Whether you're a small business just starting out or a medium-scale firm looking to expand your customer base, you know that traditional marketing approaches are no longer effective. To be able to catch customers' attention and expand your customer base, you need to look for creative ways to market yourself.
One way to do this is by using a business text messaging app. Apart from being a platform that helps people stay connected, text messaging is also a highly effective tool for mobile marketing, especially for small- and medium-sized companies. Experience tells us that the results are also impressive when compared with traditional marketing approaches like print ads, cold calling, and word of mouth.
If you're not convinced and find SMS marketing ineffective, here's why investing in a business text messaging app can really benefit your business:
It gives more power to the customer
Traditional advertising modes focus on targeting as many people as possible, which takes away the effectiveness of your message. Plus, in most cases, people are irritated when they get emails or phone calls for services they didn't sign up for.
However, SMS marketing gives customers the freedom to only sign up for information that interests them.
So, if your customers want to get messages about the latest promotions and deals, they must sign up to receive the information. Now, you might find yourself thinking, you won't be able to reach a large audience this way.
But open-in marketing comes with its benefits. For instance, customers who sign up for your messages are already invested in your product, which means there's a better chance of them purchasing from you. Then there's the huge advantage of not needing to spend money and time on customers who just aren't interested
Messages are convenient and easy to read
Unlike long emails, text messages are very short. At most, they are up to 3 sentences long and include a link for those who want to know more. Since they're so short (and not intrusive like phone calls), customers can read them at their own convenience.
Plus, as a business, you don't need to speed a lot of time planning your SMS. Most work will be done by the app itself. Then compare this to the time and resources that go into planning a traditional advertisement!
It ensures more customer engagement
Considering the popularity of email marketing, customers are now used to unwanted emails, and in most cases, they don't even bother opening any promotional email. However, that's not the case with SMS marketing. Most people read a text message within minutes of receiving it, which means your business can enjoy a lot of benefits. Your message is delivered to willing participants and encourages them to quickly take action.
It is an affordable investment
In comparison to placing an ad in front of customers, investing in a business text messaging app is much cheaper. Of course, the price depends on the app you opt for, but most applications only charge a few cents to send messages. And if you opt for bulk packages, you can send thousands of messages every month at a flat rate.
It allows you to leverage shortcodes
Shortcodes are basically phone numbers that much shorter than standard ones. So, if for example your business is related to selling pizza, you can use a number that spells out PIZZA on the dial pad (74992). Shortcodes make it easy for customers to remember your number compared to full-length numbers.
It provides a single platform to manage customers
With the right business text messaging app, you don't need to invest in other apps to manage responses from individuals. Your team will be able to get access to the control portals on different platforms (like a website and a mobile application), allowing them to monitor your campaign at all times from a single point.
It enables you to provide a personalized experience
With a business text messaging app, you can give a personalized reply to queries instead of sending a mass reply to everyone. Personal replies not only give leads the answer to specific questions, but it's also better than using bots. A human touch to these messages does wonders to build meaningful customer relationships.
You can use it with other marketing efforts
As mentioned before, a business text messaging app can help save your time. In most cases, these apps let you save templates that you can later use to send a message to different groups. And to send these texts to customers, you just need to press a button, which takes not time at all. This convenience makes it easy to couple SMS marketing with other marketing methods, increasing the effectiveness of your marketing campaign.
It can encourage customers to take action
Most business text messaging apps allow you to schedule when to send the messages, so it's just about setting up the message, time, and recipients, and forgetting all about it.
Sending the message at the right time can increase the chances of your customers taking the required action and making a sale.
It allows you to do more
If you choose the right business text messaging app, you can end up doing more than just sending texts. Apart from personalized replies, some apps let you make things more interesting by using animated or static pictures, allowing you to create an engaging and dynamic experience for your customers.
For instance, you can add GIFs or images related to the latest trends and relate them to the product or service you're offering. Or you can just send them an infographic that lists all the reasons that make you better than competitors.
Now is the time to invest in a messaging app!
It's clear that as a small business, you need to invest in a business text messaging app to stay ahead of competitors. Remember, the more you wait or rely on traditional marketing methods, the better chance your competitors have in gathering loyal customers. So, make sure you choose the right messaging app and watch as it helps boost your business!
