Timing is a fascinating concept, both in marketing and in life. The more you can get it right, the more effective your efforts will be. With your SMS campaigns, when you send out your messages and to whom you send them can make a massive difference to your bottom line. If you want to engage your customers, it will take more than a standard schedule.
Why Is Timing So Important?
Your customers think about countless things during the day. If you’re going to text them on the phone that they constantly use for everything from directions to calls, you’d better make that text count. This means sending relevant information, of course, but also sending it when they have a second to think about it and then act upon the offer.
Understanding Your Audience
Busy parents will have a very different schedule than retirees or even single professionals. First, you need to determine what you can offer them, then decide when they will be most interested.
For instance, if you run a restaurant that sees its slowest days on Mondays, sending out a single text message during lunchtime for a special offer may generate more orders for dinner. This is particularly true if your client base comprises people with chaotic work schedules who often end up working through dinner.
Factors to Consider
Before you configure your SMS application programming interface, there are some things to consider.
— Time zones: If your business or its customers are near a time zone border, this may affect the timing of your messages.
— Schedules: Scheduling everything from SMS reminders to one-off promotions allows you to take some time to craft your message. Getting all the details in is easier if you don’t have to worry about sending it within the next few minutes.
— Specificity: You’ll need to tell customers some facts about your business, including store hours and location. No matter what your customers are doing when you send the message, this will make it easier for them to plan ahead.
Testing and Optimization
The right SMS provider and SMS API will offer easy ways to test your campaigns. Companies like Mitto specialize in this kind of service precisely because it can work wonders for a business.
Too often, companies waste money on SMS reminders that only annoy customers instead of saving them time and hassle. Instead of generating a return on investment on these expensive SMS campaigns, businesses may be losing money in the process.
Personalization and Context
When you get an SMS about a package being at your door, the personalization and the context are all built-in. You know that the ordering process is complete, and you can verify that the organization has fulfilled its end of the bargain. Ideally, all organizations will be able to do this for their customers.
For instance, a shoe store company’s SMS API could send information about a sale on a customer’s favorite brand, including available inventory in their size.
A sophisticated SMS gateway will be able to handle even more involved SMS campaigns, which is why it’s so important to do your homework. If you’re looking for an SMS API to keep up with all of your marketing goals, choose a provider that can get the job done.
