SMS marketing is a great place to begin when your business is ready for mobile marketing. While there are other messaging channels available to engage customers and prospects, SMS campaigns are usually the first step in establishing a more comprehensive text message marketing program. That's because SMS is so widespread. Almost every consumer who owns a mobile device can send and receive messages and are willing to receive texts from businesses they trust. 

In this blog post, we'll go over some important steps and recommendations for SMS marketing. 

Why should you run SMS campaigns? 

Aside from the ability to reach a large audience through bulk text messaging, there are some additional significant advantages to executing SMS campaigns:

SMS marketing is cost-effective compared to other channels like paid digital ads and direct mail. 

SMS campaigns have high engagement rates, as consumers answer fast and eagerly. Text messages have high open rates, averaging over 98%, and click-through rates of up to 36%. SMS is perfect for direct communication and quick responses.

SMS delivers vital messages quickly and reliably. That means you may be confident that the majority of your messages were delivered to your contacts' devices. 

There are several types of SMS messages that organizations send to subscribers.

• Transactional SMS provides appropriate information to particular recipients. This includes order confirmations, two-factor authentication (2FA), fraud alerts, and shipping updates.
• Service SMS enable real-time, back-and-forth communication between brands and consumers. This makes the channel excellent for customer care and support operations, whether they involve a live representative, automated responses, or an SMS chatbot that provides answers. Similarly, an automated SMS bot can assist people in confirming, canceling, or rescheduling appointments.
• Promotional texts are used for marketing purposes, including promotional texts. These texts spread the word, generate traffic, and establish continuous relationships with the people you want to contact.

12 Tips To Plan Your Next SMS Campaign

You will need to invest some time and resources before you can begin delivering messages to your contacts. But with the proper partner, you'll be prepared in no time. It is also advisable to develop a strong strategy before launching your first SMS campaign. 

1. Make sure everything is set up properly

You must set up and locate the appropriate tools before launching your first SMS campaign. These are the main contributing factors:

• Campaign phone number: A business cannot send a text message from just any mobile number. You have the option of leasing a short code number or selecting a 10-digit long code (10DLC), which includes toll-free numbers. Local companies occasionally choose to text-enable a recognizable, existing number. 
• SMS platform: To send bulk text messages, you'll also need an SMS app that establishes a connection with an SMS gateway. To identify a provider that fulfills your needs, compare the additional tools and features that potential partners have to offer.
• Campaign registration and carrier approval: Prior to your SMS messages reaching the intended audience, mobile carriers must register your campaign and approve your sender ID, regardless of whether you use a short code or 10DLC. A trusted partner like GirikSMS can do this heavy lifting for you. 
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1. Integrate SMS with your existing technology stack

How simple it will be to integrate an SMS app with other platforms your company uses for sales, marketing, and communication, is a crucial factor to take into account. Is it possible to link SMS campaigns to your customer relationship management (CRM) systems such as an SMS app for Salesforce?

1. Establish SMS campaign goals 

The actual work starts once you have your technical setup complete. Naturally, it's important to specify your goals and the reasons for your SMS campaign. 

Setting goals and objectives forces you to consider your SMS campaign's execution, target audience, and possible outcomes. 

While targets are typically more detailed, your goal should be thought of as the overall picture. For instance, an SMS campaign may aim to increase sales by a specific percentage in a selected product category while also promoting the advantages of a particular product. Your campaign may aim to get a specific number of clicks and views, but your ultimate goal may be to teach your audience a new skill. 

You can determine whether an SMS campaign is providing a positive return on investment (ROI) or not by setting goals and objectives.

1. Establish a budget for your SMS campaign

In relation to that investment, you should ascertain how SMS campaigns fit into your marketing spend as a whole. Leasing a short code or 10DLC, as well as the price of a monthly plan through your carrier, are expenses related to SMS marketing. The majority of SMS carriers offer their users a fixed amount of SMS credits each month; when more credits are required, the pay-as-you-go model takes over. Fortunately, each SMS only costs a very small amount. 

Remember that your campaign turns into an MMS (Multimedia Message Service) campaign if it contains multimedia components like pictures or videos. Although SMS and MMS message prices vary, sending a text message campaign with images could be quite beneficial.

