The benefits of automation are well-known–and when there are billions of people in the world who own a smartphone–and could potentially receive text messages from you as part of a personalised SMS marketing campaign, this opportunity cannot be ignored. Businesses need the speed and efficiency of a reliable SMS platform to automate the entire messaging process and complement other marketing channels.
Strengthen and Streamline SMS Communications
SMS marketing has exploded in recent years, with 40% of all businesses using SMS as part of their marketing strategy. Evidence of this trend is seen with the not-so-uncommon advertisements, product updates, and other messages we regularly receive on a smartphone. SMS marketing is a way for companies and industries to send notifications and offers and stay connected with customers, employees, and markets.
With SMS automation from 160.com.au you can prearrange a schedule for the deployment of individual texts based on current user data. This might be at certain times of the week or day, just before an event or appointment, as a result of a triggering activity, or via another predetermined parameter.
Examples of SMS Automation in Action
Knowing how and when to use SMS automation will ensure that your marketing campaign is successful. Some of the most common implementations of this marketing method are for:
- Appointment reminders: Help customers or patients stay up to date with your services. Reminders can be sent as per a predetermined schedule to improve engagement.
- Retail updates: Sales, discounts, order confirmations, shipping updates, and more can be automatically sent to existing customers and prospects.
- Customer support: Send support responses based on keywords or search terms.
Benefits of SMS Automation
A recent survey showed that one in three people check their phone within one minute of receiving a text, and 51% respond to a text within one to two minutes. These high open rates support the fact that SMS automation is efficient and delivers better results than most other marketing methods.
Delivery of SMS messaging is immediate and can be personalised to make a customer feel valued. These can include birthday wishes or promotions of items the customer is known to purchase or search for.
Successful SMS marketing will help increase overall brand awareness for your services and products, which will, in turn, lead to increased sales and greater revenues.
Choosing the Right SMS Automation Platform
When evaluating SMS automation solutions, make sure it is easy to implement and use, and that it contains the features you need. The tool you choose should allow you to schedule customised messages (built on segmented customer data), create auto-responses to predetermined events or activities, and have a mechanism to automate customer support responses to inquiries. Multimedia images and files (e.g., photos, GIFs, videos) integrated into the messaging can result in a more immersive experience for the recipient, too.
An SMS automation tool should support drip campaigns (a series of automated marketing messages that are sent over a specified period) to onboard new customers and keep them engaged. Also, determine if the SMS platform can be integrated with your existing systems (customer relationship management, email marketing tool, etc.), including any third-party e-commerce, payment processing, and social media platforms.
Don’t Get Left Behind
If your automated personalised SMS marketing campaign is implemented properly, timed well, and personalised with solid customer data, you will be able to better unlock the enormous potential of the mobile market.
Build loyalty to your brand, reinforce messaging, continually analyse reports to optimise results, and stay compliant with relevant regulations and laws with one of the most cost-effective digital marketing tools available. Let 160.com.au lead the way–create your account with us today!