The marketing sector is shifting. After the dominance of transactional marketing, which focused primarily on the buy/sell transaction, the time has come for relationship marketing, where the commercial bond between a company and its customers becomes a core strategic priority. With the proliferation of communication channels and the infinite possibilities emerging from the connectivity era, building a lasting and fruitful customer relationship is a genuine challenge.

SMS is proving to be a high-potential tool for relationship marketing, and many companies have already embraced these marketing services with excellent results (Shoe Zone, 1000% ROI; Lulu Guinness, 56% increase in subscribers).
What are the current stakes of CRM in a marketing strategy, and what role can SMS marketing play as a solution to meet the customer relationship challenges of tomorrow?

Current CRM challenges

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a "process for handling everything related to identifying customers, building a customer knowledge base, developing customer relationships, and improving the company's and its products' image in the eyes of the customer" *.
Unlike the transactional marketing that prevailed for decades, CRM goes beyond the goal of simply closing a sale. The company-customer interest is long-term and extends far beyond the act of buying or selling. The challenge for the company is to be perceived by the customer as entirely consistent, in a way that is much more comprehensive than just its product and service offerings. Marketing management focuses much more on the customer, their specific needs, and the overall relationship of trust that can be established between a company or brand and its clientele.

This evolution in marketing strategies represents a real challenge for businesses.
How can a brand with thousands of customers, using multiple communication channels, individualize its customer relationships?
How can e-commerce businesses meet the customer's need for proximity, create appropriate interactivity, and personalize their products and services?
How can suppliers adapt to the growing demands for responsiveness and real-time management?

The trend that has been emerging for a few years, though still in its infancy, is based on the practical observation that customer retention is actually more profitable than prospecting. Relationship marketing relies on an effective and lasting bond between customers and suppliers, and is based on three fundamentals:

• A continuous approach to the relationship, with a long-term perspective.
• Decidedly interactive marketing.
• A strong relational dimension, focused on finding solutions.

The goal for the company is to have in-depth knowledge of its customers so that it becomes difficult for competitors to rival the quality of its offer. Marketing becomes more holistic and aims to increase profits by improving customer satisfaction.

To achieve its goals, the company must successfully optimize certain fundamental parameters: listening to and understanding the customer; its relational skills and competencies; its mastery of various communication channels; and the creation of individualized offers. And to further increase the reach of its marketing campaigns, knowing how to meet the customer's specific needs by segmenting the company's database according to targeted criteria is part of a successful CRM strategy.

So, how can you meet new CRM challenges optimally, using tools adapted to consumer behavior? SMS marketing is one of the most impactful CRM solutions, with a 100% deliverability rate and a 97% open rate.

The role of SMS in a CRM strategy

The SMS CRM market is currently in a structuring phase. In the coming years, everything suggests that we will see an explosion in the number of mobile marketing campaigns via SMS. The challenge lies in the company's ability to meet the specific needs of its customers and to create a relationship of trust and loyalty between the customer and the brand.

There are several effective strategies for optimizing customer relationships:

• Reminder SMS:

Keeping your business or brand top-of-mind for your customers is about building a genuine connection without being overbearing. SMS notifications for promotions, specific events, updates, and new product information are highly valued by consumers, who see these reminders as a sign of the company’s genuine, personalized interest in them.

• SMS for contests and giveaways:

Winning free gifts is a marketing strategy that never gets old. By giving customers the chance to win a product or service of value, you make them feel like part of your community, which increases the likelihood that they will fully embrace your brand.

• Survey SMS:

This marketing tool is ideal for getting quick customer feedback, benefiting from the immediacy of SMS. Beyond being an excellent way to refine your customer database, this type of SMS campaign makes customers feel valued and recognized, which fosters loyalty.

• Social media integration SMS:

To create an ongoing dialogue with your customers, driving them to your social media channels is an optimal strategy for increasing your credibility and visibility. SMS sending modules allow you to guide customers to targeted web pages by including URLs that encourage comments and shares.

• Alert SMS:

Sending these types of SMS helps customers buy the products they want at the right time. Whether for e-commerce or location-based services, an SMS campaign allows you to target the criteria that work for you while meeting your customers' expectations.

• Instant notification SMS:

Purely relational in nature, these are designed to improve the customer experience by sending SMS updates throughout the order process (confirmation, shipping, etc.). 70% of users consider mobile-based services to be high quality and are particularly receptive to them.

• Loyalty SMS campaigns:

This type of marketing campaign allows your business to offer significant added value to your customers. A loyalty program can include rewards for referrals or for recommending the company’s products and services on social media, or even creating a VIP customer group that gets access to your best offers. Loyalty programs are an excellent way to turn your customers into your best brand ambassadors.

With SMS, your company’s customer relationship management is well-positioned to reflect changing user behaviors. Today, SMS marketing has become an essential tool for providing an immersive, integrated experience that promises real-time evolution.

*Wikipedia: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestion_de_la_relation_client