year? 

Every year customers are ready, waiting, and on the hunt for the best Black Friday deals, they are actively searching for offers – they want to hear from you.

Whether they are on the lookout for some personal treats, and why not!? Or thinking ahead and looking to buy some Christmas presents, November is the perfect time to be sending out messages to your customers.

Our top tips for SMS campaigns for Black Friday:

On the flip side, it’s never too late to start making some noise about your Black Friday offers. With a 98% open rate on average, SMS could be your biggest ally as we head into peak season.  If you’re thinking about doubling up in a last-minute SMS campaign for Black Friday, check out our top tips for boosting your AOV (Average order value) and enhancing customer engagement. 

Get the timing right 

The timing of your SMS messages is really important, so think about the days you are going to send your SMS messages on and also the time. Many retailers are now running their Black Friday deals throughout November,  so it makes sense to send an SMS campaign at the start of your Black Friday offer, the Monday of Black Friday week, and also on Black Friday itself.

Target inactive customers 

Pay more attention to the one-time purchase or infrequent purchase group with a campaign that shows off a new product range, and shares a limited-time discount code. Or group your customers by age and  send them insights into what their peers have been buying. Don’t forget to include links to similar products. 

Personalise your SMS sends

As consumers we all want to be known as something more than just a number in a database. So a great place to start is by analysing your existing customer data and categorising your SMS campaigns for Black Friday by sets of common behaviours, purchase activity, and/or demographics. 

To execute this you’ll need to segment your customer data and then personalise your SMS copy to suit each campaign audience. 

When done effectively, this strategy will benefit you in the short term, as it will work to boost engagement/conversion rates, and in the long-term by improving how customers view your brand over time. Often it’s the small gestures and personal touches that mean the most when building relationships. 

Making the most of features like SMS Web Pages

We all know that SMS is the most powerful marketing tool out there, but wouldn’t it be great if you could add some beautiful images, catchy headlines, splashes of colour and call to action buttons but still get the same amazing open rates of SMS?

With SMS Web Pages, you can send bespoke mobile landing pages to your customers, filled with images, graphics, and details on your offers. It works as an effective way to entice your customers with your products. 

If you would like to ask any questions about how you can make the most out of Black Friday, or you would like to know more about SMS Web Pages, then please do not hesitate to get in touch. Sign up for your free SMS marketing account here.

The post Why it’s never too early to prepare your SMS campaigns for Black Friday appeared first on Text Marketer.

The first step of launching any successful SMS marketing campaign is pulling together an audience to send it to. This becomes your list and is basically just everyone who has signed up to receive your SMS. 

If you already have a database of active customers who are engaged and eager to hear from you, then you’re good to go. Although, more often than not you’ll also have a segment of your database who are lost or inactive customers, and these might even outnumber the amount of engaged contacts that you have. If that’s the case then this blog is for you because we’ll be looking at the top 5 ways that you can grow your SMS subscriber list. 

If you’re new to bulk SMS marketing, the first thing you need to do is build a list.     

You’ll need to do this organically. In other words, don’t buy SMS contact lists. Picking up a list from a third party is bad practice for a few reasons. 

The biggest and most important reason is that sending unsolicited messages is illegal. Which is what you’d be doing if you sent a text to a number on a list of people you don’t know, and who don’t know you.

Also, texting someone who doesn’t know you isn’t a good way to boost brand loyalty, and can often be more harmful for your brand. If your message doesn’t get flagged as spam by a network provider, it might be reported as such by the recipient. The text message inbox is a place reserved for people you want to hear from, not for cold contact. 

💡 As well as following the terms and conditions of mobile network providers, you need to stick to the guidelines set out in these documents: 

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations
• The Data Protection Act 2018
• Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
• Advertising Standards Authority

For a brief need-to-know, check out our Beginner’s Guide to SMS Marketing.

5 ways to grow your SMS subscriber list

As said, people need a good reason to sign up to your list. They also need to know it exists. For that to happen, you need to spread the word and make your list as visible as possible. 

Try these tactics:   

1. Add a signup form to your website

A website signup form capitalises on the attention you already have. 

For example, if someone has been browsing your website for a while, a well-timed pop-up can encourage them to sign up for a discount on their first purchase. 

You can also add a form to the footer or sidebar of your website, on product pages or in blog posts. 

Look at which pages or parts of your website get the most traffic and add a form there. Then, measure the results to see which forms perform best. Get rid of any forms that don’t cut it.

