More and more, mobile is becoming the preferred device, not just for internet use but also for shopping. This year’s first quarter showed that smartphones made up 45.1% of all web-shopping traffic. Those numbers are expected to increase as businesses also increase their mobile presence, drawing more customers into buying on mobile.
Reaching out to customers via mobile messaging has proven to be an effective strategy to grow both revenues and customer loyalty. This case study for Whelan Pest Prevention shows how SMS can boost sales. Owner Sean Whelan says, “Since we started using text messaging we noticed an increase in sales and more importantly our repeat sales were very good. Our productivity was improved by 170%. The system works for us on a daily basis!"
If your business doesn’t run a mobile messaging campaign, then may be time to start. And if you already do have one, it may be possible to make it even better.
Here are some top tips on how to capitalize on mobile messaging:
Clear Call to Action
SMS with its limited space is not the right venue for subliminal messages. You need to tell the customer exactly what you’re offering and how they can take advantage of it. You can do that with a standard written message or a creative ad. But either way, you have precious little space to get your message across, so take full advantage of it with call to action links and buttons.
Including call to action buttons makes it easier for clients to respond to your offer. These call to action buttons should be centrally located and easy to spot. Finally, they should clearly state what you want the client to do: “Click here for a coupon”, “Click here for a discount code”, “Click here for VIP passes”, “Click here for a map to our new flagship store”, etc.
Be Specific
If you’re promoting a sale, let the customer know when it starts and when it finishes. Sending a vague message creates confusion and requires the customer to take a risk. Don’t assume that they’ll get implied messages. Be as specific as you can so the customer can take advantage of your offer.
Videos
Including a video can be a great way to grab the customer’s attention and show them exactly what your business is about. This year, the trend is vertical videos which are getting more engagement from viewers than horizontal. In our reality-show obsessed world, people love to see real-time videos, so a live-stream of an event to draw the prospects in can also be a great tool to use.
Maps
There are certain cases when a link to a map isn’t necessary. When you’re sending messages to someone who’s already a regular at your business, you can be sure they know how to get there. But if you’re trying to get them to visit one of your other establishments or reaching out to a new client, then a link is appropriate. It just cuts down the extra steps the prospect would have to take on their own to find out how to get there. The more obstacles you can remove from their path, the more likely you’ll be to see their face at the event or store.
Targeting
As technology advances and data collection becomes easier to understand and use, sales process is becoming more and more targeted. Mobile phones come with tracking technology and many businesses use this to send out push notifications and sales alerts when a customer is within range of their physical location.
Keeping track of a customer’s purchase history and habits also allows you to send them offers on products you know they like. Businesses can also hone in on the types of messages and offers customers are most likely to respond to. Combining these different targeting methods allows you to send out specific messages that have higher chances to result in sales.
Close a Sale with SMS
No matter how you’ve started a sales process with a prospect - in person, via phone or email - texting is proven to be an effective way to bring the sale home. In fact, texting after contact via phone has shown to improve conversion rates by 112.6%. However, be careful about reaching out via text first. Receive their agreement before sending any SMS because texts are rather personal method of communication.
Reaching out to customers via mobile messaging is proven to increase sales and conversion rates. Follow these tips to get the most out of mobile messaging.
