Email and text often rise to the top of the list for many strategists when it comes to direct marketing techniques. While both are effective in their own right, using them together can create a more comprehensive marketing strategy that maximizes your impact on your target market. Read on to learn the strengths of emailing and texting for business and how they can be used together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A text message carries sms marketing power because each text is a direct message to a single member of your target audience<\/a> \u2014 and through one of the most intimate mediums available: their phone or device. One of the prime objectives of any form of advertising is to get the customer\u2019s eyes and\/or ears tuned to your message. For this to happen, they have to see or hear it, and this is where text messaging excels as a marketing tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People open texts on their phones almost as a reflex. After all, many of the most important communications they get will come through text notifications, including messages from family, friends, coworkers, supervisors, and others crucial to their day-to-day lives. It\u2019s no surprise then that text message open rates are so high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, a recent study revealed that text messages used for marketing have a 98% open rate<\/a>. Granted, this doesn\u2019t mean that 98% of people took action after reading the text, but they got their eyes on the company\u2019s message and have opt-in, which is crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To get the most out of text marketing campaigns, you can try the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Email marketing campaigns, similar to texting, also benefits from its personalized nature. As a marketer, you\u2019re sending a message to someone through a secure, private channel, the same one they use to communicate with people and organizations that play a central role in their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The email open rate is also relatively high, sitting at around 21%<\/a>. While this is significantly less than that of texting, having around one-fifth of people get eyes on your message is a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The key is to optimize your email campaigns how you use that time to generate more conversions, and this can be done by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Combining sms and email marketing, you can better cater your marketing to your customer experience. You can also optimize your impact by strategically using one medium or the other, depending on the situation. Here are some ways to combine email and text message marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s best to take a step back and realize that, like all relationships, a business relationship requires different kinds of communication and marketing channels, and some call for texting while others work better through email. Your objective should be to use one or the other at the right time \u2014 basing your decision on what you want to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you can begin the interaction with your customer by inviting them to text you via a business phone number or WhatsApp account, for instance. This can be done by simply including your text number in your marketing collateral, on your website, or packaging. Even though this seems like a broad, open invitation, in reality, you\u2019re encouraging a relatively limited variety of communications, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also use text messages to reach out to customers about things that may be more time-sensitive, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, you can use email for other kinds of communication, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using email to form the foundation of a relationship and text messaging to affirm commitment means you, essentially, allocate each medium to a different place in the marketing funnel. The strategy driving this technique is based on the presumption that emails are less personal than text messages, so communication via text leverages the more intimate nature of that medium. This makes it ideal for securing a genuine commitment. Here\u2019s an example of how you can use email and texting to construct a \u201cfoundation\/building\u201d marketing dichotomy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suppose you run a real estate company that focuses on single-family and multi-family residential properties. You\u2019ve decided to organize a webinar aimed at educating investors regarding how to purchase multi-family properties and then ways to boost their profits after the ink has dried. Here\u2019s how you can use email and texting in tandem to help seal the deal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your objective with the text message follow-up is to get them to commit \u2014 either explicitly or implicitly \u2014 to a genuinely high-quality interaction. By soliciting their ideas and opinions, you involve them in the decision-making process, which enhances their sense of engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The high open rate of text messages can also be leveraged to gain more traction on your email marketing, especially because telling a customer about an upcoming email can be done with relatively few words. The key is to avoid overusing this technique because that may irritate your recipients. To get the text-tease to email combination right, it\u2019s best to keep a few things in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n With this technique, you, in effect, train your customer to expect time-sensitive communications via text and non-time-sensitive interactions over email. The goal is to build an expectation that the two of you will communicate via both channels and that time factors will dictate which one you use. In this way, you encourage a relationship similar to what they may have with a relative or friend that lives far away: A casual check-in can be done over email, but when an answer is needed sooner rather than later, texting is the only option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if your company plans on adding another location or branch office, you can communicate this over email. But if you have a flash sale for one or two days only, you can send this info over text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 800.com<\/a> can provide you with toll-free text messaging that makes it easier for clients to connect via SMS. You can then combine this with email marketing to get the most out of your interactions with customers.\u00a0Chat with us today to learn more!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Email and text often rise to the top of the list for many strategists when it comes to direct marketing techniques. While both are effective in their own right, using…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1271,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sms-marketing"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Maximize Your Text Message Marketing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Why Email Works as a Marketing Tool<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Best of Both Worlds: Combining Email and Text Marketing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Choose Your Channel Based on the Kind of Communication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Build Relationships with Email, but Secure Commitment with Text Messages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Use Text Messages to Alert Customers About Important Upcoming Emails<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Use Text Messages for Quick Responses and Emails When Time\u2019s Not a Factor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Expand Your Text Marketing with 800.com<\/h2>\n\n\n\n