💡 Keep forms simple to make it easy for people to sign up. If it seems like hard work, people are more likely to ignore or abandon it. A name and phone number are all you need to get started. You can collect other details (e.g. date of birth or location) later or at the point of purchase.  

2. Entice email subscribers

Already have an engaged email list? Let them know good things are happening on SMS too. 

A happy subscriber on one channel will be open to hearing from you in other ways if it’s worth it. This means offering an incentive they can’t get via email. 

For example, if your email list gets exclusive discounts, give your SMS list early access to sales and stock notifications. This way, bargain hunters get value from both lists. 

3. Run SMS entry competitions

With a competition, people come for the prize and stick around for your marketing messages.

The format here is simple. You ask people to text a keyword (e.g. WIN) to a five-digit shortcode number (e.g. 88802). And include the T&Cs so people know entry includes being added to your SMS list.  

This is an incentive-heavy tactic, so any prize needs to be a good one: products, cash, tickets, VIP experiences, etc. It should stop people in their tracks and have them drop what they’re doing to enter. 

Here are some examples from big brands to give an idea of scale:

• Heineken: Win VIP box tickets to the UEFA Champions League Final
• Pimm’s: Win 2x Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles Final Tickets
• Kellogg’s: Win a team football kit every day
• Hellman’s: Win tickets to the final stages of UEFA EURO 2024
• Piriteze: Win 1 of 4 UK breaks or 1 of 100 £100 Go Ape e-vouchers
• Thorntons: Win your Mum a perfect day with £150 e-voucher

Competitions are a versatile tactic too. You can promote a competition on your website, social media, in-store, at events or via traditional media: TV, radio or print. So long as the prize is attractive and relevant to your audience, it’s an effective way to grow your list—and brand visibility—quickly.     

4. Ask social media followers to subscribe

Like email, if you have a solid social media following, ask them to sign up to receive SMS. The fact they follow you shows they like your business and are interested in what you have to say. Joining your list can bring them even closer to you. And make it easier for you to reward their loyalty with all kinds of SMS-only rewards.

Promote your SMS list in posts (use pinned posts to increase visibility) and videos on your social media feeds by showing followers SMS gives them perks they can’t get anywhere else. 

Also, include details on how to join in your bio so that your list is always visible. 

5. Include SMS signup at checkout

Collecting a phone number at checkout helps you keep customers updated on their order status. 

Adding a checkbox below the number field gives them a simple way to opt-in to receive marketing communications. 

So—and we’re probably sounding like a broken record at this point—the incentive is everything. Tell people why it’s worthwhile by stating exactly what they’ll get as a reward for their loyalty.

Growing your SMS subscriber list 101 

We know that marketing has changed, and continues to shift towards a more personalised, consumer-first approach. And if you want to keep up with your competitors. you have to nurture your customer database and turn a collection of contact details into many well-thought-out segmented customer lists for ultra-relevant and targeted SMS campaigns. 

Promoting exclusive offers across your channels is a great way to encourage customers and prospects who avidly follow (for example) your social media to keep up with your email comms or SMS comms too. 

As with most authentic methods, growth takes time and effort. There’s no shortcut to doing things organically, but the result is better engagement and a list that’s not at the mercy of spam filters or regulators.

Plus, you can use bulk SMS on a list of any size. So, you can start small and run text marketing campaigns as you grow.

The post 5 ways to grow your SMS subscriber list appeared first on Text Marketer.

Increase retail sales with SMS discounts

If customer service SMS works indirectly, discounts are on the nose. They give customers a reason to visit your store, click your link, or place an order.  

There’s a reason why so many retailers use discounts: they work. Statista research shows about 93% of shoppers use coupons or codes throughout the year.

All that good stuff because of a simple voucher. Who’d have thought it?  

We’re at a point in retail where shoppers expect or demand deals as standard. Especially if it’s an exclusive offer, like one that new customers would receive after joining a brand’s subscriber list.

Another study published by Psychology Today found discount users prefer to buy products with vouchers even if it means spending more money. So not only could discounting help push prospects over the line to become customers, but it could also help raise your average order value (AOV). 

And if you’re still not convinced, here are some more eye-opening stats around SMS discounting campaigns: 

• 89% of customers named price as a primary factor influencing their purchasing decisions, while 82% named quality
• 89% of shoppers who use promotions say their purchase was triggered by a promotion
• 86% of the shoppers surveyed said coupons have influenced them to try a new product
• 84% of shoppers say coupons influence their store choices

Sources: Hawk Incentives Research, Tools Group, Valassis

And if we recall a stat we used at the top, more than two-thirds of smartphone users have opted in to receive texts. So, customers are keen to see what kind of discounts you’ve got. 

