Bulk SMS for Marketing Campaigns – Part 2
Last week we talked about the advantages of using bulk SMS in your marketing campaigns, this week, we look at how to set up your campaign and the vital steps that you need to undertake before pressing ‘send’ and reaching out to the world.
Consumers need to opt-in to receive your message, otherwise it will be regarded as unsolicited spam and be ignored, or – in the worst case – these unwelcome messages can actually damage your brand. So remember to build up your customer database and ensure that they have given your company permission to send them bulk SMS messages. Respect the privacy of your customers and you will enjoy a much more beneficial relationship!
Ensure that you are sending out bulk SMS messages at a suitable time of day; in other words, don’t send a special offer to someone at 3:00 am and expect a positive response. If you are sending across several time zones, ensure that your bulk SMS messages are sent off in batches at appropriate times. And, in order to maximise the effect of your high-volume messaging campaign, keep your message short and relevant, using language that is appropriate for the target audience.
It is very important to plan your bulk SMS campaign very carefully. Follow the steps below to ensure an effective and well-received marketing effort:
1. Define a clear objective for your campaign. Do you want your customers to respond to your bulk SMS messages with an order, a subscription, an entry into a competition or by coming into your real-world store? This is the most vital part of the planning as everything else stems from this. So first decide whether you want to add value to existing customers by offering them special deals or alerting them to promotions, or if you want to reach out to an entirely new target market with different demographics. Once you have decided on the objective of the campaign, let’s take a look at the costs involved when using bulk SMS.
2. Decide on a budget. Bulk SMS messages are extremely affordable, when compared to traditional advertising, as SMS Gateway providers buy at discount prices from network operators and pass this onto their high-volume customers. This means that, regardless of your budget, you will be able to implement a marketing campaign using bulk SMS. But it is important to decide on your budget and then take a look at some of the bulk SMS options available.
3. Update your mobile database. Remember that you need your target audience to opt-in in order to receive marketing messages from you. You can encourage them to do this by starting a mobile VIP club, for customers who wish to receive store and product news via bulk SMS messages, or through a competition, where customers can enter by text messaging in. Make sure that you use all advertising space to promote your mobile offerings – this can include till receipts and packaging, as well as traditional means, such as radio ads or posters. Update your website with a mobile sign-up box. Once you have this mobile database, you are ready to have some fun designing your message.
4. Create your marketing message. With bulk SMS, the call to action needs to be short, clear and compelling. The recipients of your bulk SMS messages need to immediately understand what you want them to do, and it should be easy for them to respond with the appropriate action. Create a sense of urgency by including a timeframe on your offer to quicken the response rate.
Your business is now ready to enter the mobile world using the affordable and effective medium of bulk SMS. Log in next week to read about how Australian businesses have used bulk SMS, and learn more about campaign ideas to get the ball rolling.
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Tags: bulk sms, bulk sms campaign, Bulk SMS Messages, bulk text messages, Clickatell, mobile marketing, SMS, SMS gateway provider, sms solutions
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