How SMS Marketing Works

Mobile marketing is young and businesses have yet to realize its exponential power when it

comes to reaching out to your target market.

Still, it always pays to be ahead of the competition and being open to new ways of

promoting a certain product or service.

SMS (short-messaging service) marketing, more popularly known as texting, is one of the fastest, easiest, and cheapest ways to reach an audience.

Overview of Mobile Marketing

Text message marketing starts with building a database into which your customers can opt to

join.

For this, you will need to explore traditional forms of advertising, such as TV commercials, newspapers ads, or flyers and posters put up near your business location, to entice your customers to opt in

to your database.

Your customers will then text a certain message and send it to your chosen short code.

For instance, they can text JOIN and send to 12345. Most businesses can choose a vanity

code for their short code.

Once the customers have sent the text message, their mobile numbers are saved into a digital database of all the phone numbers of customers who have sent their permission to receive text alerts of sales, contests,

discounts, and other marketing stunts you are holding for your business.

Your business has just gained touch point access with your target market. Of course, the technology also allows for customers to opt

out of the text message alerts by texting STOP and sending it to your short code.

Flexibility of Text Messaging: Hot It Can Be Used for Marketing Purposes

The biggest advantage of mobile marketing is that it provides you personal and up-close access to customers

who are willing to learn more about your product or service.

Texting is not always applicable for all, but it works well for all retail-based businesses, entertainment clubs, schools,

clinics, mortgage banks, and even for real estate agencies.

Here are some of the ways text message marketing is used:

Grow sales. Texting has been seen to result in a 15% redemption rate, as compared to the 3%

redemption rate of traditional advertising.

Your customers can opt in and choose to receive text messages regarding exclusive offers and

promotions.

Mobile coupons are also quickly becoming preferred over paper coupons because it is more convenient for customers to receive a text coupon instead of going out to the store.

Provide updates. Time-sensitive information, such as when a car is now clean and ready for pick-up at the carwash company, can be automatically sent through texting.

Dentists and physicians can also send text messages to their patients to remind them of

their appointments.

In school, the administration can also send reminders to parents and students of PTA meetings, end-of-the-

year exams, and school opening and closing schedules.

Even banks can update their clients of changes in interest rates and policies through mobile

marketing.

Reach your customers during the best times.

Texting a hungry worker thirty minutes right before lunch break is far more effective than making an advertisement that will appear on primetime television when the worker just had dinner and is

now ready to go to bed.

It allows you to control when you want to get your message across to your customers, wherever your customers may be.

It is guaranteed that they will receive your message.