Boosting Customer Engagement With 2 Way SMS

While the majority of businesses and nonprofits have implemented social media campaigns via websites, fliers, and promotional posts designed to drive traffic to their sites/events/activities, these campaigns are typically one-way. 

This means that while they may send users information about their company or cause after interactions on their website or social media pages, there is no way for them to properly ‘engage’ users in conversation.

With the growth in the popularity and accessibility of mobile phones everywhere, two-way text messaging has become a more viable option for businesses to expand their marketing to users on the go. With mobile users increasingly engaging in SMS messaging for business-related interactions (such as appointment setting and general inquiries), 2 way SMS marketing is emerging as a critical component of any successful online campaign.

2 way SMS is also known as Two-way Mobile Messaging or Two-way Short Message Services (SMS). The technology enables organizations to send out ‘broadcast’ messages to targeted users using keywords and numbers. Recipients reply directly to the organization through text messaging with questions, comments, and ideas – all of which can be tracked by the organization.

Success in Using Two-Way SMS Corporate Marketing

One of the most common ways that organizations have found success incorporating 2 way texting into their marketing campaigns is through customer survey response. 

By incorporating 2 way message marketing into their campaigns, businesses have been able to gauge customer satisfaction and gain market intelligence while offering an interactive experience to customers that they are interested in. 

Customers can reply with a simple “yes” or “no” through text messaging, and organizations can respond with a follow up question or remark to encourage further engagement. This not only helps the business better connect with their customers, but can potentially lead to a sale.

Beyond customer feedback, 2 way texting has also been effective in fundraising and driving traffic to events. Organizations often use two-way SMS campaigns to drive attendance to events by offering limited time discounts or promotions on their tickets.

Event organizers can send out a message to their target audience to promote the event, including information on the time and location of events or a link to purchase tickets. The next day, attendees that reply with relevant information can be directed to an e-mail confirmation page where they can opt-in to receive future events in their inbox.

Benefits of Using Two-Way SMS Service

Organizations have integrated sms services for business into most industry sectors, but it has gained popularity in the following:

Direct Engagement With Customers

The main benefit of 2 way texting is the ability to reach customers directly so that they can be engaged with on an individual basis. With traditional methods such as email campaigns, broadcast messages typically don’t include any tracking mechanisms or ways to reply back and engage the users. 

Better Communication

When receiving a commercial email, many users tend to only open it and delete it without interacting with it. This can be damaging to a business’ reputation and can cause many users to become frustrated or annoyed. 

On the other hand, two-way sms services for business allow the organization to engage in conversation with customers about their experience with a company.

Two-way sms services for business have also been used for personal use and relationship building purposes. 

Conclusion

The main challenges to incorporating 2 way messaging into marketing campaigns include costs associated with sending out text messages (such as text messaging plans, costs in phone numbers of customers, and fees for hosting the service). 

A business must also find a manufacturer or service provider that can send out text messages to customers.