In today's marketing world, consumers have learned to screen everything: their calls, emails and even text messages. A high saturation of spam has made people cautious and discerning about which promotions and marketing materials they take seriously, or even give their attention at all. Identity theft statistics and warnings about phishing scams have created a climate in which it's hard to trust automated messages.
Nevertheless, SMS marketing continues to be an effective way for brands and companies to reach their specific audiences. Here are four strategies to ensure your SMS marketing efforts aren't confused with spam:
- Don't inundate subscribers with too much. Marketing efforts become tiresome when customers are overwhelmed with communications. Consider the emailing lists you've "unsubscribed" from. Chances are, you didn't have time or energy to keep up with the volume of material.
- Always offer something. This can be a piece of breaking news, a promotional discount code or exclusive information about flash sales. Regardless of what you have to offer, make it worth your subscribers' time and trust to use SMS for engagement.
- Don't ask for too much in return. Even when your SMS messages prompt recipients for a response, keep it very simple with basic text codes. When customers feel they need to work for it, they may leave your deal or offer on the table. Mobilizing them to engage with you is the real prize.
- Always proofread for errors. Consumers will be especially suspicious of SMS messages they receive that seem shoddy, unprofessional or phony. Simple errors can raise red flags about validity, breaking the consumer's trust moving forward.
A powerful SMS gateway can help you leverage the buying power of your SMS subscribers. Whether that courts them to a brick-and-mortar retail location or your online shopping portal, SMS is a powerful resource to mobilize shoppers.
