Bulk SMS is the new age technology that has not only caught the fancy of youngsters but also business organizations to be used as an effective means of marketing. In today’s highly competitive market, traders and business entrepreneurs are always trying to find out new ways that will help them reach out to maximum number of potential customers at the earliest. With modern modes of communication and interaction within easy access, business owners can promote their trade successfully to a wider spectrum of people within minutes.
Companies should not be afraid of using bulk SMS to aid their marketing campaign. After all, research shows that SMS messages are read more than any other messaging medium. According to Frost & Sullivan, 98 per cent of all SMS messages are looked at and are read within an average of five seconds. So it's highly likely your messages will be successfully reaching your audience.
Though there are various types of messaging services provided by telecommunication companies, but the concept of bulk SMS has gained maximum popularity for its simple, reliable and speedy functionalities. It is seen that on many occasion it happens that we cannot contact a person through phone; however with help of an SMS, we can convey our message in a short and precise manner instantly. However, a customer's phone is a private place and the last thing they want is to receive annoying or irrelevant text messages, so it's important that your SMS marketing campaign is accurate and right on point.
One of the major benefits of using bulk SMS option as a marketing tool is that it is extremely budget friendly and cost effective. Compared to a call, the SMS service is available at a much cheaper rate, thus allowing you to enjoy equal benefits of marketing in low investment cost. Popular brands use this facility to inform customers about various promotional activities and services that help improve the sales by leap.
Moreover it has been also observed that in comparison to other modes of messaging, short message service is undoubtedly more effective and useful with a higher rate of flexibility, reliability and benefits, and If we are to look at the statistical review, bulk SMS caters for around 30-40% of promotional purpose.
Interaction with customers makes for an essential part of modern age marketing. Customers prefer brands that maintain a personal communication level with them, thus making them feel important and valued. To achieve this objective, bulk SMS definitely plays a big role with easy to access options. Not only can you keep your customers updated about all new events and happenings, but you can also stay in touch with client feedback, reviews and reports which successfully help in business development and improvement. Here are some tips that will help you use bulk SMS marketing effectively...
Content What is in the SMS messages you send out is very important. Content very much depends on what type of company you are and what you're trying to achieve, you only have a short space in which to put your message; 160 characters to be precise, so your content needs to be clear and to the point.
Timing What time you send out your bulk SMS may vary depending on your business. For example a cafe may wish to drive customers to their business during lunchtime, so they'll choose to send their messages just before midday, when people are beginning to discuss their lunch plans.
Regularity Most customers probably won't want a daily text message from your company, nor will you want to send out that many messages every month. If you send messages too regularly, customers might get annoyed and choose to unsubscribe from the service. There's no set amount of messages you should be sending per week or month, as your audience and the purpose of your messages will mean the frequency will differ.
Targeting Think about who you're targeting with your messages, as it's likely that each offer or message will need to be tailored to individual customer groups. Age, gender, location and past purchases should all be taken into account when you send out your messages, and also paying attention to a customer's purchase history is a great way to target individuals effectively.
Privacy and legalities
As briefly mentioned before, a customer's mobile phone is a much more private place than their email inbox, so the last thing they want is to feel intruded upon. Texting someone without consent will give your brand a bad image and is very unlikely to provide you with more business, so get the customer's permission to send text marketing messages beforehand. Remember that phones do not have a spam filter like emails do and as a result customers are more cautious when it comes to the text messages they receive.