SMS Marketing still exclusive, but available for everyone

SMS campaigns used in marketing are still associated with large corporations with large budgets for promotion. It seems that mass sending of short text messages to customers is connected with enormous costs and it is not a tool available for small and medium enterprises. Meanwhile, this way of promotion can be successfully used even by entrepreneurs running a one-person business. Using such a form of communication with a client, they will not only effectively reach him with an offer increasing sales, but also achieve other, no less important goals: building and maintaining relations with clients, acquiring new ones or building the image of a company applying modern solutions.

According to the latest report of the Office of Electronic Communications, Poles send almost 52 billion SMS messages a year. This number shows the great popularity of this form of communication, which is one of the tools of direct marketing. And although mass SMS messaging is associated with millions of messages sent by large companies, it can also be used in micro-scale with excellent effect. This is an effective channel of communication with consumers whose potential is limited only by the marketer's imagination. An SMS campaign can be successfully implemented in the marketing activities of e.g. the owner of a small restaurant, a pub, a clothing store or a hairdressing salon. Assuming that such an entrepreneur already possesses even a small database of his customers, in which there are, for example, 300 contacts, the cost of a promotional action should not exceed several dozen zlotys.

"The database is usually the most costly part of a mass SMS dispatch. So it is worth starting to collect data about your customers even if you run a small business. You can build the database systematically by asking your customers to fill out a short form in your premises or on your website. To encourage them to leave their phone number or personal information, you can try several ways such as organizing a contest, a survey or a surprise offer. From the perspective of the company's activity, the telephone number is the most important, however, it is worth acquiring more information from potential clients which will facilitate targeting of the campaign in the future. Then we will be able to send SMS messages on various occasions, e.g. name day wishes, women's day wishes. Of course with a gift from the company in the form of an attractive discount. Customers who have already had contact with the company and used its services will not treat the received SMS messages as SPAM. Using a database in which there are personal data of customers, you can use personalized SMS messages that will make customers feel distinguished. This, in turn, is conducive to building an attachment to the company." - says Marcin Papinski, Development Director at Infobip.

According to GUS reports, there are 59 million active SIM cards in Poland, which means that a statistical Pole has at least one mobile phone. 96% of text messages sent are read, the vast majority of them within 15 minutes of message receipt. The cost of sending one SMS depending on the provider is around PLN 0.05. Planning the distribution of text messages to e.g. a group of 2,000 people should cost less than printing the same number of leaflets. The effectiveness of an SMS is additionally much higher than a standard printed material. The message may contain a discount code, an invitation to a tasting, or a link to an online shop's website. Using two-way communication, a company may involve clients in an interaction, which allows to conduct surveys, quizzes and contests.

Source: newsrm.tv