Attracting clients to your business is one thing, making existing clients return for another purchase is an entirely different deal. While there are many ways to incentivise customers to return such as email and social apps, there’s another tool that’s often neglected – SMS marketing.

In this article we’ll look at some of the advantages of SMS marketing along with some proven examples that can boost repeat sales.

Advantages of SMS marketing

Email and apps are perfectly viable but there are some advantages to SMS marketing that make it stand out from the alternative. For starters, users have a conscious choice to make – to opt in or not. This can be a double-edged sword, as you won’t be able to reach all the users at your disposal since some will simply choose to not opt in. The big plus is that those who opt in are definitely in for the ride. One way to ask your clients to opt in is to do it at the end of their first purchase. Sending an email after they’ve received their order to thank them can also serve as a reminder to opt into SMS.

Okay, SMS allows clients to make a choice, what else is there? Unlike email, where most messages get completely ignored and remain unopened for years, phone communication is much more efficient. There’s only one problem with social apps, not all clients have them. The same can’t be said for SMS, as all phones (even the really old ones) support the feature, giving you a much wider reach than an app. SMS marketing eliminates the need for your clients to install any additional software, making it easy and intuitive.

Now that we’ve covered the reasons why SMS marketing is good, let’s have a look at some proven examples that can boost repeat sales.

Request a review

There’s nothing better than transparency and what better way to demonstrate it than by directly asking your clients for a review? SMS marketing allows you to automate the whole process and send a review request once the client has received the product.

In addition to getting a review for your product, you can make things more lucrative and earn a repeat client by adding a discount or another benefit with the next purchase.

Send reorder reminders

Is your business selling products that run out in the course of time? If yes, this is a perfect opportunity to get more orders. All you have to do is pick the right time to send a reminder with an SMS. To know the best time to send a reminder you can go through your store’s purchase history and analyse how frequently people buy certain products.

You can make things even more convenient for your customers by giving them a direct link to the last order they made. This saves them time and allows them to directly make another order.

Promote your loyalty program

Nothing promotes customer retention like a loyalty program. If your business has a loyalty program, SMS marketing can be the perfect tool to remind your customers and send them personalised offers. A special offer from your loyalty program can easily tip the scales in your favor if your clients haven’t made up their minds.

Your loyalty program can be something as simple as free shipping or a discount on every n-th order. Let your existing clients know all about your loyalty program with an SMS and use it as a selling point for future clients, giving them the fear of missing out on a good deal.

Create a winback automation

Winback automation is a special type of message that’s automatically sent out to inactive customers. This guarantees that your past clients are regularly reminded of your business. You can sweeten the pot by offering them a discount upon return.

Most SMS marketing services will allow you to easily create a winback message that’ll be dispatched to clients after a certain period of time after their last order. Despite the name, winback can also be used to onboard brand-new clients who have just registered. If one message doesn’t do the trick, try adding more.

Send holiday offers

If there’s one period during the year to win over new and past clients, it’s the holidays! With everyone looking for the best products and the best deals, you can stand out with a personalised message.

Throughout the holiday season, many businesses are giving users discounts but through SMS marketing you can make the whole ordeal a lot more personal. Just make sure you send the right type of offer for the respective holiday. Add a link to your website and direct your clients to the right category for maximum conversion.

Frequently asked questions about SMS marketing

Is SMS a marketing strategy?

SMS marketing is a highly effective part of your marketing toolkit, and helps you reach your customers immediately with product promotions, last-minute availability and exclusive offers. 

What is SMS marketing versus WhatsApp marketing?

While they are both messaging strategies, they differ in platform and functionality. SMS relies on text messages sent to mobile phones, as such it has broader accessibility since it doesn’t require an app. However, WhatsApp marketing can only be done through the WhatsApp app, but you can send images and videos in your messages which makes it more versatile.

What are the pros and cons of SMS marketing?

The main advantages of SMS marketing are high open rates (98%), immediate delivery, and broad reach, making it the perfect strategy to reach your customers for time-sensitive promotions. However, you may be limited on the number of characters you can use. Additionally, like WhatsApp marketing you need to comply with GDPR and obtain opt-in preferences to avoid legal issues. Sending marketing messages without obtaining consent is illegal.

Why is SMS marketing better than email?

The biggest advantages SMS marketing has over email marketing is immediacy and open rate. 98% of text messages are opened within five minutes as opposed to 20% for email. However, with email marketing you can send longer messages to more people, and is better for sending less time-sensitive content, such as newsletters. The choice between the two depends on your specific marketing goals and audience preferences.

Key Takeaway

Whether your business is trying to attract a wider audience or turn existing clients into repeat sales, SMS marketing is the perfect solution, allowing you to tempt your customers with personalised communication and an offer they can’t refuse.

With text messages, you can reach more customers than ever before and turn every new acquisition into a repeat sale by sending the right messages at the right time.

About Magic

Magic helps local businesses grow. Thousands of local businesses use Magic to get more online reviews, win new customers, easily manage customer conversations and grow sales. Magic offers these features:

• Reviews: Get more reviews with easy review requests for popular review sites like Google, Facebook, Yelp, TrustPilot, and more. Rank high on local search and enhance your visibility on Google. 
• Inbox: Keep track of customer conversations across channels in one inbox, including SMS, Facebook, Instagram, and Gmail. Manage conversations better as a team and do more with industry specific templates. 
• Text Marketing: Drive more sales with instant text campaigns and reach your customers at the right moment with automation. Use prebuilt templates to send out text campaigns in minutes. 
• Webchat: Turn website visitors into customers with SMS powered Webchat. Chat to website visitors directly through SMS so you won’t miss a lead, even when they leave your website. 

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