SMS Marketing is possibly the most effective, personal and direct marketing tool available to businesses today. With 95% of the UK population owning a mobile phone, penetration outstrips the PC by ten to one and according to the IAB, 95% of texts are opened compared with 25% of emails.
These facts, coupled with increasing consumer acceptance of applications other than voice make the mobile phone a powerful new channel for marketers.
Why SMS Marketing works
- Cheap compared to direct mail and traditional advertising and much more memorable than email.
- People tend to read virtually every text they get - unlike junk mail, spam or adverts which can be ignored.
- SMS delivers an effective and immediate call to action.
- Very effective when used in conjunction with special offers and promotions. And they are viral: people forward mobile messages.
- SMS Marketing encourages immediate response when 2-way SMS messaging is enabled.
- Enable text responses to your campaign and you can start to measure success immediately.
- All enquiries come from interested customers and are easily followed up with a call.
- SMS Marketing is an ideal method to build loyalty, increase customer retention.
Shortcodes are commonly used in SMS Marketing and SMS advertising. SMS shortcodes are memorable five digit SMS text numbers (e.g. 80806) which are widely used both as an outbound channel where companies text people directly from a shortcode.
SMS short codes are also commonly used as a Direct Response mechanism for TV, Radio, and print advertising. The short code is advertised at the point of display and as it’s a short, memorable number it’s easy for people to text in.
I’d recommend that when using SMS shortcodes for outbound marketing you also offer people the choice to reply to your message. This can be done by adding a virtual mobile number to your account. A virtual mobile number allows you to receive SMS messages. SMS, more than any other marketing communication method, lends itself to 2-way communication so this should be a main consideration when executing an SMS marketing campaign.
SMS shortcodes, unlike premium rate will only charge the user the standard network rate to text in a response to your SMS advertising so it’s cheap. However, if you want to allow your prospects to text in for free (you, the supplier pays the standard network rate), you should look for an SMS provider that offers a ‘Freetext’ service. Freetext services are especially popular with councils who run SMS marketing campaigns to encourage the general public.
Alternatively, you could sign up with an SMS provider who offers a service to send SMS messages via a web-based tool, or even from your email. If you don’t require a shortcode SMS service this is a cheap and easy way to send outbound SMS messages to your prospects. Again, add a virtual mobile number to your account and you will be able to receive replies.
A good SMS provider should be able to get you up and running with a campaign in a day or so. As with many direct marketing techniques, if you are considering SMS marketing as part of your overall communications plan, you need to be aware of direct marketing legislation, ensure you only send SMS messages to people who have opted in to receive messages from you and check your SMS marketing complies with privacy and data protection rules. Unsolicited SMS is illegal, intrusive and can harm your brand reputation.
