SMS marketing

As SMS marketing grows in popularity, there is no shortage of educational materials out there. From websites, to ebooks, to videos, there are countless tips for business owners looking to get into mobile marketing

Build a text message marketing database. Text message marketing is the heart and soul of any mobile campaign. But to have an SMS campaign you first need a database of phone numbers. The federal Communications Commission has strict regulations that prohibit you from simply buying phone number lists. According to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) you must get permission from consumers before sending them any text. A great way to do this is to offer an incentive for those who sign up to receive your texts.

Be respectful of consumers. Even with their permission you shouldn’t bombard people with excessive and pointless texts. Sending too many texts, or sending them too early in the morning or too late at night is sure to annoy your customers. Send only texts that will be valuable and relevant to consumers or they will begin to ignore your texts.

Keep it simple. With mobile marketing especially, it’s important to keep your message simple. Concise and to-the-point ads with a very clear call-to-action are the most likely to be effective.

Invest in mobile web design. If you’re getting into mobile marketing you will definitely want your website to be optimized for mobile web traffic. Web design is tricky so unless you have a lot of experience, you should probably outsource that task to a professional.

Study your competition. When getting into mobile marketing its always a good idea to study your competition. Pay attention to other businesses in your industry. What mobile marketing channels are they using? Which ones are working and which ones aren’t?

Go viral. If your content is good enough, consumers will want to share it with their family and friends without being asked. Aim to produce content that people will naturally want to share and you’ll find that your customers do a lot of your marketing work for you.

Experiment with landing pages. Try different landing pages on your website and pay attention to which ones have the best conversion rates. You’ll discover what features produce the best results.

Use mobile to retain loyal customers. While mobile can be a great way to acquire new customers, it’s even more effective at retaining the customers you already have. Often attempts at getting new customers can come across as spammy. But the customers you already have are going to be the most willing to opt in for your texts. Use mobile to establish a relationship with these customers and you’ll have a strong base of loyal customers to build off of.