As the leaves start to change and the weather turns cooler, consumers around the country are preparing their homes, wardrobes, gardens and more for fall and winter. Businesses are shifting marketing campaigns to reflect the change in seasons, as well. Your business has likely already started to implement some of those marketing shifts, but you will need a plan for your SMS Marketing, as well.
Creating relatable content for all of your marketing channels could be the difference between a successful campaign and one that feels like your team is merely spinning their wheels. In fact, in an advertising campaign study, the University of Southern California found that 31% of campaigns with emotional content were successful, whereas only 16% of campaigns with rational content experienced similar success. Furthermore, they found that there are two types of emotive responses; the empathetic response occurs when consumers feel closer to your brand, and the creative response occurs when they feel that your brand is imaginative.
All that to say- it is time for your business to start getting more creative with your SMS marketing campaigns. One of the best ways to do that is by meeting people where they are and creating more relatable content. Tailoring your SMS marketing campaign(s) to what is happening in the world can be one of the simplest and most effective ways to do this.
In this case, we will be discussing tips and offering examples about promotional ideas for your fall SMS marketing campaign!
Promotional Ideas for Fall SMS Marketing Campaigns
Get rid of the last of your summer inventory.
We all know that fall is a fickle season. Some days you need to bundle up in a sweater or jacket and other days will have you wishing that you didn’t put away your shorts so quickly. Just like the summer weather will linger for a couple of weeks, you may have the remnants of your summer inventory laying around, too.
One of the advantages of SMS marketing when compared to other channels is its immediacy. For example, 95% of text messages receive a reply within three minutes. Meanwhile, on social media, many businesses are wrestling with algorithms to reach their audience or trying to rise above the fray in email inboxes. Because SMS marketing is instantaneous, however, you can take advantage of warm days in real time to unload some summer inventory.
Remind your SMS marketing subscribers on those random warm days that they still have a chance to snatch up some of that summer inventory at incredible prices! This may also be a great opportunity to incorporate some pictures into your messages. Utilize MMS to send your promotional texts accompanied by pictures of the items to facilitate higher click-through rates and conversions!
Use holidays.
With the onset of fall comes a preparation for the upcoming holidays for many people. Although Halloween is the first of those holidays, many people see the fall months as a time to start getting prepared for the more elaborate, gift-giving holidays at the end of the year.
Start running your holiday promotions now! For instance, if you have an ecommerce or brick-and-mortar retail business, offer your SMS marketing subscriber some incentive to start their holiday shopping early this year. You could do this by sending exclusive discounts and coupons for “early-bird” shoppers. However, you may want to add a sense of urgency, such as an expiration date, to discourage people from saving their mobile coupons for several weeks.
Pro tip: continue to advertise the fact that SMS marketing subscribers are receiving exclusive holiday discounts in order to continue building and/or increasing your list!
It may seem obvious that you would run SMS marketing campaigns in anticipation of the big holidays, like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, don’t forget that there are smaller holidays in the meantime around which you could base less extensive campaigns.
For instance, did you know that October is Italian-American Heritage Month? This lesser known observance is a great opportunity for certain businesses to build creative SMS marketing campaigns and run promotions. If you run a restaurant, for example, you could add Italian-style dinner specials to the menu for the whole month of October. Then, create your SMS marketing campaign to reflect your specials, and encourage customers to come in for a visit!
To keep track of the smaller, more obscure holidays happening throughout the year, be sure to consult a site like NationalToday.com. Not only will you be able to stay updated on the various opportunities to tailor your content across channels, you will be able to plan creative SMS marketing campaigns that will be sure to help your business stand out from the competition!
Tie in sports-themed messaging.
Although COVID-19 placed some uncertainty around the return of sports earlier this year, as late summer and fall began to arrive, many professional sports seasons resumed or began- albeit with some changes. People were thrilled over the return of their favorite sports teams, and your business can capitalize on that with your SMS marketing campaigns.
For instance, football is one of the biggest sports seasons in America, and many people around the country would consider themselves “die-hard fans.” This is a great opportunity for your business, especially for small businesses with their fingers on the pulse of the community, to form some creative and relatable SMS marketing campaigns.
Many restaurants and bars, for example, offer drink and food specials on football Sunday to encourage customers to come in to watch their favorite teams, as opposed to staying home.
Your retail store could also offer deals to local football fans who come into your brick-and-mortar store wearing their jersey. Your business could advertise these deals exclusively to SMS marketing subscribers and encourage other customers who may also be interested to subscribe, as well.
Again, the immediacy of SMS marketing will come in handy because you can schedule your messages to go out on Sunday mornings or Monday afternoons to keep your business top-of-mind as fans anticipate games on those days. Sending timely messages is one of the best tactics to employ in your SMS marketing campaigns, so take advantage of that when it comes to your sports-themed messaging.
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Admittedly, planning a successful SMS marketing campaign can be difficult. However, it is likely that the answers to your woes are all around you. Keeping these tips in mind, start brainstorming with your team about what type(s) of relatable, promotional campaigns your business could run this fall. And the next time you’re feeling stuck, come back to our blog! It’s constantly updated, and new articles are added regularly to help your business get the most out of your SMS marketing!
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