The end of the year is always a busy one. In your efforts to meet your goals for 2016, you would almost forget the most important question of all. How do you make sure consumers all lay your product underneath the Christmas tree? With an average open rate of 98%, SMS is a highly effective way to stimulate sales this holiday season.
1) SMS-coupons
Coupons are a very effective marketing tool. Paper coupons however, can easily get lost. Coupons sent via SMS, in most cases are saved. Because consumers keep their phones on them almost all the time, they will also carry your coupons with them wherever they go. Therefore, an SMS-coupon is more easily used that it’s paper counterpart. Increase your sales by sending your customers an SMS with a discount offer for your (web)shop before Christmas. This way, your product will soon appear on all their wish-lists.
2) Customer service
More and more consumers buy online. This means that, during the holiday season, products may easily be sold-out online and delivery may take longer than normal. Inform your customers via SMS when their delivery is shipped and attach a tracking link so they can follow their package. This way, you can prevent dissatisfied customers and unnecessary calls to your customer service department.
Is your product temporarily sold out online? Ask customers to leave their phone number so you can send them an SMS when the product is back in stock. Is the product sold out online but in stock in one of your brick and mortar stores? Send an SMS with an exclusive in store action, so their cash registers keep ringing.
3) Grow your audience
Though SMS is a highly effective tool, it doesn’t have to stand on its own. By promoting your SMS campaigns via social media, you will increase the brand involvement of your customers. Does your company have its own social media page? Ask your followers to subscribe to your SMS-list so they can use your social media deals, for example your SMS-coupons. Also, ask those in your SMS-list to share your deals via social media. By combining the strengths of SMS and social media, you’ll grow your audience and increase your visibility during the holidays.
Combine the strengths of your app and SMS to increase app engagement end save costs with Hybrid Messaging
4) Customer loyalty
That most gifts are bought in December, also means that the time following the holiday season offers great opportunities for customer retention. After all, the customer journey does not end after the customer has paid. So, your after sales communication deserves and demands your attention. Use SMS to improve your relationship with clients. For example, send a discount offer for related products, offer the help of your customer service employees to prevent holiday stress or simply thank your client for his purchase with a Christmas greeting. This way, you can use something as simple as SMS to grow a strong and long lasting relationship with your customers.
5) Build your SMS-list
Do you want to profit from all that SMS has to offer, but you do not yet have an SMS-list with the contact details of your customers? The holiday season is your chance to build or grow this list. December is a busy time in retail and therefore the time to easily reach consumers. Ask consumers who visit your (online) store to subscribe to the SMS-list (opt-in) in exchange for a discount or SMS-coupon. This way, you will quickly grow your SMS-list so you can adapt SMS in your 2017 marketing strategy.
Want to know more about how to use SMS in your marketing strategy this holiday? Contact CM or read more about SMS.
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