6 types of discounts to send in your SMS campaigns

We’ve covered the why and how of discounts. Now, let’s look at the what. Here are six of the best discount offers to experiment with. 

1. The Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF)

The BOGOF does what it says on the tin. You offer a product at the regular price and give away a second identical product for free. 

A study by AMG found that 66% of shoppers rated this type of discount as their favourite and 93% of all shoppers have taken advantage of a BOGOF deal. 

While you don’t want to start giving away high-end items, if you have a lot of stock to shift, edible products with a sell-by-date, or unit-based and bulk products, BOGOF is a great way to boost sales and get rid of surplus stock.

The offer does the hard work here, so you don’t need to get too creative. But if you want to try something innovative, experiment with offering this as part of a multichannel strategy. 

For example, if a customer buys one item using your online store, they could get the second one free in-store (or vice-versa). This can encourage more people to visit you in different places. 

You could also try tailoring BOGOF deals to specific groups. Here’s an example:

Hey [NAME], it’s BOGOF time. Buy one [PRODUCT] and have another on us. But be quick because stock is limited. Shop now: [LINK]

Buy one [PRODUCT] and we’ll give you a second one in-store for free. Yep, you read that right. Here’s the link you need: [LINK]

2. The first-time discount

An offer we’ve talked about already as a way to grow your list. The first order discount can be the nudge visitors need to become paying customers. 

Experiment with different discount sizes as percentages (e.g. 5% off or 10% off) and money off (e.g. get £5 off). 

You can also add extra perks like free shipping. A study by Mollie found high shipping costs were the biggest reason for cart abandonment. So, taking on the cost yourself can help increase your sales.

Remember, always send your first-time discount with, or as an immediate follow-up to, your introductory text to keep your customers engaged with the offer. 

Some examples:

Hey! Thanks for signing up. Use this code [CODE] at checkout to get [X]% off your order. [LINK]

Hi [NAME]. Looks like you’ve left something behind! Here’s a special promo code to get £[X] off your order! 🤩 Just use [CODE] at checkout by [DATE].

3. The flash sale

Flash sales offer a big discount for a limited time (no longer than 72 hours). They tap into the fear of missing out (FOMO) to create a buzz and get customers to act quickly. 

It’s another effective tactic if you have excess inventory to shift, or if you have a good number of returning customers who will notice and appreciate the drop in prices, and want to grab a deal. 

Reward SMS subscribers by giving them early access to sales. Offering an early exclusive like this is another great way to attract new business and grow your subscriber list too.

If it’s a big event that doesn’t come around often, ramp up excitement by texting your list in the weeks and days ahead. Make sure you set up SMS alerts say what’s discounted and for how long. 

As for what your discount should be, research by Rakuten shows percentage off, BOGOF and discount codes are the top three preferred options

Hey VIP! Our big [X] hour sale starts tomorrow, but you have early access 👌 Get in there first and grab [Y] off. [LINK]

Our biggest event of the year is live until MIDNIGHT. Use code [CODE] to unlock your [Y]% discount now. [LINK]

4. The tiered discount

Tiered discounts target new and existing customers by offering money off a purchase, but only if they spend a certain amount. 

You definitely will have come across these before:

• Get 20% off when you spend £99+
• £50 off your first order (when you spend £200 or more)
• Get a £5 in-store voucher when you spend £50
• Get free shipping on orders over £50

Using a threshold is a good way to get customers to add more items to their basket than they otherwise would, and boost your AOV in the process. 

To work out what to set your threshold at, look at your average order value. The higher the AOV, the bigger the offer. For example, if your customers spend £40 on average, offering 10% off a £49 spend is a tempting offer. But if it’s £200, customers will want a larger discount. 

Beat the holiday rush! Get 50% off when you spend £150 on [CATEGORY] for [X] hours only. 

Spend more and save more! Use the code [CODE] at checkout to get [X]% off your next order over £[X].

5. Personalised discounts 

Personalised discounts are offers you send to specific groups on your SMS list. They’re based on things like demographics (age, gender, etc.) interests, shopping habits, location, and website activity. 

All this information comes from customer data you collect in SMS surveys or from purchase history.

