Given consumer habits, an SMS (Short Message Service) campaign will be more cost-effective than an email campaign when it comes to advertising promotions. Since customers are constantly on their phones, they are more responsive to text messages than to emails. Furthermore, the response time for a text message is quick—it takes only a few seconds, compared to several minutes for an email. SMS campaigns are therefore particularly important for promotional communications. How do you run an SMS campaign on WordPress? The following sections outline various techniques for maximizing the effectiveness of an advertising strategy on WordPress that focuses on SMS messaging.
Completely overhaul the mobile communications campaign
The goal of an SMS campaign isto increase sales bothin-store and online. Developing it using the WordPress CMS (Content Management System) starts on a solid foundation, which is why preliminary research is so important.
Defining the Objectives of an SMS Campaign on WordPress
Unveilingthe overall objective of the SMS campaign marks the starting point of the initiative. Whether it’s a product launch or promotion, an appointment reminder, an invitation to an event, lead generation or conversion efforts, a special announcement, or a private sale—all of these are reasons for running an SMS campaign.
The objectives fall into two categories: customer acquisition and customer retention. Beyond its marketing aspect, the campaign is intendedas a wayto establish and maintain contact with the target audience.
Diversify the audience's touchpoints
As part of a marketing strategy, successfully engaging with your audience requires diversifying your communication channels. Text messaging is certainly an effective way to communicate with customers. However, relying solely on it may cause you to miss out on other opportunities.
To ensure a return on investment and message retention, multiple channels are utilized, including online advertising, social media, email marketing, digital signage, and many others. The choice of touchpoints will then depend on the target audience.
Targeting the Audience
Who is the target audience for the SMS campaign on WordPress? The answer to this question will reveal the nature of the audience.
The target audience analysis begins by examining the characteristics of the product or service. It then examines the synergy between the specific features ofthe offering and those of the future users. This stage of the review draws your attention to the target audience’s socio-professional background. This analysis will reveal the profile of the target audience: young people in a specific age group, children, households, seniors, students, workers…
Segment the different target groups
After targeting comes segmentation. Contacts are sorted based on:
- location;
- behavior;
- the target audience's purchasing habits;
Segmentation makes it easier to personalize SMS campaigns, a key factor in the campaign’s success. It reduces the number of unsubscribes and, at the same time, increases the campaign’s ROI (return on investment). It prevents the message from becoming generic and ensures its relevance. In short, it strengthens the communication effort.
Create a file for each client
Message deliverability reflects the performance rate of an SMS campaign. This metric measures the number of people among the contacts who successfully received the message.
A deliverability rate of 93% or higher indicates that your marketing efforts are on the right track. A rate below this threshold signals a problem with your strategy: a gap in your data or an error in the information.
The success of the campaign requires the creation of an up-to-date, accurate, and comprehensive customer database. It covers the characteristics of the target audience: their habits and behaviors. Developing this database will support your market expansion efforts.
Sort the database
Your database consists of customer files and prospect contacts. Building this database will make it easierto craft your core message. It will also serve as a guide for your campaign strategy.
The process begins with setting up a system for collecting information. Signing up for newsletters, enrolling in a program, or attending an event are all opportunities to collect data.
Each file contains useful and actionable information such as:
- phone numbers;
- first and last names;
- date of birth;
- place of residence;
- customers' purchase histories.
Next, sort your data and group together contacts who share common characteristics (age, gender, place of residence, etc.).
Obtain consent from the targets
Collecting prospects’ contact information is one thing, but obtaining their consent to use that information is another. Prospects’ consent is essential under the Personal Data Protection Act. As a reminder, the regulation requires that explicit consent be obtained from the owner of the phone number before any telemarketing attempt is made.
However, consent from customers—that is, your brand’s loyal customers—is unnecessary.
Use the SMS campaign in moderation
The SMS campaign strategy on WordPress should be used sparingly. Repeated marketing messages can come across as harassment. When bombarded with information, customers will feel overwhelmed and eventually grow tired of it—and, at worst, unsubscribe from your messages.
In addition, short text messages convey a sense of urgency. Their use requires a certain degree of discretion.
Send your messages only in connection with exceptional offers, limited-time promotions, sales, and special events (telethons, fundraising, awareness campaigns, etc.).
Focus on the content of the text message
A successful SMS campaign on WordPress requires a high engagement rate, but you still need to capture recipients' attention with relevant content.
Contact the relevant people directly
The character limit for a text message is 160, including spaces. So get straight to the point—don't beat around the bush.
The target segmentation process has already identified each contact’s name. Address them by name. This simple trick helps build rapport and fosters a sense of loyalty to your brand.
No law requires a specific location for the customer’s name. While some companies place it at the beginning of the message, others put it further down in the body of the text. You’re free to choose where to place it; the idea is to enhance the message’s impact.
Use the formula: one text message = one specific action
A successful campaign follows a simple formula: one text message = one action. Each message conveys a single piece of information that supports a specific action. For example, the text message encourages the recipient to click on a link leading to your online store or to a market research survey.
Limiting the amount of information keeps the recipient's attention and encourages them to take the requested action. On the other hand, including too much information in a message can confuse or even discourage the prospect.
Organizing Content
Establishing a content structure reduces writing errors. Structure your texts according to the standard hierarchy for text content, namely: hook + offer + contact information. Don’t forget to include the “STOP” message. As a required component of a marketing text message, this element makes it easier for recipients to unsubscribe from the mailing list.
Maintain consistency in your message. Avoid informal terms and text-speak, which can undermine your professionalism and brand image.
Round out the text by offering a reward (a discount on any offer, a gift certificate, a small gift, etc.) in exchange for your request.
