{"id":44662,"date":"2024-05-04T14:08:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-04T14:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/messagemedia.com\/?post_type=blog&p=44662"},"modified":"2024-05-27T19:09:21","modified_gmt":"2024-05-27T19:09:21","slug":"text-marketing-guide","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/messagemedia.com\/au\/blog\/text-marketing-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Text marketing: How to deliver engaging SMS campaigns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether you\u2019re a big brand or a small business, connecting with today\u2019s consumers means reaching them on their mobile devices. Text marketing is a simple and effective method for delivering SMS and MMS messages at scale. Plus, it\u2019s an engaging, personal way to communicate with customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you\u2019re new to text message marketing, where do you start? In this guide, we\u2019ll explain all the details so you can decide how to come up with a strategy that works for your audience, budget, and business goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is text marketing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Text marketing is a strategic approach to sending targeted SMS or MMS messages to a group of recipients. Text message campaigns can be informative or promotional. They can also be personalised, conversational, and include automated responses. That\u2019s what makes SMS marketing<\/a> a highly engaging form of two-way communication between a customer and the sender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While typical text messaging is P2P (person to person or peer to peer), text campaigns are A2P (application to person). The biggest difference is that A2P messaging<\/a> is sent through a text marketing service like Sinch MessageMedia while P2P messages go directly between phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Text marketing protocols: SMS and MMS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are two basic types of messages for text marketing: SMS and MMS. A third option is RCS or Rich Communication Services<\/a>, which enables rich text messaging experience similar to messaging apps like WhatsApp or Messenger. However, RCS is currently only available on Android devices and hasn’t been rolled out globally yet. For now, however, the MMS and SMS protocols can cover the majority of your mobile marketing needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SMS stands for Short Message Service.<\/strong> A single SMS message is limited to 160 characters – or just 70 if it includes an emoji or other type of Unicode character. That\u2019s where the \u201cshort\u201d comes from. An SMS campaign can<\/em> contain more than 160 characters, but it will be sent as a multi-part message and reassembled as one on the recipient\u2019s device. That’s why you’ll need to keep SMS campaigns clear and concise. So, pay attention to text message character counts<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An MMS marketing campaign<\/a> offers more flexibility and can include up to 1600 characters. MMS stands for Multimedia Message Service<\/strong>, and as the name suggests, it supports delivery of media such as images and videos. Here’s a visual example of the difference between MMS and SMS<\/a> campaigns:<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"SMS<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

MMS and SMS campaigns help deliver all sorts of messages and information. Of course, you\u2019ll want to have a specific purpose and goal for every campaign so it\u2019s clear what you expect to achieve and so you can measure your success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8 types of text marketing campaigns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Text campaigns serve many purposes and enhance communications connected to the customer experience. For example, there are multiple ways to use transactional SMS to deliver important details to individuals. That includes order confirmations, fraud notifications, delivery updates, password resets, and two-factor authentication (2FA<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll focus more on bulk text message campaigns that send information and promotions to groups of people. Here are some of the common ways businesses use text marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. SMS opt-in campaigns<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You may already have a database that includes mobile phone numbers for customers and contacts. However, before you start sending promotional text messages, you need to get permission from those people. That\u2019s where an SMS opt-in comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are simple campaigns in which contacts send a standard reply to a message that asks them to opt in and receive more messages. For example, an opt-in request for text marketing messages might read like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Business X wants to send you texts about our deals and discounts. You may receive up to 3 messages\/week. Reply \u201cYES\u201d to subscribe. \u201cSTOP\u201d to opt out.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This method also works well for double opt-ins. That\u2019s when, for example, someone signs up for promotional texts at an event or point-of-purchase, but you still want a digital record of their consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While you may have inferred consent <\/strong>to text customers, the type of campaign as well as regional rules and regulations could also require you to obtain explicit consent<\/strong>.  No matter what laws you must follow, getting permission is always a good practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Exclusive offers and updates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve received an appropriate level of permission, you can use SMS campaigns to drive more awareness, website traffic, and sales. Text messaging campaigns that highlight special offers are an effective way to engage consumers and even to increase signups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research from Sinch Mailjet<\/a> found 24% of consumers primarily sign up for texts from a brand to get a one-time discount while another 22% opt in to receive regular offers. So, text marketing is a good way to promote and distribute coupon codes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Text marketing works especially well for things like flash sales. That\u2019s because texts are a good way to get your message out and get responses quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Text marketing works great for flash sales.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

SMS campaigns are perfect for encouraging immediate action because response rates are much higher than on channels like email or social media ads. SMS open rates are as high as 98%<\/strong>, and 90% of messages are viewed within the first few minutes of delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s how a personalised MMS campaign promoting a sale at an online store might look. This type of text marketing can include imagery to enhance the experience and showcase what’s on sale.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"MMS<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

3. Cart abandonment SMS campaign<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An SMS campaign can also be used to bring shoppers back to your website. If you run an e-commerce business or online store, cart abandonment solutions<\/a> are an ideal way to capture revenue you\u2019re losing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A cart abandonment text message may read like this:<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Service providers like Sinch MessageMedia make it easy to integrate with popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify<\/a> and BigCommerce<\/a> to simplify cart abandonment campaign execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n

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\r\n Try it out for yourself <\/h2>\r\n\r\n

Start a 14-day free trial and see how text marketing can help grow your business<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n Start messaging for free<\/a> <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n
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