For example, if you’re a fashion retailer, you can send different offers to female and male subscribers. Or, if you have UK-wide stores, you can send one offer to customers in London and a different offer to customers in Glasgow. 

Or, a more classic example: celebrate their birthday. 

Targeting discounts gives customers more value and a more personal experience. It also prevents choice overload by suggesting products they’re likely to be interested in. 

Happy birthday, [NAME]! Here’s a gift from us. Get [X]% off your next order by using the code [CODE] at checkout

Hey [NAME], it’s been a while since you ordered your favourite [PRODUCT]. Ready to pick up another? Use this code and get [X]% off on us [CODE]. [LINK]

💡 Personalising your SMS campaigns can increase your revenue, cut your acquisition costs and improve your marketing return on investment (ROI). Want to learn more? When you’ve finished this ebook, go ahead and check out this one for everything you need to know: Getting Started with SMS Personalisation.

6. VIP discounts

VIP discounts treat SMS subscribers like they’re at the head of the table by giving them offers no one else is getting. The exclusivity makes loyal customers feel valued, creating an even stronger bond. It also keeps them spending money with you. 

For VIP discounts to work, you need to roll out the red carpet. If everyone who signs up to your list gets 10% off an order, sending the same offer to loyal customers won’t have an impact. So, think bigger:

• Thank you gifts: Money off products or a gift with each purchase
• VIP access to sales: 24-48 hours before non-subscribers
• VIP exclusive events: Unique codes for VIP-only sales
• Milestone celebrations: Discounts for customers who’ve spent a certain amount of money or made a certain number of purchases

Did we ever tell you we love you? How about we say it with a discount? Enter the [CODE] at checkout or show us this text in-store to get £[X] off your next order.  

P.S. We’ve created a special sale event only for VIPs and you’re one of them. The items you love at up to [X]% off. Here’s the secret link: [LINK]

When should you offer discounts in your SMS campaigns?

You can work out the right product-to-discount strategy from your customer database. Which of your products have customers responded well to? How frequent are their purchases?

For example, if you know that your customers like to buy in bulk, a money-off or percentage discount will save them money on large orders and encourage them to spend more at once with you. But if they tend to buy single items, a BOGOF deal will prove a better motivator.

It’s also a good idea to experiment with duration and seasonality to ensure that your discounting strategy doesn’t become predictable. Discounts should tempt customers to act and it might have less effect if you train them to wait for offers or make your promotions open-ended.

Ideally, keep the timeframe for codes and offers short to maintain a sense of urgency (12-72 hours is ideal). You can also try rolling out timed discounts to reward customers for acting fast. 

For example, in a 24-hour sale, you could set the discount for hour one at 24%, then decrease it by 1% every hour. 

The bottom line is, there’s a knack to it. While the right discount gets customers buying, discounting can have the opposite effect and catalyse a loss of trust, value, or exclusivity – or in the worst-case scenario lead your customers to opt out altogether. 

If you stick to the tips in this blog then discounting could be one of your biggest allies for boosting the ROI of your SMS campaigns – especially as we head into peak season.

The post 6 types of discounts to send in your SMS campaign appeared first on Text Marketer.

Here are some examples to get you started: 

Time-sensitive offer SMS

LAST CHANCE: Hi [NAME]. You’ve got [X] hours until our exclusive [SEASON] offers end. Don’t miss out: [LINK]

Order confirmation SMS

Thanks for your order, [NAME]. Our team is busy processing your items. We’ll message you when your order ships. Questions? Contact us here: [LINK]

Shipping SMS

Your product is on the way, [NAME]. Expect it at your door in 2-3 business days.

New product launch SMS

Hey [NAME]! Exciting news. [NEW PRODUCT NAME] is now on sale. Use this code [CODE] at checkout for a [X%] discount. 

Cart abandonment reminder SMS

Hi [NAME]. Looks like you’ve left something behind! Here’s a special promo code to get 20% off your order! 🤩 Use [CODE] at checkout by [DATE].

Upsell/Cross-sell SMS

Hey [NAME], we thought you might be interested in [PRODUCT] – it would go perfectly with [PRODUCT THEY’VE ALREADY BOUGHT] 😍 Take a look: [LINK]

Loyalty SMS

Psst, [NAME]. You’re in! 🤫 Exclusive access to our Black Friday sale and an extra [X%] off, sitewide is all yours. Enjoy! [LINK]

Review request SMS

Hello [NAME], we hope you’re enjoying your recent purchase. We’d love it if you could spare 2 mins to leave a review. Use this link [LINK].

