Owning and operating a small business in this day and age can certainly come with some challenges. It is hard to stay competitive in the face of big box stores, two day shipping, and concepts such as price matching. Being able to stay relevant and visible in this market can be tough, but thankfully, it’s not impossible.
While social media, having a good website, and using traditional marketing efforts all play a role, there might be another solution you haven’t thought of before: text marketing for small businesses. Emails are great, but they can often wind up in spam folders. Flyers and handouts can prove to be costly and aren’t very environmentally friendly. Text messages are quick, to the point, and can communicate a message effectively.
If you are curious about text marketing for small businesses, keep reading to learn more!
- Communicate various types of messages.
There isn’t just one way to use text messages for marketing! In fact, you can communicate with your customers about all sorts of things. Maybe you want to tell them about a sale you have coming up, and offer them an exclusive discount when they show a promotional text message at the register. Perhaps you want to communicate that store hours are changing for the upcoming holiday season, offering extended hours to shop. You can even ask for feedback or provide a link to a survey. Text marketing for small businesses can be a very effective communication tool!
- Text messages actually reach the customer.
Did you know that when compared to email marketing, text messages have a 98% open rate? Not only that, but it has a 45% response rate when compared to email, phone call, or social media. That’s a huge difference, especially when you consider that most people have their phones right by them all throughout the day.
Also, consider this: when you get a text message, it tends to have a greater sense of urgency, at least when compared to a push notification from social media or another app. People want to check their text messages right away. Normally, text messages don’t adhere to the same type of spam filters that email inboxes do, meaning that your message is sure to reach your audience right away.
- Creating text messages is simple.
When creating marketing items such as emails or brochures, it is important to put a lot of thought into design and branding. Also, these are usually more detailed and include a lot of text and various information that needs to be communicated to the customer or client. While it serves its purpose, this creation process can be rather tedious and require an artistic or creative eye.
With text message marketing, however, that changes things! Text messages are simple, to the point, and require no design skills whatsoever. You just need to make sure that you are getting the desired information out there with just under 160 characters (typically). This means that just about anyone on your team can send a quick and effective message and it will still get read by your customers!
- Real time, two way communication.
More often than not, marketing emails come from inboxes that are labeled ‘do not reply’. This means if the customer has a question about the information presented, they have to take the time to contact your business using a different method, such as calling the location or finding an alternative email address. This can be frustrating for the customer and deter them from reaching out to you.
However, with a text, they can reply and communicate with you in real time! If they want to inquire about a particular product or service, they can do so immediately. This also means that they can bypass talking to a bot, which can prove to be less than pleasant, especially if they have a specific question they’d like to ask. You can also keep track of all the text messages that are sent and received easily so you can have them for reference or training purposes.
- Text messages can have a personal touch.
As a small business owner, you likely come into contact with repeat customers on a regular basis. You probably know them by name and can easily recite their usual order, purchase, or service. That is one of the biggest reasons people choose to shop small businesses: a personal touch.
But did you know that you can also incorporate that same mindset into your text message communication as well? You can cater specifically to repeat customers, loyalty card members, and the like. Send out text messages offering up special discounts or sales. Don’t forget the opportunity to include a birthday reward as well! These little things add up and can really contribute to your business’s credibility and the customer’s desire to come back again and again.
Wrap Up
The advantages of text marketing for small businesses are quite obvious! It serves to be an easy, affordable way to stay in contact with your customers and clients. Inform them about changes, sales, or offer exclusive discounts for those who sign up! Plus, you can rest assured that your text messages are actually being opened and read. Add in a personal touch and communicate back and forth in real time. The ways that text marketing can help small businesses can’t be underestimated!
Start Text Messaging Today!
Whether your business is big or small, utilizing peer to peer texting can be a game changer. If you are interested in learning more about MudShare and just how our peer to peer texting platform can help you and your business, contact us today! We would love to hear from you, answer any questions you may have, and get you a quote right away. Peer to peer texting will allow you to make the most of your marketing efforts and stay in touch with the customer base you have already worked so hard to build.
