In a society where mobile phones are basically considered part of a person, communicating through social media or e-mails is significantly less engaging than texting. As companies strive to find ways to interact with clients on a more personal level, bulk SMS campaigns have proven to be one of the greatest assets to digital marketing.
How does one set up a bulk SMS campaign?
If you’re a business owner, marketer or an entrepreneur, learning the nuance of SMS marketing will allow you to engage your clients in real time. In this guide, we will teach you how to prepare and execute your bulk SMS campaigns through a detailed step by step approach. By the end of this guide, you will be able to run a campaign from day one that produces results.
What are the Uses of Bulk SMS Campaigns?
Before explaining how bulk SMS campaigns can be configured, let’s first spend some time talking about the definition and the reasoning which makes these tools immensely helpful in digital marketing.
What is “Bulk SMS Marketing?”
Bulk SMS Marketing is the practice of sending numerous short text messages to a predefined audience at once.
Usually these texts are aimed towards advertising, product launching, sales activities as well as campaign reminders, or informing the clients about what is happening.
Chatting over SMS one-to-one is different from SMS chatting with bulk SMS messaging business operators can interact with hundreds of thousands of people at once.
Benefits using Bulk SMS Campaigns
There is a number of reasons why companies utilize bulk SMS marketing:
- Bulk SMS Open Rates: Rates for open text messages are unbelievably high: usually over 98%. This shows that SMS has far more likelihood to be noticed than emails.
- Instant delivery: SMS messages usually arrive instantly, thus you can deliver a message to people in real time.
- Effective: The cost of bulk SMS is normally very low, thus almost any business can afford this service.
- Wide Access: Most individuals possess a mobile phone, hence SMS is universal and everyone can use it.
Types of Bulk SMS Campaigns
Depending on the set target Bulk SMS campaigns can be divided into different types:
- Promotional SMS campaign: This type is aimed at selling products, giving services at a discount, or organizing other marketing campaigns.
- Transnational SMS: These include confirmations of transactions, bookings, or appointments.
- OTP SMS (One-Time Password): These messages are often used for online transactions as a form of secure authentication.
Knowing which type of campaign is right for you is the first step in designing an effective SMS marketing strategy.
Preparing for Bulk SMS Campaigns
Implementing a bulk SMS campaign is a step-by-step process that is rigid in nature. The preparation stage, for example, involves executing multi-step procedures in a sequential manner.
Setting Up Your Goals For A Campaign
There are several objectives a business hopes to achieve, from simply wanting to improve customer engagement, drive traffic to a website or increase sales, to even collecting customer feedback. Clearly defined goals will assist in customizing the message, targeting the audience, and measuring success with ease.
Choosing Your Bulk SMS Service Provider
Not all bulk SMS providers have the same level of service. Select a sms service provider that offers the granularity you need, including:
Global Reach: Check to see if the provider can reach messages to several countries, especially if that is part of your business growth plan.
Customizable Templates: Such features enable users to create and save message templates which is very time efficient.
Analytical Features: A good SMS platform should be able to provide statistical data concerning message delivery rates, open rates, and level of engagement.
SMS Marketing Software Integrations: Automating business operations is now simpler with the adoption of an API integration which allows interlinking of SMS marketing and business software tools.
A few popular SMS providers are Africala, SMSala, Twilio, Nexmo, and Sendinblue. They cater to diverse business requirements by providing multiple features and pricing options.
SMS Marketing Laws And Regulatory Compliance
SMS marketing has COMPLIANCE obligations as well as rules SMS marketing falls under like GDPR moving data across borders or the CAN SPAM Act in the US amongst others. They define the way businesses collect and use their customers’ data, and how marketers get permission from the audience. Always comply with legal regulations to your SMS campaigns to ensure trust and prevent legal consequences.
Constructing Your Address Database
An updated and valid contact list is the driving force of any bulk SMS marketing campaign. Build your bulk list by:
Opt-in forms: Encourage customers to volunteer and receive SMS messages.
Incentives: Incentivize users/people with discounts and offers for sharing their phone numbers.
Your Social Media: Run the SMS campaign from your social media accounts to increase your visibility and reach.
Working on Audience Segmentation to Improve Engagement
Every customer is unique, and sending the same message to every person in your contact list may cause low engagement. Make sure to utilize segmentation for targeting specific groups with relevant content. For example, you can segment groups according to:
Demographics: Interests, age and are of residence.
Purchase History: Sending personalized communication to a loyal customer.
Engagement Level: Sending marketing communications to customers who are more active to previous campaigns.
Creating a Strategy for Bulk SMS Campaigns
Having the strategy in place and the service provider selected, now it is time to set up the bulk SMS campaign. The following are the steps you should focus on:
Step 1: Select your bulk SMS Platform
Based on the research you did, select the SMS platform that was the best option for your business. Once you sign up, an account is created, and you are going to want to take a little time to familiarize yourself with the dashboard.
