8 SMS Marketing Trends To Look Out For In 2022

August 18, 2021

With users moving away from a web-centric approach to a mobile-centric one, marketers have started to closely monitor SMS marketing trends that stick with their audience.

creating sms marketing campaign
Image from Pixabay

The majority of customers prefer SMS marketing i.e communicate by text with businesses. SMS is 35 times more likely to be read than emails. Studies show that SMS messaging has risen by 378% since 2019.

These astounding figures indicate that SMS marketing is here to stay.

It also means that you need to keep your strategy up-to-date to capitalize on current SMS marketing trends.

SMS marketing trends are all associated with SMS's compact nature as a channel, along with the need for better, more direct communications. This article compiles the latest SMS marketing trends and answers all the questions you might have regarding them.

Table of Contents

8 SMS Marketing Trends To Watch For In 2021

SMS Marketing Trend #1: SMS as a Channel for Customer Service

SMS marketing is a primary way to send customized promotional, transactional, and notification messages to consumers. Supporting customers via SMS reduces long hold times and multiple transfers that customers encounter when calling customer service.

customer support staff
Image from Pexels by @mart-production

With SMS marketing, customers can resolve issues quickly - without needing to wait on hold or transfer. SMS can also increase consumer trust and increase profitability by reducing resolution times.

Studies show that more than half of consumers prefer SMS to phone calls when contacting customer support. Companies use SMS marketing to engage in numerous customer service activities such as:

  • Verifying order confirmations.
  • Monitoring shipments and providing delivery tracking information.
  • Appointment scheduling and confirmation.
  • Replying to Frequently Asked Questions.
  • Handling support tickets.
  • Getting feedback on products and services.

A few benefits of SMS marketing over traditional communication methods include:

Enhanced Engagement

On average, consumers use their phones for over five hours every day. Hence, you can reach customers in their existing environment where they are already spending their time through SMS marketing.

More Convenient

SMS marketing offers more efficient and convenient communication - essential in an era where consumers have very little patience for lengthy resolution processes.

Saves Time and Cost

In addition to saving time and effort, SMS automation can also speed up service when running a marketing campaign.

Your CRM can be integrated with your website to automatically send important updates or sequences of messages on frequently asked questions. SMS is also among the most affordable customer support channels.

SMS Marketing Trend #2: Personalization

An added benefit of SMS marketing is that it is less formal and more flexible than a phone call or email. Through SMS, you can target individuals by name, preferences, purchase history, and more.

Personalizing your text messages ensures your clients feel appreciated and seen. Personalized messages increase the chances your audience will interact with your brand and take action.

Despite being quite common, SMS marketing rarely makes use of personal information such as birthdays, anniversaries, or any other similar information.

Marketers and content creators who understand the importance of building powerful relationships with customers make use of this information in a manner that increases revenue and brand loyalty simultaneously.

As one of the most direct and intimate communication channels, SMS will play a definitive role in helping brands create personalized journeys that help them create deeper connections with their customers and provide them with what they want - relevant offers and an enjoyable experience.

SMS Marketing Trend #3: Automated Marketing

Trigger-based messages also called automated messages provide text marketers with a similar benefit to email automation. You can use triggers to notify customers when a milestone is achieved, notify them when a product is added to the cart but not purchased, and give them a heads up if an out-of-stock product becomes available.

SMS also adds a sense of personalization to automation so that your audience is more likely to take action on your message.

You can create a seamless customer experience via SMS, automating each stage of the process. You can also offer your customers a more relevant experience by segmenting them based on data such as demographics, personal interests, and more.

Don’t forget to welcome all new subscribers with a juicy offer, reclaim carts in two or three steps, win back previous customers with a special offer, and make sure to take advantage of post-purchase discounts.

Furthermore, you can expand your roles and connect to customers on multiple occasions by automating all of your messaging. You can provide all the help they need, from assisting them to navigating your store's inventory and website, to advising and assisting them.

SMS Marketing Trend #4: Collect Customer Feedback Frequently

In e-commerce, reviews are quite powerful as many potential customers do research reviews before buying a product.

Earning customer reviews, however, is not an easy task.

SMS offers an effective tool for gaining customer reviews and establishing trust with an engaged audience. By sending your customers a review request via SMS, you will enhance your chances of receiving positive reviews and demonstrate your sincerity in caring about their experience.

You will be able to showcase the feedback your customers give you and make use of it in the future.

SMS marketing is becoming an increasingly popular method for collecting customer reviews because of its high engagement. Sending SMS polls and surveys to your customers can help you assess and monitor customer satisfaction.

Encourage customers to leave reviews by sending an opt-in feedback request periodically. Send out automated text messages to customers after they make a purchase or interact with your company so they can provide feedback while it is still fresh in their minds.

