Here at Brandon, we’ve pointed out the power of SMS marketing before. After all, as we pointed out in our previous blog article titled “The 411 on SMS Marketing Campaigns,” nearly all U.S. consumers have a smartphone or cellphone these days — and for most of us, most of us keep it within easy reach around the clock. As a result, text messaging marketing offers an ever-present opportunity to reach your brand’s target market instantly, easily, cost-effectively and at just about any time.
9 creative ways to engage via SMS text marketing
Of course, when a marketing channel offers 24/7, instant communications capabilities with consumers, the opportunities for your brand to engage with them are nearly limitless — and they can go well beyond the standard appointment reminders, promotions and announcements, not to mention the typical text-only format.
Looking to add some creativity to your brand’s SMS marketing efforts? Consider these nine imaginative messaging options that can add an out-of-the-ordinary twist to your consumer-facing text communications:
1. Get creative with your coupon codes
Digital promo and coupon codes are often simple and uninventive — with examples such as 15OFF for a 15% discount or SAVE20 for a $20 discount commonly seen. But by incorporating creative and unique coupon codes within their text messages, brands can more effectively capture the attention of their audience and add extra incentive for them to take action. Personalized or themed coupon codes also be tailored to specific demographics or occasions — think WELCOME25 for a 25% discount provided to consumers who join your brand’s SMS messaging program or HAPPY4TH for an Independence Day promo — can further resonate with recipients, fostering a stronger connection with the brand.
2. Incorporate interesting imagery
Visual content has the power to capture attention and convey messages more effectively than text alone, making it a valuable tool for brands looking to cut through the noise, capture attention and drive meaningful interactions with consumers. By incorporating attention-catching imagery such as visually appealing photos, animated GIFs and relevant videos into its text-marketing campaigns, your brand can create more memorable and engaging experiences for its target audience, driving higher open rates and click-through rates. Additionally, visual content can enable your brand to showcase its products and/or services in action, provide tutorials or demonstrations, and evoke emotional responses, all of which can help strengthen the connection between your brand and its audience.
3. Add eye-grabbing emojis
Emojis can add personality and emotion to brands’ text-marketing campaigns, making them more relatable and appealing to recipients. They can also make messages stand out in a crowded SMS inbox and help convey brands’ marketing messages concisely and effectively, especially in the limited space of a text message. By strategically incorporating emojis in its text messaging, your brand can capture attention, spark curiosity, and create a more entertaining, enjoyable and memorable experience for its audience. Further, emojis can serve as visual cues that prompt recipients to take action, such as clicking on a link or redeeming a special offer.
4. Put your brand’s personality on display
Be sure to be yourself in your SMS campaigns. Infusing your brand’s unique tone, voice and style into its messaging adds depth and character to your text communications, helping you create a more authentic and relatable connection with recipients. It can also enable you to showcase brand personality traits such as humor, friendliness or creativity, helping you differentiate your brand from competitors and leave a longer-lasting impression on your audience. And of course, by conveying a consistent brand personality across all of your brand’s communication channels, including SMS, you can reinforce consumers’ perception of your brand and foster added brand loyalty.
5. Encourage interaction
Your brand’s SMS campaigns don’t have to be a one-way street — in fact, they tend to be more impactful when they go both ways. By inviting recipients to interact with your brand’s SMS campaigns, such as by responding to text messages, participating in polls or sharing their opinions, your brand can create opportunities for meaningful two-way communication with consumers. And by including interactive and fun elements such as quizzes, contests or surveys in your SMS campaigns, you can increase the audience’s excitement and interest levels, adding more incentive for recipients to actively engage with your content. All of this not only helps foster an increased sense of involvement and ownership among recipients of your brand’s texts, but it also helps you build stronger connections between your brand and its audience.
6. Look for ways to make ’em laugh
Incorporating humor into your brand’s text messaging (when it’s appropriate, of course) can be a highly effective way to increase consumer engagement with your SMS marketing campaigns. Humor has a universal appeal and can help your brand capture attention, stand out and leave a lasting impression in a crowded digital landscape. By injecting wit, levity or playful language into your brand’s messages, you can create a positive and enjoyable experience for recipients, fostering deeper consumer connections and driving higher engagement rates. Further, humor can humanize your brand, making it more relatable and approachable to consumers.
7. Delight with flash sales and deals
Announcing flash sales, deals and exclusive offers to consumers through SMS marketing campaigns is another excellent way to increase their engagement with the brand. These limited-time promotions can help create a sense of urgency and excitement among text recipients, prompting them to act quickly to take advantage of the offer. And by delivering exclusive deals directly to their mobile phones, your brand can make recipients feel valued and special, fostering a stronger sense of connection and loyalty. Further, the immediacy and convenience of SMS make it an ideal channel for delivering time-sensitive offers, helping ensure that recipients are more likely to see and act on the promotion promptly.
8. Push out polls and surveys
Polls and surveys empower your text recipients to actively participate with your outreach efforts and share their opinions, helping foster a heightened sense of involvement and ownership with your brand. By soliciting feedback or insights through polls and surveys, your brand can also demonstrate that it values consumers’ input, helping strengthen the relationship and brand loyalty. And in addition, the simplicity and convenience of responding to polls and surveys via text make it nearly effortless for recipients to engage, leading to higher response rates and the opportunity for the brand to gain valuable consumer insights.
9. Send birthday best wishes … and gifts
We all want to feel special and remembered on our birthdays. And by recognizing and celebrating customers’ birthdays (and other special occasions), brands can foster a sense of appreciation and loyalty among their SMS campaign recipients. Personalized birthday messages and exclusive offers or discounts help create a memorable and positive experience for consumers, helping strengthen the brand-consumer relationship. Further, the act of receiving unexpected birthday wishes or gifts via text message can generate excitement and goodwill toward the brand, prompting recipients to engage further with future marketing efforts.
Brandon: Your digital marketing experts
Could your brand’s SMS marketing campaigns use a creative spark — along with an array of other business-boosting marketing insights? At Brandon, our team of data-driven marketing experts are adept at creating and executing text-messaging campaigns that get results — and we’re eager to offer our assistance with your SMS efforts, along with the full spectrum of your brand’s digital marketing efforts.
Further, as a fully integrated marketing firm, our team of certified brand strategists can cover all of your brand’s marketing needs — all in one place. From digital marketing, influencer marketing, email marketing and SEO to e-commerce, social media, creative, analytics, public relations, brand strategy, media, web design and more, we can cover any marketing need you encounter. To get started with help ranging from a simple website analysis to a comprehensive strategy tailored to boost the performance of all your marketing campaigns, contact us today.