1. Get consent from your contacts

Who is the recipient of your SMS? You must obtain consent before texting any of the mobile numbers in your contact database, regardless of where they originated. Consent can be obtained when new contacts register on your website or complete forms. Another option would be to encourage current email subscribers to enroll in marketing SMS campaigns. Acquiring new SMS subscribers can also be accomplished through the use of scannable QR codes on menus, signs, and storefronts. 

Typically, SMS marketing makes opting in simple by using keywords. When you send out a first message, recipients frequently reply with "Yes"," indicating that they are curious to learn more about your offerings. Keywords are a great method to build a double opt-in that verifies you have their consent, even if they signed up somewhere else. 

1. Be aware of rules and regulations 

While getting consent is one of the most important guidelines to follow, it is only the starting point. There are other things you should know to make sure you're in line with consumer privacy laws. This covers the way you handle data storage and security, such as personally identifiable information (PII), and knowing when you shouldn't send SMS.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the CAN-SPAM Act are the primary regulations in the United States that must be adhered to. You should be mindful of the regulations in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and be aware that the EU has a privacy law akin to it if you wish to conduct business in the European Union.  Other regions have similar regulations that one must adhere to. 

1. Segment your contact list 

Delivering targeted messages to certain contact groups is made easier with segmentation. For instance, you might wish to customize messaging for individuals in various demographic groups (e.g., age, gender, location, etc.). Even though you're delivering bulk messages, segmentation makes your texts more relevant to your audience.  

Contacts can also be divided into groups according to their job titles, engagement levels, purchasing patterns, and any other information you may have gathered. For instance, say you have a segment of your contacts that typically places an order once a month. To make sure those consumers return, you can use their purchase habits to segment your customer base and send them a text at the right moment. 

1. Get your timing right 

The buying cycle is not the only thing to consider when planning your SMS ads. Imagine getting a notification in the middle of the night on your smartphone. You scramble around your nightstand, attempting to find the device in the dark, thinking, "This must be an emergency!" If a brand sent you a promotional SMS in the middle of the night, how would you feel? This epitomizes bad timing.

Segmenting your contacts based on time zones or geolocation is a useful method to make sure messages are sent to recipients at the right time of day. Remember that several states and even regions in the United States have established quiet hours during which sending texts from businesses is forbidden. 

1. Determine a sending cadence

It's likely that your SMS campaign will consist of a sequence of messages sent out gradually. You'll have to choose how frequently to send those messages and how long to wait between each transmission. It's a good idea to let contacts know upfront how often you plan to text them when they sign up to receive your SMS texts.

Remember that sending too many texts in a single day to the same number can mark your message as spam. Messages from the same ID sent too frequently may be blocked by mobile carriers. It's also crucial to remember that in order to provide your subscribers instructions on how to opt-out, you must text them at least once a month. 

1. Leverage SMS campaign templates

Are you unsure about what to include in the real messages that will be a part of your campaign? SMS campaigns make extensive use of standard texts and auto-replies. Templates speed things up and help maintain consistency in the messaging. 

You can start using a collection of free SMS templates from GirikSMS. It contains standard messages for a number of businesses, such as financial services, healthcare, education, retail, and more. And if you use Salesforce as your CRM, GirikSMS is a 100% Salesforce sms app that allows you personalization of all your messaging communication based on your CRM data.

1. Automate responses

Make conversational marketing easy with automated responses to your contacts. A large number of your SMS templates can be auto-responders that start sending out as soon as someone responds to your original message or fulfills a required action. After you've mapped out every one of your SMS campaign's message flows, you'll be able to identify the points in the communication flow where automated responses make sense. 

Certain automated replies will rely on SMS keywords, such as those used to opt in and out, participate in a contest, get a coupon code, contact support, or ask for further details.  

1. Get carrier approval  

We previously discussed the requirement for mobile carriers to approve SMS campaigns. The Campaign Registry, also known as the Short Code Registry, is used for this, as it keeps databases of legitimate campaigns. Through this process, carriers can distinguish between what is most likely unwanted SMS spam and what is a valid SMS. Your odds of delivery increase significantly if you are accepted. 

GirikSMS will help with registration and submit it for approval. At least three to five days should pass before sending an SMS campaign from 10DLCs ,The approval process for short-code campaigns is more stringent and can take up to several weeks.

Want to know more about SMS marketing? Contact us today for a 30-day free trial.

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