SMS Marketing

Whether you are an organization, a business, or an individual, whether you want to sell a product, boost your reputation, or simply raise awareness for a cause, you need to adapt to new communication tools and the habits of your audience.

SMS marketing: a medium suited to today’s target audience

The goal of a marketing campaign is to increase a company's visibility, acquire more customers, and build customer loyalty. It involves both informing to drive sales and fostering long-term engagement. To achieve this, many tools are available for marketing campaigns: physical advertising (flyers, newspapers) and digital advertising (emailing, websites, SMS, MMS, etc.).

For a long time, advertising relied on a single sales and promotion channel. That era is over; the most effective marketing strategies are now multichannel. This involves using several communication and sales channels in a complementary, non-cannibalizing way. To do this, you must adapt your communication based on the channel, the target audience, and the product offered. This interaction is highly positive because it allows you to reach and engage with the maximum number of people.

Indeed, by tailoring the message to the target audience, they will be more inclined to purchase the product and remain loyal to the brand. To stand out from the competition, companies are constantly innovating. They are supported by numerous companies offering marketing services for all platforms via the Internet. The iPhone boom, in particular, has further expanded these possibilities. One of the most effective strategies is SMS marketing.

First, you must consider that your target audience is likely very busy and has little free time. Second, during the brief moments they are available, they will only give a quick glance at the advertisements they receive. Hence the importance of standing out. Finally, if they do give you a moment of attention, they will quickly forget you if your message isn't impactful enough.

On the other hand, the tools your customers use are constantly evolving. You have to keep up. Forget paper media and use what reaches the population most effectively. About 95% of the population has a mobile phone, and the majority uses the Internet. Sending SMS is therefore a must for your strategy. Combined with email marketing, it ensures a significant impact.

Selling, promoting, and building loyalty through SMS marketing

The arrival of the iPhone has further increased the capabilities of web marketing. Users and customers are now notified of both emails and text messages. The advantages are numerous: the cost per message is very low, sending is automated via new APIs, traceability is high because the message remains, and the impact is strong due to the conciseness of the message. However, you must ensure you respect the codes of web marketing communication.

As mentioned above, you must adapt to your customers. Segment your audience based on age, preferences, past purchases, and more. You will then be able to send messages and offers better suited to their personality, leading to sales and customer loyalty. Keep your message concise, strong, and brief. Include URLs that lead to sign-up pages to capture your contact's email address.

Take advantage of mobile moments, knowing that your target audience checks their iPhone about a hundred times a day, but only spends a few seconds on each message. Adapt your message to the time of year and the specific customer. For initial contact, you must also comply with the law by only contacting non-customers who have provided you with their phone number.

Still in the context of initial contact, target the 15-35 age group, who are generally receptive to commercial SMS notifications. Use opt-in databases, which, even if limited in number, contain a wealth of information about the target. You can use two types of SMS: "push" SMS, by sending your offer with a strong message, or "pull" SMS, by encouraging your contact to interact.

To carry out SMS marketing effectively, you must also equip yourself with the right tools. To do this, many applications are available, allowing you tosend SMS automatically from your PC, monitor their delivery, automate and personalize messages, and systematize the sending of various types of SMS marketing campaigns based on the time of year.

Thanks to these interfaces, such as those offered by Octopush, you can conduct SMS marketing from your PC, contact people who are not yet customers of your brand, or reach out after their purchase to build loyalty, gather customer feedback, and encourage interaction through "pull" SMS. This is how you boost your reputation, increase your sales, and build customer loyalty.