SMS marketing is a vital communication channel for marketing. But if you haven't done it before, it could seem difficult to get started. Often I hear marketers talk about how SMS marketing isn't right for their business. Or they're focused on customers responding negatively to their messages. And these are valid concerns. However, when done right SMS marketing could be an extremely effective communication tool with clear benefits for businesses of all sizes.

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Benefits of SMS marketing



 Relatively inexpensive

 Close to 100% open rates (the highest of all marketing mediums)

 Almost immediate delivery

 ROI tracking

 Personalisation and targeting capabilities



When you have a short message you would like customers to see at the earliest opportunity, sending an SMS is a great way to go. But before you jump in, there are a few things you need to understand.



Your requirements



Just like e-mail marketing, SMS marketing is permission based. So it is vital to have consent and comply with anti-spam legislation. Here in Australia, the Spam Act 2003 incorporates email and SMS marketing sticking with the same basic requirements applying to both.



 Consent must exist just before sending your message

 The recipient should be easily able to identify the sender

 The recipient will need to have a simple method for opting out



Australia's governing body ACMA provide helpful advice for adhering to anti-spam legislation around consent for SMS marketing. Plus sms marketing software providers like Vision6 take the worry of processing opt out requests off the hands as this happens automatically with all the capture of SMS responses out of your campaigns.



Common uses



SMS marketing is really a whole lot more than sending sales and promotional messages to customers. In fact, if these are the only SMS messages you're sending to customers, you may want to reassess your SMS marketing. SMS is another great option for:



 Event and appointment reminders

 Birthday and anniversary messages

 Service alerts

 Emergency notices (for example product recalls)



And yes...



 Competitions

 Time sensitive promotions



Important considerations



People tend to be more protective of their mobile phone than they are their current email address. This is mostly because it's considered an individual device reserved for talking with friends and family. So be aware how you start communicating with people via SMS.



 Make your messages helpful first, promotional second.

 When requesting a mobile phone number, be sure why you're getting it and the forms of messages people can expect to receive from you.

 Always give people options. Let them choose how they need to be contacted whether it's via email, mobile or both.

 Only send SMS messages at appropriate times. Nobody likes being woken up at 6am through the buzzing of their phone.

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