With competition between retailers being at an all-time high during the holiday season, businesses are turning to SMS marketing to have an edge over their competitors. Using the # 1 form of communication can only bring in more sales than any other form of advertising holiday promotions.
If you’re not familiar with SMS marketing, then chances are you’re not aware of the fact that you can turn your business phone number into a money-making machine. Text My Main Number facilitates a landline texting communication platform that allows prospects and customers to send and receive text messages to and from your business phone number. We can even set you up with a toll-free number if you prefer to use one over your local business phone number.
The holiday shopping season is here and it’s time to execute your promotional offers. In this article, we’ll review how to use SMS marketing for the holiday season to guarantee a boost in sales.
SMS Marketing for the Holiday Season
Let’s start with hard facts. 98% of holiday text messages will be opened. So not only is landline texting an inexpensive way to send promotional offers during the holiday season, but there’s a much higher chance it will actually be read over an email offer. In other words, the ROI is not to be ignored.
Let’s go over some examples of different ways you can use SMS marketing to advertise your holiday promotions.
Promotional SMS Holiday Shopping Reminders
There’s no other shopper like a holiday shopper. They start early on and usually a month or two before the season begins. This is the time that retailers should begin reminding consumers about their upcoming deals, promotions, and early bird specials. These active shoppers love planning out their holiday shopping schedule and browsing for the right gift for each person on their list. Keep your brand on their mind by sending reminders about your upcoming promotions and remember to offer an incentive.
In-store Holiday Deals
Not all holiday shoppers like to shop from the palm of their hands (although they do love receiving the SMS marketing offers that way). A good percentage of your customers actually enjoy going into the store to touch and feel the gifts they’re going to buy for their loved ones. Create a special in-store holiday event for your local shoppers and provide an additional discount for this target audience which is sure to bring the crowd in. You can control the number of people that come in with a flash sale that will provide an additional discount for shoppers who come into the store during a specific timeframe.
MMS Persuasion
Pictures and videos have a big persuasion with consumers who like shopping both online and in-store. A fruitful MMS marketing campaign should include holiday imagery that displays special holiday gift items and joyful faces. For example, you may want to include video of a family opening gifts around the Christmas tree and focus on the reaction of your subjects as they open their presents. Your potential customers will be inspired to buy from you to produce the same reaction from the people they’re buying presents for.
SMS Marketing Updates
Use SMS marketing updates by sending text messages about how inventory is going on your most popular items. Inspire a sense of urgency by announcing when a favorite item is running low in stock. You’ll want to offer an exclusive discount for those who buy while the item is still available. Notify your shoppers about overstocked items too and include a link to buy now with a discount offer and you may soon have a new best seller! This method works great for e-commerce website because you’re offering a discount to those who click and buy.
Increase Your List of Subscribers with Business SMS
When you’re developing your list of subscribers, SMS should be your first point of contact. You can use a variety of messaging tactics to initiate interaction with your target audience and engage your existing customer base. In addition to offering discounts via text messages you can encourage people to opt-in with the promise of sending them exclusive deals for doing so.
You can also use business SMS to promote a friends and family sale or event to all of your employee’s loved ones. Who doesn’t love a great holiday party? Start by announcing this upcoming event in-house and tell your staff to share the link with their relatives once they receive the text message. It will serve as both an invitation to your special event and as a way to begin growing your list of subscribers. Friends and family will feel a stronger connection to your brand because not only do they know someone who works for you, but also because you extended an invitation to share a special event with them.
SMS Promotions for Last-minute Holiday Shoppers
Ahhhh you gotta love those last-minute shoppers who want to buy a little bit of everything to cover their entire Christmas list in a New York minute. You’d be surprised at how many people shop from their mobile devices while on the run. Sending SMS promotions to those shoppers who use their time on the road to order their holiday gifts is a great way to bring in sales. You may want to make a theme out of it and announce a “Commuter Holiday Discount” and provide a special URL for this category of shoppers. You can track how many sales come in from your last-minute shoppers to get a gauge of whether you should use this type of promotional discount year after year!
Why Holiday SMS Marketing Works
Building relationships is an excellent way to increase your loyal customer base and it all begins with SMS marketing which is the top communication channel. Retailers should not only want to grow their list of subscribers but also provide offers that will have consumers coming back for more even after the holiday season. Start your relationship building by getting your audience excited during their favorite time of year for shopping. Use the holiday season to show them increased engagement on a personalized level and making them feel exclusive with SMS marketing offers that they simply can’t turn away from. For more information on how to start an SMS marketing campaign for the holidays, contact the Text My Main Number team to start a free trial and a quick training on using the number one communication platform for retailers and their consumers.
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