If you haven’t started looking for SMS solutions to drive your marketing campaigns, now is the time!

One of the disadvantages that Apps have is the fact that the target audience would have to install your app to receive the communication you are pushing through it.

SMSs are direct. Anyone who has a phone is automatically a recipient of text messages. One of the great things about SMS is that nearly 100% of all devices on the market are SMS enabled, making it the only mobile channel with the widest reach possible. One of our customers recently said – “It’s extremely easy to ignore an e-mail but surprisingly difficult to not pay attention to a Text!”

However, just like any other marketing channel, in order for SMS to get you the best return on investments, it needs to be done right. Unfortunately, it’s not a magic wand that’s going to do away with all your marketing woes all by itself! You, as an implementer, have to make it work for you. SMS definitely has the potential; you have to hone it and use it.

Before you dive in to SMS marketing and leverage this powerful channel of communication, it’s important that you follow a template and setup for success.

Here are a few points to keep in mind:

1. Goal Setting – Start with reviewing your marketing goals. Your SMS campaign has to take your current goals into account. As SMS campaigns are likely to impact many parts of your organization, it is essential for you to be lucid in your communication with your team
2. Set a clear Call-To-Action – The consumer is king. That’s precisely the reason why you have to present the call to action in a way that the consumer recognizes it. If you want to drive engagement, give your SMS Call-To-Action the visibility it deserves
3. Incentivize – Consumers that welcome you into their phones through SMS should definitely be treated with some extra love. Incentivize your customers to opt-in by giving something of value Apart from the regular monitory incentives, you could also throw in some non-monetary benefits that focus on personalization, engagement and privileges
4. Make it Permission Based – Use the Opt-In/Opt-Out feature to empower your consumers to decide if they want to be in your lists. To avoid legal ramifications and to target the right audience, make sure that you have your customers’ consent before they receive your messages
5. Measurement – The only way you measure the success of your SMS campaign is by measuring it. SMS being simple in their nature allow for easy measurement and tracking. Use metrics such as Subscriber Growth, Churn Rate etc. to measure your campaigns.

Keep the above points in mind for your next SMS marketing campaign. If you don’t have one in mind, what are you waiting for?

However, it’s easy to get lost in the SMS tunnel. That’s why it’s important that you have a plan to keep you on top. Some of the best text based marketing campaigns have created their own niche by following the simple rules of engagement and marketing.

Open SMS Pro is AppShark's flagship SMS product.

Open SMS Pro has a host of features including conducting SMS Campaigns, sending SMS messages to custom objects, Workflow support, and the ability to chat live with customers from within Salesforce. It also allows users to send bulk SMS from any Salesforce or Force.com application.  You can also chat and receive messages from any mobile. Do get in touch with us at sales@appshark.com and we will be happy to  arrange a free demo for you!