Introduction

Quite often, text message marketing is associated with the word bulk. High open rates and engagement mean that it is frequently used for promotional reasons. Businesses can create an enticing offer and send it out to customers within just a few short minutes. The ability to log in to your account and send one message to your entire contact list makes it a very beneficial communication platform.

While this can generate big results for your business, there are also other ways that businesses can use text message marketing to communicate with customers. For example, it is great for sending out order confirmations, delivery notifications, security codes, and appointment reminders. Without these key updates, customers could miss an important appointment or have to sit at home all day waiting collect a delivery. We can see how both would be equally annoying.

By sending a quick text, you'll be delivering great customer service to your customers and they'll appreciate your business a lot more for it. Here are five things that you should consider when you are texting customers to deliver important updates.

1 - Keep it personal

Whether you are sending thousands of texts or just one, you should still acknowledge that every recipient will read your message as if it was meant for them only. Taking the time to personalise your message and thinking about how it will be read will do a great deal to strengthen your brand.

Try to include the first name of each customer at a minimum while only texting them with offers or updates that you believe they would have a genuine interest in. This is an important step that some businesses overlook when sending texts and getting a reputation for being too persistent or using the wrong tone can damage your brand.

Providing your customers with an opt-out link also shows that you care. If you are looking for great templates to help you with structuring and wording the all-important text message, you can find some brilliant examples here.

2 - Provide after-sales support

As already mentioned, texting customers doesn't always have to be focused on selling. If used correctly, text message marketing can enhance the customer experience and convert buyers into loyal customers. It also shows your customers that you care about them as an individual rather than the money in their pockets, and that's exactly how every customer wants to feel.

A great strategy to have is that you should aim to text your customers three times after they have made a purchase. First, you can text your customers with an order confirmation. Secondly, text them with a delivery notification upon dispatch. Finally, send a follow-up text asking your customers to find out if they are liking their purchase and how they can get in touch if they have any issues.

3 - Upcoming payments

Lots of companies now offer subscription services or payment terms that allow multiple contributions across multiple months. While this provides customers with a great way to spread costs, it also means that they could forget about upcoming payments. A great way to remind customers about future payments is by sending them a quick SMS reminder. After all, there’s nothing worse than checking your bank account at the end of the month and seeing a payment that you’d completely forgotten about.

4 - Send reminders

Although we hate to admit it, occasionally forgetting about an upcoming event or appointment is common practice for most of us. The beauty of using text message marketing is that it allows you to send reminders to your customers in the run-up to an event or appointment. With text, you're able to send an initial confirmation text and then an additional reminder a few days before the actual event.

MyWhile text reminders are usually associated with healthcare appointments, they can also be used for many other reasons such as an upcoming gym class, salon appointments, sports events, music concerts and more. And, the best part is that they reduce no-shows, saving your company both time and money. You can find out more information on sending text reminders here.

5 - Collect feedback

Collecting feedback from customers is a crucial part of any business and it's important to know what you are doing well and how you can improve. Without listening to suggestions, your business could miss out on a lot of opportunities and may not reach its full potential. Additionally, failing to make continual improvements may lead to your customers looking elsewhere because you haven't asked them what they want.

If you are finding it hard to collect feedback, then you may want to offer an incentive to your customers. Common rewards for providing feedback include competition entries or a voucher that can be redeemed. You're also more likely to receive positive reviews if you are providing a strong incentive. Then, you can use your review scores to promote your company across your website and social platforms.

Sending review requests via text is one of the most effective ways that you can collect customer feedback. Since SMS has open rates as high as 98%, your review requests are guaranteed to be read by almost every purchasing customer. That request will then sit in their inbox until they open it or delete it. When using text to collect reviews, you can either ask your customers to reply directly to your message or you can send them to a feedback form by including a link in your text.