Birthday offer SMS

Happy birthday, [NAME]! We hope this is your best one yet. To help you celebrate, use the code [CODE] to get [X%] off your next order.

User re-engagement SMS

Hey [NAME], it’s been a while. How have you found your [PRODUCT/SERVICE]? Anything we can help with? We’d love to hear your feedback.

Security SMS

Hi! Your one-time password is [NUMBER]. Do not share it with anyone. This password will expire in [TIMEFRAME].

Opt-out SMS

Hi [NAME]. We understand not everyone celebrates [SEASONAL EVENT]. If you’d prefer not to receive these kinds of texts, reply with NO and we’ll take you off our [SEASON] list.

Trial expiry SMS

Hi [NAME], we hope you’re enjoying your free trial of [SERVICE]. You have [X] days left before it expires. Would you like to upgrade?

Final word

If there’s one point we’ve hammered home it’s that SMS personalisation works. How it works for you depends on your strategy and how much data you can collect and use with your current resources. But even the most basic personalisation—name, location, specific account details—can make a difference to how customers think, feel, and interact with your business. 

Like any form of marketing, you learn and grow through trial and error. Use this guide to shape your approach, but don’t be afraid to experiment with delivery. If you consistently test and adapt based on results, you’ll get a deeper understanding of what customers respond to. Once you know what that is, you’ll develop those all-important human connections and build relationships to improve the customer experience and hit your goals.

The post 13 Personalised message templates and how to use them appeared first on Text Marketer.

But personalisation isn’t just handy for improving your SMS open rates, it’s also been proven to impact conversion rate. A recent study found that 77% of buyers won’t purchase without personalised content and 83% say it enhances the buying experience.

Our last blog talks more about why personalisation is key, but now let’s get into how you can actually make your SMS campaigns more personal.

So let’s get into it.

Nail down consent 

First things first. To send any marketing SMS message you must have your customer’s permission to be contacted via this channel. They must have opted-in to receive SMS messages and shared their number with you for that purpose.

Customers want personalisation, but only if they’ve signed up for it. 

Once you have your segmented contact lists, it’s all about using the data that you have to connect your customers on a new level. 

There are two ways that you can do this:

1. Sharing information that’s specific to the individual

2. Tailoring messaging and offers based on each segmented group

With a bulk SMS platform (the software you use to run your text marketing campaigns) you can achieve both.

First, you can upload groups from a spreadsheet to your platform. This will automatically pull data you’ve collected into the platform as personalisation tokens to help you craft ultra-targeted copy. 

You can also connect your bulk SMS platform to your CRM or sales software via an SMS API. We won’t get into the nitty-gritty of what an API (Application Programming Interface) is here, but in basic terms, it links data in your CRM or sales software to your bulk SMS platform so you can seamlessly send personalised messages whenever a customer completes an action.

With access to the data, SMS software lets you personalise texts at scale using dynamic fields. 

For example, something as simple as addressing customers by their first name can go a long way toward boosting your open rates. With dynamic fields, you can scale this up to cover thousands of subscribers at once without the hassle of manually inserting first names for them all. All you have to do is write your message in the platform, select “First Name” from a drop-down menu and place it in your text. 

The message might look like something like this:

“I think you might have forgotten something, [FIRST NAME]? It’s safe for now, but head to checkout ASAP before it’s gone! 🏃”

When you launch your SMS campaign, the software pulls in the first name linked to the recipient’s number from your group, so they see their name: 

“I think you might have forgotten something, Emma? It’s safe for now, but head to checkout ASAP before it’s gone! 🏃”

This is just a basic example, you can use dynamic fields to input more personal data such as their company name, job title, location, order history, and more.

Get timing on your side

Using personalisation well to send ultra-targeted and relevant SMS marketing campaigns is one way to grab your customers’ attention, but we also know that timing can be a big factor in pushing a sale over the line. And getting that ‘perfect timing’ on your side could be a surefire way to boost your conversion rate. 

Here’s some ideas of how you could create that moment of ‘perfect timing’: 

Celebrate personal milestones

Catch your customers when they’re celebrating – use seasons, holidays, and occasions as a way to inject some more personalisation into your text campaigns. To help your campaign stand out even more, think beyond common milestones and look at information like their anniversary as a customer with you, or any specific information that’s relevant to your business that only you can celebrate with your customer. 

