Of all the traditional forms of marketing, SMS remains highly effective – if not the most effective channel today. With increased smartphone use, businesses today have embraced SMS marketing to deliver brand messages to their customers quickly.
Far more than just using text messages to connect with family and friends, there is an ongoing trend of utilizing Bulk SMS to connect with businesses.
SMS has a whopping 98% open rate and a remarkable deliverability rate. This means that many people will view your message, and most will open it.
Therefore, the opportunities to connect with your customer through SMS are massive. You can actually create brand loyalists through SMS marketing – the possibilities are almost endless.
Well, now it’s 2022, and if you are well on your way to planning your next SMS strategy, there are some trends you should implement.
Here are the top 5 SMS trends to watch out for in 2022:
5 SMS Trends to Implement in 2022
To enhance the effectiveness of your SMS marketing campaigns, consider the following 5 marketing trends for 2022:
1. Triggered Text Messages
Want to offer new customers discounts or offers? How about getting buyers who’ve abandoned their carts to complete the order? Try triggered text messages.
When a customer signs up to your SMS list, you can automatically text them a discount code to claim an offer.
Triggered text messages take the guesswork out of who and when to text customers after taking a specific action.
2. Consumers Want You to Text Them
SMS is already a preferred method of communication for many people, which is why consumers want your brand to reach them for marketing messages.
Various studies have indicated that up to 69% of consumers prefer text communications from companies they engage with; 54% are frustrated that they can’t do so.
3. Using SMS To Boost Other Channels
While SMS has a higher chance of success than any other form of communication, using it to boost other channels will yield even more results.
Why will this work? Because text messages are attention-grabbing, they can be a perfect tool for improving other marketing channels that need more exposure.
You can take advantage of the high open rates to promote your emails and blogs and drive traffic to your website.
4. 2-Way communication
Unlike before, customers today are looking for better brand experiences. They source this through two-way communications –consumers naturally want to talk via text.
Close to 70% of consumers have expressed their interest in wanting to talk to brands via text rather than calls. This is a significant opportunity for any brand looking to establish meaningful communication with the consumer.
5. Collect Customer Feedback
You can easily collect feedback from text surveys by opening two-way communication with the customer. After all, reviews are powerful for helping you establish credibility for what you provide.
Do this, keeping in mind that 88% of consumers rely on reviews from other buyers to make a purchase. Using text, therefore, will help your brand enhance this experience.
Ready to implement these trends into your SMS Strategy? Talk to an expert and start your free trial today! Reach out to Celcom Africa for all your bulk SMS needs – from personalized texts and SMS scheduling to SMS API integrations.
