Learn the basics of how to turn customers into text message contacts as well as the different methods of reaching them with your messages.
You take the time to draft up a stellar marketing message, meticulously craft some graphics to go along with it, then schedule the perfect time to send it.
Only to be met with… crickets.
We get it. It’s frustrating to feel like you’re talking to an empty room when you have contact lists full of customers to connect with.
But what if there was a way to break through that invisible barrier that keeps customers from engaging with your marketing messages?
You’d probably jump on the opportunity, right?
The good news is that we’ve got your anecdote.
And in this article, we’ll share all of our secrets for actually reaching your customers. From how to get their attention to all the different ways to reach them where they’re really spending their time. You’ll also learn a bit about how text message marketing works.
So, let’s get to it!
Text messages have a 98% open rate, and engagement rates six to eight times higher than what’s normally achieved via email marketing.
When it comes to sending messages that actually get heard, texting is the clear solution.
Here are six simple ways to turn customers into text message contacts.
Keywords are short words or phrases that can be texted in to your phone number to sign up for future messages.
For example, in this photo above from Delta Sonic, SUPERKISS would be the keyword.
[Read: How Delta Sonic Got More Than 50,000 Text Subscribers]
Keywords work best with short codes, but they also work with text-enabled toll-free numbers and 10-digit landlines.
Using our Web Sign-Up Forms, you can let website visitors subscribe to your text marketing campaigns by entering their information and simply clicking Subscribe Now. No web development skills are required, just copy and paste our pre-written code right onto your site!
Add a click-to-text button to your site that launches in your customer’s native text messaging app with a pre-written message. Like our web forms, no extra coding is required to add this tool to your site. Simply customize the text you want users to text in, and embed our pre-written code right into your site.
Make it unbelievably easy for website visitors to sign up for your text messages with a mobile sign-up widget. Copy and paste a simple button onto your website and watch it automatically pop up when a mobile visitor to your site gives it a click.
Already have a list of customers who have given you express written consent to text them? You can upload them directly to our platform. Just be sure you have their first name, last name, and mobile phone number formatted in an excel sheet, and you’re good to go!
Do you already collect customer phone numbers as part of your registration or sign-up process? Just make sure you provide (TCPA-compliant) clear and conspicuous disclosure to your customers along with their express written consent to receive text and presto—you have a compliant contact you can upload directly into your text marketing platform. Learn more about TCPA compliance here.
Now that you know how to collect more contacts, it’s time to determine how to reach your customers.
How you choose to reach your customers with text messages depends on three things:
If you want to reach a large group of people at once, you’ll need to send a campaign, also known as a mass text.
Campaigns are meant to…
If you want to reach customers hours, days, or weeks after they’ve subscribed to your text list, autoresponders are the perfect tool.
They have it all in the name—automatically send messages when a customer takes a specific action without any need for manual intervention.
Autoresponders can be set up to send after a customer texts in a keyword or, thanks to Zapier, when they complete an action in a third-party app like Shopify or your CRM system.
With autoresponders you can…
Finally, if you just need to reach one individual contact, you can text them one-on-one from your inbox.
We call this two-way messaging, and it can either be in response to a customer’s message or, if you’re texting from a toll-free number, you can directly reach out to your contact first.
Two-way texting is known for…
For Shower Door Experts, two-way SMS is a tool for providing quotes to customers and reaching out to new leads with offers.
[Read: Why Shower Door Experts Uses SMS to Provide Quotes and Reach Leads]
You’ve collected your contacts, you know how you want to reach them. Now, you’ll need to nail down why you’re sending them a message.
Outside of having a specific announcement you want to share with your followers, here are a few of the most common reasons businesses text their contacts.
And just like that, you’re ready to rock your newfound contacts with the perfect text at just the right time.
Want to test these methods out for yourself? Try us free for 14-days and see for yourself!
Meghan Tocci is a content strategist at SimpleTexting. When she’s not writing about SaaS, she’s trying to teach her puppy Lou how to code. So far, not so good.
More Posts from Meghan TocciThere are a ton of creative ways you can place important business or contact info in your text message signatures
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