Step 2: Create and Import Your Contact List
Get the contact list uploaded to the platform, which normally services offer CSV files to upload contacts. For those who prefer to do things manually, phone numbers can always be entered by hand. Remember to clean and update the list so the messages are not sent to dead out and unresponsive numbers.
Step 3: Your SMS Message Construction
Remember the best SMS is intriguing enough to make the receiver interested but at the same time is concise and direct. An optimal SMS should:
Entail a direct call to action like “Purchase now” or “Check for additional details”
Be directed uniquely like using the name of the recipient or previous purchases.
Retain the message under 160 characters as longer ones are more often than not divided into several sections.
Step 4: Scheduling Your SMS Campaign
Remember to plan when you want your campaigns set out on SMS because the time you send them can make or break how effective your campaign is. Avoid sending text messages in the late hours, or at times when you believe the intended audience will not be paying attention. Most, if not all, SMS platforms facilitate the scheduling of messages so that they can be sent when they are more likely to be well received.
Step 5: Conducting Pre Campaign Test SMS Sending
Send a self-directed or group test SMS before starting the campaign, or while your campaign is still active. This allows you to confirm the message is properly constructed in addition to having the appropriate links or slash promotional codes working.
Best practices when Optimizing Bulk SMS Campaigns
Follow these pointers when sending bulk texts if you want them to be effective.
How to Draft an Effective SMS Message for Your Campaign?
Distill the message to its essence, omitting anything that decides room for assumptions or misinterpretations. The objective entails avoiding sudden bursts of information out to your audience. An amazing SMS message should capture a singular idea, such as an important update or a promotional offer.
Customizing SMS Campaigns
People are more interested in messages that seem tailored for them. Leverage your contact information by integrating the recipient’s name or mentioning previous chats or purchases. Open rates are higher for personalized messages, and the results are always superior.
Making Messages Short and Interesting
SMS has a character limit, therefore the message has to be attention-grabbing. Use timed words such as “Limited time offer” or “Act now” because they make the audience want to act immediately.
What Time and How Often Should You Send SMS?
Target the hours that the audience is pensioned to interact with, which in this case, with the rest of marketers, it is late mid-morning and early afternoons. Prevent over hurting the customer base by sending too many messages because this will only make them unsubscribe to your service.
Review and Refine Bulk SMS Campaigns
Examining results and applying necessary changes will guarantee effectiveness of your campaign after sending the SMS doesn’t mean your job is done.
How to Monitor SMS Campaign Results?
Every reliable bulk SMS service provides tracking services for campaigns. Important statistics include: The delivery rate and open rate and their respective definitions are as follows: how many Open rates refers to the estimate of people who read the SMS.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The clicked links in the SMS and how many people clicked on them.
Utilizing Analytics to Boost Engagement
Make strategies based on the insights you gather. For instance, change the times you send texts if particular times lead to increased opening of messages.
A/B Testing in SMS Campaigns
A/B testing gives you the opportunity to assess the effectiveness of two different SMSs and which one works best. You can test variations in:
Text versus photo messages
The way a person speaks the call to action.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even advanced marketers make mistakes when executing bulk SMS campaigns. Keep an eye out for these issues:
Not segmenting their audience
One-sided messages often lead to little to no interaction. Always divide your audience so that you can target and send relevant messages that different audiences will be able to connect to.
Being Overly Aggressive or Spamming
Too much messaging could cause unwanted responses like complaints or even unsubscribed users. Refine your campaigns and use them at more spaced intervals.
Ignoring the Compliance Regulations
Failing to follow rules around SMS marketing can put you in a position where you are fined or even sued. Send texts only after getting proper permission and make sure to follow requests to opt-out.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is the most optimal for bulk text blasting?
It varies from group to group, however, mid to late morning and early afternoon are optimal. Weekends and sending messages after hours should be avoided.
How do I avoid issues with SMS marketing compliance?
Obtain permission in advance and make sure the target recipients know why they are getting your SMS messages. Know your restrictions such as GDPR or CAN-SPAM and always give an easy option to opt-out.
May I use bulk SMS for customer support?
Certainly, the use of bulk SMS for customer support is common practice for sending appointment reminders, order updates, and easy responses to client queries.
What are the costs of running bulk SMS campaigns?
This differs from provider to provider and for every bulk SMS campaign sent. The majority of providers have affordable pricing depending on the amount of SMS or the characters in them.
How do I know that my SMS campaign was successful?
Check the delivery rates, open rates, and the click-through rate (CTR). Use this information to improve your future messages.
In what ways can I boost my SMS marketing list?
Use your website or social media to get people to sign up. You could grow your list quickly by providing special deals such as discount offers for sign-ups.
Summary
Setting up a bulk SMS campaign shouldn’t be scary. You can develop and execute SMS campaigns that engage clients, increase profit, and strengthen client relationships by following the steps outlined in this guide. Do not forget to develop a plan, segment, and track the work done to optimize it. Use the suggestions and recommendations given here to design your bulk SMS campaign. Feel free to tell your views or reach out in case of any questions in the comments.