What is SMS Marketing?
Like the personal SMS, which appeared many years ago, SMS Marketing is a short message of 160 characters, which has a commercial vocation and is therefore sent professionally.
The sender of the SMS is a short number (such as 36123) or can also be an OADC. The use of OADC, or sender personalization, enables the brand name to be displayed as the message sender.
If OADC is used, the words "stop at XXXXX" are mandatory at the end of the message, reducing the number of possible characters for the SMS's commercial content. Nevertheless, this personalization of the sender remains highly sought-after by companies who wish to capitalize on their brand and give it maximum visibility.
SMS campaigns complement emailing
It's important to point out that SMS marketing is not a substitute for email marketing, but it does offer a formidable complement in terms of penetrating commercial messages.
The main qualities of SMS marketing are its reception rate, but above all its read rates. While it's becoming increasingly difficult for emailing to pass the deliverability rules imposed by Internet service providers, SMS has no such problem. The message can be read by any type of cell phone, from the oldest to the newest. And there's no spam filter on cell phones either!
The read rate is also unbeatable with SMS, where it is estimated that over 97% of messages are read.
SMS does have its drawbacks, however, the main one being the size and format of the message sent. Short text only, no images or other graphic elements.
That's why it's important to capitalize on a relevant and appropriate call-to-action in your SMS marketing. The use of shortened URLs is highly recommended (to save characters) and optimization for mobile browsing is absolutely essential for the dedicated landing page.
If the call-to-action isn't a link, it can also be a phone number, and this is all the more relevant as with one tap (click on mobile), users who receive your message will be able to initiate the call from their mobile.
How to use SMS marketing?
SMS marketing can be sent on a one-off basis, for example to announce special offers or an exceptional opening. This is the simplest form of sending, but there's a much more sophisticated strategy: automation.
SMS automation consists of identifying key events in the life of a user (prospect or customer) and delivering a personalized message related to this event.
Example: my gym membership expires in 1 month, and I receive an SMS reminding me to renew and inviting me to make an appointment with a trainer.
SMS Marketing has real potential mastered by the ITEKCOM team in partnership with SMSFactor, the professional SMS platform.
To find out more about this type of service and discuss your digital strategy, please contact Contact us.