Systematizing Your SMS Marketing Plan
SMS Marketing Resources
There are two sure ways to spoil your SMS marketing effort:
- Texting infrequently so you never reach front-of-mind awareness.
- Texting too often and annoying your subscribers.
Both of these can happen if you approach your SMS efforts with an ad hoc attitude. Instead, you need to systematize your SMS program so that you send out your broadcasts with the appropriate timing and content to get the response your business needs.
Create a Schedule
The "right" frequency of contact varies between industries, regions, and target groups -- but once you've found the right rate for your business, set up a schedule in your planning calendar. Like all repeating tasks, scheduling your SMS broadcasts will keep you on target.
Write in Blocks
Don't drop everything ten minutes before broadcast time and try to squeeze out a quick SMS message. Instead, schedule time once ever y few weeks to generate content in a block. This will help you keep content and events in the front of your mind -- and make it easier to create a series of related messages that makes each more effective.
Organize Contact Details
Names, phone numbers and addresses, will help you customize and personalize your SMS message. Once you collect that information via your SMS responses, it's important to have a process in place to collate the data in a format you can later use. Most professional SMS plans include this as part of the service -- or you can use one of dozens of apps or programs designed for contact management.
Plan for Responses
The best SMS marketing messages include a call to action. Always have a plan for responding to that call. This might take the form of an automated second message to all subscribers who respond, or simply training all employees on shift about the discount you just offered. In all cases, th e key is to be ready to receive -- and optimize -- the responses you get.
Track Results
One of the major benefits of SMS marketing is the wealth of real-time feedback. You know right away how many people received your message, and how many responded. This can help you narrow your focus and improve your copy with every broadcast -- but only if you track those numbers carefully and understand what they mean for your business. As with contact details, a professional service will track this for you. If going it on your own, you can track them using software -- or even by hand using a spreadsheet.
