When Business is Slow, SMS Can Revive Engagement

SMS Marketing

Jul 20, 2022

Jessie Chantel

Content Manager

A slow business week, month or season can take your fiscal year from promising to problematic. Luckily, there are several steps you can take to revitalize your prospects.

Not sure what to do when business is slow? Let’s look at six ways you can harness SMS to turn that revenue trickle back into a full-on revenue stream.

Signs Your Business is in Slow Season

Before you panic about the state of your business, it’s worth taking a step back and confirming that business is actually slowing down. In which case, dig into your data and see if any of the following statements apply to your company:

Web or foot traffic is lower than usual
Sales or revenue are trending downward
Cash flow is minimal or nonexistent
Overall growth has plateaued

If these signs of slow business feel familiar, it might be time to take action.

Of course, some fluctuations in revenue or traffic are perfectly normal. But when slow days turn into slow weeks, it’s time to focus on nurturing existing leads and generating new ones.

6 SMS Ideas for the Off-Season

Targeted, well-timed mass messages can help you bring your slow business back to its usual self. And even if you’re not prone to slow periods, you can still leverage these six methods to drive conversions—as long as you follow business texting etiquette.

1. Offer Off-Season Specials

If you want to bring customers back to your website or store, you need to give them a reason. Sending out a text promoting a flash or one-day surprise sale can encourage those “on the fence” customers to take a second look at your offerings.

One-day sales also come with a time limit, which creates a sense of urgency. Urgency in marketing encourages consumers to follow through with a task—in this case, completing a purchase on your site.

2. Gear Up for Busy Season with Early Bird Deals

By offering early bird discounts, you can transfer traffic from your busiest weeks to your slow periods. Every customer that completes a transaction now is one you won’t have to worry about later.

These “sign up now and save” offers can provide you with extra cash in the short term and yield loyal customers who look forward to the next season in the long term. Early bird deals are especially useful if your business model relies on subscriptions, multi-pass memberships or season passes.

You can also use early bird messaging to generate hype for a soon-to-be-released product or service.

3. Work on Gathering Reviews and Testimonials

With 80% of shoppers trusting online reviews as much as personal recommendations, having a website full of honest testimonials is essential. You can gather this “social proof” by contacting past customers via text message.

Provide a direct link to a product review page in your message, and you’ll have plenty of glowing reviews before you know it. And who knows—this influx of traffic and conversation may put you on the radar of more people than ever.

4. Upsell and Cross-Sell Existing Customers

If you have a customer’s number, that means they’re already interested in what you offer. Use this knowledge to upsell or cross-sell to your loyal followers.

By utilizing data you already have, you can pinpoint who to retarget. From there, you might send customers who purchased an entry-level product or service a link to an upgraded version. Similarly, you can recommend relevant add-ons or complementary options.

5. Educate Your Customers

As tempting as it is to keep pushing your products and services when business is slow, sometimes it’s better to take a more conversational approach. Not every text message needs to be a coupon or a call to action.

Instead, consider sending educational messaging. Depending on your business, you might send texts about:

Special care instructions
Ways to better use the product or service
Clarifications of new features
New blog posts full of information

These types of messages keep you top of mind and show your customers you care—without coming across as too “salesy.”

6. Incentivize Referrals

You already have access to a substantial network of potential shoppers: your existing customers. To grow your subscriber list, try reaching out to your current customer base and encourage them to share your offerings with a friend.

For example, you could send out a link to a referral code. If your customer shares this link with friends or family, they could gain access to promos, exclusive content or limited products.

Continue Your Business Growth With Textedly

With 85% of smartphone users preferring texts over email or phone calls, SMS is the obvious choice for communicating with customers. While many businesses have jumped on this trend by sending order confirmations and updates via text, SMS marketing is still less common than you might think.

With that in mind, you can apply these SMS ideas anytime business slows down and avoid extended periods of sluggishness. Now all you need is a way to send those texts.

Whether you’re looking for SMS or MMS solutions, Textedly can help you supercharge your business—whether it’s the slow season or not. Begin your Textedly free trial today and build a sustainable business, one text at a time.