It is now common best practice for brands to schedule business communications in advance, to ensure they are able to maximise customer engagement and marketing efforts over busy periods. Given how vital the festive period can be for business revenue, with the extended bank holiday period over Christmas and New Year, brands need to ensure that they are prepared and don’t miss out on vital marketing opportunities to drive sales. Fortunately, scheduling marketing messages in advance to be sent out over the break via email, social media and SMS is now simple and quick.
Here are some tips to bear in mind when sending out SMS marketing messages over the break:
1. Carefully consider the date: Think carefully about when you would like to send your messages. It is probably not wise to send out marketing messages on Christmas Day as this is a time for families to spend together and people are likely to be too busy to even consider your message. Instead, schedule your messages for Boxing Day and beyond as this is when all the shops reopen and the sales begin. Most festivities are out of the way and people will start thinking about hitting the high street to pick up a bargain, or return unwanted gifts – a perfect time to send your customers discounts and remind them about your product or service!
2. Choose a good time: Make sure you are sending your messages at an appropriate time. Receiving your message at 4 o’clock in the morning isn’t going to impress customers if you disturb them from their sleep and is unlikely to have as much impact if they read it when they’ve just woken up. Aim to coincide with the time that most shops are open for business so that your message is then fresh in the mind of your customers. And if your brand is multinational, remember to schedule your message at different times to coincide appropriately with different time zones.
3. Make it relevant: Send out messages that are going to be relevant to your customers. This is one of the biggest sales periods of the year for the retail industry, so messages that contain content such as special offers and incentives for your customers to visit your store during this time will be expected. Businesses need to give customers a compelling reason to choose their brand and offer, over that of a competitor. For this, we always recommend utilising customer data. If you have previous purchase data on file, use this to create more targeted campaigns and always remember to personalise messages with information such as customer name. Afterall, 54% of consumers anticipate a personalised discount within just one day of providing their details to a retailer, so businesses must try to deliver.
4. Send a season’s greetings: One message that will have a positive response on Christmas Day is to simply wish your clientele a Merry Christmas. This shows that you care and that you are willing to part with your time and money. A personalised message will also make your customers feel valued by your company.
5. Finally, check before you send: Before you schedule your messages, double check that you have included all the necessary information. There’s no point prompting clients to make the most of your offer if you haven’t included a voucher code, for instance. It’s also vital to check spelling and grammar as the smallest mistakes can instantly be unappealing to the recipient.
If you’d like any help maximising your customer communications over the festive break, simply get in touch with our experienced team at [email protected].