55 posts categorized "SMS Marketing Ideas"

Watch any boxing match or UFC fight and you'll see the power of combinations. One hit after another does more than single shots landed one at a time. This is just as true in the "ring" of SMS advertising. By piggybacking ideas on one another, you increase the impact of each message. Though there is an infinite variety of ways to make this happen, most fall into four categories with different applications.

1. The One-Two Punch

The most common piggybacking technique, probably because it's the simplest and easiest to implement. You send out a message that teases an upcoming broadcast, then follow up with the teased broadcast. Take these examples:

     *At 9 am, your restaurant broadcasts a poll for what your lunch special should be.  At 11 am, you broadcast the result, along with a special coupon for everybody who participated. 

     *Your clothing store broadcasts an announcement of a new clothing line on Monday. Tuesday morning, your second broadcast is a coupon for a discount on that new line. 

2. The Callback

You've seen this used by stand-up comics. They tell a joke, then move on with the routine. Ten or even thirty minutes later, they throw out a line that references the earlier joke. It's effective on stage, and will be effective in your SMS. Try one of these callbacks:

      *Research the broadcast that had the highest response in the last three weeks. Send out a new message offering a discount for anybody who can bring in and show you that broadcast.

     *Give the leadup for a simple joke in a broadcast during one week. The following week, simply broadcast the punch line with no explanation. Those who get it will really get it, and pay more attention to future messages.

3. Brainstorming Seeds

If you're out of ideas for SMS broadcasts, go through your old ones and use them to create new ideas. Bonus points for using only the most popular messages as seeds. Some ways to do this include:

     *Copy down five to ten messages. Come up with five to ten expansions on the theme for each. 

     *Find ways to "reskin" effective messages to keep the structure or concept, but change details to make it feel like a new broadcast. 

4. The Countdown

If you do this with only two messages, it's a one-two punch, but you can build excitement for an upcoming event with a series of messages that really pump it up. Consider five to seven leading messages, organized in templates like these:

     *A simple date countdown to the event in the vein of "8 Days Until Sale-a-Palooza"

     *Broadcast a discount each day for different items related to the upcoming event. These could be thematically linked, or even gear customers might want to accessorize with a new line.

What have been some of your most effective piggybacked SMS ideas?  Share with the class by adding a comment. We'd love to hear from you.

One of the biggest challenges of coming up with awesome SMS Marketing messages every single day is...well...coming up with awesome SMS Marketing messages every single day. What used to be exciting becomes a grind, and the temptation to just throw out something uninspired can become overwhelming. When you're in that space, consider some of these techniques to get reinspired for SMS greatness.

• Make Time For SMS "Pencil Tapping"
  Because it takes so little time, it's easy to relegate your SMS creativity to the spaces between other tasks. This not only leaves you with insufficient time, but often adds stress and time pressure to the process. Instead, block out time to come up with a week worth of SMS ideas at once...and defend that time as vigorously as any other appointment. 
• Protect Your Ideas
  Promise yourself you will never cross out an idea during a creative session. Once you've generated ten or twenty, you can then eliminate or change the ideas that weren't right for the job. But if you judge your ideas as you come out, you'll end up judging those ideas before you explore them fully. 
• Take a Walk
  A little exercise stimulates your brain and gives you time to let your creative side ramble a bit. A quick walk around the block or up and down the stairs at the office can give you that exercise, or you can schedule your devoted creative time for after a workout. If you know that's the schedule, you'll already be noodling during your gym time. 
• Focus on the Small
  One major roadblock to creativity and motivation is becoming intimidated by the size of the task at hand. If you're having trouble getting started, focus on a small thing -- like a single line or choosing what product to promote -- to get moving. Once you've finished that first task, you'll have established enough momentum to carry you through the rest of the day. 
• Cheat and Steal
  If you're absolutely out of ideas, churn through your most successful broadcasts for ideas you can reuse and repurpose...of go through broadcasts from merchants you follow, or even your competition. You don't have to reinvent the wheel with every post, and once you've repurposed one broadcast you'll have primed those creative pumps enough to keep going on your own. 