Choosing the Right Words
The choice of words determines how understandable the text is. Creating content that is impactful, concise, and understandable requires a strategic selection of terms.
Use a direct tone. Choose your vocabulary based on your audience. In other words, use creative and casual language with young people. This target audience also appreciates puns and entertaining content.
People of a certain age prefer formal language. Polite language is intended for older audiences.
In every respect, avoid aggressive language. Stay natural and clear.
Customize the SMS content
Personalization helps people remember. This strategy builds connections with customers.
Including the recipient's location and name are the best ways to personalize a short marketing message.
WordPress offers a variety of plugins designed to customize text messages. Installing them will make the process easier for you.
To build closer relationships with your target audience, personalize your message by incorporating a specific mailing list based on customers’ most recent purchases or preferences. This technique reengages inactive prospects and builds loyalty among new customers.
Another tip suggests replacing the TPOA (Transmitting Path Originating Address, or the sender's name) with your company's name. This helps recipients remember your message and sets it apart from the sea of promotional text messages.
Include links in promotional content
Including a link speeds up response times. You can place them anywhere. However, putting them at the end of the message makes it easier to direct readers to the link. This placement complements the text and further persuades the reader.
Any links are allowed: links to your phone number, to a landing page, to your website, or to another impactful site.
A CTA (Call to Action) is also essential. It will be the culminating factor in the consumer’s decision.
Schedule Mailings
The type of product or service category—in other words, thenature of your business— determines the choice of shipping date and time.
Regulations govern the scheduling of business text messages. The law prohibits sending messages on Sundays and holidays, as well as between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.
The timing of your email campaign affects the open and read rates of your message. The time slots between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. are not ideal for getting your message opened. Instead, aim for the time slots between 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Also, use the client file and tailor the program to fit your contacts' schedules.
See also: How much does a Facebook ad cost in 2022?
Use WordPress plugins designed for SMS campaigns
WordPress offers a wide selection of plugins for automating SMS campaigns. Among these solutions isthe official WooCommerce Twilio extension. It integrates with other WordPress plugins.
Integrate Twilio SMS Notifications with WooCommerce
Twillio is a comprehensive plugin that includes a wide range of features. The extension updates content related to purchase incentives. It sends notifications regarding customers’ consent to receive SMS updates and updates on the status of their orders. In addition to these features, it allows you to test promotional messages before sending them.
As a WooCommerce extension, installing it unlocks its features.
Integrating Gravity Forms with Twilio
Gravity Forms is a plugin designed to support your SMS campaign on WordPress. Integrated with Twilio, the plugin allows you to:
- to send automated notifications for every form submission, every payment, and every action taken in response to your message;
- to include short links in your message without using up any of the 160 characters;
- to install the PayPal Gravity Forms extension to send payment notifications to customers.
The extension is available as a paid version. Payment is made through a subscription.
Using Formidable Form with the Twilio SMS Add-on
The Formidable Pro Business Package is a plugin that collects customers' phone numbers. In addition to the data collection feature, the tool extracts relevant information from targets' messages.
During your surveys, the tool will help you record votes and responses.
The extension works with Twilio's add-on feature, which allows you to send and receive SMS and MMS messages worldwide. The feature costs $0.0075 per message sent or received.
Integrate Easy Dating with Twilio's all-in-one extension pack
The Easy Dating plugin sets up a reservation management system. In other words, the plugin records customers' appointment times. It integrates with the Twilio extension pack.
Combining these features results in appointments being scheduled in an automated calendar. The plugins also update booking confirmation statuses, customize message templates, and include an automated reminder system for upcoming appointments.
Get familiar with the Joie du texte plugin
Joy of Text is a flexible plugin for the WordPress CMS. Its features focus on sending messages as part of an SMS campaign.
Its versatility is its main strength. Among its versions is the Joy of Text Pro plugin. This plugin automatically sends messages, provided you have a subscription starting at $65 (about 60 euros) per year.
Joy of Text Lite is the budget version of the plugin. Its features are limited to collecting phone numbers via a form and sending messages to your subscriber group.
Using Clickatell's Appointment Scheduling Feature
Twilio also integrates withthe Clickatell extension. The module consists of a digital communication platform that sends two-way messages. The extension connects to your WordPress CMS using an API key (Application Programming Interface key). This is a unique identifier used to authenticate a computer program and unlock its features in other applications.
Clickatell sends messages to recipients in over 1,000 countries. The costs for sending and receiving messages vary depending on the number of recipients and their countries. The extension personalizes messages based on subscriber name tags.
To use it, you need to sign up for free and create a Clickatell account.
Running an SMS Campaign: A Summary
Knowing how to run an SMS campaign on WordPress involves a series of steps that can be broken down into three phases. The first step is to review your SMS campaign plan. To do this, define the objective of your mobile communication. Next, diversify your touchpoints. Identify and segment your target audiences. Create and link a customer file to each contact, and organize the information in your database.
The second step focuses your attention on the message’s content. Address your target audience. Ask for a single action in each message. Structure the content and choose the right words. Personalize your text and include links to redirect recipients and calls to action. The second step concludes with scheduling the messages based on your target audience.
Now we come to the final step in the SMS campaign: using WordPress plugins. Twilio remains the go-to plugin for WooCommerce. Its integration with the Gravity Forms, Formidable Pro Business Package, Easy Dating, Joie du Texte, and Clickatell plugins enhances functionality. Combining these plugins simplifies the processof automating SMS campaigns on WordPress.
Which of these tips would you like to try to boost your promotion using the SMS messaging service on WordPress? Let us know in the comments.