This could be things like:

• Purchase congratulations
• Course completions
• Successful referrals
• Loyalty points

When you launch an SMS campaign has a big impact on how well your customers respond. For instance, if you run a restaurant sending an offer on a Monday morning before you open is less likely to be as effective as sending one on a Friday afternoon as people start to plan for the weekend ahead.

We can also apply this to eCommerce, you’re more likely to get more take up for a discount SMS campaign that launches during commute hours when people will be checking their phones.

Make sure you track your campaign’s performance, the more you can learn from your data the easier finding that timing sweet spot will be. 

Use SMS automation for frequent tasks 

A large part of effective personalisation is a high level of responsiveness. When a customer completes an action like signing up for a newsletter, buying a product or asking a question, they expect a fast response.  

Hubspot research shows 90% of customers rate an “immediate” response as essential or very important when they have a customer service question. 60% of customers define “immediate” as 10 minutes or less.

SMS automation lets you send messages based on triggers without having to manually deploy them. So you can respond to customers instantly, even if you’re not physically there to do it, all thanks to an SMS API. 

What if you wanted to send an automated text message to confirm when customers make an order on your website? 

You could draft something like this: 

Thanks for your order, [NAME]! Your confirmation number is #1078915. We’ll text you when your product is shipped.

When a customer enters their details and completes a purchase, your sales platform detects the sale and sends a request to the SMS API to send the text message. This all happens in seconds. 

You can then schedule automated follow-up messages to keep your customers informed of the whole order fulfilment process and then to collect feedback.

Use automation to personalise the customer experience for common actions or events: 

• Order confirmations
• Welcome messages
• Birthday celebrations
• Special offers or promotions
• Abandoned cart reminders
• Appointment or payment reminders

Automation isn’t a replacement for agents, it’s an extra resource to help you improve your customer service journey. While 8 out of 10 people say the most important elements of positive customer experience are speed, convenience, knowledgeable help, and friendly service, most prefer human interaction.

Make sure you’re monitoring interactions and delivering a human response where relevant. 

Improving personalisation with A/B testing

Personalisation is a proven way to boost marketing effectiveness and strengthen customer relationships, there’s no telling how much of a difference it will make until you start sending messages and measuring the results.

And there’s no telling if a message is performing as well as it could be until you test a second version alongside it. This is what A/B testing is: comparing two (or more) versions of a message to see which brings in better results. 

Say, you’re setting up a campaign for a sales alert. You create two messages, with different CTAs and links. 

Version A: Hey [NAME], it’s your last chance to take advantage of our secret sale. 🙏 Browse your wishlist and bag a bargain now: [LINK]

Version B: Hey [NAME], it’s your last chance to take advantage of our secret sale. 🙏 Shop now and save up to 50% [LINK]

From your segment, you can make a sample audience of 500 people. You send version A to 250 people and version B to the other 250 contacts.The test results will show which version is engaging your customer base more. 

If 200 people respond to version A and only 50 respond to version B, you know which version best achieves your campaign goals. That’s a successful A/B test. 

You can run a different test for almost every element of your message, it’s an ongoing process with endless options. But to get the most accurate results, here are a few best practices to keep in mind: 

• Test one variable at a time: If you want to see how adding emojis compares to plain text, use the same copy in both versions. But if you also want to see how a casual tone performs against a formal tone, run two separate tests, rather than testing different variables (i.e. emojis and tone) at the same time. 

• Use large sample sizes: The larger the segment, the more accurate the results. We recommend testing with a group of at least 300 subscribers.

• Run multiple tests: Gather as much data as possible. If you find your audience prefers texts that include their name, run the test again in a few different campaigns to verify results are consistent. 

The bottom line

There are many ways you can use personalisation to enhance your SMS campaigns, and we’ve looked at the supporting elements that will boost your results: personalised offers, dynamic fields for personalisation at scale, timing, and effective SMS copy backed by A/B testing.

Are you ready to take your customer relationships to the next level? 

The post How to personalise your SMS campaigns appeared first on Text Marketer.

When it comes to building strong customer relationships, it’s all about making it personal, but if we had to take the time to handcraft a custom message for every single customer in the database… Well, who has the time for that? 

That’s where the art of personalisation at scale comes into play. Essentially we’re segmenting our customers into similar groups and then creating variations of our SMS copy to resonate with each one.

If we drop a first name token into a bulk SMS send, your message will instantly appear more targeted and meaningful. This is just one basic example but depending on your data, you could look into demographics, activity, location, purchase history, company type or size, and other insights that communicate to each customer you know exactly who they are and what they need. 

