Chapter 7.2 - How to succeed with SMS

SMS marketing is very effective. If you want to communicate with your customers, there is hardly any better way to do it than via SMS. The advantage SMS has over e-mail and other channels is that almost no one will let an SMS remain unread. It often only takes 5–10 minutes from the time the SMS is sent until it is read, and many will also click through to links.

SMS is the simplest form of mailing to your members. For many, it can still be a threshold to get over. Jump in it! You'll learn pretty quickly once you get started!

Should you send to all members or to selected segments?

SMS works great for selected segments of your base. The better the adaptation to a member's interests and preferences, the better response you will get. For example, a member of a garden club who has a balcony, but not their own garden, will respond better to information about flowers/vegetables for balcony boxes or micro-growing indoors, than to campaigns about perennials and garden soil. It is therefore important to segment well in order to get to know your customers, because then you will be able to send SMSes that go "straight home".

PS! However, when there are big promotions (such as Black Week), it is better to send to the entire base for the greatest possible number of visits to the store or online store.

How often should you send SMS?

The challenge with SMS is that it feels more like a private sphere than email. Very few people would mind receiving a relevant SMS every now and then, but if you send it too often it will quickly be perceived as disturbing. We therefore recommend a maximum SMS frequency of max 1-3 per month.

Send a birthday greeting - everyone likes attention on their birthday

Knowing when a member's birthday is is a great opportunity to give attention and create a personal dialogue with the member. As more people open SMSes more quickly than they do e-mails, SMS is best suited for sending a birthday offer or a personal greeting.

Happy birthday, <first name>! Get a 25% birthday discount on any item in store or online: <store URL> Birthday greetings from <store name>
Hip hooray for you! We hope you have a great birthday today <first name>! You get 25% on an item of your choice in the store. Welcome to visit us! Regards, <store name>

One tip is to try to renew the birthday offer every year. For some members, it may seem boring that they get the same offer every single year.

Examples of SMS to new members

When a member has signed up to the customer club, it is important to give the member a warm welcome. Use the welcome benefit as a trigger to get the member to complete registration. And the member must be able to access the benefit immediately after registration.

Welcome to <customer club name>! Get <welcome benefit> on your next purchase by completing registration here: https://diller.app/signup/xxxxxx/ Regards <store name>
Welcome to <customer club name>! As a thank you we would like to give you <welcome benefit>. Show this SMS in store or use <discount code> in the online store: link

Examples of SMS campaigns that ensure a good response

Timing is important, but the content must also be relevant and apt. Here are some examples of good campaigns. But don't forget that members are loyal for many more reasons than discounts! They will come back again and again if they feel that your particular store makes them feel more welcome than at the neighbor's or in an online store.

BLACK FRIDAY sales start now! 50% on quantities of goods in store and online. Secure the best bargains already now: <your store url> Regards <<store name>>
WINTER SALE on a number of items. Everything is going! Member discount of up to 70%. Visit the store or secure the bargains here: <your store url> Regards <store name>
Ready for the slopes? Remember that as a member you always have a 20% discount on ski service with us. Visit us in store or here <your store url> Regards <store name>

NB! Diller can help you with a URL abbreviation that takes a maximum of 20 characters.

It is wise to plan the emissaries in advance

It pays to plan seasonal campaigns well in advance, so that you reach members with relevant offers they can benefit from - when they are interested in it. Use segments and purchase data to tailor content to the various target groups.

The autumn news has arrived! Welcome to members' evening with exclusive preview and serving of bubbles on Wednesday 11/8 at 19. Welcome! Regards, <store name>
We're kicking off spring with 20% off all SCOOTER BICYCLES! The offer is valid until 20 March. Visit us in store or shop online: <your store url>
Hello <first name>. Take care of your winter skin! This week there are double points on cleaning products and skin creams. Regards, <store name>

Don't forget to coordinate campaigns with the store(s)!

When customers come to the store, there must be a clear correspondence between the message they received via SMS and the information they find in the store.
Remember to inform the staff about what has been sent out to members.
Make sure that the employees are on the SMS and e-mail list to which the campaign is sent. Then they are prepared when the customers come to the store.

How to keep under 160 characters (because then the sending only costs one SMS pr customer)

As many links can become long and use up many characters, you should shorten links with URL shorteners such as tinyurl or bit.ly. Most people appreciate quickly reading through SMS to make up their mind about the content. When sending SMS, every letter counts, and 160 characters is the maximum. You can of course share the message with several senders, but it costs "an extra SMS".