We currently live in a world where the mobile device is one of the most important items individuals carry with them on a daily basis. The mobile device has also become a personal hub, giving people the information and technology to carry out almost any task. With that in mind, it would make sense that the quickest way to reach your customers would be through their mobile device. Salesforce has recently taken its capabilities into SMS messaging, allowing you to text your customers regarding marketing material, customer support tickets, etc. According to a Pew Research study, SMS messaging (more commonly known as texting) is easily the most frequently used feature on smartphones. To be more specific, 97% of Americans text at least once a day. In 2011, Pew reported that 31% of people prefer text messages to phone calls, and Informate reports that the average American cell user sends and receives five times as many SMS messages as telephone calls in a day. What this means, if you have a specific message to get out – SMS messaging is likely the best way to do it.
To use SMS messaging for marketing purposes, you’ll want to leverage Salesforce’s Mobile Studio to get this done. Through the mobile studio, we can help you build and automate personalized mobile interactions with SMS marketing, push notifications, and group messaging. Some of the biggest benefits of SMS marketing messages are that people are more willing to trust text over other marketing channels. The overwhelming majority of text messages are legitimate, with spam messages making up less than 5% of texts received. SMS marketing statistics show that, as a result, SMS text messages have a 98% open rate. This dwarfs the open rate of even email marketing, which is one of the most effective methods available, at 22%.
Some key factors to utilizing SMS marketing:
· Provide Value
Segment your audience, and only send the most relevant messages, so that when your clients see a text from your business coming through, they’ll be excited to open it.
Likewise, make the deals and information you provide via text messages exclusive. If your customers can get the same deals in your emails, print ads, or website, the text messages lose their appeal. Make sure that opting in is worthwhile to your customers.
· Pay Attention to timing
Track the times that users are most active on your mobile site to find the ideal times to send out promotions and other news.
· Track Results
Track how many opt-outs you receive from each text, then use that to determine which sorts of content generate the best response.
SMS is not only value for marketing, but can deliver a great customer service experience too. Messaging lets your company have conversations with customers in the ways that are most convenient for your customers—on their mobile devices using messaging apps such as SMS text messaging and Facebook Messenger. Agents can respond in the Service Console, where they can access all the benefits of Digital Engagement at their fingertips. Customers can start conversations with your company by sending texts to your designated phone number, sending Facebook Messenger messages to your Facebook page, and more. Incoming messages are displayed in the Omni-Channel utility in the Service Console, where agents can accept a message and start chatting.
Your company also can start conversations directly with customers through proactive outbound message notifications. When a customer wants to respond, their incoming responses are routed directly to the Service Console where agents can continue the conversation.
As you’ve read, there is great value in building out an SMS messaging process to reach your customers at the right time, with the right content, and on the right platform!