Texting for local businesses is an effective and convenient way to sustain a personalized connection with clients while streamlining sales. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, texting (aka SMS for Short Message Service) for business was already gaining in popularity. But the pandemic pushed texting to the premier marketing method as consumers longed for a personalized connection to local businesses during a time of social upheaval and uncertainty. Clients truly realized the ease and value of being able to text with local businesses.
Why You Should Use Texting with Your Prospects and Clients
Mobile Marketing Watch states that text messages have a 98% open rate, while email only has a 20% open rate. Switch to texting because:
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- Almost every American adult owns a phone with SMS capabilities. (Pew Research Center)
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- All age demographics use texting.
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- Texting is efficient. It may be impossible for clients to call during your business hours as they juggle their own hectic work and life schedules. Furthermore, texting eliminates frustrating rounds of phone tag (saving your time, too).
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- New potential clients feel texting is less intrusive than phone calls or in-person meetings.
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- Your employees can use their time more efficiently since they receive smarter responses/engagements.
Improve the Client Experience
Many clients prefer to connect and interact by using their trusty smartphones. Did you know that about 90% of people will respond to texts in merely three minutes or less^? Efficient, concise SMS format with 160 characters or less genuinely appeals to your busy clients.
Make it simple for clients to connect via texting for our local business:
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- Send targeted responses like appointment reminders or helpful confirmation updates.
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- Answer questions quickly to improve customer service communications and prospect inquiries.
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- Collect payments instantly by providing a quick link with a variety of convenient payment method choices.
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- Texting is an effortless way for clients to quickly fill out short surveys as well as review/rate your business. Without texting, you rely on your busy customers to open an email, read it, and remember to go to and log into a review site. Now, your business can text a link to a review site so your clients can easily publish their opinions. (Having numerous positive reviews improve your local Google ranking, too!)
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- Send targeted text campaigns, such as special promotions, and watch in awe as your business grows with return customers.
Most of your clients WANT to use texting. Businesses that don’t evolve with their clients’ desires in mind will ultimately be left behind.
Considerations Before Starting Your Texting Campaigns
Are you ready to embrace texting for our local business? If so:
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- Understand that countries and states have their own rules/regulations to protect consumers against spam. Make sure there’s some way that customers opt in to receive your promotional messages.
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- How will you use texting strategically with your business model? (You don’t want to annoy customers with excessive texting.)
The global COVID-19 pandemic spurred on — and then cemented — the importance of texting for our local business. Texting has continued to experience steady, rapid growth as clients increasingly desire efficient virtual interactions. The convenience, personalization, and speed of text messaging will allow clients to stay in touch all while automated features and less phone calls take stress off you and your employees.
UmeWorks is an authorized reseller of Podium, the comprehensive SMS marketing platform for local businesses. Contact us with your questions or to get you started with this all-in-one SMS platform to generate leads and retain customers.
Source:
^PCMag.com
