SMS marketing - how to create an effective SMS campaign?

97% of people read SMS messages within 90 seconds of delivery. What's more, short text forms are the most effective in the midst of marketing communications. That's why it's worth including SMS campaigns in your company's marketing strategy. See how much you can gain!

We talk about SMS marketing, best practices in campaigns, and mobile marketing compliant with GDPR rules with Piotr Stanisz.

Piotr Stanisz has been associated with the telecommunications industry from the beginning of his professional career, which has also become his passion over time. He is currently associated with Tide Software Sp. z o.o., where he implements SMS campaigns combined with mailing, taking into account GDPR regulations. Mr. Piotr also implements Call Center applications and new teleinformatics solutions.

Katarzyna Chomąt: How has SMS marketing changed during your professional career?

Piotr Stanisz: I have been working in the telecommunications industry for 14 years and I must admit that at the beginning I was not convinced about this form of communication with customers. However, SMS and MMS services were just developing at that time. But now I see that it is a great solution, even from my perspective as an online shopper. Thanks to a short message from the seller, I know the status of my order and whether the payment has been successful. I also notice that SMS marketing is developing in Poland every year and more and more companies are using it. I think this is happening because sending SMS allows not only offering additional products or services, but also enables quick contact with customers, reminding them of events, informing them about sudden changes in opening hours, etc.

K.Ch.: Do consumers perceive SMS messages from companies as SPAM?

P.S.: From the perspective of users, I can say that SMS is the form of notifications that recipients prefer more than email messages. Our clients send a total of over 77 million SMS messages per month. Companies that use our services decide how often they will send SMS messages to their customers. Personally, I think it's worth sending a few messages per month, but of course it all depends on the industry in which the company operates. Moreover, consumers' awareness has also changed, as they understand what it means to give consent to receive marketing communication from a brand, and they also know their rights better.

K.Ch.: Czy Are social media a threat to SMS marketing?

P.S.: They are definitely not a threat. In 2020, Tide Software clients sent a total of nearly 1 billion SMS messages, which was a much better result compared to 2019. Every year, we see an increasing number of sent messages, so the immense popularity of social media does not pose a threat. I would even say that people prefer to receive certain information through SMS communication because it doesn't get lost among other marketing messages sent through different channels. This is evidenced by the time it takes to open SMS messages. As research shows, 97% of SMS messages are read within 90 seconds of receiving them, which is a significant advantage over emails.

K.Ch.: How to start SMS marketing?

P.S.: To start an SMS marketing campaign, you first need to have a database of potential interested parties. The most common way to obtain contact data is through: a newsletter signup form on a website, during account registration, placing an order, signing up for a contest, or downloading material. It is important to include an option to consent to receiving marketing communications in each of these ways of obtaining contact information. Such consent must comply with the requirements of telecommunications law and GDPR. This means that in order to conduct mass SMS sending to customers, we must have their separate consent for such action. You can start the campaign, for example, by thanking them for making a purchase. This is the right moment to ask for feedback or offer a special deal.

K.Ch.: Czy Could you share some tips on how a well-constructed SMS should look like?

P.S.: Of course! The effectiveness of a campaign aimed at reaching customers through SMS depends on many factors. Let's start from the beginning. You can send a message presenting the phone number. However, an alternative to the number can be an override, which is an alphanumeric sender name that appears on the recipient's phone. This way, we establish ourselves in the user's memory. It is also important to personalize the content of SMS messages so that the recipient feels that we are addressing them specifically. To do this, it is worth using geotargeting and tools for customer segmentation. Let me give you an example: when presenting a new shoe offer, we can advertise sandals to people by the sea and lightweight hiking shoes to people in the mountains. Of course, divided into women's and men's lines. When sending an offer, be sure to include a link to the purchase page! It is worth shortening the links to make the message visually more attractive to the recipient. Of course, a well-constructed SMS also includes a clear call to action (CTA), so that the recipient knows what they should do. I would also add that it is worth being creative in all of this, so that such an SMS will certainly stay in the recipient's memory longer and evoke positive emotions towards the brand.

K.Ch.: O What can you actually write in SMS messages to customers? Could you share some ideas for SMS campaigns?

P.S.: In my opinion, a brand can use short text messages to thank customers for shopping in an online store or joining a loyalty program. On this occasion, we can confidently include a discount code in the message. You can also send SMS messages asking for reviews with a link to the appropriate website. Depending on the collected data, you can also send occasional messages containing birthday wishes to customers. If we have a loyalty program, it is worth sending SMS messages with discounts and offers exclusively for club members. You can also encourage your customers to participate in attractive contests. On the other hand, promotional SMS messages work well during Black Friday and holiday sales. At that time, customers receive a lot of emails from many brands, so SMS has a better chance of breaking through and being noticed.

How to collect reviews about the company and products using SMS?

SMS messages can also be used to collect reviews on various review platforms about a product or service. The effectiveness of such a campaign will definitely be increased by personalizing the message. The greater efficiency of SMS marketing in collecting reviews mainly results from the fact that today's consumers use mobile devices and read SMS messages faster than emails. For a month now, Rating Captain in cooperation with Tide Software enables sending SMS messages to customers asking for reviews. Many brands already use this option in their marketing strategy and experience a regular influx of positive reviews.

A Few Words About Tide Software

Tide Software is an IT company. For 12 years, we have been creating and offering solutions for business communication, such as tools for mass sending of SMS, MMS, VMS, emails, as well as hotline support and Call Center application. Our services are used by leaders in the Polish market: 6 out of 10 largest banks, 8 out of 10 largest debt collection companies, and top retail chains. Through our solutions, we reach nearly 10 million consumers of companies in the retail and e-commerce sectors. Our priority is the security of the offered solutions and the trust of our customers.

Summary

Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Piotr and the Marketing Department of Tide Software for sharing their knowledge and experience in the field of SMS.

I hope that our project has "dusted off" and shown a new face of SMS marketing, so that more brands will see the potential it brings. In the future, there will be more articles and interviews related to mobile marketing, so I encourage all readers to follow us on social media, where there will certainly be information on this topic.