SMS is an effective means of reaching out to customers. A potential customer is more likely to read a text than an email or any message delivered to him through any other means of communication. In fact, more than 90% of text messages are read within minutes of arriving. Various studies and research papers have shown: 95% of texts are read within 3 minutes of receipt. Almost 80% of people carry their mobile wherever they go. Of them, 71% never turn off their mobile phones.

In turn, SMS is the most effective medium for sending appointment reminders, running limited time contests, and marketing promotions.

Email marketing is, without a doubt, an effective means of marketing too, so is mobile app marketing. However, none of them comes close to deliver what an SMS marketing strategy can.

Strategizing SMS marketing

The most effective form of marketing—SMS Marketing is also the most disruptive form of communication. While emails, displays, or social posts are much easier to filter or just avoid, that’s not the case with SMS. Here is a strategy that you can implement in your day-to-day use for non-disruptive SMS marketing.

1. Curate a list

Without a compelling list of phone numbers of customer or those interested in your brand, a SMS marketing campaign just can’t take off.

Reach out to your existing customer via other digital channels (like email). Ask them nicely to sign up for mobile alerts and ask them submit their mobile numbers voluntary.

2. It starts with you

Ask yourself, “Does this text create excitement”. If the answer is “no” or “I am not sure”, don’t send it. Think as if you’re the customer who is receiving the text. Nobody likes to receive a worthless text, even from the brands he or she adores.

3. Hit with an offer

Ask yourself, “Does this text create excitement”. If the answer is “no” or “I am not sure”, don’t send it. Think as if you’re the customer who is receiving the text. Nobody likes to receive a worthless text, even from the brands he or she adores.

4. Don’t forget a call to action

Ask yourself, “Does this text create excitement”. If the answer is “no” or “I am not sure”, don’t send it. Think as if you’re the customer who is receiving the text. Nobody likes to receive a worthless text, even from the brands he or she adores.

5. Create a sense of urgency

Compare these two texts:

“Buy 1 sizzler and get another free. Hurry, the offer is ending soon”

“Buy 1 sizzler and get another free at … today only”

The second one will get more responses than the first one. Reason? The second one creates a sense of urgency, and creates the fear of missing out. Thus, the customer wants to redeem the offer before it runs out.

The obvious.

Don’t forget to include your brand along the text content to make sure your customers know from where the text is coming from.