7 SMS Marketing Strategies for Boosting Business Revenue

If you’re serious about boosting revenue, you may already use SMS marketing. But have you seen your revenue increase due to your efforts? If not, it may be time to re-evaluate how you use this potent marketing channel.

Current statistics continue to reinforce that most Americans check their phones at least 96 times per day, or once every ten minutes, on average. As a result, the open rate of SMS messages is as high as 98%, leaving email marketing behind, dwindling at a  21% open rate.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic grew SMS marketing investments significantly. One analysis indicated that SMS business marketing increased by 20% between February and April 2020.

If you’re unsure how to use SMS marketing for business, here are seven helpful strategies to help you begin:

• Promote Time-Sensitive Sales & Discounts

• Send Mobile Coupons

• Recover Abandoned Shopping Carts

• Send Appointment Reminders

• Increase Event Attendance

• Create an SMS Customer Loyalty Program
• Communicate With Customers via Two-Way Texting

1. Promote Time-Sensitive Sales & Discounts

Using SMS to promote sales and discounts is one of the easiest ways to build your business by creating a branded, personal sales channel. 

Using targeted text message marketing techniques enables you to reach out to customers where they are, letting them know you’re ready to meet their individual needs – sometimes anticipating those needs before they’re even aware of them.

Tracking buying patterns helps you create customized promotions that make people feel seen, increasing customer engagement and loyalty. In addition, cross-promoting sales and discounts on your social media channels is an effective way to build traffic both online and on the move.

Hi [First_Name]! Save 20% off your next purchase at [Store_Name] with code SPRING until the end of this month. Visit our website at [Link] – your discount code is already applied!

Hi [First_Name]! Did you know [Store_Name] is on Facebook? Follow us there and receive 20% off your next purchase. We appreciate your business.

2. Send Mobile Coupons

If you have a retail store or restaurant, sending mobile coupons is an easy way to generate sales via increased foot traffic. Text messaging platforms like Textedly allow you to send text messages in real-time, meaning you can encourage customers in your physical area to stop in for a special deal.

Textable coupon types include:

• QR codes: Customers scan the code at the time of purchase, and the discount is automatically applied.
• Unique promo codes: Create one-time promo codes for exclusive deals
• Show this text: Encourage walk-ins by requiring customers to display their discount offer to a cashier at checkout.

Read: Benefits of Using QR Codes in Your SMS Marketing Strategy

3. Recover Abandoned Shopping Carts

What ecommerce store owner doesn’t hate an abandoned cart? The promise of a sale dashed when a customer changes their mind or gets distracted before purchasing can affect your bottom line.

Creating automatic conversion trigger messages helps customers return to (hopefully) finish where they left off. You can also use them to automate communications triggered when specific behaviors or occasions happen.

In addition to abandoned cart notifications, common conversion triggers include:

• Personalized messages: Send unique coupon codes for customer birthdays or anniversaries.

• Shopping session abandonment: Oops, they didn’t put any items in their cart! Reclaim unfinished shopping sessions with custom messages that inspire them to return, perhaps with a discount code.

• Limited-time offer announcements: You can send flash sales and time-sensitive discounts anytime or in response to recent purchases as an upsell opportunity.

Read Auto-Reply Message Samples to Save You Time

4. Send Appointment Reminders

Missed appointments affect two people: The scheduler and the “schedulee.”  A study found that missed medical appointments in the U.S. cost the healthcare industry $150 billion dollars, and that physicians lose $210 for each no-show.

Did you know that 37.6% of appointments are missed due to something as simple as forgetfulness or not receiving a reminder? We cannot overstate the importance of sending appointment reminders if you have an appointment-based business. Most people appreciate being reminded, so it’s a win-win.

Hi [First_Name], this is a reminder of your appt with [Doctor_Name] at [Office] on [Date] at [Time]. Please remember to fill out the patient forms sent to you via email before your appt. If you would like to reschedule or need to cancel, please call us at [Phone_Number]. See you soon!

Hi [First_Name], you have a tune-up appointment at [Dealership Name] on [Date] at [Time]. If you need to reschedule, no problem! Please reply CHANGE, and a representative will be in touch with you.

Read: Free Appointment Reminder Text Message Templates and How to Write a Great Appointment Confirmation Text

5. Increase Event Attendance

Busyness and distraction have taken their toll on all of us. It’s easy to remember a concert or special event you have coming up. But what if you’re trying to get people to attend a conference, financial workshop, or homeowners’ association meeting?

Increasing attendance to in-person (or even online) events has its challenges. However, reaching out to people on their mobile devices reminds them of their commitments while communicating important information that could influence their attendance decisions.

Hi [First Name], just a reminder that the retirement workshop sponsored by [Company_Name] is on {Date] at [Time]. We’re excited to share this vital information with you. Dinner will be served at 6:00 – we look forward to seeing you there! 

Read: How to Use Text Messaging for Conferences and Events

6. Create an SMS Customer Loyalty Program

Well-executed customer loyalty programs can generate excitement and participation while also creating brand ambassadors that spread the word about your products and services.

Customers love rewards. Offering discounts, free trials or other preferential treatment go a long way in attracting customers to enroll in your communications.

Before launching a loyalty program (or any SMS campaign), remember to follow these SMS best practices:

• Define what your loyalty program promises when customers opt-in
• Create compelling CTAs (calls-to-action) to entice customers to act on your offers
• Make opt-outs easy 
• Enable two-way texting 
• Measure results for continuous program improvement

Read: Tips for Creating an SMS Loyalty Program Customers Love

7. Communicate With Customers via Two-Way Texting

Communicating with customers one-on-one via text could be the gold standard of SMS text marketing strategy. If you do it right, speaking directly to a customer in response to an inquiry or problem opens the door to increased connection and long-term loyalty.

Two-way SMS enables you to send and receive text messages as you would to a family member or friend, but easier and at scale. Whether customers are responding to an appointment or event reminder, sales notification, or automated message, being able to reply to that customer opens the door to personal communications that increase customer satisfaction. 

Read: Two-Way Texting: How To Talk (and Listen) To Your Customers

Choose Textedly to Implement Successful SMS Marketing Strategies

If you’re ready to take the next step in increasing business revenues via text marketing, you’ve come to the right place. Textedly is the easiest way to instantly send bulk SMS, whether you’re communicating with 100 people or 100,000.

Our easy-to-use dashboard handles powerful SMS marketing for every need, making communicating with your customers efficient and easy.

Start a Textedly 14-day test drive today!