Making sure you reach your customer at the right time is a vital part of managing SMS campaigns. When you configure your SMS gateway and SMS application programming interface to send SMS reminders and other messages at ideal times, you increase the chance that the customer will feel more satisfied and trust your brand rather than looking at the text as an unwanted annoyance. How can you nail the timing of messages in your SMS campaigns? Let’s take a look at some best practices.
Coordinate the Purpose of the Message and Timing
While every customer has times when they would — and would not — like to receive messages from your company, the purpose of the message matters when it comes to choosing the best time to schedule and send it. For example, if you operate a medical facility that needs to ensure clients make their appointments, SMS reminders might go out 48 business hours prior to each appointment. This gives patients enough time to cancel when necessary.
However, if you’re offering a flash sale, announcing a Black Friday campaign, or posting a Cyber Monday sale, shorter notice is entirely suitable for customers who have opted in.
How To Test and Optimize Your SMS Campaigns
Optimizing your campaigns starts with gathering the appropriate customer data. To adequately personalize, you’ll want to know your customers’ names and when they prefer to receive text messages. If you’re using software like Mitto to automate your SMS campaign messaging, you should also consider allowing users to self-select their segmentation — for example, offering options like:
— Only send reminders via text.
— Provide me with shipping updates.
— Text me about the latest promotions.
Customers are more likely to be satisfied when they’re getting exactly what they asked to receive.
Another excellent option: Use your software to analyze the messages you send and suggest optimal times for certain types of messages. Everyone’s customer base is different — if you’re sending promotional messages for a nightclub, for example, your campaigns are going to look much different than those sent on behalf of a children’s dentistry practice. While it wouldn’t be wise for most businesses to contact their customers at 11 p.m., it might make sense for your nightclub to text a free drink coupon at 11 p.m. on Friday — and your software can help you optimize that message.
You can always learn with your SMS campaign software. The more data you feed it, the more it will be able to help you.
Make SMS Campaigns Personal
Today, customers expect much more than messages that address them by name. They expect you to get their pronouns right and follow up on purchases. Because of services like Amazon and Netflix, they even want you to make accurate recommendations for the future. In short, they desire personalization that makes their lives more convenient. This creates a need to program your SMS gateway and SMS API to comply with these expectations.
When does your customer want personalized recommendations? That could depend upon when they order, which might vary based on season, payday schedule, personally significant events like birthdays, holidays, when they typically run out of a product and order more, or when they spend part of the year in another location.
The best data and software can help you pin down this level of customization, which is really an extension of personalizing SMS reminders and recommendations.
You should constantly be improving your data collection. When using omnichannel marketing software such as Mitto to fine-tune your SMS campaigns and delivery times and to respond to customer feedback, you’re on your way to a more streamlined, personalized, customer-satisfying sales process that can save your business both time and money.
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