In the same way you’d select a gift for a friend based on what you know about them, you can be smart with your SMS marketing campaigns and use information about your customers to make your outreach feel ultra-relevant. The aim is to make customers feel you have written a message just for them. 

I’m sure you’ve shopped with a brand before and then a few days later received a timely message about other products from the same range that you might enjoy. That’s an example of a brand personalising your interactions.

Does personalisation really make a difference? 

In short? Yes. In this market, customers don’t just want relevant and timely communications, they expect it. 

Boost opt-in rates

A recent study uncovered that 76% of consumers get frustrated when brands don’t deliver personalisation. In fact, many consumers refuse to engage with a brand if all they’ve received are generic offers and irrelevant content. That’s a one-way ticket to getting unsubscribed, according to 62% of consumers. 

Offer value

The good news is that because customers expect this, 83% are also willing to share their data so you can collect the insights that you need to build a more tailored experience.

By using customer data effectively, you can crack the art of personalisation. You’re not only increasing your chances of conversion, but you’re showing customers that your messages offer value and are worth their loyalty. 

78% of consumers say that targeted content makes them more likely to buy again and to refer your brand to family and friends – another great source of keeping the revolving door of new customers going. 

Enhance the buying experience

Creating a bespoke purchase experience using personalisation is one way you can single out your brand from the crowd – 77%  of buyers claim they won’t purchase without personalised content and 83% admit that it sways their decision.

Either way, personalisation at scale can be very good for business. 

And if you’re still unconvinced, according to McKinsey, companies that personalise experiences: 

• Reduce customer acquisition costs by up to 50%
• Increase marketing return on investment (ROI) by 10-30%
• Lift revenue by 5-15%
• Increase average order value (AOV) by 98%

Personalisation in SMS marketing

We’ve established that personalised marketing equals a better customer experience, a higher level of engagement, and ultimately, a higher ROI. So let’s think about some ways that we can use customer data to supercharge our SMS marketing campaigns. 

Here are some examples: 

• Appointment reminders
• Discounts sent around customers’ birthdays
• Product recommendations based on order history
• Reminders for abandoned shopping carts
• Alerts for products that are low in stock or newly restocked
• Alerts based on location, such as a new branch opening or in-store event
• Priority new season or sale access 
• Discounts sent to tempt back less active customers 

The point of personalisation is to form a closer connection with customers.Here are the essential do’s and don’ts of personalisation to follow before you send your next SMS campaign. 

Why SMS? 

SMS or text marketing removes barriers you may face on other channels. You’re not fighting against a social media algorithm or getting lost in a crowded email inbox where, for the average person, 121 messages land every day. There’s also no need for customers to go to the effort of logging into an app, and it doesn’t rely on having a good internet connection.  

All active mobile numbers can receive SMS messages, which will stay visible until it’s read (and 97% of the time that’s within 5 minutes).

Here are some recent performance statistics:

Average open rate

• 98% SMS
• 60% Direct mail
• 21% Email

Average response rate

• 45% SMS
• 9% Direct mail
• 6% Email

Average click-through rate

• 28-33% SMS
• 6-7% Email
• 1% Social media advertising

Sources: 99firms, DMA, Statista 

The bottom line 

It’s important to note that if a customer opts into communications via SMS, there’s a fine line between offering value and sending spam. SMS can open the door but it’s compelling content that will drive customer loyalty and engagement. 

If you need some advice on how to write excellent SMS copy, check out the section on writing great copy in our SMS Growth Guide. 

The post SMS Marketing basics: why personalisation matters appeared first on Text Marketer.

To beat the competition, it’s becoming more and more important for companies to find their voice with a rich customer engagement strategy that offers something unique and meaningful for each and every customer. Whilst email is still the channel with the most global accessibility, it is only one side of the coin – and that’s what we’ll be exploring in this blog. 

How can we take these two powerful marketing channels and use them together to create a seamless customer experience?

SMS marketing vs email marketing

Let’s explore some of the things that SMS marketing and email marketing have in common, and the things that make them different.

Similarities

Both email and SMS marketing are permission-based, meaning that customers have to opt in to receive communications via either channel. These channels can also easily be monitored for campaign success through tracking information such as open rate, delivery rate, click-through rate, and conversion rate, and are big allies for businesses when it comes to conveying promotional or transactional comms. 

