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Ever since the first Short Message Service or “SMS” was sent on December 3, 1992,texting has been gaining popularity on a global scale. Fast-forward to 2020, 48.7 million consumers are now ready, willing and able to receive SMS messages from business senders.
Companies across all industries have customers who purchase frequently, engage with marketing communications and are loyal brand advocates. These VIPs spread the word about your products via social media to their family and friends, and even when interacting with complete strangers at the gym or grocery store. An invaluable slice of business, VIPs deserve extra attention.
Frequently used to achieve specific marketing goals (i.e., get attention for a special sale, deliver a coupon, etc.), SMS marketing has evolved over the last decade and has become an effective way to cut through the clutter and reach VIP customers who want to receive your messages, offers and promotions.
If your company isn’t already using SMS marketing to engage its VIP customers, then you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to connect and engage with these buyers in a fast and convenient manner.
Unrivaled Reach Texting gives brands a chance to get closer to their customers without spending a ton of effort to produce campaigns. Of course, there are some clear rules to follow when using SMS marketing. If you’re just starting with SMS, you should consider exactly why you’re using the channel as well as the timeliness and value of the messages for your VIPs. If you skip these steps, you risk blowing the relationship with your VIP and that’s really hard to ever get back. Put simply, make sure you have your strategy together before you just start blasting out SMS texts.
For example, when one global shoe manufacturer wanted a new way to engage with its best customers, it kicked off an SMS text campaign that aligned with St. Patrick’s Day. The company had a specific segment of VIP and celebrity customers that wanted to get their hands on the latest model of those shoes before race day.
To reach that customer segment, the company rolled out an SMS text message campaign that not only entices celebrities and VIPs to buy, but to also post their love of the shoes on Twitter, Instagram and other social outlets. Previously sending about 2,000 SMS messages a year, the shoe manufacturer now distributes about 800,000 messages annually to its VIPs via text.
Harnessing the Power of SMSBefore you start using SMS text with VIP customers, know the difference between promotional and transactional texts. Here’s a primer:
• Promotional SMS messages can be used to increase sales, promote products or raise awareness of your business or brand—but they must have opted-in with express consent. In most cases, promotional campaigns include keywords (e.g., “lipstick”) focused on selling a product or service, or otherwise influence the sale.
• Transactional texts, on the other hand, are related only to the transaction and serve no marketing purpose (e.g., shipping or return updates and receipts).
If you want to send SMS messages to a customer, that person needs to have opted in at some point. By allowing VIPs to opt into an SMS keyword for special deals or exclusive store events at checkout. For instance, a retailer can build out a VIP list and target it with very specific offers via SMS. With more specific targeting and relevant messaging, you’ll have a higher return with your campaign. That’s the power of SMS.
Lifetime Value and High Order Frequency Known for their high lifetime value and order frequency, VIPs enjoy the special treatment that SMS marketing provides. Companies run into challenges with SMS by assuming it’s just like an email campaign, where the target audience is larger and the messages are less personalized. Keep in mind these best practices for your next VIP SMS messaging campaign:
• To be most effective, SMS messages have to drive direct value for their recipients. Where open rates for SMS text may be very high, it’s also very easy to opt out if the messaging misses the mark. Because of this, it’s easier to use SMS with a smaller, targeted group of VIPs who want to receive your personalized messaging on their mobile phones. According to Evergage, 98% of marketers say personalization helps advance customer relationships, with 74% claiming it has a “strong” or “extreme” impact. Nearly 90% state that their customers and prospects expect a personalized experience.
• Strengthen your campaign with multimedia, email and social. You can also use SMS in conjunction with multimedia messaging services (MMS) and email to run a well-rounded VIP program. MMS allows you to add media (e.g., video, audio, pictures) to text messages. As a fourth pillar in this setup, you can also tie social into the equation.
• Don’t hit them out of left field. Some large retailers use SMS to blast their messages out to everyone. This approach doesn’t work with VIP customers, who don’t want to get text messages that are out in left field (e.g., a running enthusiast who gets a random offer for a pair of cowboy boots). Just because someone buys a new pair of running shoes from you every three months doesn’t mean they’re a good candidate for any footwear.
• Abusing the text privilege is big no-no. As any mobile phone user will admit, there’s really no good way to ignore that little red notification bubble on a messaging app. This works in your favor as a marketer, but don’t abuse that privilege. If you’re already sending emails and serving up online ads to an individual VIP, don’t just replicate those efforts with SMS.
Companies run into challenges with SMS by assuming it’s just like an email campaign.
It’s a Brave New WorldMuch like the internet has leveled the playing field for small to midsized firms that want to go head-to-head with their larger competitors, SMS allows smaller companies to create more personalized, customized messages for their VIP lists.
As you hone your own messaging and build out your VIP list, determine first who your most valuable customers are and then focus on growing that segment and rewarding it with timely, valuable and customized messages. Turn these lucky recipients into loyal lifetime customers by having more personalized, one-to-one conversations with them. This will not only help you turn your best customers into your best influencers but it will also help you more closely connect with an extremely important segment of your overall customer base.
