SMS business solutions play a monumental role in effective communication. In fact, most people prefer businesses to contact them through text.
After all, you wouldn’t send individual texts to each customer, especially if they’re about marketing. Automating your SMS marketing campaigns based on customer triggers would be better. These solutions even let you personalize the messages to make them relevant to the recipient.
So, let’s learn how to effectively use SMS in your overall marketing strategy and how SMS solutions fit into it.
What Are SMS Business Solutions?
SMS business solutions use text messaging to help businesses connect directly and effectively with their customers. You can even use these services to contact your employees and other stakeholders, making communication fast and convenient for everyone.
However, business texting differs entirely from the everyday texts you send to friends and family. Before contacting your customers, you must follow processes and compliance best practices.
An SMS business solution also helps with this, ensuring you comply with the guidelines and gain proper consent. Now, various types of solutions fulfill different needs. Learning these types can help you choose an appropriate solution for your business.
So, let’s start with the type you’re probably already familiar with. SMS marketing services provide businesses with the whole package. They allow you to send different messages to your customers, including promotional, transactional, and conversational.
Some services even provide an SMS API to customize the service to fit your needs. That is another type of solution you can choose. It might be cheaper than an SMS marketing service but requires extensive technical knowledge to implement.
Then, you can use feedback collection tools to collect customer data through texts. You can also use chatbots for quick and effective communication.
Businesses can use SMS for restaurant loyalty rewards programs. Moreover, businesses often require customer verification for accounts or orders. In this case, they can use SMS verification services if they don’t have a use for other types of messages.
Alternatively, you can use tools to send SMS push notifications for reminders and proximity marketing. However, if you need to send multimedia messages, a multimedia messaging service would be a better choice.
Is SMS a Good Communication Channel?
Yes, SMS is one of the best communication channels for businesses. Instead of having to wait for an Internet connection, you have a direct communication line to reach your customers quickly. Your messages reach the mobile apps on recipient devices almost instantly.
Besides, people usually read 90% of texts within the first three minutes of receiving them. You can’t say the same for your emails or social media posts.
Moreover, SMS messages have an average response rate of 45%. That’s 4.5 times more than the 10% of email marketing! But you have to allow inbound messages through two-way texting for this. SMS also provides a great channel for customer support, enhancing customer engagement.
When it comes to costs, most services let you send text messages for a fraction of a dollar. This makes SMS marketing one of the most cost-effective communication channels as well.
Top Features To Look for When Choosing SMS Solutions for Businesses
Even if you’re feeling ready, starting SMS marketing without a tool isn’t the smartest approach. So, before you plan anything else, let’s talk about the features your chosen solution must have. Otherwise, it might not be of much use.
So, firstly, make sure the service or solution lets you schedule messages. You should be able to automate your messages based on customer triggers and events. The solution must also let you personalize automated messages so they don’t lose the human element.
Secondly, your chosen solution must be able to integrate with your existing systems. An SMS can never bring you the desired results unless it’s relevant to the customer. For this, you’ll need extensive customer data from your customer relationship management (CRM) system and other tools.
Additionally, you must have access to list management features to make sure you always have the right contacts. You’ll also need to segment your lists to personalize your messages.
Lastly, the business solution should have features that help you comply with SMS compliance guidelines. For example, they should let you gain customer consent and add a clear unsubscribe method to the messages. Also, consider the solution’s delivery rates and security measures.
5 Ways You Can Effectively Use an SMS Business Solution for Explosive Growth
Like every other marketing channel, SMS only delivers the desired results when you do it right. This involves knowing how to use this communication channel. So, here’s what you need to know.
- Customer service and support: A company’s customer support is enough to make or break its reputation. Apart from appearing friendly during the conversation, you can let customers text you with their problems and queries.
- Marketing and promotions: You already know that people read most SMS messages within the first three minutes. Wouldn’t it be smart to use this to your advantage and promote your business? So, offer exclusive discounts to your SMS subscribers and make your marketing more successful.
- Notifications and alerts: Businesses that rely on appointments can use SMS to send appointment reminders and notifications to reduce no-shows. You can also contact customers with shipping updates and critical alerts to enhance their experience.
- Payment reminders and confirmations: Like no-shows, late payments can also be a nuisance for businesses. So, use SMS marketing to send payment reminders. You can also ask for order confirmations through text.
- Customer feedback collection: Customer reviews go beyond building authority. They also let you learn what your customers like and what they want you to improve. When it comes to feedback collection, SMS is one of the best ways since people are less hesitant to respond.
5 Best Practices for Sending Effective SMS Campaigns
Now that you know how to use SMS marketing campaigns, let’s move on to its best practices. As mentioned, these messages are not the same as the ones you send to your loved ones. Here, you need to get your customer’s permission before texting them. You also need to give them a way to unsubscribe if you want to avoid legal trouble.
You must also personalize your messages to make them relevant to the customer. Without this, you’ll only send bulk messages to the texting app’s spam folder.
Moreover, keep your messages short and avoid using jargon. This will help you get more responses. Lastly, send messages at the right time by learning about your customers’ time zones.
What Is the SMS Business Software Solution GmbH?
SMS Business Software Solution GmbH specializes in creating software for the manufacturing and logistics sectors. Their goal is quite simple — to help businesses remove all paper-based processes and digitize their operations. But why are we talking about such a company in a discussion about SMS marketing?
Because their name has “SMS” in it, people often confuse them for an SMS marketing service. However, their main offerings include inventory management, production planning and scheduling, and quality control. They also offer integration with SAP Business One, an enterprise resource planning software (ERP).
While they don’t mention SMS marketing on their website, this integration might provide some texting features.
Frequently Asked Questions About Business SMS Solutions
After learning what an SMS business solution is and how to choose one, let’s answer some frequently asked questions.
What types of SMS business solutions are available?
The different SMS business solutions available include bulk SMS services, feedback collection tools, and SMS API integrations.
You can also use SMS gateways for API integration, two-way communication services, and push notifications for automated reminders. But remember, the type of service you choose will depend on your needs.
What are the benefits of using SMS for business communication?
The benefits of using SMS for business communication start with enhanced customer engagement and immediate reach. Everyone has at least one SMS application active at all times. SMS is also one of the most preferred communication channels.
As a result, you can enjoy high open rates, a direct communication line, increased response rates, and better customer relationships.
What are SMS business solutions?
SMS business solutions allow businesses to use text messaging to communicate with customers, employees, and other stakeholders.
These solutions can help with marketing, customer support, and sending important updates. Their main goal is to facilitate companies’ customer engagement and streamline their marketing processes.
Leverage SMS Marketing for Better Marketing, Communication, and Engagement
Using SMS business solutions to reach your customers is your smartest decision. You can automate your messages and personalize them so they bring you better results.
People are familiar with this channel and prefer it over others. Therefore, they’re more willing to open your SMS messages and respond to them. If you want extra help with your SMS business solutions, try Beambox.
At Beambox, we can help you start running an SMS-driven marketing. As experts in content marketing, we can help on your journey. Beambox offers the best WiFi marketing platform. Start your trial today.