It’s easy to tailor and adapt messages sent via these channels so that they resonate with multiple segmented customer groups. Both can also be automated and scheduled for bulk sending. 

Differences 

The main differences between these channels are their format and timing. SMS messages contain a limit of 160 characters whereas email is unlimited, but SMS is also proven to be more effective at grabbing attention, with a 98% open rate. 

Ever had one of those mornings where you’ve woken up to 20+ new email notifications and felt too overwhelmed to process them all? This is the growing problem that businesses relying on purely email marketing face.

Depending on which industry benchmark you look at, email open rates are anywhere from 15-25%. Some think it’s the immediacy behind texting that makes SMS open rates so much higher, but what we do know is that an SMS inbox is (usually) a much less crowded place. 

Often, email offers more flexibility in terms of design and subscriber experience as it’s formatted using HTML coding, whilst SMS is more limited and heavily text-based. However, other forms of mobile messaging like WhatsApp do offer rich messaging features that boost customer engagement. 

Although, the short and simple nature of an SMS is seen as a big advantage for communicating important information to customers such as delivery progress and appointment reminders. 

Why you should combine SMS & email marketing

As we hinted at in the last section, email and SMS are both important tools for marketers in different ways. The immediacy of SMS is perfect for getting through to customers quickly about order information or service updates etc, whilst email marketing is still seen as a valuable way to offer customers more educational content or longer updates in the form of newsletters for building trust and loyalty – which is equally important.

So with both tools providing an important piece of the consumer marketing puzzle, it makes sense to use them side-by-side in a complementary approach. Let’s get into a few more reasons why.

Cross-compatible data sets

Achieve cleaner customer data by obtaining information from feedback surveys and forms across both email and SMS. You can also get a more accurate picture of how your marketing campaigns are performing by cross-referencing key messaging metrics like: 

-Do your customers interact more with long or short content? 

-Which method gets higher open and response rates? 

-How do your customers usually sign up to your platform? 

-Where does your audience spend more time engaging with you via email or SMS? 

All of these metrics will give you a well-rounded idea of how to improve your customer engagement. 

Targeted outreach and segmentation 

Personalise, personalise, personalise! It’s all about showing your customers that you know and understand their buying habits – this is what will set you apart from your market competition, and make the most difference to your customer retention and bottom line. 

In fact, 90% of leading marketers say that investing in personalisation significantly contributes to business growth.

With two lines of communication open, you can divide and conquer – one channel could be used for gathering information from surveys about how they found their checkout experience, and the other to send out tailored incentives with products that they’ll love based on their order history. 

The more you mold your comms around your customers, the better your engagement rate will be. This can be as simple as understanding when the optimal time to send email and SMS marketing campaigns is for each industry. 

Remember that personalisation is a great tool for building brand loyalty, and whilst you want customers to feel valued – it’s important not to cross the threshold into intrusive territory. Make sure you’re on the right side of the do’s and don’ts of personalisation. 

Multi-touch/omnichannel engagement 

Your customers will always feel connected as there are multiple ways that they can get in touch and hear from you – especially, with more than 90% of the global population owning a smartphone. You can also ensure each channel plays a key role in your funnel by using SMS first to drive traffic to an email containing an offer or a new product launch. 

Winback campaigns and re-engaging lost leads

Put together a strategic email and follow-up SMS approach to entice lost leads into completing a purchase or using your services again. This could pair nicely with a bespoke winback offer. 

Let’s say that your customer’s journey to order completion was interrupted. A gentle nudge from another channel could be all it takes to get them back on track. With SMS being a lot less saturated than the email inbox, it might be just the tool to help you gently remind customers without overwhelming them. 

SMS could be your answer to breaking the dreaded one-time transaction curse. 

Will it be email or SMS marketing for your business?

We’ve looked at how the differences in format for both email and SMS marketing make both tools a powerful ally for marketers when used together. 

SMS’s high open rates and less saturated inbox make it an ideal choice for short and effective comms that drive traffic to your website or even an email with updates or educational content. Email marketing is still a staple in business-to-customer (B2C) comms, and still serves as a preferred method of contact for a number of consumers. 

You’ll likely find the best success with a harmony of both email and SMS marketing. If you’re thinking about where to divide your messaging budget, take note of where your customer activity is coming from. Are customers engaging with you more by email or SMS? 

The bottom line is, email and SMS work well together and are often both needed for a seamless customer experience with your brand.

The post The SMS symphony: how to harmonise with email marketing appeared first on Text Marketer.