Skip to main content

Ahead of next week’s MEF CONNECTS: Business Messaging, Ira Cohen of MMD Smart shares use cases that demonstrate how SME’s can harness the awesome marketing power of text messaging to work for them in simple, easy to implement and cost effective ways.

There’s a perception out there that SMS messaging only works for big companies with mega-marketing budgets. Small and medium size businesses are concerned that text message marketing is overly complicated, requires highly technical proficiency and is too expensive for a smaller budget.

The opposite is true, so hard to understand where the myth originated from. Integrating an effective text messaging strategy using intuitive software (such as our MessageWhiz platform!), is relatively stress-free, inexpensive, and can be mastered by anyone with a computer. And as many business owners are learning, SMS messaging provides serious value to organizations of all sizes and can be effectively used by SMEs for a variety of use cases.

Use Case 1: Increase Conversion Rates

Small and medium businesses often rely on email marketing to generate leads and grow their sales. But email marketing, which reached its apex almost 20 years ago, suffers from very low conversion rates and lags behind SMS in two key areas. First, a good email open rate is between 15-25%, which might seem great until you realize that 97% of SMS messages are opened and read.

Secondly, emails on average sit in an Inbox for 90 minutes before they are opened, and often for much longer, while SMS messages are read within 90 seconds.

Small and medium businesses often rely on email marketing to generate leads and grow their sales. But email marketing… suffers from very low conversion rates and lags behind SMS.. a good email open rate is between 15-25%, which might seem great until you realize that 97% of SMS messages are opened and read.

Those additional eyeballs, and the immediacy of SMS messaging, play a significant role in the vastly superior conversion rates from SMS marketing campaigns when compared to email marketing blasts.

Use Case 2: Marketing Automation

Chatbots and triggered text messages are being used increasingly by small businesses to generate sales, build loyalty, and connect with customers.

For example, if a customer is interested in an out-of-stock item from your ecommerce shop, you can automate messages alerting them that the item they want is available. The message will contain a link to the item they wanted, making their order just a few click away.

Use Case 3: Answer Service Questions

SMS is especially useful to answer general questions, or questions relating to an account. Chatbot messages save time and resources when they can automatically answer questions about order delivery status, provide account information, or direct customers to the item they are looking for.

Use Case 4: Recover Abandoned Cart Sales

Online shopping carts are abandoned about 77% of the time and is just above 80% on mobile devices. SMS messaging can be configured to send reminder messages and notifications to customers within minutes of abandonment. In addition, savvy marketers are including incentives with their SMS, such as discount codes or loyalty options, to recover the sale.

Use Case 5: Sales Promotion

Online and offline marketers use SMS to promote sales, special events, or discounts for specific lists of customers. These messages can either go out to bulk audiences or can be highly targeted and integrate with a CRM to generate personalized offers designed to motivate users to action.

For example, customers who have shown interest in the latest electronics or fashions in the past can receive SMS messages that appear on the home screen of the phone alerting them to new models.

Learn More About Adding SMS to Your Marketing Toolbox

Join me at the MEF Connects Business Messaging event, where I’ll be taking part in panel of messaging leaders discussing different ways that SMEs can leverage SMS and chat apps to generate business without having a lot of telecom experience or a large marketing budget.

Ira Cohen

VP, Business Development and Marketing at MMDSmart

   

MEF CONNECTS: Business Messaging: 22-24 March

MEF CONNECTS: Business Messaging is a three day programme featuring the best technology providers from across the globe who will share the latest use-cases and technological developments from both mobile network operators and OTT players. MEF CONNECTS will bring together the people that matter, the topics that count and the interactions that make a real difference to our ecosystem.

Register for free Now

MEF