2023 Beginner’s Guide – Marketing

As companies continue to intensify efforts to retain customer attention and loyalty, SMS marketing for eCommerce and retail takes center stage. This is because it is a direct channel that allows you to connect with customers in a powerful and effective way. Best of all, it requires minimal effort to run and maintain.

As a result, SMS marketing has now become the go-to marketing tool for eCommerce business owners who want to penetrate new markets.

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But before we dive in, let’s dance around what e-commerce SMS marketing is all about. Then we’ll tell you how to get started and explore some examples of launching your first campaign.

What Is eCommerce SMS Marketing?

The first SMS message went out in 1992. Then, within a year, mobile phones had begun to have SMS technology. Of course, you can’t talk about SMS marketing without talking about how far SMS has come. However, the technology has gradually morphed into a marketing channel that business owners and entrepreneurs have come to trust.

Simply put, eCommerce SMS marketing is the process of using mass-sending software from an omnichannel communication platform to send bulk text messages that contain promotional materials to a predetermined audience. If you’ve ever sent an SMS to a group of people with the intention of getting them to react in a certain way, that’s SMS marketing.

Most importantly, eCommerce SMS marketing is a tool you adopt when you want to communicate offers and other information to your existing customers who have given you permission to send them text messages.

What Are the Main Benefits of Using SMS Marketing for Retail and eCommerce?

1. SMS Marketing Is Built for the Mobile Commerce Experience

With the usage of native text messaging apps growing three times faster than apps like Facebook and Instagram, 70% of customers say SMS messages capture their attention, according to Forrester. Therefore, this technology is important for brands that want to invest in mobile-friendly marketing, as SMS messages are designed so users can view them on their mobile phones.

2. High Open Rates Equal More Engagement

At 93% in terms of open rate, SMS marketing practically guarantees that your eCommerce or retail customer will see your texts and open them. This marketing method is more efficient and cost-effective than all the other forms of marketing that currently exist. What’s more, since you can now give your customers the ability to text back with 2-way bulk SMS, your engagement rate will grow exponentially.

3. Talk to Your Audience Using Their Preferred Communication Channel

SMS marketing helps you make a deep connection with your eCommerce and retail customers. You get to meet them where they spend a lot of time. You get to communicate with them in the way they like to communicate.

This is important, because people want to feel like they matter to their favorite brands. To give just one example, marketers for the popular HBO series, Game of Thrones tapped into their customer base with a text marketing service they called the “Three-Eyed Raven.” This texting channel gave their fans extra content and teasers for upcoming episodes.

Source: Shopify

How Can You Start Using SMS Marketing for Your eCommerce or Retail Store?

Now you know why you should use SMS marketing. Hopefully, you’re beginning to understand how it could work wonders for your business, too. So now it’s time to learn how to run your first eCommerce SMS marketing campaign.

1. Define Your Goals

Make sure you know exactly what you want to achieve when you begin. Do you want more engagements? Are you looking for brand awareness? Or do you need something else?

For example, you could start with SMS messages regarding cart abandonment and customer support.

Specifically, you could customize your SMS marketing campaign to notify your eCommerce shoppers about items they left in their cart. Or you could use two-way SMS to get feedback on their experience with your products or service. You might also send them purchase order notifications and links to their electronic receipts.

2. Find a Good SMS Provider to Partner With

Once you’ve settled on what you intend to do, it’s time to find the right omnichannel communication platform to integrate with your eCommerce store. Prioritize working with an SMS platform that makes setting up and launching your marketing campaign easy. Additionally, look for a provider that can also help you scale your eCommerce store as you grow your SMS channel.

3. Work on Your Subscriber Base

One thing you have to keep in mind with SMS is compliance. It’s important to ensure that you handle all details of your campaign, especially growing your list, with the explicit permission of your audience. This is because SMS marketing is a permission-based channel and there are very strict laws guarding customers’ privacy.

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4. Launch Your Campaign

Now that you’ve curated your list and integrated your eCommerce store into a communications platform, it’s time to launch your SMS marketing campaign into the stratosphere. Try new things and find out what works best for your eCommerce brand.

5. Never Stop Testing

Get creative. Don’t rest on your laurels and believe you’ve done it all. The world keeps changing and customer demands are dynamic.

Follow up your SMS campaign by reviewing the metrics you set in the beginning. Make sure you understand what you’re doing right and see what can be improved. Continue to test new content, style, delivery times and days, and deals. Taking these steps will help you identify the best SMS marketing strategy for your eCommerce store.

Start Your SMS Marketing Campaign and Watch Your eCommerce Store Take Off

Getting started is easy. Then you just need to be consistent with your SMS marketing for your eCommerce store. If you do, yours will become a brand your customers will rely on.

The next step now is to sign up at BSG and start your first SMS marketing campaign. Request a demo today and try out BSG’s features, then see what works for you.

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