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The SMS channel usually features higher click-through rates than the email channel. What are the advantages and limitations of SMS Marketing? How to use this channel to achieve the right results? Blazej Pawlar Partnership & Marketing Manager at the SerwerSMS project will tell us about it (serversms.pl)
Blazej, how can SMS Marketing help businesses implement effective marketing campaigns?
There are a few points worth mentioning. SMS, compared to other tools, is a fairly simple and flexible tool. A marketer or business owner (in the case of smaller entities) does not need to know how to program, know html, or create graphics in some graphics program. This makes short text messages used in marketing by small, medium and large companies alike. Also important is the reach of this communication channel. With SMS we can reach both younger and older people - and this is what we marketers care about most!
What are the main benefits of using SMS Marketing compared to other forms of marketing?
First of all, the fact that the vast majority of us always have our phone with us, or at least within reach. Practically at any time we are able to receive a message and respond to it in some way. SMS has a very high Open Rate, which in some cases reaches as high as 98%. This is of great importance when it comes to conversion. According to the surveys we do on a regular basis, more than 90% of the companies surveyed consider sales conversion in this communication channel to be very high, high, or satisfactory. These numbers speak for themselves.
What are the most popular uses of sms marketing campaigns and what industries use ServerSMS services most often?
SMS has found application in virtually all industries. Especially where there is a need to send important information quickly. On the other hand, most promotional campaigns are carried out before holidays, and important events - a good example would be Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Halloween, or Mother's Day. Increasingly, we also see a spike in shipments before shopping Sundays. In this case, most often large-format stores and shopping malls take advantage of such a form of promotion - effectively reminding what hours they are open and what discounts have been prepared for customers.
Do SMS messages allow personalization of SMS messages and segmentation of recipients?
Personalization and segmentation of contacts is, of course, possible, and anyone who creates an account on the ServerSMS platform can use these functions. Conversion, for personalized messages, is definitely higher than for non-personalized messages. Looking back, SMS campaigns looked a little different than today. Companies tended to send one and the same text to all numbers. These were so-called bulk (bulk) campaigns. Today, the trend is exactly the opposite. Most SMS is personalized, and messages have become more personal. From the point of view of effectiveness/higher sales, this is certainly the right direction, which fits into the strategy of cross-channel marketing, i.e. targeted campaigns and combining different tools with each other.
Can SMS marketing tools be integrated with other marketing tools e.g. CRM systems, analytics and email marketing?
Yes, and this is one of the biggest advantages of short text messages. Today, more than 80% messages are sent using some kind of integration, e.g. after an event in a CRM or marketing automation platform.
Such classic examples of a text message sent after an event could be:
- An abandoned shopping cart in an online store,
- Booking a doctor's appointment,
- ordering a cab,
- purchase of goods,
- borrowing
- ending the conversation with the consultant,
- login to service
- Confirmation of registration on some platform.
Analytics itself is also very important. In the case of SMS, we operate on two levels - general and specific. The general one involves measuring clicks on links in the message - in short, after logging into the service, we are able to see who clicked on the link "sewn" into the text of the SMS.
In the case of detailed analysis, it is necessary to use UTM tags (codes/tags that are used to analyze site traffic) we can measure which campaign is more effective and what sales were generated (here, of course, you need a good Google Analytics configuration).
Is building a base of SMS mailing recipients different in any way from building a mailing base?
We are, of course, talking about two different tools here, while the entry to contact databases is very similar. In the case of SMS, we are still dealing with so-called dedicated numbers used by companies and institutions. Any person who sends a message to such a number can automatically be enrolled in the contact database. In the case of e-mails, enrollment occurs, for example, after leaving an address in the newsletter enrollment tab.
How do you ensure legal compliance and data protection in your sms marketing services?
The matter is quite simple and obvious. The user must explicitly allow the company/institution to send marketing messages. At any time, such a person can also opt out of notifications.
This is very good news for those using SMS business communications, and those users who report this should be quickly removed from the base. It is better to have a smaller base and better conversion than the other way around.
What does the future of mobile communication look like? Can you say more about RCS Chat?
In a nutshell, it is a new communication channel that combines the functions of: SMS, instant messaging with a chat function or a simple mobile application. SMS 2.0 (because that's how the tool is also often called) will be enriched with the ability to add videos and carousels of photos familiar to us, for example, from social media. There will also be active buttons in such a conversation, which made it easier to navigate through the planned stages of the campaign. All in all, this will be a tool for those most ambitious clients who are focused on multidimensional communication and standing out in the market. A brand that bets on RCS chat will have the opportunity, not only, to send and receive messages, but also to carry on a conversation. We are convinced that this will be a small revolution in mobile marketing.
Summary
SMS is a leader when it comes to a marketing campaign tool. Thanks to its simplicity and flexibility, SMS Marketing is widely used by companies of all sizes, and its high Open Rate contributes to sales conversion success. Short text messages are used in many industries, especially before important events and holidays. Personalization and audience segmentation increase the effectiveness of communications, and integration with other marketing tools allows SMS to be used effectively in cross-channel marketing strategies. It is also important to take proper care of legal compliance and data protection. In addition, the future of mobile communications looks promising with a tool like RCS chat, which will allow even more advanced and interactive communication with customers.
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Blazej Pawlar [Vercom SA; project: ServerSMS].
He has several years of experience in sales, customer service and marketing in SaaS applications and CPaaS platforms. He is in charge of activities related to the creation of the marketing strategy for the ServerSMS project. In addition, he runs social media, creates landing pages and handles business partner acquisition and relationship maintenance. As she says, "marketing activities should be as sales-oriented as possible, and marketing is not done just to do it." Privately, he enjoys listening to podcasts while taking long walks.
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