Since 2009, commercial SMS has been booming. More and more companies are using this direct marketing channel to communicate with their customers and prospects. Sending alerts, surveys, launching promotional offers... Flexible and fast, SMS marketing offers multiple communication possibilities. Messages can be informative or promotional.
In 2021, 11.3 billion SMS messages were sent in France. Over the year, SMS marketing grew by 18.18%, compared with 2020. Of the messages sent by brands, 60% are transactional (6.8 billion) and 40% are advertising SMS (4.5 billion). In this article, we present the benefits of commercial SMS for your brand.
What is commercial SMS?
Commercial SMS consists of sending messages directly to the customer's cell phone to :
- Inform him of a promotion;
- Invite him to an upcoming event such as a new store opening;
- Alert him, at a precise moment;
- Promote limited-time offers or news.
Targeted information is only sent to customers who have consented to receive SMS messages (opt-in).
What are the objectives of commercial SMS?
Commercial SMS is as much about attracting customers as building loyalty. For prospecting, it offers great targeting possibilities. It can be used to generate point-of-sale traffic in a dedicated catchment area.
It can also incorporate more subtle and engaging mechanics, such as the downloading of a coupon to be used on a website. This type of SMS campaign meets the dual objective of acquiring contacts and disseminating a commercial offer.
What are the best practices for launching an SMS marketing campaign?
Discover the 4 rules for sending commercial SMS messages:
- Obtain recipients' consent. A word of advice: make sure you know what the current regulations are before launching your SMS marketing campaign. If you rent prospecting files from a specialized company, consent is already included.
- Respect authorized hours. It's forbidden to send commercial SMS messages between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. on weekdays. Nor are you allowed to plan a campaign on a Sunday or public holiday.
Message content must be both concise and attractive. The size limit is 160 characters. Each word must be chosen with care. To convert as many prospects as possible into customers, remember to personalize your commercial SMS messages: surname, first name, title, birthday, product ordered, etc.
Marketing professionals have identified Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., as the most profitable times. The best mailing schedule depends above all on your clientele and factors such as profession, age or habits. Don't hesitate to useA/B testing to find the ideal timing.
- Limit the number of mailings to the same target.
- Include STOP SMS at the end of your messages. This gives your recipients the option of no longer receiving your promotional offers.
Why start using commercial SMS now?
Commercial SMS offers numerous benefits for brands. Small businesses, SMEs, large groups... It's a marketing technique that can be adapted to any type of company, in any sector of activity. It can easily be combined with other marketing channels such as e-mailing or push notifications.
SMS marketing campaigns generate high levels of engagement. After receipt, 9 out of 10 commercial SMS messages are read immediately. Their deliverability rate is exceptional.
According to operator statistics, 95% of messages are received in less than 10 seconds. Almost all (99%) are received in less than 10 minutes.
SMS campaigns are quick and easy to set up. They don't require extensive technical skills. The ease of implementation saves marketing teams considerable time. In just a few minutes, brands can establish an immediate relationship with their prospects or customers.
SMS marketing campaigns to build customer loyalty guarantee results on a small budget. Each message sent costs just a few cents.
SMS marketing campaign rates offer a very high return on investment (ROI). They are degressive according to the volume sent. If the aim is to prospect, the rental of data is added to the cost of sending the messages.
Installing a bulk SMS solution simplifies the organization and management of campaigns.
Commercial SMS is an effective tool for developing customer acquisition and prospecting. Sending messages to your prospects or customers optimizes their satisfaction. You can help them in their purchasing process, build loyalty by offering them preferential offers, keep them optimally informed by sending them alerts, and so on.
How about boosting your sales with SMS marketing? Dataventure helps you launch your campaign in 3 steps:
- Define a customized audience segment. Socio-demographic, declarative and behavioral criteria characteristic of your core target are taken into account. Thanks to the multi-channel scenario, the audience can be reached simultaneously via other contact points: e-mailing, social media, telemarketing or mail.
- Create your message, campaign scenario and mobile mini-site. Multiple modules are available to maximize the performance of your SMS marketing campaigns: SMS OneClick, store locator, videos, animations, content, collection forms.
- Plan your campaign, track traffic and conversion statistics. Number of commercial SMS sent, engagement rate, conversion rate, promo codes used at checkout, unsubscribe rate, click-through rate... Performance is analyzed in real time. This enables you to adapt future SMS marketing campaigns, as well as calculating return on investment (ROI).
Contact us to benefit from our expertise in performance-based traffic generation and customer acquisition!
