Of all of the marketing channels, none are as important as mobile. As we know consumers see their mobile phones as an extension of themselves

Of all the ways to market via mobile, SMS is the oldest and the most effective. Our devices are never out of reach, we take them when we’re running errands, they go with us on vacation, and even into the bathroom. As a result, communicating with people via mobile is especially effective for it’s personal nature.

Seven quick tips

Here are seven SMS tips for engaging customers via mobile:

1. In order to have a successful SMS campaign you first need to have a solid list of people who give you permission to text. You need to capitalize on every opportunity to tell your customers about your SMS campaign. One way to do this that is often overlooked is to make use of the sales receipts you give to customers every day. You can include a key word and short code on each receipt so that your customers know how to opt-in to get your texts.
2. SMS marketing is most effective when combined with other channels. Email marketing is another great way to market your business. You can use email to market your SMS campaign and to get customers to opt-in. Likewise, you can use SMS to gather email addresses and gain permission to add customers to your emailing list.
3. SMS marketing won’t be ideal for many of your customers. The person who might purchase once every year or so probably won’t like getting a text from you every week. You want to target those who are your most loyal customers. The ones who frequent your place of business.
4. Make sure you’re using your point-of-sales to market your SMS campaign. Just as customers are about to complete a purchase they see an advertisement telling them how to receive a discount off of that purchase. All they need to do is pull out their phone and text a key word to a short code and they get their first deal.
5. In order for any SMS campaign to be successful you need to include a clear call to action and a clear incentive. It needs to be clear what you want the customer to do and it needs to be clear what you will do for the customer in return.
6. Don’t limit SMS to be only about promoting your product or service. There are many other good uses of SMS that will win you lifelong customers. Use SMS to improve customer service by offering shipment notifications, sales receipts, appointment reminders, and customer satisfaction surveys via text.
7. If you want to offer an incentive but have a tight budget when it comes to offering than incentive, a sweepstakes is a great way to go. You only have to offer up one prize but many will join with the hopes of winning that prize. You get a group of people to opt-in but you only have to give out one prize.