In recent times, text messages have been shown to have great potential, especially for online, retail stores that need a multi-channel marketing plan to be able to outperform the competition and capture an increasing number of customers or potential buyers.
It doesn't matter if you have a physical store with the option to buy through ecommerce or your store sells only online: the key is to create an advertising strategy that can attract the attention of customers. For this, there is nothing better than resorting to SMS.
In this sense, once you have identified the objectives you want to achieve with your campaign, setting up mass and personalized SMS delivery is very simple, especially if you seek the advice of specialized agencies such as Afilnet. Its team of experts in communication and marketing provides customers with the perfect solutions for the implementation of SMS marketing in online stores.
Now, we are going to introduce you to the most common uses of text messages in online businesses.
Order status notifications
The perfect communication channel to notify the customer that they are about to receive the purchased product is the SMS, as it is direct and customizable.
In fact, as some marketing studies have shown, the probability that the consumer opens and reads the content of the SMS is high, so it is very likely that the customer can be duly notified.
In this framework, we have to underline that sending an SMS that notifies the user about the status of the purchased order allows to increase the confidence of the consumer who will be encouraged to make a purchase in the future.
In addition, you can not only use the text message to notify the user that their package will be delivered on a specific day and time, but you can also use it to notify them that the order is available for pickup at the physical store. Thus, the customer avoids unnecessary travel and can say what is the most appropriate time to approach the business.
SMS notification examples
Hello José, your ORDER is on its way. We are pleased to inform you that your order has been SHIPPED and will be in your hands in the next 2-3 business days.
Your order of 2 books will be delivered on Wednesday between 9:00 and 12:00. You will not be? Follow the link to change delivery (insert LINK).
Realization of advertising campaigns
Although many consider text messages as a useful communication channel just to notify important matters, we have to point out that they can become an interesting advertising formula.
In this context, SMS in the marketing campaign becomes an advertising opportunity usable every day of the year and at any time. In fact, considering the lack of competition, text messages are an opportunity to advertise in a direct and customizable way that ensures that you can increase the sales volume of an online business.
The important thing is to know how to create a simple, short, but attractive text message to attract the customer's attention and determine the right time to start the mass mailing campaign. Remember that it is usually advisable to send SMS during the weekdays in the morning or in the afternoon, avoiding naps and the night.
Likewise, it must never be forgotten that the objective of the SMS advertising campaign is to be able to increase the number of sales, attracting new customers and gaining the loyalty of consumers who made a previous purchase in the store. In this framework, it is essential to segment customers, know their interests and how they behave in order to send an SMS with content that can attract their attention.
In any case, for advertising to be successful, not only must the contacts be segmented, but it is also necessary to personalize the text message, taking advantage of special days or themes and limiting the duration of the campaign.
The great advantage of SMS marketing, in this case, is that it is not necessary to have an internet connection, so the customer will receive the text message instantly. It's no surprise, then, that the conversion rate is really high.
Examples of advertising campaign SMS
Hello Sofia, SUPER SUMMER SALE: 40% discount on all swimsuits, bikinis, shorts, vests and more. Make your order online (insert LINK)
Do not look any further! At (ONLINE STORE) we have the best gifts for Valentine's Day. Flowers, cards, stuffed animals and more.
Send discount coupons
As we mentioned before, using SMS in marketing campaigns is very important to attract new customers and retain those who have already made a purchase. To achieve this goal and increase the income of your online store, you should use text messages to send discount coupons.
In this case, it is vital that the user understands what your objective is and what are the benefits that can be obtained with the promotion or offer sent. Likewise, you must personalize the message using the name of the recipient user and offer a coupon that may be of interest. In this way, a closer relationship with the customer begins and it is possible to generate more trust that can be translated into the purchase of a product or service.
Remember that, before starting to send discount coupons, you must develop a marketing strategy defining objectives, segmenting the clientele to later determine the value of the discount or offer, its conditions of use (make a minimum purchase, only for the first purchase etc.) and its validity period.
Whatever the goal you want to achieve, sending discount coupons by SMS is useful to extend a successful advertising campaign, reward a customer, motivate a purchase or convert an online store visitor into a buyer.
Example of promotional SMS
Get a 20% DISCOUNT on all items from (ONLINE STORE). Limited time only at (add LINK)
Valeria Flash sale! Get 15% off the entire store while stocks last! Visit (insert LINK)
Sending satisfaction surveys
If you want to improve the quality of the products or services offered, the tool you should implement is sending a satisfaction survey via SMS.
This type of invitation is very useful to be able to contact customers, measure their satisfaction and be able to compile comments that can be valuable to discover what the strengths and weaknesses of the brand are. In this way you can make the necessary adjustments to boost your store.
Currently, it has been shown that inviting users to fill out a survey using text messages is a more efficient strategy than resorting to email marketing. Why? The reasons are multiple and are related to the cases that we mentioned previously: greater customer confidence, high opening rate and reduced competition.
What you should do in this case is to send the customers in your database a simple and direct SMS where you invite them to answer the satisfaction survey by adding the link so that they can be redirected. To do this, you could resort to the use of platforms such as Afinet, whose interface is simple and intuitive that helps to add the survey link to the text of the message.
To encourage the user to take the survey, it is suggested to include a discount coupon for a future purchase in the text message.
Example of sending a survey by SMS
Thanks for trusting us! We want to continue improving and that is why we would like to know your opinion. Fill out the following survey (LINK)
Jorge, rate your experience with us at (LINK) your opinion matters to us. Enjoy 20% on your next purchase.
conclusion
Using text messages as a communication channel for an online store offers many benefits. In fact, it should be noted that SMS allow the initiation and maintenance of a direct and personalized relationship with the client or potential consumers, generating information (with surveys or notifications), content (marketing campaign) and promotions (coupons or limited offers) that They can boost the brand.
In this sense, it has been shown that efficiently implementing an SMS marketing campaign helps improve the image of the online store. Indeed, to this day, competition in the advertising sector via SMS is low, so the rate of opening and reading the content of the text message is high. In other words, the opportunities to improve sales with SMS are endless.