Nailing email marketing requires many moving parts. Cold calling can feel intrusive. SMS marketing is what you need if you want to engage customers directly without feeling too pushy. 

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The average open rate for email marketing is 21%, while SMS marketing has a 98% open rate. Most people ignore promotional emails. It can go straight to spam or get ignored for months. 

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When people get a text, it feels urgent, personal, and hard to ignore. But spam is still spam regardless of the medium. To make SMS marketing work, you need the right strategies. 

What is SMS Marketing? 

SMS marketing is a way to connect with customers by sending short, targeted text messages directly to their phones. It’s great for promotions, reminders, updates, or time-sensitive offers.

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Remember that SMS must always be opt-in. Customers must consent before receiving your messages. Sending unsolicited texts isn’t just annoying; it can land you in legal trouble.

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To get the most out of SMS marketing, you need more than high open rates—you need thoughtful, well-planned campaigns that resonate with your audience. 

SMS Marketing Examples That Leads To Conversions

The following are fundamental SMS marketing strategies that help businesses like home services, healthcare, and retail get more conversions. 

Appointment Reminders

Sending appointment reminders is a simple and effective way to reduce no-shows and keep your schedule running smoothly. A quick text like, “Hi {{Name}}, your HVAC tune-up is scheduled for tomorrow at 10 AM. We’d like to confirm this scheduled. But if you want to change it, don’t hesitate to reply to this message,” shows professionalism, keeps customers on track, and ensures they feel valued.

Follow-Up Messages

Following up with a thank-you message after completing a service, selling a product, or finishing a consultation can build trust and encourage repeat business. For example, after a checkup, you could text, “Thanks for visiting {{Clinic}}! Let us know how we did by leaving a quick review: {{link}},” to get feedback and build customer relationships. 

Seasonal Promotions or Reminders

Seasonal needs are the perfect opportunity to engage customers with timely offers. A well-crafted message, like: “It’s time for your annual AC maintenance! Book today and stay cool all summer,” keeps your brand in mind while addressing a specific need.

Exclusive Discounts

Exclusive, time-sensitive discounts delivered via SMS can drive immediate action. For example, you might text, “This weekend only: Get 20% off all items in-store and online! Don’t miss out. Shop now: {{link}},” to create urgency and reward your audience for subscribing.

Post-Inquiry Follow-Ups

Responding to leads is crucial for converting inquiries into bookings or sales. After someone fills out a form or requests a quote, they should receive a text like “Hi {{Name}}, thanks for requesting a quote for your roof repair! Let’s get you scheduled.” 

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According to a Forbes study, 53% of customers go for the business that responds to their queries first. That means speed is essential when it comes to customer queries. However, you don’t want to respond too fast. That can leave customers thinking they’re receiving another auto-generated text.

Upsell Additional Services or Products

Upselling through SMS is an easy way to boost revenue while adding value for your customers. If someone has already booked a service, you could text them: “Thanks for booking your car maintenance! You can also add a tire rotation to your service for just {{$$$}} in your next visit,” to encourage them to take advantage of additional services.

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Remember to only upsell products or services that are relevant to your customer. For example, if a customer has a phone in their shopping cart, you can send them an upsell promotional text for the latest version of that phone. You can even include pricing comparisons and include a message like “For only {{$$$}} more, you can get the {{new version}} with {{updated features}}.”

Alerts

SMS is the ideal channel for time-sensitive alerts, whether flash sales, urgent healthcare updates, or emergency repair services. A message like, “Flash Sale: 30% off everything for the next 3 hours! Shop now before it’s gone: {{link}},” grabs attention and promotes action. Remember, urgency sells. It’s been a staple sales strategy for decades and nudges customers into impulse buying—which a lot of us are probably guilty of. 

Loyalty Rewards

Rewarding repeat customers with exclusive perks or loyalty programs is a great way to build long-term relationships. Instead of having customers, you can get loyal patrons who are part of a community. It also promotes exclusivity that can leave other customers feeling the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). 

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For example, you can send a text saying: “Thank you for choosing {{Business Name}}! Enjoy $25 off your next service as a loyal customer” to make customers feel appreciated and encourage future bookings.

Personalized Care Messages

Personalized SMS messages show customers you care and help maintain engagement. A thoughtful text like, “Hi {{Name}}, just a reminder to schedule your annual wellness exam. Call us at {{number}} or reply to this number to set up an appointment” helps customers stay on top of essential health needs while keeping your services top of mind.

Tools Needed for SMS Marketing

Imagine managing hundreds (or thousands!) of contacts, keeping track of responses, and scheduling follow-ups. It’s impossible to scale without losing your sanity. To scale, you’ll need the right SMS marketing tools. Let’s look at the essentials you’ll need to get started.

SMS Marketing Platforms

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SMS marketing platforms let you automate customer engagement, reminders, scheduling, appointments, and follow-ups. It’s the backbone of every SMS marketing strategy. But SMS marketing needs more than just automation. Ensure you can integrate your SMS marketing platform into your existing tech stack. 

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If you have multiple lead sources and engagement channels, you’d want a way to manage all communications in one dashboard. Chekkit does all that for you. You can see and respond to reviews, sales, support tickets, promotions, updates, and tractions without switching between apps. Everything is seamless, fast, and effective. 

CRM Integration

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools like HubSpot or Salesforce are invaluable for tracking customer interactions and maintaining a personalized approach. These tools integrate with many SMS platforms, including Chekkit, to ensure data is organized and accessible.

Automation and Scheduling Tools

Automation tools let you focus on business growth. For example, Chekkit lets you schedule texts in advance to reach customers at the perfect moment, even while you’re away. Auto-replies ensure no message goes unanswered, even during off-hours.

Review Management Tools

Reviews can make or break a business, and managing them doesn’t have to be a headache. With Chekkit, you can easily send Google review requests via SMS, helping you collect feedback right when customers are happiest. It works for Google and social media platforms like Facebook. If you need help with review replies, you can use Chekkit’s AI to create on-brand responses after a few clicks. 

Payment Solutions

If collecting payments via SMS is part of your strategy, Chekkit Pay offers a simple way to send invoices and accept payments directly through text. It's designed for convenience with options like Apple Pay and Google Pay. 

Lead Capture Tools

Capturing leads from your website is essential for growing your SMS list. Chekkit’s Textchat feature simplifies this process by saving visitor contact info and continuing the conversation through text. 

Key Takeaways

SMS marketing is a direct way to engage with leads and nurture existing customers. As a quick recap, here are SMS marketing strategies that transform conversations into conversions. 

• Appointment reminders: Helps reduce no-shows, keep schedules on track, and provide better customer service.
• Follow-up messages: You can follow up on inquiries, send post-job review requests, and ensure client satisfaction. 
• Exclusive discounts: Leverages urgency and timely and relevant personalized offers to your customers. 
• Post-inquiry follow-ups
• Upselling 
• Emergency alerts
• Loyalty rewards
• Personalized nurturing messages

Chekkit offers everything you need to maximize the impact of your SMS marketing strategy. Try it out today!

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