Why SMS marketing campaigns will help you win big this year.
SMS campaigns are now outperforming most other marketing channels and savvy marketers are quickly getting on board. It’s probably because at least 84% of all Brits own a mobile phone and we look at them on average every 4 minutes. Thanks to our love of these little devices, SMS messages have an open rate of 98%, ahead of email marketing channels with an open rate of just 22%.
Communication now needs to be instant to get noticed and text messages are our favourite way to achieve this. Being able to reply instantly is also essential to us. With the more recent introduction of smart watches, we don’t even need to hold our phones to receive messages. This is another attractive element of using an SMS marketing strategy for many brands.
Why it’s important to grow your database ahead of your marketing campaign.
Marketers know that the most fundamental element of starting a marketing campaign is to grow your subscriber list. What good is a Black Friday marketing campaign if no one can see it? Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) form part of the biggest online sales season of the year. There will never be a better time to grow your database and earn a large number of subscribers.
How to grow your subscriber list
What is the quality of your current database? Is it up to date and are your subscribers interested in your brand? Below is a short guide to growing your subscriber list:
Opting in
Consumers initially opt-in to receive your SMS marketing messages, but they can also opt out if they are not happy with your interaction. TextAnywhere has a wealth of experience in SMS marketing and we have some top-quality hints and tips to help you to grow your database. Not only do we want to show you how to reach new subscribers, but also to be able to enhance your level of engagement with them. Once you have expanded your subscriber list, you will be able to add your new subscribers to your future campaigns.
Encouraging regular SMS take-up
You can drive opt-ins to sign up to receive your SMS messages in many different ways such as:
- Competitions – Across any of your existing marketing channels such as your Black Friday email marketing campaign or in-store.
- Website data capture – Adding a consent tick box to a form that already needs to be filled in, is a simple solution.
- Events – If you join events outside of your business, this could be the perfect opportunity to canvas new subscribers.
- Social media sites – Show your followers the additional benefits that they can experience once they join your SMS marketing list.
- In-store – It is quite common to promote your sms campaigns at sales points in stores. Shortcodes are particularly useful here, rather than lengthy form filling as shoppers are usually short on time.
- Feedback cards – Some restaurants leave cards on tables requesting feedback via a shortcode or QR code.
As well as these simple methods you can also increase your SMS database by using an effective cross-channel marketing strategy. If you already have a successful email marketing campaign and social media sites, you can incorporate these with your initial SMS marketing program. The recipients will already be familiar with your brand and campaign, so it makes sense and gives continuity if you can tie them together.
Black Friday Subscribers
Black Friday is a game changer for attracting subscribers but will still require some preparation. Many consumers will be encouraged to opt-in to receive SMS from their favourite brands to snap up amazing Black Friday deals. It is a fact that people seem to go Black Friday Cyber Monday crazy in November for reasons we will come back to in a minute. Boosting your subscribers needs to be managed slightly differently to make the most of this time. Consumers will be hungry for:
- Early access
- Exclusivity
- Additional discounts
- VIP shopping slots
- Tip and guides to Black Friday sales
- Hints and product drops ahead of the day
Whatever you decide to do to win over your subscribers ahead of the holiday sales, there’s a good chance you will be able to keep the majority of them on your subscriber list if you understand what they want to receive from your brand. Statistics show that 77% of consumers opt-in to receive coupons or to hear about deals and sales. 66% said they had even redeemed a special offer via text within 7 days of receiving it! Perhaps that’s why 64% of consumers think that companies should contact them more often through SMS marketing messages.
Why do people go crazy on Black Friday and how to build on the excitement?
Desirability
Black Friday hype plays on a sense of urgency that has become an annual tradition. The desire for something is increased if:
- It’s scarce in commodity
- Other people also want it.
Limiting the opportunity to buy something at a discounted price heightens its desirability and makes people want it more, irrationally so in some cases. With this in mind, when you start your Black Friday database campaign you need to use words that create a sense of urgency for your products or services. Once subscribed, you need to continue to use the same kind of language to keep the interaction and loyalty going. Use words such as:
- Urgent
- Limited
- One-day only
- Selling fast
- Sell-out
FOMO
Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a real thing, particularly among younger generations who are exposed to so much visual content online. It can cause a mindset that leads people to act more impulsively, which is great for brands hoping to maximise sales and this is the reason why Black Friday is such an important calendar date. It also drives competitiveness in shoppers, they get a surge of adrenaline and a feeling of superiority when given little time to act with online shopping.
Building anticipation
Prepare your subscribers for what is to come. You may have already lured them in with the promise of an exclusive first look at Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, now it’s time to grow the anticipation. Anticipation releases a happy hormone in us and leads us to feel and act more favourably towards the source of happiness.
Here are some ways to interact with your subscriber in the lead-up to Black Friday:
- Send out SMS reminders.
- Use SMS to countdown to the big day: “Only 4 more days to go! Click the link to take a sneaky peek at some of our Black Friday items”.
- Invite them to book a VIP slot.
- Send out a link to a gift guide
Engage in two-way SMS to gather more information about your subscribers ahead of the big day. For example: “Text back to tell us what you would most like to see in our Black Friday sales” or “Where will you be logging in to view our Black Friday sales? Text and let us know for an extra 10% off your sales items”.
A happy feeling
We all know that when we get a good deal it gives us a boost and provokes feelings of extreme satisfaction. It activates the brain’s reward system. When a brand makes us feel this way, we are not likely to forget about it straight away and might even explore the relationship further in the future. We might tell our friends and family about a good deal. Brands can not only catch new subscribers with a carefully planned Black Friday marketing strategy but also customer loyalty beyond the holiday season.
Start your BFCM marketing journey with TextAnywhere today!
Are you new to SMS marketing or just looking for a better provider, call TextAnywhere today to start your free trial. Our smart service is helping thousands of businesses to build real customer relationships, speed up processes and automate daily activities.
We have experts on hand to help you with every part of your SMS marketing campaigns and our SMS API seamlessly integrates with your existing software so you can easily deliver campaigns.