There’s some logic in seeing what succesful people are doing and then just copy what they do. If a company executes a successful marketing campaign, I like to analyse it and see what parts of this I could implement into my own business or a client business. A trend that’s been around for a while now which works very well for businesses of any size, is SMS or text marketing.

Setting up an SMS Campaign

Today we’re going to chat about how you can set up an SMS campaign for recurring income.

SMS campaigns are affordable for most small businesses and when done right, they deliver great results. From relationship building to driving sales, sms campaigns can be tailored to suit your needs. Either way, by doing it right, you can ensure that you’re first in the minds of your customers when they need your products or services.

Not convinced that it’s the way to go? Here’s an example of a successful SMS campaign:

Case Study

When Kraft Foods wanted to launch two new coffees, they wanted to place product samples in the hands of early-adopters. However, they also wanted to keep distribution costs to a minimum. Their new print and TV ads invited people to send a sample request by text.

Results: 400,000 sample requests
80,000 opt-ins
3% click-through rate on 650 banner ads
10.6% response to ta

rgeted list

As with all types of marketing, not every person who receives your correspondence will react. Those who do react may take time to do it. The key is to build relationships with your customers, prospects and target market.

Planning your first SMS campaign

1. Decide on the campaign type & suitable software

What is the purpose of your campaign? Here’s some of the common types:

• broadcast message to all subscribers
• reminder message to one or more subscribers (birthday message, appointment reminder)
• promotion message for multiple subscribers (announcing specials, new services or products)
• SMS competition or contest
• voting or survey SMS
• donations request or thank you SMS

The best way to run an SMS campaign is through a text marketing software package which can handle opt-ins and unsubscribes as well as the results of your campaigns. Once you’ve chosen which of the above campaigns you will use, select the software package that best suits your needs.

2. Add subscribers to your list

Don’t make the mistake of randomly adding mobile numbers to a campaign. Not only is that illegal and unethical, but it also means that you’re probably wasting money sending messages to people who aren’t interested. Use a double opt-in method which requires them to respond with a keyword to confirm subscription.

You can increase your subscribers base by using your social media pages and your website to collect their numbers.

3. Planning your SMS campaign

High value messages keep your subscribers on your list. Don’t send useless messages. Keep them motivated to stay on your list by sending promotions, giveaways and discounts. However, be sure that you don’t send more messages than you promised. Spam is frustrating!

4. Track your results

By analysing your results, you’ll be able to see whether there’s an increase in sales. Your software might also show you which messages were forwarded to friends and which messages caused unsubscribes. This user intelligence should help you tweak your campaigns for best results.

Making the most of SMS marketing campaigns

SMS marketing works best when it’s creative and personal. Some SMS software packages allow you to personalise bulk SMS campaigns and this is well worth the extra investment.

Today’s consumers love all things interactive, so make the most of it. Incorporate your TV ads with an SMS campaign like Kraft did. With so many people on smartphones, you could send an sms with a link to your website where your latest product or service is being launched.

Now that you know the basics of setting up your SMS marketing campaign, take your time to come up with a winning creative marketing angle. Assess your competition’s SMS campaigns and do something better than them.