What do you do to stay creative when the ideas aren't coming? Tell us your best techniques in the comments below.

Spring has definitely sprung in most parts of the country. Although everybody and their uncle will be shooting out SMS broadcasts about Mother's Day and Memorial Day, the most effective SMS Marketing will be a little more unique.

Try these templates for seasonal SMS to put a little spring in the step of your bottom line for the month.

1. Here Comes the Rain Again
   If you live in part of the country that gets lots of May showers, make a game of it. Hold contests for the best rainbow pictures, or offer discounts based on how many inches of rain came down the day before. You'll be topical and local while simultaneously fostering that sense of community people feel during inclement weather.
2. Fun Running
   May marks the beginning of the fun run/triathlon/adventure race season in many states. It's the first month that's really warm enough for casual athletes. Celebrate success by sending out a coupon for anybody who brings in a runner's bib. You can also reverse the idea by having customers text in their race times. Post them on a whiteboard or other sign indoors, and give a deal to everyone who participates.
3. Those Other Holidays
   Every month has its share of "junior varsity" holidays, and May is no exception. A little imagination will make these broadcasts both educational and profitable. Some lesser-known May holidays include
   • Lost Sock Memorial Day (9th)
   • National Dance Like a Chicken Day (14th)
   • Visit Your Relatives Day (18th)
   • National Hamburger Day (28th)
4. Take Them Out to the Ball Game
   Spring sports season is in full swing at your local high schools, meaning there's a ball game every week the people in your neighborhood care about. Post current scores, or offer a deal when the home team wins. The same goes for other spring sports like track & field, golf and tennis.
5. Gardening Time
   Though the hard-core gardeners have been raising plants in their garages all winter, May is the month the rest of us get working on our yards and gardens. You don't have to run a landscaping business or home improvement center to make relevant SMS. Even a bar can offer a half-price drink for people with dirty knees.
6. School's Out For Summer
   Late May is when the earliest releasing school districts close up shop for the summer. If your business deals with children or youth, a countdown series all month long will be well-received. If you deal mostly with parents, a series of deals to help prepare for the added hassles might succeed.

Share what you do with your May SMS below. Bonus points for photos of your National Dance Like a Chicken Day picture contest.

Not every boss is as tech-friendly as you are, and even those who are might be enamored with social media or pay-per-click options. Whether your job depends on solid SMS engagement, or you just think it's a good idea, here are a few arguments to get The Man (or The Woman) on board.

SMS Marketing is...

Immediate: People respond immediately when they receive a text message, even if it's just to glance and forget it. Smart texting includes SMS polls, contests and short-term offers to test just how many people are engaging with the message. That means you know the same day what messages work and which don't. Compare that to the fire-and-guess methodology of yellow pages, broadcast and print advertising.

Inexpensive: If you have an in-house expert handle things, SMS is almost literally free -- it just costs the time your team spends generating content, managing subscribers and checking results. If you do hire an outside service to manage your broadcasts, the cost per impression still comes in far lower than most other media.

Measurable: Measuring ROI on advertising is hard. There's time lag, confusion about which message made the sale, and the nebulous concept of "brand recognition." With SMS, you have a daily report of specific numbers to show what percentage of subscribers saw, responded to, shared or engaged with your message. Combined with the immediacy of the reports, you can fine-tune your SMS campaign at a level that's unique among marketing modalities.

Scalable: Even with bulk discounts, it costs much more to send 5,000 mass mailings than to send 500. Not so with SMS. With the right plan, the cost can literally be the same as you grow your company and subscriber list. This is because you don't actually make a second copy of anything as you invite in more people. It's all automated and digital. The only added cost comes as you cross the thresholds of your text service plans.

Effective: Reports show that SMS coupons get opened within 15 minutes of sending, and are redeemed at 5 to 10 times the rate of paper coupons. Compare that to the effectiveness of your most recent mass mailing or newspaper spot. The only medium that does nearly so well are those "daily deal" sites like Groupon.

