Black Friday marketing can greatly benefit from SMS messaging
High Open Rates - SMS messaging can yield an average open rate of up to 95%, far surpassing email marketing. Not everyone checks their email regularly, but almost everyone checks their text messages. Did you know that SMS (marketing) messages are delivered almost instantly, and most texts are read within three minutes after delivery? Find out more by using SMS marketing on your Black Friday promotions.
Wide reach: SMS marketing combines the personal touch of one-on-one conversation with the reach of a global communication channel. Plus, since it doesn't require an internet connection, it can be received by anyone with a mobile phone. With the widespread use of mobile devices and the global community they connect to, SMS messages are incredibly valuable to businesses, especially during the Black Friday season. They allow companies to reach customers in real time, giving them the advantage of reaching a wide audience.
Direct and Personalized Communication- SMS messaging allows you to communicate directly with your customers on a device that is always within arm's reach. Personalize offers based on preferences, behavior, and purchase history to deliver tailored Black Friday offers that resonate with individual customers and increase sales.
Opt-In Consent and Trust- One of the most critical aspects of SMS marketing is obtaining explicit consent from customers before sending promotional messages. This ensures compliance with regulations and builds a foundation of trust between your brand and the consumer. Subscribers are more likely to engage with your Black Friday messages if they have willingly subscribed.
Real-Time Offers -Black Friday is synonymous with limited-time offers. SMS is the ideal channel to convey time-sensitive deals, flash sales, and exclusive discounts. Creating a sense of urgency makes recipients take early action to ensure their access to unique deals.
How to build a comprehensive marketing strategy for Black Friday?
The following strategies will help you get the most out of your Black Friday SMS marketing campaign.
Start planning your Black Friday SMS Marketing Campaigns early and set goals.
Take advantage of Apifon’s “downloadable calendar” to take you a step further!
The best place to start with your Black Friday SMS marketing strategy is to determine goals and key performance indicators that are in line with your company's overall marketing strategy. Figure out how you’ll be meeting those goals and how you’ll be measuring the channel’s success.
Depending on your business objectives, there are certain metrics you need to take into consideration: These may include:
• Click-Through Rate (CTR)
• Conversion rate (CVR)
• SMS marketing ROI (Return on Investment)
• Open rate
• Subscriber growth rate
Take action early and ask yourself these questions to guide your Black Friday campaign:
• What Black Friday deals should your company offer?
• Who is your target audience? / Who are you targeting?
• What type of content will resonate with your audience?
• What are your competitors' plans?
• How can you make your Black Friday text messages stand out? By providing unique deals that can beat the competition!
Remember that Black Friday shoppers crave great deals, so benefit from Apifon’s SMS messaging platform and help your business stand out from the competition and drive revenue.
Build and Grow Your Subscriber List. To begin, encourage customers to sign up for SMS promotions through different channels such as your website, social media, and in-store signage. Offer an incentive to entice customers to subscribe. Lure them into your business by offering exclusive Black Friday deals, introductory discounts, product launch notifications, and specials such as buy 2-get-1 free. The greater the number of subscribers you have, the more chances you have to interact and increase sales.
-Make your existing subscribers feel unique!
If you want to make your most valuable customers feel unique, consider using SMS marketing to offer exclusive deals and promotions. It is important to show your appreciation for their ongoing support. Remember to create a clear definition that best fits your product prices and customer buying cycle.
Start informing your customers early that your SMS list is the exclusive VIP channel to receive news, promotions, and other content before OTHERS. Give them the opportunity to feel special!
Personalize your subscribers’ experiences with a segmentation strategy. Segmentation is powerful for delivering Black Friday content to customers via SMS campaigns. With Apifon’s platform, you can create personalized messaging flows based on different actions of your data. Divide your SMS subscriber list into segments based on factors like location, preferences, and engagement.
• Segment by location - Utilize geo-targeting to provide personalized recommendations based on location. For example, if you know the location of your customers you can motivate them by offering free shipping on orders near your business's location or free shipping after they spend a certain amount of money for customers that live far away.
• Segment by preferences- You can notify subscribers of exclusive Black Friday sales in products like their past purchases via texts based on their preferences or send automatically personalized product recommendations to the right subscribers at the right time. Also, by analyzing their actions and focusing on their preferences, you can gain valuable insights that allow you to drive successful upsell and cross-sell campaigns.
• Segment by engagement- Target engaged subscribers such as VIP customers or frequent purchasers to increase your text channel's ROI. Offer this segment personalized recommendations and exclusive offers to boost conversions. Create a segment of inactive contacts for win-back campaigns and share offers based on their recommendations getting their interest back.
Craft Compelling Messages. To create concise and attention-grabbing SMS messages that highlight the value of your Black Friday offers, you should plan the content of your Black Friday SMS marketing. Use persuasive language, a clear call to action (CTA), and emojis to create a sense of excitement and urgency. Also, make sure that your sales and discounts are presented in the best possible way to ensure that recipients are motivated to take immediate action.
-Use an appealing call-to-action (CTA). The Call-to-Action (CTA) is your biggest opportunity to engage customers with your message to promote your Black Friday offers. Use a CTA that is clear, simple, and relevant to your audience. It must highlight the key benefits of taking action and make it easy for users to follow through.
A/B Testing - Refine your campaign performance by experimenting with message formats, delivery timings, and incentives through A/B testing. Don’t be afraid to A/B test emoji usage, according to research 52% of consumers say emojis make a brand’s message more fascinating and engaging. Then, analyze the results to refine your approach and improve campaign performance.
Multi-Channel Integration- Maximize the reach and impact of your Black Friday promotion by integrating your SMS campaign with other channels, such as email. SMS works at its best in combination with email marketing. You can create the perfect Black Friday campaign by combining email marketing skills with SMS marketing. Also, you can send teaser emails for the upcoming sales, and with SMS you can include additional information, like coupon codes related to your Black Friday campaign.
Automated Responses- Utilize automation tools to send immediate responses, confirmations, and follow-up messages.
Ensure that your landing pages are mobile-friendly for a seamless browsing experience and send a thank-you SMS after purchase with an exclusive offer to enhance the chances of conversion.
SMS messaging is a valuable tool for Black Friday campaigns. By leveraging SMS messaging you encourage your business to reach customers directly, drive engagement, and achieve impressive sales results. If you want to provide a personalized shopping experience and send targeted messages with exclusive deals, and interactive content, SMS marketing is a great way to do it. By implementing a comprehensive marketing strategy, you can create a Black Friday campaign that aligns with your overall business goals and captures your audience's/customers' attention in the mobile-first world.
Whether you're new to SMS marketing or hoping to maximize its potential during the holiday season, it's important to do your research and make plans for the upcoming Black Friday sales.