Giving customers the chance to send feedback via SMS will allow you to discover areas that need improvement, allowing you to correct mistakes and win back dissatisfied customers.

SMS Marketing Trend #5: AI-Enabled Chatbots

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in mainstream software has increased significantly with technological advances. AI-powered chatbots are already stepping in to handle customer questions, complete tasks, and facilitate orders with no human involvement.

Artificial Intelligence will also enable greater personalization, allowing companies to create more meaningful customer interactions.

chatbot
Image from Pixabay

AI-powered chatbots can effectively communicate with customers over SMS - letting them know about updates, send reminders, and answer general questions.

To answer queries naturally, the chatbots are designed to learn from previous data, collect more data, and understand the data from which they are being developed.

SMS Marketing Trend #6: Send Updates and Reminders

SMS messages are perfect for sending reminders since they are instantly delivered. Organizations that rely on scheduled appointments know the frustration of having clients forget appointment times and arrive late.

reminder
Image from Unsplash

SMS marketing comes in handy here. A reminder via text message is a great way to make sure clients do not forget their appointments and show up on time.

It is also possible to improve the quality of your customer service by offering customers the option to reschedule or cancel appointments through text messaging.

SMS also offers greater real-time interaction than email or another channel for communicating changes, cancellations, general information, or updates about a client's orders.

Generally, consumers prefer upfront communication from brands. It gives them information about products and services they may be interested in, hence resulting in higher average order values.

You can adopt SMS marketing as a unique channel that keeps your customers up-to-date on the latest promotions, events, and appointments.

Keeping your customers informed by SMS is an easy, convenient way to stay in their heads without disrupting their days via a phone call or email that becomes buried in their inbox.

SMS Marketing Trend #7: Growth among B2B Companies

In a world focused on mobile devices, receiving text messages is a more convenient response than an email. It holds for both business decision-makers and consumers.

Choosing the right customer is the key to success for B2B companies, which rely heavily on relationship-building and targeted marketing campaigns.

With SMS capabilities expanding rapidly, using SMS in your B2B marketing campaigns has become just as vital as email marketing or paid advertising.

When engaging in B2B SMS marketing, it's important to establish communication and offer value. Marketers are now using SMS marketing to reach B2B customers in creative ways, such as:

  • Providing logistical updates and order updates: Personalized messages let customers know their orders are on their way and when they should expect them.
  • Announcing new products and services: Informing customers about new product launches, current product updates, and service improvements keeps them up-to-date.
  • Lead generation: By communicating directly with potential clients through SMS marketing, you can nurture client relationships.

With two-way SMS, you can constantly develop and improve SMS campaigns for B2B based on client feedback. In addition to enhancing client engagement and allowing you to track behavior and preferences, two-way messaging also allows you to collect data for future marketing campaigns.

SMS Marketing Trend #8: Evolution into one of the best-performing channels

The undisputed king of marketing is email marketing, with their highest ROI and a multitude of benefits, they are intended to dominate. E-mail marketing platforms, however, can be costly compared to SMS.

Customers will likely lose interest in opening each email in the near future. No subject line will be catchy enough to entice them. At that point, businesses will need to adopt something new, and SMS marketing has already positioned itself as the most preferred option.

Emails tend to remain unread for a long time. But when it comes to SMS marketing, customers will be constantly reminded to check their unread texts, eventually leading to an increase in engagement.

With more organizations implementing SMS programs, SMS marketing will become a high-ROI digital marketing channel soon.

Here are some industries that can use SMS marketing to advance their business goals:

Retail

SMS can be used to communicate with customers about discounts and coupons during uncertain times.

Banks

Text messaging can be useful for enhancing security or reporting on incoming funds.

Travel Industry

Coupons, reminders, schedule arrangements, and updates are typically sent by text messaging in the travel industry.

Hotels

Messages can be sent to confirm reservations, provide updates, and suggest additional services.

Restaurants

Through SMS, a restaurant can communicate menu updates or information about special events as well as promotions and coupons.

Wrapping Up

Using SMS as a communications solution will allow your business to be flexible in meeting customer demands. SMS marketing can be an effective strategy for promoting your company's products and services and building customer loyalty.

Keep your customers connected at multiple touchpoints with your SMS marketing program. Make sure that you build meaningful triggers so that even if a customer misses a social media post or Google ad, they will still recall your brand due to the SMS they received.

But how do you know you have an accurate list of phone numbers?

With a service like VerifyBee, you can verify phone numbers easily using your CRM or via a list upload. You can then keep them in the loop with automated order confirmations, subscription notifications, and shipping notifications through SMS marketing.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up today on VerifyBee and streamline your customer verification so your sales team to focus on closing deals rather than chasing fakes.

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