Is your boss raising objections we haven't knocked down here? List them in the comments, and we'll give you the perfect rebuttal.

A lot of SMS Marketing content consists of one-off messages. You have an idea, or an event, and you shoot out a broadcast. A little while later, you have another idea and broadcast another text message. Rinse, repeat. This can be effective, but doesn't build the retention and front-of-mind awareness you'l see with a combined approach to your text marketing campaign. Here are four multi-message ideas to incorporate into your mobile marketing plans. 

The One-Two Punch
The simplest combination broadcast, this means sending a message that promises another message coming soon. This is the text message version of interrupting a sentence with "wait for it...." It builds anticipation and makes both messages more memorable and powerful. Some examples of a one-two punch include:

• Announcing a dinner special at lunch time, then sending the details at 3PM.
• Broadcasting a poll, followed by the results. 
• Sending the setup for a joke, then the punchline.

The Running Gag
They're not just for sitcoms anymore, and they don't necessarily have to be funny. Any theme you can use to link multiple broadcasts together builds momentum in a way individual SMS pieces won't. These can be iterations of a joke, comments on a hashtag-style common theme, or items in a numbered series. For example....

• Develop a habit of sending photos of a particular thing related to your business. 
• Top ten list in the Letterman style.
• A "Friday Fun" message delivering predictable content at the same day and time each week.

The Countdown
Similar to the running gag, but with a finite finish, this can build some of the highest anticipation and engagement. It's exactly what it sounds like: a series of broadcasts leading up to a finishing event or climactic broadcast. Try these examples, or make up some of your own.

• Daily updates for the 10 days prior to a sale or other event.
• Hourly coupons sent in anticipation of a midnight release sale. 
• A "Twelve Days of Christmas" style series leading to a holiday.

Some Assembly Required
This one is more involved, but can be among the most effective and fun combined SMS campaigns. Choose five to ten messages you'll be sending, and include part of a message in each one. Subscribers who pay enough attention to gather all the parts can put it together for a special deal, prize, or admission to an exclusive event. Bonus points for putting the message in a code, then sending the key as a final broadcast. Want to simplify a longer campaign? Use our free drip messaging feature to make it happen automatically!

What kinds of combined broadcasts have you sent out? How have they worked? Join the conversation in the comments below. 

For some of the college-aged folks among us, Spring Break is all about partying, travel and public nudity. But if you run a business that serves actual grownups, the party theme for spring break SMS marketing campaigns is less compelling. Instead, consider a few of these ideas for seasonal text messaging campaigns with a wider appeal.

1. Gardening Time
   For most parts of the US, Spring Break is when gardening starts to get into full swing. Planting, or preparing to plant, is on the minds of many homeowners. Your business doesn't have to be a garden center to get in on this. Clothing stores can promote their sun hats, hardware stores can push gardening tools. Even a restaurant can offer a coupon for anyone who comes in with dirty hands.
2. Parent/Kid Deals
   Not every parent sends their kids to Cabo for spring break, especially if those kids are still school-aged. You can take any kind of buy-one/get-one, 50% off or other group-oriented deal and spin it as a parent/kid activity. This works best for fun-time activities like restaurant meals, spa days and skydiving. Anything that would make a parent excited about spending some time with a child.
3. Talk About the Weather
   March weather differs depending on where you're located, but in most parts of the country it can get a little weird. Whether you're in for rain, or wind, or the first melt of winter snow, you can make a big deal out of it. Watch the weather predictions and broadcast a poll, or have a weird weather photo contest. All participants get a deal, and winners get a bigger prize.
4. Spring Cleaning
   It's still a tradition in many households, and can become a thing in others with the right push. Your exact broadcast will depend on what you sell. Retail can focus on cleaning supplies. Restaurants can offer easy take-out for between-cleaning fortification. Any business could hold a before-and-after photo contest to sell pretty much anything.
5. Post-Game Celebration
   Parents love their kids, but they also love the peace and quiet and productivity that comes with those kids going back to school. In the week immediately after spring break, take advantage of this feeling by offering a deal for parents who want to enjoy the extra time and energy.

