Engaging with customers is necessary to promote customer loyalty, increase sales and fight the competition. Keeping an open line of communication between your customers and your brand is important, but what is the best way to do so?
There are so many different ways to promote engagement—from online ads, social media presence, content creation and email marketing. While all of these can be beneficial in their own right, it’s surprising that business owners often overlook the most effective and least expensive way, text messaging!
Did you know that almost every single American (95% to be exact) owns a cellphone? It’s rare to see any adult, or even child, without a phone in their hands. While you have to wait for your customer to check their email or visit a social media site, a text message just pops up on their phones! This is a much faster and effective way to communicate with your clients.
Here are four proven strategies to get your customers to engage with business text messaging:
Encourage Opt-Ins
In order to utilize SMS marketing (text messaging) with your customers, you must encourage them to give you their phone number. This is usually most effective when a certain reward is offered.
For example, you can offer an exclusive discount, a special promotion, or a free product or service for signing up to your list. Alternatively, you can explain the benefits customers can expect from your text messages—such as being the first to hear about new products and sales.
Follow the Law
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is very strict when it comes to enforcing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The Act states that businesses must disclose in a “clear and conspicuous” manner the fact that they plan to text their customers if they provide their mobile numbers.
Consider adding this text anywhere you allow your customers to share their mobile numbers:
- “By participating, you consent to receive text messages sent by an automatic telephone dialing system.
- Consent to these terms is not a condition of purchase.”
Be very careful about following this act, because failure to do so can leave you with a hefty fine!
Create a Personalized Experience
It’s advantageous to segment your customer base by certain factors, such as age, shopping preferences, location and so on. That way, you can personalize your SMS communication based on these aspects instead of sending general texts to all of your customers.
This extra step will make your texts more valuable to your clients, and will promote their interest level in reading the texts and frequenting your business.
Insider Information
People love to feel special, so why not help them to feel like a VIP and offer them insider information via your texts? Send photos of sales racks the day before the event, share your plans for the future and pics of new merchandise before its displayed in the store.
This exclusive information will pique your clients’ curiosity, and will keep them waiting for the next text!
If you truly want to invest in your SMS marketing strategy, hiring a professional or purchasing special software can be beneficial. IOU Financial recognizes that small businesses may not have the budget for this, so we are happy to secure a small business loan for any of your needs. Contact us today to learn more!
