How To Leverage B2B SMS Marketing

Author: Charles Berry

Mobile phones are the go-to way of sending and receiving information today. And this is why every business is focused on mobile marketing tactics. From user-friendly e-commerce apps to personalized push notifications, every company wants to reach its customers through their smartphones. But most businesses seem to overlook an important mobile marketing tactic: SMS marketing.

You may think that nobody sends or reads SMS these days. Well, that is not true. SMS has an open rate of 98%, much higher than those of other channels like email. Plus, SMS is easy and direct. It is a channel that immediately connects with customers and supports other channels.  Statistics show that almost 60% of users check their text messages within 1 to 5  minutes of arrival. So, if you send a simple follow-up SMS after a purchase or a customer service call, you can expect a quick response.

your prospects quickly.

Here are some ways you can leverage SMS marketing to achieve your business goals.

How To Leverage SMS Marketing

You can use SMS to communicate the following:

• Educate customers about service offerings, existing products, or newly launched products.
• Send order updates and help track products.
• Notify them about available products or send product restocking updates.
• Keep in touch with the engaged client and nurture them.
• Gather feedback to improve your services.

What’s more, you can use SMS to reach out to your customers at every stage of their purchase journey. From lead generation to reminders, content sharing, and surveys. – you can create customized campaigns for various marketing stages.

Suppose you want to keep your leads engaged. Here, SMS can help share valuable content with them. You can segment your list based on people showing the most interest, so your content doesn’t go unread.

Let us now explore some proven SMS marketing strategies you can use.

#1 SMS As A Customer Service Channel

Good customer service helps retain customers and builds trust. You can use SMS to interact quickly with the customers about order confirmations, delivery tracking, or appointment reminders. It helps to resolve queries faster without long call holds and transfers. 77% of consumers positively perceive companies that keep them informed through text messaging.

You can also use automated SMS to:

1. Notify a customer if their service request has been acknowledged.
2. Notify a customer about their order status, along with a link to track their order.
3. Send them details of their lodged requests and inform them about the status.
4. An acknowledgment message after their query has been resolved.

#2 Send Promotion and Offers Through SMS

When you re-engage with customers through ideas like loyalty programs, they are far more likely to return to your brand than others It generates a feeling of appreciation, and they continue to choose their products over competitors.

Through SMS, you can attract your existing customers to repurchase. You can offer  VIP programs, birthday or anniversary discounts, and festive offers to already engaged customers.

The key to leveraging SMS marketing for promotional offers is personalization. You can set triggered messages, let us say to celebrate milestones or request feedback after a week. It helps make the SMS more personalized to the user and, thus, more likely to connect.

Also, read The Importance of Mobile Marketing in B2B Space

#3 SMS As A Channel To Collect Feedback 

– Customer feedback helps you understand what customers want and what they would like to change. Typically, they are more likely to give feedback after interacting with your brand. Think of events such as connecting with your sales team, placing an order, using your product for a week, and so on. Following up these interactions with a feedback SMS can prompt them to respond quickly. With timely feedback, you can improve your products and services. Sending a text message after a sale or service installation can also become an opportunity to ask for feedback. You can send the link to a survey or even quick feedback on the text itself. 31% of respondents take part in surveys.

# 4 Content Sharing Through SMS

One of the primary differences between B2B and B2C marketing is that B2B customers want you to help them rather than sell to them. Especially at the beginning, they want your messages to answer their questions and know about the benefits that they gain. Thus, here content matters a lot – ones that create a sense of urgency and inspires them to buy a service. But, how can you inform and educate people through a short SMS? Well, what you can do is

redirect them to your blogs and websites where they can view your content.

Things To Remember

Finally, remember these points when you communicate via SMS:

• Make your messages short and crisp
• Identify which customers are the most likely to respond to your SMS updates and retarget them. One way to achieve this is to use a well-segmented customer database.
• Include only relevant content. If you bombard your customers with generic marketing messages, they are more likely to cancel their SMS subscription.
• Ask the right questions.
• Tailor the messages according to the customer journey. For instance, once a customer says hello, you can send more information about your services after they have subscribed to your company.

To Sum Up

Communicating with customers at a place they frequent regularly helps capture their attention. SMS marketing saves time, helps maintain a loyal customer base, and much more. So, use SMS marketing to complement your existing marketing channels to increase engagement rates, collect feedback, and provide customer service.