How Can a Business Texting Service Help You Grow Your Customers?
In an age where convenience reigns supreme, no brand can afford to be without a business text messaging strategy. Almost everyone has a cell phone capable of texting. Nearly 80% of consumers report they prefer text communications over phone calls or emails because they feel more personal and less invasive. No matter your industry, understanding how business texting services work is essential to growing your customer base. TapOnIt can help you determine the best use of SMS and MMS marketing services to retain more loyal customers.
What Is Business Text Message Marketing?
Text message marketing is also referred to as SMS and MMS marketing. SMS stands for Short Message Service, while MMS stands for Multimedia Messaging Service. SMS messages are your basic 160-character or fewer texts without any bells or whistles. MMS messages allow you to send vibrant images and animated GIFs in your texts and are what separates TapOnIt from the competition. You must get consent from customers before sending them text message marketing. However, this isn’t hard to do if you tie it in with a customer loyalty program. Most consumers enjoy receiving exclusive offers and learning about upcoming sales, events, and product launches from their favorite brands.
What Are the Benefits of SMS and MMS Marketing?
Emails aren’t the draw that they once were. Your customers probably won’t even know that you’re having a sale if you emailed them about it last week, as that email was likely flagged as spam or deleted without even being opened. However, if you send your customers a friendly day-of text reminder, they’re more likely to visit your store or website to see what you’re offering. The beauty of text message marketing is that it’s convenient for all parties involved. Thanks to text automation technology, you can set up reminders to text your entire customer base well in advance. Other benefits of text message marketing include:
- High Open Rates – Text marketing has a near-perfect open rate of 99%, with most messages being opened within three minutes. Email only has a 21.33% open rate, making it far less reliable for sharing time-sensitive information with your customers.
- Increased Engagement – Well-crafted text messages can make your customers feel unique with content that speaks to their interests. If you engage your customers with personalized content, they’ll be more likely to remain loyal to your brand and even share your content with others.
- Brand Exposure – Whether you’re a start-up or an established business, there’s no denying that text marketing gets you valuable brand exposure. Increasing awareness about your products and services is the first step to gaining more customers and retaining them.
How Do Text Messaging Services for Businesses Work?
While they might seem daunting at first glance, SMS and MMS marketing services are actually pretty straightforward. Customers can opt-in to your text message marketing in-store, online, or by texting a keyword to a short code. When signing up to receive texts, customers will provide their contact information. All of this information helps businesses build a customer database, which may eventually include details about customer behavior and preferences. Companies can also track responses and measure how successful their marketing campaigns are based on customer feedback and engagement.
SMS & MMS Best Practices to Guarantee Superior Results
While SMS marketing can be a godsend for companies looking to strengthen their bonds with a customer base, bear in mind that with great power comes great responsibility. Be sure to keep messages professional, relevant, and compliant with the regulations enforced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Keep your content fresh and exciting with rich imagery and videos. Consider how frequently you should send messages and find a good cadence for your audience. For a more detailed breakdown of the dos and don’ts of marketing with texts, check out our blog on SMS and MMS marketing best practices.
What Makes Business Texting a Breeze With TapOnIt?
TapOnIt has developed a browser-based platform that doesn’t require you to download any apps or software. It’s compatible with most devices and offers many user-friendly features, including:
- Custom Content Hubs – Our custom Content Hubs offer superior in-depth tracking, sharing, and redemption features not seen in conventional websites or apps. Sending customers to a customized Content Hub where they can redeem coupons, share content, and more strengthens their bond with your brand. We make it easy to redeem coupons in-store or online via barcodes, QR codes, or alphanumeric codes.
- Smart Audience Builder – Our Smart Audience Builder tool allows you to segment and target your intended audience based on demographics, behavior, engagement, and other factors.
- MMS Marketing – We can send multiple images or an animated GIF per text, giving you more opportunities to engage and drive buyer action.
- Sweepstakes – While running sweepstakes through your texts is optional, it’s a massive database booster. Our team can help you secure a domain and structure your sweepstakes page.
- Enhanced Text & Social Sharing – Our texts have built-in sharing capabilities for many popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook Messenger.
- Simple Sign-Up – Simple sign-up options make it easy to grow your database. People can opt-in to receive your texts via a QR code, web form, mobile ads, and more.
- Automation – Do you need to schedule a text blast to your customers in advance? Just set the date and time, and our automated text marketing platform does the rest!
- First-Party & Zero-Party Data – Text message marketing allows you to collect valuable data directly from your customers. You own this data, meaning it can never be taken away from you.
- Robust Reporting & Analytics – Track the effectiveness of your text marketing campaigns to see which pieces of content have the most engagement.
- Dedicated Client Support – Our client support specialists can answer questions, set up analytics reporting and campaigns, ensure your compliance with text marketing regulations, and more.
Start Texting and Growing Your Customer Base Today!
If you’re interested in growing your customer base, TapOnIt would love to show you how with our effective business texting services. Contact us today to schedule a demo with our experts!
