Make sure you’ve got a few things figured out

More and more brands are turning to SMS marketing as a new way to engage with consumers in an increasingly connected world. And when you look at the stats, it’s easy to see why. 

75% of consumers are fine with receiving texts from brands they’ve opted into, and SMS coupons are redeemed 10x more than other kinds of coupon offers.

When you consider those stats up against a 12.6% average open rate for email marketing, you can really see the potential SMS marketing could have for your business.

However, it can seem daunting to have to learn and master an entire new marketing channel that requires its own strategies and skills.

So if you are considering SMS for your brand, here’s what you need to know before you start.

Your goals and metrics

Just like any new program, you want to give texting at least a 30 day fair trial to assess potential success. But you also have to define what success is. 

Whether you are after engagement, ROI or revenue, you need to set your SMS goals up front, and determine what metrics you will be using to measure, including conversions, click-through, unsubscribes and more. 

But of course, if you’ve never done SMS, you don’t have any of your own data to go off of. Checking out some industry benchmarks is a good place to start. 

What others are doing

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, afterall. Scope out a few of your own favorite brands (and more importantly, your company’s competitors) and see who uses SMS marketing. 

Sign up for a couple and start paying attention to 1) how often they text you, 2) what kinds of messages are they sending, and 3) how the promotional offers or brand voice differ from their other marketing channels.

Engaging with these brands as a consumer will help you better understand what it will be like for your customers to engage with your brand through SMS.

The legal junk

Does anyone ever even read the fine print? Well in this case, you need to. SMS compliance laws are different from other marketing channels, so you need to be extra careful you are playing by the rules.

In the United States, SMS marketing is regulated under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). And if you have a global customer base, you’ll need to make sure you are compliant with each and every government’s regulations. That’s some hot water you don’t want to step in.

Who is going to take it on

Here’s the thing. The stats around text marketing are bonkers, but you still need the right strategy to keep your SMS program from fizzling out. If you don’t have the time to become an SMS expert, or the budget to hire one in-house, the Nomadd team has some rad SMS marketers that would love to help you out.

Still not sure on SMS? We’ve got more tips and strategies coming your way!