How Does SMS Marketing Help Businesses Achieve Customer Loyalty

People are becoming more and more dependent on their mobile phones and gadgets. Truth be told, people instinctively check their phones for new messages or notifications several times a day. Today, it is estimated that billions of people around the world own cell phones and smartphones. This scenario makes them prime targets for SMS marketing.

SMS marketing, or short message service marketing, is a strategy that allows businesses to send text messages to customers to increase brand awareness, share promos, boost engagement, generate sales, and conduct customer service.

Also called mobile marketing, SMS marketing involves promoting your business on smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. This digital marketing strategy utilizes content marketing tools by sending SMS and mobile ads to audiences. Mobile ads are ads that customers see or receive when they do a basic search on Google using their phone.

SMS marketing is effective because more people prefer getting messages through their phones. SMS marketing provides businesses a channel with fast delivery and high open and response rates of promotional content.

Text messages can be delivered immediately, which are perfect for flash sales and event-related promotions. With more people constantly on their phones, it increases the chances of receiving and reading your messages as soon as delivered. And you are assured that your target market will see these.

In fact, over 90 percent of SMS marketing messages are read in the first three minutes. SMS has the edge over emails, which are only opened 20 percent of the time because people have to open their inbox and scan through it before finally reading the message. Plus, SMS marketing is more personal and can stand out from other notifications.

Altogether, these factors make SMS marketing a valuable tool in helping your business achieve customer loyalty. By communicating with customers the way they want to, your business will likely see more engagements and responses. They’ll be eager to be part of your campaigns because they find excellent value in the marketing messages you send through their mobile devices.

Here are some practical ways to build customer loyalty and customer retention:

1. Actively listen to your customers. Customers want to feel valued and listened to and will leave a brand if they feel unappreciated. Several tools are available for SMS marketers, allowing you to get an insight into how you can improve your products and services based on customer feedback. Surveys are examples of how customers can detail issues they are having problems with and how you can address them.
   
   
2. Personalize the message. Gather as much information as you can on each customer, such as their interests, location, or spending habits. These nuggets of information can help your business send the right messages to the right customers. You do not want to offer a customer a product they have no use for or interest in. Besides, generic messages can put some customers off and dampen their impression of your brand. Remind your customers that their experiences with you are valuable to your business.
   
   
3. Keep messages short, and know when to send them. People today have a short attention span, so it is best to keep marketing messages brief and concise. Lengthy messages may only cause them to lose interest in your brand. Similarly, you should know what time to send your marketing messages. Sending your messages during business hours is more effective than sending these during off-hours. Knowing which day of the week to send messages is also vital, with Mondays having the lowest response rate.
   
   
4. Send Thank You messages. Send your customers messages of gratitude for their continued patronage to your business in the form of special promos. This strategy makes customers feel appreciated and valued and will therefore remain loyal to your company.
   
   
5. Loyalty programs. One effective way of establishing customer loyalty is to offer loyalty programs wherein the customers will get exclusive perks such as discounts and freebies every week or month. Doing this incentivizes the customer to continue to do business with your brand.
   
   
6. Create a community for your customers. Nurture your relationship with your customers by creating a community that will connect them with you and other loyal customers. Using social media or messaging applications, you can create a community base for helpful tips, reviews, feedback on products and services, and other vital updates.
   
   
7. Share valuable information. Through SMS marketing, you can share helpful information to elevate customers’ experience with your products or services. This information can be in the form of listicles, trivia, and other forms of engaging, informative content.

Final Message

Customers’ loyalty is essential for the survival of a business, and providing an elevated customer experience is what helps retain customers. To promote the best customer experience, know what is most important for your customers and offer these to them. Use feedback tools, reviews, or analytics to your advantage.