SMS campaigns are part of the action plan of a Content Marketing strategy. If you are looking to successfully reach your audience through an efficient channel, SMS will help you to do so. In this article we will show you some valuable steps to take when it comes to SMS marketing campaigns. We will show you what mistakes to avoid, what to add to be successful and how to create an efficient campaign.
How can SMS campaigns help us?
Bulk SMS is a really effective channel that should not be underestimated. Its benefits are many and we would like to mention some of them. All data and statistics point to a trend in the use of Professional SMS. Developing SMS Marketing campaigns will help you:
Reach a larger number of people than other digital channels. Bulk SMS has a much higher open rate than other channels, such as email or instant messaging apps. Approximately 98% of SMS sent are opened within 3 minutes of being sent.
Personalise and segment effectively. Within an SMS Marketing campaign, we can personally address each recipient. Focus the exact content to the right person, without being generic. On the other hand, we can use SMS Marketing tools that help us to segment the audience: quality surveys, personalised bonuses, etc.
Versatility. SMS can be used for different purposes or applications. It is a digital channel used by different sectors: banking, public institutions, ecommerce, etc. In this case we are talking about marketing campaigns, but its uses go beyond that, such as in the field of security.
5 mistakes to avoid in SMS marketing campaigns
- Do not include a call-to-action. All marketing actions should prompt the consumer to take a certain action. It is no different when we do an SMS campaign.
- Carrying out a campaign in isolation. SMS is a channel that will help us build stronger relationships with our customers, so it is interesting to create a continuous flow of communication. A good SMS campaign should be integrated into the content marketing strategy.
- Choose SMS based on price. Many brands choose the cheapest SMS provider because they are driven by price without thinking about the quality of delivery. Always choose direct routes that offer the maximum guarantee. When it comes to SMS delivery, we need a reliable delivery rate.
- Send SMS on a daily basis. Be very careful with the number of messages you send to your customers. It is better to send few messages that include an incentive or are relevant than to saturate the customer so that they unsubscribe.
- Be generic. SMSs should be personalised and, where possible, addressed with the recipient's name. The customer should feel special at all times.
- Long messages: Messages should be short and simple. Avoid including unnecessary information.
Tips for a good SMS campaign
- Create your message with relevant content. If you don't have anything important to say, don't send it. Try not to cause a negative reaction or overwhelm the recipient. This may cause them to unsubscribe from your subscription list. Always send text messages that offer important, current and relevant content to the user.
- Timing is important. It is important to choose the right time to send messages in an SMS campaign. Avoid sending messages at an inappropriate or unwise time. In some countries, promotional actions are regulated at certain times of the day, so it is important to be informed before carrying out advertising campaigns.
- Avoid abbreviations. It is preferable to use whole words rather than abbreviations as these can make you look unprofessional. You always have the option of concatenating more than one SMS if you think it will exceed 160 characters.
- Web links or urls are a good idea, yes but… If you link to the website it will help increase traffic to the site, as long as the recipient is part of your legal database and has confidence in the link you are sending. Otherwise they will not click on the link or url. If you send a link you can shorten it so that it takes up less space.
- Use capital letters to attract attention. Capitalising the offer or coupon in your response message will highlight the message and better capture the user's attention. For example, you can use words like: "FREE", "2X1 ON ALL PRODUCTS", "CALL NOW", etc.
- Interact with Social Networks. Learn how to interact with your customers on Social Networks using SMS. This is another way to raise brand awareness through text messages. Include your Social Networks in the message so that they can follow you.
- Personalise. Personalising is always a good idea. Making a customer feel special is a good idea. Instead of saying something like "Dear customer", reply with "Dear [customer's name].
How to run an SMS campaign with Afilnet
Here we will show you how to run an effective bulk SMS campaign. For this we will use the omnichannel marketing platform Afilnet. With it you can send bulk SMS to any country in the world and always at the best rate. To be able to send an SMS campaign with Afilnet you need to be registered.
Steps to campaigning
The first thing we must do is to have our database correctly uploaded to the platform. To do this you can access: contacts, on the left of the administration panel. There you can import a file in different formats (excel, txt, …) or copy and paste the contacts in a new group. All customer lists will appear in: my groups.
To start mass mailing, go to: new mailing to groups, on the left of the administration panel. Select: send new mailing to mobiles. Here we will see a mass mailing panel where we will follow a few simple steps. Here we can send to a group of my contacts, when we want to upload a list of contacts, or send to a list of numbers, if we want to include the numbers manually. Select the destination country and the specific list of subscribers to send to. Once you have completed all the steps, click on the green button: continue to the next step.
In the next step we edit the text message itself: sender, date, time of sending and text of the message. We will check the characters written and the balance that we are going to consume when sending the messages. We can also load default templates, marketing services (surveys, forms, files, …) or create custom fields to mention each subscriber with their own name. If everything is correct, we will advance to the next step by pressing the green button.
In the next and last step we will check that the message is correct. Once we have verified it, click on the green button: finish sending. You will be able to see all the reports of the campaign if you go to: sent, on the left of the administration panel.
Efficient campaigns to improve your interaction
At Afilnet we have been working with Bulk SMS for more than 15 years. During all this time we have been improving and expanding our services and today we are an omnichannel platform that includes not only SMS, but also Email, Automated Voice Calls and Instant Messaging.
Many companies in Spain and Latin America rely on our services. Our mission is to help you integrate SMS Marketing campaigns in the most optimal way within your brand's marketing strategy.
If you have a company and want to start using SMS text messages, now is a good time to start. Don't hesitate and contact us. We will be happy to help you.