The advantages of Two-Way SMS
Two-Way SMS has distinct advantages over common one-way SMS marketing campaigns. Many marketers proclaim that SMS is the “new marketing” and blast away with promotions, discount deals and “expires today” offers. Open rates are extremely high and visual impact with customers is nearly instantaneous.
However, how useful is a one-way marketing medium when companies constantly talk about brand engagement, the customer journey and social media followers? Two-way SMS is a clear winner in this context. The ability to have one-to-one conversations with customers in scale is very compelling.
Popular TV shows often use a single short-code for inbound responses. These are effective for voting on realty TV contests, Super Bowl ads and other mass inbound efforts. However, how effective is this in creating conversations with real people about real products and how your company is meeting customer needs?
Consider the idea that franchise owners need the benefits of mass marketing but want and need the loyalty of local customers. Franchised brands like Crumbl, Chick-fil-A, Jiffy Lube and a host of others need high value relationships in order to maintain growth and turn profits. Franchised brands need customers that return again and again and Franchise Owners need loyal customers to return to their individual location(s). Two-Way SMS meets this need.
With Two-Way SMS companies can assign and use a dedicated, local phone number for each franchised location. Each location can send corporate approved, standardized text messages, personalized with local customer detail and all inbound responses are returned directly to that store. The phone number is local so it conveys location ownership and local involvement in the community. Local employees respond to inbound messages and are directly involved with customer feedback – and have an opportunity to create raving fans.
Two-Way SMS is not limited to franchised brands but can be applied in similar fashion to sales organizations, enterprise account managers, territory managers and many other multi-location, multi-layered organizations.
As you think about Two-Way SMS consider combining the technology with a strategic customer model. Customers do not have equal value for companies. Customers come in many shapes and sizes: most loyal, most profitable, most at risk for defection and most vocal to name a few. It may be very appropriate to send Two-Way SMS to high value customers (e.g. the 10% of your base that creates 80% of company profits) and use one-way mass texting for coupons and promotions only.
SMS marketing is a valuable technology but one size does not fit all. Do it right and your customers will love you. Do it wrong and text message marketing will go the way of email where response rates are way under 1% and network carriers, companies and individuals will block you.