About 65% of the world’s population uses text messaging. It’s no wonder then that SMS marketing is growing at a staggering pace. To get the most out of it, your email and SMS programs need to work in perfect harmony to drive engagement and revenue. Here’s how to do it.
Why do both?
Have you ever seen a heavyweight champion win a fight with one hand? Of course not. Knocking out your opponent requires a perfect harmony of stinging and floating ambidexterity. Likewise, your marketing efforts will be more likely to succeed with a dual combination of text messages and emails.
That’s not to say that either one can’t pack a punch on their own. Email marketing weighs approximately 3,600% return on investmentwhile the text messages come out with a huge noise 7 100% return on investment. Put them together, and even Tyson himself wouldn’t last more than two rounds.
Having subscriber email and SMS details gives you more opportunities to collect data based on engagement and purchase history. This helps further segment your audience and understand how each customer uses both platforms.
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Do the basic work first
You’re probably already using email pop-ups on your brand’s website to collect addresses from new visitors. But if you’re not asking for phone numbers while you’re at it, you’re missing out on a lot of potential revenue.
As with email marketing, the more legitimate SMS subscribers you have, the better. Adding a phone number field to your overlay is an effective way to organically grow your SMS list. I recommend marking the phone number field as optional and including it on the first page of your pop-up.
What happens if recipients don’t submit their phone number? That doesn’t mean they won’t do it in the future. Typically, new subscribers use email to gauge how often your brand sends and the value your content offers them. Subscribers will be more willing to sign up if you share interesting information and discounts at a reasonable rate.
To encourage email-only subscribers, consider a friendly SMS signup email that rewards them with an exclusive discount. You can also offer a gift or value-added service (depending on your specific business).
One key caveat: you must ensure you comply with all applicable privacy laws – more on this below.
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Technical considerations
When asking customers to sign up, have a disclaimer stating what type of message they will receive and whether there will be a fee for text responses. This protects you from legal issues and ensures that customer data will not be misused.
Your disclaimer should clarify that by signing up, subscribers agree to receive marketing messages from your brand. You should include a clear “stop reply to unsubscribe” in the first text messages you send. Depending on local laws, you may need to add it to each text. It’s always worth remembering that being a guest on a customer’s phone or inbox is a privilege. This is their sanctuary sanctorum, and as soon as you don’t respect that, you’re out.
Look at your SMS character restrictions. Typically, you will have around 160 characters to work with, or even less if your SSP (SMS service provider) requires it. This includes your brand name at the beginning and the link at the end of your post. If you go over 160 characters, your SSP will charge that as two SMS messages, which can add up quickly when you’re sending frequent SMS campaigns.
For an MMS you have around 360 characters, which is more than enough, considering that this also includes images. Having just 160 characters at your disposal requires some creative thinking, especially if your campaign has a lot of information to convey. While this can be a significant setback if you were working with SMS only, you also have your email campaigns to help carry the load.
Orchestration of your platforms
The nature of texting lends itself to slightly more urgent and direct messaging. Email, on the other hand, allows more information to be received, which can be digested at a relaxed pace. Coming back to the boxing analogy, this is the marketing version of jabbing rather than the knockout punch: the two work together and complement each other perfectly.
SMS is best suited to short, punchy messages that are more sales-focused. It is therefore an ideal platform to announce a new product or special offer and notify customers when a sale is about to end. On the other hand, email campaigns can provide more in-depth details about your products and services. For example, if you’re running a sale, you’ll use SMS to focus on the discount amount and emails to focus on the products, disclaimer, bells and whistles.
Maybe something like this:
Pre-launch SMS. Launch email. Reminder email. Urgent reminder SMS. Last chance SMS/email.
You can mix this up to better suit your brand and target audience, as long as you maintain a jaw-dropping one-two combo.
You might also consider adding SMS touches to your email automation. These could be abandoned cart reminders or warnings that a welcome discount will expire soon.
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SMS marketing: best practices
When it comes to SMS marketing, there are a few simple things to consider to ensure maximum impact.
Set the right pace
Although some would say eight text messages per month is a good rule of thumb, it’s best to start small and gradually increase your rate. By closely monitoring your statistics, you will be able to evaluate what works best for your subscribers.
Offer exclusive offers
Reward subscribers with text-only discounts or early access to site-wide sales. Exclusivity is a powerful motivator for customers to stay subscribed, so add it to your marketing calendar regularly.
Master Perfect Timing
Yes, SMS subscribers usually have a special time to read their text messages. With some basic A/B testing, you’ll be able to confirm the best time to send marketing texts for the best engagement. The same goes for sending days. Texts sent on weekends might be more likely to generate high click-through rates, but it all depends on your audience.
Speak clearly
Leave the flowery language and complex descriptions for your email campaigns. Text messages should always use simple, direct wording.
Final Thoughts
In an age where customers browse many platforms, you need to use every tool to drive engagement. Two is always better than one – and knowing how to perfect your email and SMS communication can turn your brand into a champion.
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