What are some of your favorite Spring Break memories? How can you turn them into SMS success? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Turning out 160 characters over and over again seems easy, but after a while you find yourself running out of ideas (Looking for ideas? We’ve got lots of SMS Marketing Ideas). Worse, you might find that your SMS Marketing efforts aren't reaping the benefits you want because of some specific problems in how you write them. If your campaign results lack a little luster, check your records for these five all-too-common wording problems.

1. Weak Call to Action
   The power of SMS marketing comes from its interactivity. You text somebody an opportunity, and that somebody takes advantage of it. If your call to action boils down to "well, you might want to think about it...you know...someday...maybe," spice it up with a directly stated deal with a limited time and specific action.
2. Using TxtTlk ("Text Talk")
   Yes, people read SMS advertising on their phones. No, it's not a reason for your marketing material to read like you hired a 14-year-old to write it for you. Keep messages professional and easily readable. If you must cut down on characters, drop words like "the" or "and" instead of truncating content. That said, there are times when ‘text talk’ is appropriate. Only you know who is on your list, so the answer to what it is appropriate to use ‘text talk’ is a subjective one.
3. Generic Content
   Your subscribers want intimate details, actionable advice and insider information. Never broadcast something people could look up on your website. Keep it focused on your specific company and the specific interests of your subscriber list.
4. It's All Adspeak
   In print and on the Internet, phrases like "Act Now!" and "Satisfaction Guaranteed!" are invisible to the consumer. They're so common we don't even notice them anymore. On a text message that just interrupted your Temple Run ;game, they're downright offensive. Stay personal, realistic and genuine at all times.
5. Generic Time Frame
   If the SMS broadcast you're about to send today can easily wait for tomorrow or next month, don't send the broadcast. Instead, do something to link it solidly with something going on in the area, with your business, or on the calendar. This keeps the content as relevant as possible, and syncs with what's already on the minds of your subscribers.

While these quick fixes can make a big difference in any campaign, it never hurts to review our complete guide to SMS Marketing best practices.

Valentine's Day SMS Marketing campaigns seem like a no-brainer for February content, because almost everybody is thinking about Valentine's Day....and that's the problem. It takes a lot for a Valentine-related marketing message to get any kind of attention. Instead, try cycling in content about other lesser-known holidays and events.

The reason Valentine themes rule February marketing is because it's the most famous holiday of the month, but consider some other holidays. Some people know about, while others are obscure enough that you get to inform as well as entertain and sell.

• February 12 -- Abraham Lincoln's Birthday
• February 14 -- National Organ Donor Day
• February 14 -- National Condom Awareness Day
• February 16 -- Do a Grouch a Favor Day
• February 18 -- President's Day
• February 20 -- George Washington's Birthday
• February 20 -- Love Your Pet Day
• February 26 -- National Pistachio Day

The month also has its fair share of observance and awareness markers. February is.....

• American Heart Month
• Black History Month
• Canned Food Month
• Heart and Stroke Month
• National Wise Health Consumer Month
• National Senior Independence Month
• National Children's Dental Health Month
• National Weddings Month (despite June being the busiest month for weddings)
• National Grapefruit Month

The first week of February is World Salt Awareness Week and National Consumer Protection Week. The second commemorates Burn Awareness and Congenital Heart Defect Awareness. Week three of February includes Children of Alcoholics Week, National Cardiac Rehabilitation Week and Random Acts of Kindness Week. The fourth week of the month encompasses both Trails Advocacy Week, Freedom to Read Week and National Eating Disorder Awareness Week.

If there's nothing in all of those days you can use to engage with your subscriber list, you're probably better off sticking to basics (we've got some ideas for you there too). Whether you celebrate these observances humorously or seriously, with a sale or a trivia contest, you'll get the attention you deserve by standing out. Don't forget to look into local festivals and events for additional opportunities. Basketball, wrestling, volleyball and swimming seasons are still running strong at your local high school, and the weather may just be starting to change.

