SMS marketing boasts excellent response times and highly effective open rates compared to email, for example, which can end up in spam folders and never be read by your recipients. With Black Friday fast approaching, we believe it is our responsibility to inform you of the benefits your SMS marketing campaigns can bring to your business during this event. In this article, we review some strategies and tips to help you boost your e-commerce sales during Black Friday.

1. Experiment with delivery notifications

After making an online purchase, it is common to receive an email stating that our product is being prepared for shipment, along with a tracking link that we constantly open to check the status of our delivery. However, checking a link is not ideal. Since your customer is eager to receive their new purchase, we recommend sending this type of information via SMS so they don't have to do it manually. SMS notifications are very well received by customers and are a great loyalty-building tool.

2. Create a drip campaign

A drip campaign is a communication strategy that sends a pre-set series of messages to customers over a specific period.

Therefore, you should already be thinking about this strategy to inform your customers about the new products and offers they will receive for Black Friday. This way, your brand will already be top-of-mind for your customers, and you will build anticipation for the big day.

Here are a few steps to make your drip campaign effective:

• Determine your goal: The most important thing is to know the purpose of your communication. Generally, the goal is to generate more sales, build branding, or increase engagement.
• The content of your messages is paramount: your message must be clear and concise.
• Include a call to action: all your messages should end with a call to action to ensure your goal is achieved.
• Determine the timing and frequency of your messages: it is important to schedule your communications to strike the right balance so as not to invade your customers' privacy or disturb them at inappropriate hours.
• Segment your campaigns: segment your campaigns and target them based on purchasing behavior to achieve higher conversion rates.
• Measure your results: every campaign must be measured using specific KPIs. This allows you to analyze which messages and actions yielded the best results and invest more in those campaigns.

3. Personalize your SMS to showcase your brand personality

At this stage, the research you have conducted on your customers is crucial for segmenting them into groups with different strategies. The more relevant information you have about your customers, the more personalized the message can be.

Personalize your messages so they appear with your company's full name and logo. Messages will be better received this way, as it eliminates the risk of them being perceived as fake or spam.

Similarly, other messaging services can be used in SMS marketing to gain greater credibility and a superior brand image. This includes RCS messages, SMS 2.0, virtual numbers, and WhatsApp Business.

4. Create a sense of urgency

Messages should feature clear, friendly communication, as well as a call to action and an expiration date. You need to generate a sense of urgency in the customer so they take action as quickly as possible. We recommend including an expiration time in your Black Friday messages so that customers are clearly aware of the offer's duration.

5. Incorporate other types of messaging

Black Friday is the perfect time to sell your products, as well as to test new SMS marketing strategies.

Don't just sit on the sidelines during this important date; step out of your comfort zone and try new SMS templates. There are several products that can bring excellent results to your business. In other words, the effectiveness of SMS can be leveraged through much richer and more personalized communications.

• SMS 2.0: create and send multimedia messages or landing pages to your contacts for a fresh, engaging experience.
• Virtual Number: Rent a custom virtual number to strengthen your connection with contacts by communicating through a single line.
• WhatsApp: Facilitate customer interaction by offering a multimedia experience with WhatsApp Business.
• RCS: A 2.0 communication service for exchanging and sharing images, videos, QR codes, and links with your customers.

At Octopush, we offer all these services and more. We have a solution for every type of client. Don't hesitate to ask a member of our team for more information.

6. Shopping cart abandonment

This is a very common problem with varied origins: sometimes your customers change their minds right before purchasing, sometimes they don't have enough money at the moment, and sometimes they are simply distracted. This is the time to re-engage them with an SMS campaign to encourage them to return and complete their purchases.

7. Send customer satisfaction surveys after Black Friday to get feedback

After implementing new strategies, messages, and promotions during Black Friday, it is important to measure the results both internally and externally.

Consequently, service quality and customer satisfaction surveys are a great way to see how they perceive the quality of your service and offers.

In conclusion, SMS is a great alternative to email marketing: you communicate quickly and effectively, provided you follow these few rules and target your audience appropriately!