Reaching and engaging customers is the priority of every brand or company. But getting customers to engage—and actually stay engaged—is a challenge, considering the many communication channels available that customers might use.
Arguably, one of the most-used channels is SMS messaging. SMS messaging not only has widespread use but it’s also proven to be a powerful and effective tool when it comes to customer engagement. Surveys show that on an average day, consumers check their text messages more than any other app on their phones – even more than on social media. 77% of respondents say that checking, sending, and answering text messages is the activity that they’re most engaged with on their phones throughout the day.
With that information in mind, you can use SMS messaging to your advantage. Here are 5 ways SMS messaging can increase your customer engagement.
1. Run Polls and Surveys
You can use SMS to learn about what your customers’ needs and preferences are through polls and surveys. You can also use SMS to ask for feedback about your product or service. Since SMS is the medium with the highest open rate, you can utilize this to ask for a product or service review from your customers.
2. Personalize Your Messaging
Statistics show that 73% of customers want to engage with brands that use their personal information to provide more relevant shopping experiences for them. This means including their name, birthday, the latest purchases, or even anniversary dates. You can avail of an SMS platform or software to store this information. The more personal, the better, as personalization makes customers feel as if the brand cares about their wants and needs—skyrocketing engagement.
3. Appointment Reminders, Offers, and Deals
Use SMS to remind customers of upcoming appointments or pending purchases. SMS can also be an excellent way to get the word out about your events. The constant reminders and notifications can help in getting the customer engaged, as they’ll be constantly aware of news and updates about your brand.. Aside from promoting events, SMS also comes in handy when hosting sales or special deals. It allows yourcustomers to know when your next sale is coming, which should help in increasing revenue during sale periods.
4. Know Your Customers
Get to know your customers! Use SMS to learn all about your customers’ needs, preferences, and buying patterns in order to really connect with them. With this information, you can improve your products or services by fine-tuning your SMS messaging. Try out different message lengths or different tones and wording to see what works and fits with your brand voice best.
5. Know Your Customers
Last, but definitely not the least—don’t ever forget to ask for consent. More than anything, customers should be given options. Whether or not they want to keep up-to-date with your brand is one of them. It’s up to you as a company to make the customer want to sign up for SMS messaging in the first place, otherwise, your frequent texts and updates are a surefire way to turn customers off.
Improve Your SMS Messaging
There is no doubt that SMS messaging is a highly effective method for increasing customer engagement and growing your business. When used correctly, this channel can boost your marketing strategy and business communications by giving you a direct line to your customers.
Remember, it’s more than sending text messages 24/7. Your message has to be relevant, it has to have good timing, and it needs a clear call to action.
If you’re ready to start using SMS to boost your customer engagement, reach out to us at Ringbot!