Have you ever given a thought to how many times a human checks his/her mobile on average a day?
Maybe 10, 20 or 30?
No!
According to a recent survey of rescuetime, most people check their mobiles 58 times a day. And few reports state even 82 times per day.
Now think, Out of that percentage, how many times people would open their SMS inbox. See as a small business owner how many opportunities you have got to reach the potential audience and increase your ROI.
On the bottom line, people cannot detach mobiles even for an hour so they would always keep an eye on their mobiles for social media updates, news, text messages, the Internet and so on. It is undoubtedly sure that we’ve become dependent on mobiles for most of the things and this reason opens up the opportunities for marketers and brands to reach a broader consumer base.
Yes, I’m talking about SMS marketing under bulk SMS service. It works like a charm only if you do it in the right way.
Definition of SMS marketing:-
The messages that are promotional in nature and communicate time-sensitive offers to the registered business customers who shown their consent to receive SMS from the business.
Users are required to give consent to the business via an opt-in or signup form to receive new product information, seasonal offers, and other alerts. In general, the goal of a business is to build interested subscribers’ lists to serve them better.
In this article, we will discuss the benefits and best practices of bulk SMS that helps small business to improvise their conversions and customer loyalty rates.
Who can make the most out of bulk SMS service?
Text message marketing could be the potential add-on for your existing marketing strategy regardless of what niche your business stands on. It is easy to use, cost-effective and helps you communicate the information instantly. Here are some segments that can launch SMS marketing into their business plans:
Note: Do note that promotional and transactional text messaging May comes with definitive guidelines as per your TRAI guidelines and mobile operators’ rules.
Restaurants & Hotels
You can send coupon codes, weekend family/ friends’ party’s discounts, home order delivery notifications, thank you messages and so on.
For example:
- Don’t feel like getting into the kitchen? Then why don’t you let us cook delicious food for you at great discounts – Book a table or order a home delivery now at 9998XXXXX!
- Hey! Good news. Your order is confirmed and our delivery executive is way on your home. Hope you enjoy!
- Happy Birthday Rahul! We would like to offer you a birthday present! Get flat 30% OFF on your bill. Why don’t you book a table with us today?
Ecommerce
It is easy to create memorable shopping experiences for your online customers using bulk SMS service. From follow-ups, placing an order to delivery status, feedback status, and thank you messages, special offers, you can have everything with SMS.
Example:
- Dear Rahul, Your order 987XDFX is confirmed and will be delivered by 2nd February 2021 as per the schedule.
- Flat 25% discount on your next purchase. Use 25SALE coupon code when you proceed to the payment page. Check out the new deals here – linkurl.com.
- Shipped: Your product with order ID OD117FC67 has been delivered to you on January 30, 2020. Your feedback will help us to serve you better. Click here to rate us – linkurl.com
Education
It is very important for educational institutions to send timely alerts to the parents, staff, and students as well. Gone were the days where administrations use to call each and every member to inform an update. With the A2P messaging system, now it is easy for schools and colleges to send important notifications such as fee reminders, parent meetings, exam schedules, attendance, extra curriculum activities, and so on.
If the institution is already using CRM software and assigning user account to each parent then integrating SMS into that can delight the parents and staff to build a happy community with a simple communication process.
Example:
- Dear Parent, On August 15, 2020, at 9 A.M we are organizing Independence Day celebrations in our school premises. We request you to participate with your children and family members, thank you!
- Dear Parent, This is a gentle reminder to pay the fee for sports activity for the month of February. Please ignore if already paid.
- Dear Staff, Tomorrow, Friday, there will be a parent meeting for each class. It is mandatory for every teacher to get ready with the report of every student for the month. Regards, Principal.
Real Estate
Modern-day real estate agents and builders prefer to use bulk SMS marketing solutions to promote their new projects effectively. They can delight the user with compelling photographs, send location URL, free site visit details, offers and so on. Plus, sending SMS in a regional language like Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, etc triggers the personal attention of the user.
When it comes to Real estate promotion, paid ads also work great such as Facebook, Google, and YouTube &Pinterest. However, if we talk about cost-effectiveness, SMS jumps to the first place, so is the demand. In the era of fast pace, it is necessary to keep up with the advancements to keep your prospects and customers engaged.
Example:
- Dear Manish, a profitable opportunity for you to invest in a real estate project near the Golden Circle police station. Investment starts from just 1 Lakh rupees. Contact 9178XXXXXX for more details.
- Hey Manish, Recently you have visited our Golden dream project. Did you like it? We have uploaded more pictures and details of the project on our Facebook page and YouTube. Do check out!
Healthcare
Instant communication without fail is the key requirement for health care industries. Even a small delay in communication could lead to a big loss. You can integrate Bulk SMS API into the hospital management software to send automatic reminders to collect medical lab reports, appointment updates, Invoices, and other timely alerts to their family members.
And you can also create health awareness among the patients by sending tips, diets, exercise, weight loss and so on. Bulk SMS is the best way to reach a big audience to organize medical camps, blood donation or free health tests, etc.
Example:
- Hello Ruchi, Your appointment with Dr.Vasundhara is scheduled for 26th Feb,5 P.M, 2020. Regards, Vivekananda Clinic.
- Thank you for donating the blood at today’s JP Nagar blood donation camp. We appreciate your social concern for others, May God bless you with a healthy and happy life!
That said the health care segment nature, instant communication is truly necessary to save someone’s life. SMS works just perfectly in this case.
Conclusion
Businesses are kicking the horizons with the global bulk SMS system as well. A moment is all that takes to reach a consumer even if he/she is from the other part of the globe. A lot can be attached to the increased usage of mobile phones; SMS is worth considering into your business. With the demand for instant updates, SMS is going nowhere in the nearby future and it is going to be a much important part of the business ecosystem. So, launch it before it gets too late!