Fifteen years ago who would have thought that we would be talking about text messaging as a basic part of marketing campaigns? Well, today text messages are the most common way people communicate. If you are not using text messaging you are missing out on a golden opportunity to talk to your customers.
How do you go about setting up a text message sales campaign? You will find that the process is not difficult. Thousands of business owners have implemented text campaigns and found they work extremely well. Here are a few simple suggestions to get your text message marketing campaign off to a great start.
As with any marketing campaign, you need to sit down and do some planning. What is the goal of this campaign? What steps do you need to take to achieve the goal? How long will it take you to get there? These are basic questions to be sure — but they will help you stay on track when you’re planning the details of your campaign.
When it comes to text message campaigns, you first need subscribers. Without people to send texts to, you have no campaign. Naturally you want as many subscribers as you can — and you have to get their cell phone numbers, too. That may sound simple. Right? The trouble is, many people do not like to give out their phone numbers. They are afraid they’ll start getting sales calls. One way to get over this hurdle is to offer folks a reward for joining your campaign. You might offer a free product, a deeply discounted coupon, or even a book of coupons.
Once you have established a list of subscribers you can get on to your next step. And that is to start sending out texts. It is important at this point not to send out blatant ads. Send texts that offer your subscribers a benefit they will be glad to receive. How about a closed store sale — open to subscribers only? Or maybe you can open your shop an hour early just for subscribers. When you get in a special shipment of some item that is hot in demand, send a note to your list letting them know you are telling them first. Be cautious, however, not to send out too many texts. You don’t want to be viewed as a spammer. One or two texts a week is about right.
Each time you send out a text, encourage your subscribers to forward them to others. Try rewarding those who make referrals. This is a great way to expand your customer base. Make sure you offer a reward to your new subscribers, too. This is a very basic way to build a list but it works extremely well.
You can really grow your business using text messages. The important thing is to use the privilege wisely not abuse it. Try a few of the suggestions we have outlined and you will quickly be using text messages to successfully promote your brick & mortar business.
