2 way SMS marketing is a powerful tool for achieving business and financial goals. However, most companies are sleeping on it.
This article will explain two-way SMS marketing, its benefits, and how to implement it. It will also provide examples that you can use in your industry. Let’s start!
What Is 2 Way SMS?
2 way SMS marketing is a communication strategy in which businesses send messages and interact with customers. This creates an interactive experience, fostering better engagement and communication.
However, understanding what is 2 way SMS marketing also requires having an idea of its benefits. Typically, this includes:
- Enhanced customer engagement
- Real-time feedback
- Improved customer service
- Personalized interactions
- Stronger customer relationships
- Higher conversion rates
- Increased customer satisfaction
- Streamlined appointment scheduling
- Efficient customer support
All in all, this marketing strategy helps build stronger customer relationships and can drive more sales.
Differences Between Traditional One-Way Sms and 2-Way Sms
From a broad perspective, One-way SMS is a broadcast, while two-way SMS is interactive.
Traditional text messaging involves businesses sending SMS to customers without expecting a response. It functions primarily to send notifications, alerts, and promotional messages.
In contrast, a two-way SMS service allows for interactive communication. Customers can respond to the messages they receive, creating a dialogue.
These differences are relevant because they impact customer engagement, service quality, and overall communications with customers.
However, both SMS messaging services have their place in marketing and customer communication. Each serves different purposes and can be effective in other contexts.
One-way SMS is useful for delivering information quickly and efficiently without expecting a response. It’s great for promotions, alerts, and reminders. However, it lacks interaction, which can limit customer engagement and the ability to gather feedback.
Two-way SMS fosters a bidirectional conversation, making customers feel valued and heard. This interactivity can lead to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty. However, it requires more skills and effort to create meaningful communication.
How 2-Way Text Messaging Works
By utilizing the right tools and following a structured workflow, businesses can reap the benefits of two-way text messaging. Let’s examine how it works and what you need.
Generally, the workflow of 2-way text messaging follows similar steps:
- Setup: Choose an SMS marketing platform and integrate it with your customer relationship management (CRM) system.
- Opt-in process: Use a clear opt-in process to collect customer consent to receive messages. This ensures compliance with data and privacy laws.
- Campaign creation: Create and schedule your SMS campaigns. These should help you achieve your business goals.
- Sending messages: Send out initial messages to your customer list.
- Receiving responses: Customers reply to your messages.
- Interaction handling: Respond to customer replies in real-time or use automated responses for common inquiries. You might also create a variety of responses depending on your customer text.
- Data collection: Collect and analyze customer responses to gain insights and refine future campaigns.
- Follow-up: Use the data and feedback collected to personalize follow-up messages and improve customer engagement.
How To Create 2-Way SMS Marketing Campaigns
In order to create 2 way SMS marketing campaigns, you need a few tools. These will help you implement the workflow described above.
The main tools required are generally:
- SMS marketing platform: A software that supports conversational messaging, enabling both outbound and inbound text communication.
- CRM integration: An integration with your CRM system to manage customer data and interactions seamlessly.
- Automation tools: For scheduling messages, sending automatic replies, and managing marketing campaigns. The goal is to streamline the process.
- Analytics tools: To track and measure the performance of your SMS campaigns. You want to know what works and double down on it.
Sometimes, you might find all these tools in one software. Otherwise, the software might integrate with other services.
For example, WiFi marketing solutions offer SMS marketing solutions with analytics and can integrate with CRM.
Examples of Applications for This Marketing Strategy
After discussing the technicalities of this marketing approach, let’s give a few examples of how businesses can use it.
These examples help visualize how this SMS marketing strategy can benefit companies in different business contexts.
1. Reservation and Feedback Collection
Restaurants and other businesses that use bookings can use text messaging for reservation confirmations and feedback collection. This approach reduces no-show rates and improves customer satisfaction. Additionally, businesses can gather feedback and reviews.
A message might look like this:
“Hi [Customer Name], your table for two at [Restaurant Name] is confirmed for 7 PM tomorrow. Reply YES to confirm or NO to cancel.”
After dining, you can also send a follow-up SMS asking for feedback. “Thank you for dining with us! Please rate your experience from 1 to 5, with 5 being excellent.”
If they answer positively, you can also send another message with a custom link for a Google review.
A retail shop can use SMS for personalized promotions and inventory alerts.
This approach can effectively increase sales and enhance customer loyalty.
The simplest approach is to send an SMS offer based on customer purchase history. This means that you need to have a good CRM already in place.
The SMS can go like this:
“Hi [Customer Name], looking for new arrivals in [Product Category]? Reply YES to see our latest collection.”
If the customer replies YES, you can answer: “Great! Check out our new arrivals here [link] or visit us in-store to try them out!”
If the customer replies NO, you can answer: “No worries! Let us know if there are particular articles you’re looking for, or visit us in-store for more options.”
Here, even if the users reply negatively, you can gather useful data.
Alternatively, another SMS might be for inventory alerts. You simply inform customers when a popular item is back in stock. “Hi [Customer Name], the [Product] you were looking for is back in stock! Reply RESERVE to hold one at [Shop Name].”
3. Membership and Classes
2 way SMS works greatly for businesses that run classes or membership. For example, a gym or a yoga studio.
An example of text might be about reminding members about upcoming classes:
“Hi [Member Name], don’t forget your yoga class at 6 PM today at [Gym Name]. Reply YES to confirm or NO to cancel.”
Alternatively, you can notify members about upcoming membership expirations and offer renewal options. “Hi [Member Name], your membership at [Gym Name] expires soon. Reply RENEW to extend your membership and enjoy a 10% discount on your renewal fee.”
This approach can increase attendance and Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
Use Technology To Get Better Business Results
SMS marketing can help your business in multiple ways. From more sales to better customer retention, this strategy can truly benefit most businesses.
The most important thing is to create compelling messages and flows that reflect your goals.
To streamline your 2 way SMS activities, you must also use the right tools. That’s where technology can make your life easier.
If you want to run SMS and other marketing campaigns, check out Beambox. It’s a WiFi marketing platform that can help you send personalized messages and improve your marketing results. With Beambox, you can collect contacts easily while being compliant with laws.
Beambox can also help you with email marketing and growing your rating on review sites. Start your trial now!
