Over the past 18 months, we have seen a resurgence in SMS Marketing for live events. SMS Marketing ideas can be incredibly powerful if used correctly. If misused, it can cause serious backlash from fans. You should treat SMS marketing as a channel in its own right if you want to make live events a success with SMS marketing. You can’t simply approach it in the same way as you would with Email Marketing; if you do, you are doing so at your own peril! To find where this channel stands and whether it’s worth your time, let’s explore it more deeply.
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Why SMS Marketing?
There are plenty of reasons to consider alternative marketing platforms and channels in 2022. Among the effects of the pandemic on modern customer behaviour and journeys are the eclipse of third-party cookies, and the ever-changing algorithms of search engines.
Some marketers have been deploying tried-and-tested SMS marketing ideas as well as new and bold ones. Marketing trends are constantly shifting, with anecdotes of this channel’s inefficiency and claims of its amazing potential.
Let’s take a closer look at this channel and decide if it’s worth your time. Firstly, we will look at its statistics, then we will summarize its use cases.
Effectiveness of SMS Marketing
Let’s start with some impressive statistics about SMS marketing. Even email marketing, Is a highly efficient and effective marketing channel and holds up to those calculations.
The findings from 99Firms confirm these findings, adding that both marketers and audiences embrace it:
- 96% of marketers said that SMS messages helped them drive revenue.
- Customers are interested in signing up for texts in 91% of cases.
- More than 69% of consumers would interact with firms via text message.
And finally, an astounding 70% of recipients read SMS within 5 minutes after receiving them.
Best SMS Marketing Tools To Explore
Let’s see top 5 SMS marketing tools which could meet expectations with high ropes.
- Omnisend
- ClickSend
- Twilio
- SlickText
- TextMagic
Kickoff your business SMS marketing effort with the help of these tools and connect with your customer more than before.
SMS Marketing Ideas – Ways to Integrate It
Consider the following SMS marketing ideas to integrate SMS technology into your next virtual events or conference to create a more engaging experience!
Before the Events KickOff
Set Up & Manage an Event
It is best to begin marketing your event using SMS messaging by reserving your keyword-a phrase that customers can use to subscribe to your list. With just one text, your subscribers can sign up for updates, promotions, and more.
This keyword and shortcode can be advertised on your social media platforms, your website, on signs at the venue, and even on the tickets themselves. It can be advertised anywhere that gives some visibility and encourages people to sign up.
Offer Incentives & Discounts
Start your SMS campaign by offering a discount for new sign-ups. Offering discounts like a percentage off for their next event tickets, vouchers or freebie for events is a great way to engage an audience and have them start subscribing.
Read audience engagement ideas here.
Promote Ticket Sales
By using the text messaging show your customers to know when your event tickets go on sale or let them to know if there are any pre-sale events or discounts. Segment your audience group and start your SMS campaign based on their interests – the most considerable SMS marketing ideas to be.
Provide Event Reminders
To generate excitement among attendees, send countdown reminders before the weeks or days to generate excitement. Use some SMS scheduling apps to automate these texts to avoid last-minute frustrations.
During the Event
Hold a Sweepstakes
Host “Text-2-Win-Sweestakes” among attendees and offer a chance to win some exclusive merchandise, tickets to a future event, passes or even a gift card. All you have to do is, ask your attendees to text a keyword to your shortcode and they’ll be automatically entered to win.
Allow the Audience to Answer the Speaker’s Questions
Speakers generally ignite a conversation with the audience to make their presentations even more interactive. With thousands and thousands of people engaged virtually, there will be a contradiction between them. In order to avoid this, ask attendees to answer the questions proposed by speakers through SMS.
Find the list of survey questionnaire to ask for post events here.
After the Event
Even after the events get over, your audience is still warm. To tap their excitement, get the feedback from them to make your event even more successful in the future.
Here are a few guidelines to get started with the SMS campaign after the event hit successfully.
- Within a week of the events, send the text message to all your contacts and get appropriate feedback.
- Try to avoid pushy or aggressive language and never ignore the negative feedback.
- Try to maximize the days of follow-ups because people won’t wait for a long period of time.
- Use MMS, images and incentives to increase your response rates.
The trick is to be timely and polite – show your audience and appreciate their feedback. A thank you goes a long way.
As a final note
SMS marketing ideas are undeniably effective. Compared to email marketing, it has excellent open rates, response rates, and CTR rates.
You can use all those SMS marketing ideas in any phase of your sales funnel, from lead nurturing to customer retention. Offering discounts can capture new customers just as efficiently as recommending products to existing customers or enhancing their experience.
It is not easy, however, and requires careful planning. Adhere to local laws and regulations, control the tone and frequency of your outreach, and create relevant, engaging copy.
Despite its briefness, this list of SMS marketing ideas should help you get started. Get in touch with HexaFair if you have additional questions or would like to explore marketing automation options.