64% of customers would prefer small businesses to interact with them via text messaging. Mobile messaging is a hot trend again, and all companies should use it to communicate with their public.
Because more and more brands use email marketing, paid social media campaigns and other internet-related means to promote their services, it’s difficult for small businesses to stand out.
This post will quickly present the most important 5 ways a small company can use text messaging to boost its efficiency.
Appointment reminders and scheduling
For companies that operate their businesses on an appointment basis, the biggest problem is no-shows. Sending text messages to customers can reduce or stop this problem and it’s time-intensive. Some brands rely on their employees to call the customers to remind them of appointments, but it’s a time consuming and expensive task.
People prefer to receive a text message rather than a phone call. Automated text messaging is the best solution for businesses that work on an appointment basis.
Order confirmation and delivery updates
Retailers like Amazon send order confirmation texts and delivery updates to their clients, so nowadays everyone expects to receive phone messages when they place an order, no matter the provider they choose. All businesses can deliver the same type of experience if they automate these two tasks.
It’s advisable to integrate the business text messaging solution within the inventory system to ensure that it delivers updates in real-time.
Product launches
Business mass text messaging is a great way to market new products. When using SMS for marketing purposes you benefit from high open rates, easy linking to app stores and mobile sites, and personalization if the needed data is available.
You should send mass text messages to clients and prospects. If you didn’t gather information about prospects in a database until now, you need to collaborate with a third-party provider to offer the list and this will bring additional costs.
Virtual gifts
Create a virtual gift card you send via text messages that allows your clients to collect a real gift in your stores. For example, you can send gift vouchers to loyal clients during holidays, or birthday discounts.
Putting the gift card on your clients’ smartphones is more convenient for them because they always carry their phones with them. If you send classic gift cards made from paper, people can forget them at home, and it frustrates them.
Sales promotions
Text messaging is a cost-effective and attractive way to promote sales. If you offer time-sensitive promotions, then text messaging is the best way to promote them because the client receives and opens them immediately. The average time for someone to read an email is six hours, so for a time-sensitive promotion, it isn’t the most effective way to market it.
Email marketing is still effective, but use text messaging to boost their success. Don’t replace internet-related promotional means with text messaging. Improve their effectiveness by sending direct text messages to prospects interested in the products you offer.