Data analytics and big data are words that get thrown around a lot in the marketing world. Collecting and analyzing user data enables businesses to improve their products, services and increase their revenue. One of the ways that data analytics makes this happen is by enabling personalization.
Personalization has been around for quite some time. It can vary from addressing a prospect by their name to offering customized discounts. You can even show them recommendations based on their past reading or shopping experience.
The Importance of Personalization in Marketing
The possibilities of personalization in marketing are endless. And with so many avenues, it’s not an option anymore; it’s the norm. Here’s why your business needs to focus on creating a personalized text marketing strategy.
Customers Expect Personalization
Audiences have gotten used to personalization so much that 92% of marketers say their audience expects a personalized experience.
Customers are so accustomed to getting personalized content that they might switch to your competitor if you don’t personalize your marketing. The market is highly competitive, and your audience has a wide array of choices. It’s up to you to convince them to choose you over your competitor.
The chances of getting a valid response when you send a generic text message to your customer are significantly less compared to the chances of getting a response when you send a personalized text message.
Reach a Wider Audience
When you decide how to market your business, you’ll encounter a wide variety of options ranging from print to television to radio and social media. Unless you have a large enough budget, advertising on all mediums isn’t possible.
There is a good chance that you’ll miss out on a section of your target audience when you choose any medium. The beauty of text marketing, however, is that everyone has a phone, smart or otherwise.
When you employ text marketing, you can reach a wider audience. Everyone has a phone that can receive texts. Even if someone is not active on social media, they’re still likely to receive and read text messages. By personalizing your text marketing, you can ensure that its efficacy increases manifold.
Build Strong Customer Relationships
Personalization is among the best marketing techniques because it builds a stronger connection with the audience. When a customer feels that the business remembers their name, likes and dislikes, and special occasions in their life, the relationship between the customer and the business becomes stronger.
This is one of the reasons why people love visiting businesses they have been frequenting since their childhood. There is a deep connection with the business, and the service is always more personal.
Sending customers texts on their special days, such as their birthdays or anniversaries, is a great way to enhance their bond with your business. You can even offer them special discounts on these days.
Starbucks offers special discounts to members on their anniversaries and birthdays and uses text messages to inform the user of the same.
Boost Sales and Revenue
With personalized text marketing, you can create and deliver messages that would attract customers based on their buyer personas. A customer who sees relevant offers and messages from your business and is also happy with its customer service is more likely to shop from it.
The more they shop, the higher your revenue. Personalization can turn a ‘maybe’ customer into a ‘sure’ customer. By reaching more people and delivering content that speaks directly to them, you can drive more sales and increase your revenue.
IHOP uses text marketing to boost mid-day and mid-week sales. Users get a coupon when they text a designated number, and they can only redeem the coupon on a designated day. It has boosted IHOP’s mid-week sales.
Plug Leakages in Your Sales Funnel
Your sales funnel is designed to automate the process of converting a person into a loyal customer. It starts by introducing your brand to as many people as possible, retaining those interested in what you have to offer, slowly building their trust in your business, and gently guiding them towards making a purchase.
Some people may drop out along the way, especially if they do not fit into your buyer personas. That is expected. However, when those who do start dropping out, you need to fix such leakages.
Figure: Conversion Funnel – Author: Seobility – License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Many leads visit your website, have a look around, become interested in what you offer, and may even add something to their carts. But then life intervenes, and they get distracted and might even forget about your site. Personalized text marketing with messaging that targets such leads can bring them back to your business.
You can remind them that they have items in their cart, or offer discounts for purchasing within a certain deadline, or even send them new product recommendations based on their shopping history.
Direct Audiences to Action Pages
Text messages have the benefit of being short and to the point. They are ideal to quickly grab the attention of the audience and direct it towards any page you want.
For example, you can send a personalized message asking them to take a quick survey regarding their experience with your business. Such surveys help gain valuable insights that can help you tailor your offerings and services for higher revenues.
If a customer has left a few items in their cart, the text message can contain a link that directly takes them to the checkout page. It minimizes distractions and increases the chances that the customer will complete the action.
Thorpe Park used personalized text marketing to remind customers of abandoned carts within half an hour of them leaving the cart. They saw significant success as almost 32% of the audience clicked on the link in the SMS to complete the purchase, and 7% actually completed the purchase from the link in the SMS.
Tips to Improve Text Marketing
A personalized text marketing campaign can benefit your business to a huge extent. Here are a few tips to maximize these gains and ensure that your text marketing performs at an optimum level.
Ask for Permission
Consent is important. Ask the customer if they would like to receive notifications via text. You must also inform them of how you collect information. Asking will not reduce your chances of getting the information since almost 83% are willing to provide their data if it guarantees a more personalized experience.
Don’t Get Invasive
There is also a fine line between personal and creepy. Do not get invasive, and don’t go overboard with personal marketing. The customer should not feel like they are being stalked.
Pay Attention to Timing
Keep the timing in mind while sending texts. If your business caters to customers spread out in various time zones, make sure that you are sending the texts in batches. This ensures that nobody receives texts when they’re most likely to be sleeping.
There is also an optimum time when people might be more receptive to reading texts and taking action. Try to time your texts for when a majority of your customers will be free.
Key Takeaways
Personalized text marketing is the present and the future of marketing. It can increase your revenue, boosts sales, and helps build a loyal customer base. If you are not using personalization in your marketing, you may lose customers to your competitors. Embrace personalization now and watch your business grow in leaps and bounds.