Talking about the weather might be cliché, but it's something everybody has in common. You can use this commonality to engage with your subscriber list using some or all of these cold-weather themed SMS marketing ideas.

1. Record Lows Mean Record Lows Announce early in the season that you'll be offering a ridiculously big discount coupon on the first day of the season that breaks a cold-temperature record. Send weather updates from time to time to keep people interested and engaged. When the day comes -- you may have to dig into some obscure temperature records to make sure it does ("coldest Thursday of the decade," for example) -- drop your coupon with a one-day time limit.
2. Weather Advisory Services Since you're already tracking the weather for your record lows campaign, start updating subscribers to any heavy weather advisories you hear about. Offer suggestions about traffic safety, saving on heating bills and other tips related to the chilly weather. If your business has goods or services that can help your subscribers manage the cold, include some coupons.
3. It's So Cold Contest Do this once a week, offering a simple discount to all participants and a larger deal to the winner. The rules are simple. Each participant finished the sentence "It's so cold...." in the funniest way possible. Share winners on your website and Facebook pages for cross-platform success. Offer bonus points to people who can come up with an answer that matches your business.
4. Awesome Hat Ambush Use this to generate instant business on a slow afternoon. Send out a buy-one/get-one coupon with a two-hour time limit just before the lunch break or evening shopping rush. Offer an even bigger BOGO to anybody who shows up wearing an awesome winter hat. The definition of "awesome" is up to you and your staff.
5. Winter Sports Events Winter has great opportunities to sit down in front of the tube with friends, such as the Superbowl and the NCAA March Madness basketball playoffs. As these events approach, broadcast trivia and other notes celebrating the season -- and announcing related specials your business will offer. During the game, hold a trivia contest or similar even to hold engagement ant interest.

Have you dropped any particularly interesting or effective SMS campaigns during the cold-weather months? Tell us about them, or your best ideas, in the comments below.

Ed. Note - We wrote this as a guest post that originally appeared on Intuit's Accountants Blog last March. We're republishing it here because it's just as relevant to this tax season!

Now that it's March, the busy tax season is in full swing. For accountants, this means a mixed blessing of brutally busy weeks combined with significant extra income. As with most industries, accounting has changed in the past decade as the Internet has become a progressively larger part of American culture.

This tax season, you can take an even deeper tech plunge and use text messaging to retool how you do business. The results can mean quicker work flow – leading to even more customers, or a slightly less stressful season for your office.

1. Tax Advice Broadcast Start in the next few days with a periodic broadcast to your existing clients, offering a simple line of tax advice along with a countdown of how many days remain before the tax deadline. This won't bring in new clients, but might recapture a lapsed customer and make sure your regulars don't wander off.
2. Early Bird Specials Offer a discount coupon via SMS broadcast to customers who come in and file early. This can extend your most profitable season while simultaneously making April a little less hectic.
3. Receipts and Proof If your clients made any donations or deductible purchases via text-to-give or mobile platforms, their phone bills may contain a record of those transactions. Have them forward them in to your office along with their other documents.
4. Ask a Simple Question One of the most frustrating parts of an accountant's March and April is the 10-minute client call to answer a one-minute question. It's nobody's fault, but it eats up a disproportionate amount of a tax professional's day. You can instead send a text message with simple, brief questions. It takes less than a minute, your client can respond when he's near his records, and you have a handy written record of the entire conversation.
5. Status Updates It's reasonably simple to send a quick text to your clients as their returns pass through the various hurdles of tax season. Better, it's easy to set up a sequence of form texts. As each client reaches a new stage of the process, you can pull the trigger on the appropriate SMS in seconds. This personal-feeling service will help make sure that client comes back for next year's season.
6. Early Warning System Even as early as December, you can start sending out text broadcasts with hints for identify, storing and organizing tax documents as they come in. This keeps you in a client's front-of-mind awareness with each message, and makes everybody's lives easier if they follow the advice.

New To SMS Marketing? Check out our Free SMS Marketing Resource Center to learn everything there is to know about text messaging for your business.