1. Who’s Your Target Audience?
It's important to clearly define who your target audience is and what type of message they're likely to respond to. This will help you craft more relevant and engaging messages that’ll resonate with them.
It all starts by getting a pulse on their communication style of choice. Polling customers is key in getting an idea to see if they lean towards text messages as opposed to emails.
You’ll want to know this information to save time and effort for both you AND them in the long run. Knowing their communication style preference gives you insights into how, when, and where people respond. This establishes communication boundaries and expectations and makes it easier (and quicker) for everyone involved.
All of that to say that when you adhere to your customer’s preferences, it could mean higher customer satisfaction levels too! Plus there’s nothing like that feeling of instant gratification from receiving replies quickly via texts. As a coach, influencer, or course creator, you’ll want to be mindful of your audience’s location and time zones. You most likely want to have that conversation so that they’re aware that perhaps they may not be hearing from you as quickly due to your location. SMS marketing not only delivers your content quickly but it goes beyond what email alone can do. You’re connecting with your audience in an efficient and conversational way.
2. What Type of Message Are You Sending?
Before jumping into SMS marketing, it's important to establish the purpose of your messaging. Do you plan to send promotional, transactional, or subscription-based content? Defining your messaging goals and content types will help you create more effective and targeted campaigns. Resulting in satisfied customers.
Additionally, you’ll want to consider the requirements needed from subscribers before sending any message out. Similar to email marketing, customers want to know what benefits or outcomes they'll receive after signing up. Understanding your audience and what they need from you is essential to make their lives easier and communicating with them in the best possible way.
The key to successful SMS marketing is understanding your target audience. Knowing this information will help you know
- What content they prefer receiving
- How often they want to receive messages
- Why they signed up for your service
Then, you can take that data to tailor your SMS campaigns accordingly. Understanding these factors will help you deliver more relevant and valuable messages, ultimately resulting in higher engagement and conversions. So, take the time to gather the data needed to understand your audience and create messaging strategies that provide them with real value.
3. How Will You Get Permission from Customers?
Sending out an SMS/text without obtaining adequate consent is illegal. So, to preserve your SMS marketing strategy and your brand’s reputation you’re going to need to be in compliance.
Obtaining permission from your customers is crucial and the very first thing you need to do. Getting Express Written Consent from subscribers prevents businesses and brands from spamming customers who haven’t given their consent or aren’t interested in receiving messages from you.
One effective way to get Express Written Consent is to include the required information on your opt-in form on your website or within emails. It's also important to be aware of the different types of consent you need to obtain before sending out a message, and the consequences of failing to comply with regulations. Those fees can get astronomically expensive quickly. If you’d like to see a real example and explore the topic of being in compliance check this blog post out.
When asking for consent, consider offering your customers an incentive to sign up, such as a coupon or to join your waitlist. You could also provide them with a deliverable like a PDF checklist or invite them to a webinar and have them agree to receive updates from you. It's important to make the benefits of subscribing clear so that customers are more likely to opt-in. By following best practices and making the opt-in process simple and straightforward, you can build a strong subscriber list and establish trust with your customers.
4. What Is Your Frequency & Timing?
When it comes to SMS marketing, timing is everything. Sending too many messages too often can be overwhelming for your customers and may result in a negative experience. On the other hand, sending messages at the wrong time could mean they get missed or ignored altogether. To avoid these issues, establish a schedule for when you'll send out messages and how often you'll be doing so. This requires considering your audience and understanding their preferences, as well as the nature of the relationship you want to establish with them. For example, as a coach, your subscribers may expect to hear from you frequently, whereas a furniture company sending too many messages may annoy their subscribers.
It's also important to think about how SMS fits into your overall business strategy. Consider your team's capacity to manage SMS communications, and whether SMS will be used primarily for customer support or administrative tasks. By taking a thoughtful approach to frequency and timing, you can ensure that your SMS marketing efforts are well-received by your customers, rather than perceived as spammy or invasive.
Conclusion
With SMS marketing, business owners, brands, and content creators have a powerful ally to stay engaged with their customers. Now that you have the answers to these four questions about SMS marketing for content creators, it’s time to get started! Thankfully, tools like SUBFLOW make setting up sms campaigns a breeze. Plus, you can benefit from 14 days of free access when you sign up now. Whether you’re an influencer, business owner, or content creator, taking advantage of sms technology is essential in today’s world. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to maximize your content creation efforts and reach an even wider customer base with sms marketing – so don’t delay and join the Subflow team today!