6 Ways to Use Text Marketing for Your Business

Texting isn’t just helpful to keep in touch with faraway relatives or friends sitting across the room. There is also a great potential for text marketing in business.

When you think of texting, you may not think of it initially as a marketing tool. Some may even tell you that text marketing is a thing of the past, giving way to other instant messaging apps. But there are still several ways to use texting to your advantage as you market your business.

While we’re also huge fans of email marketing (trust us, email marketing is not dead), texts have a greater open rate than their email counterpart. One study by Mobile Marketing Watch showed that 98% of texts sent are opened by consumers, whereas only 22% of emails sent are opened. If you are struggling to reach your customers or potential leads, then text marketing might do the trick.

Begin with these 6 ideas for marketing your business through texting.

1. Ask for Reviews

If you’re going to ask customers to leave your business a review anyway, why not ask them through a text message? For businesses looking to improve their online reputation management, Skoshe provides access to software that lets customers write you a review straight from a text message. All you have to do is send the text asking them for a few minutes of their time.

Online reviews are incredibly important to consumers when deciding whether or not they should do business with you. Make it easier for your customers to write those reviews by asking them through the convenience of a text. Contact Skoshe for more information about how to make this work for your business.

2. Promote a Sale

Just like you would ask customers to sign up for email promotions, you can do the same with texting. It may be the perfect avenue for letting them know about a flash sale or promotion that’s going on.

Link those texts directly to the promotional offer or to an optimized landing page that’s mobile-friendly for even more conversions. Just be careful you don’t overwhelm your customers with too many texts, or they may want out.

3. Get Them to Text You

A way to generate more leads and get more consumers engaging with your brand is to invite them to text you for a specific offer.

One North Carolina Domino’s wanted to market at popular, local college sports events. But their ads that included a URL to follow to receive a specific offer didn’t see much engagement. Instead, this franchise created ads that encouraged customers to text them for a free pizza. It was this approach that finally got this store the conversions for which they had hoped.

4. Send Them to Your Store

Businesses wanting to drive more traffic to their physical location can use text marketing to invite customers to make a visit. Send them a coupon or a discount that they can use in-person at your nearest location. Make checkout even easier by placing a QR code on your mobile coupons that can be scanned quickly.

5. Confirm or Reschedule an Appointment

Service-based businesses that make frequent appointments can also benefit from the convenience of text marketing. An email reminder about your scheduled appointment might get missed by some customers, but they may be more receptive if you text them a reminder. Consider giving them, as well, the option of rescheduling their appointment directly through text.

6. Answer Questions

Texting is a simple way to respond directly to customer questions, too. It gives them quick answers and allows them to ask any more clarifying questions easily without creating a long email chain that may get lost in a sea of other emails. Plus, a personalized text may make your customer feel more valued and can help them feel connected to your brand.

Text Marketing for the Win

Because text messages are fast to send and convenient for customers to open, it makes your brand more accessible to your audience. It opens the door for encouraging more online reviews or spreading awareness about a new promotion. Use it to get customers to engage with you, to increase in-store traffic, to make appointment scheduling simpler, or to answer questions directly.

What other ways can you use text marketing?