How personalized SMS marketing is changing customer engagement and behavior

2020 was the year of changes on many levels and customer engagement was no exception. The pandemic pushed consumers to shop online from the comfort and safety of their homes and this in-turn challenged businesses to go digital. With a whopping 2.14 billion digital buyers worldwide, the whole shopping process—from discovering, researching, and ultimately purchasing has extended not only to their computers but also to their mobile devices. 

Focusing on the sense of ease and convenience, the way brands connect with customers is changing too. One-to-one and SMS marketing, centered around personalized interactions with customers, optimizes marketing efforts and helps build customer loyalty. But how exactly is personalized SMS marketing changing customer engagement? Let’s dive in and find out. 

Honing in on customer retention

According to a recent study by Soprano Design, 85% of smartphone users prefer text over emails and calls. This is inspiring brands to heavily rely on personalized text messaging as an effective way to strengthen their customer engagement and retention while driving repeat purchases. 

The immediateness and accessibility that SMS messaging brings to your marketing strategy will help build a bridge of direct communication with your target audience and drive faster engagement. With an almost 100% open rate, SMS is the perfect channel to communicate important  information instead of sending an email that can often get lost in your customers’ inbox. Simply put, it ensures you send the right message to the right people at the right time. 

Furthermore, the directness and the real-time aspect of text messages not only serves as a platform to help spread your message, offers, and promotions but also allows your customers to take immediate action— meaning they won’t miss a product release, time-based discount or exciting special.  

Personalize your message

Customers want to stay updated and receive first-hand news from the brands they love, so you need to be delivering content that will eventually drive revenue. By offering direct value through promotions, updates, and incentives, it’s no surprise that personalized SMS is highly efficient to help brands connect with their audience. 

In the digital world, users are constantly bombarded with app notifications, spam emails, and bulk messaging from several businesses or service providers they once used. But, to set yourself apart from competitors, personalization is key. According to Epsilon, a global data-driven marketing agency, 80% of consumers are most likely to complete a purchase when brands offer a personalized experience. This just comes to show how brands must seek ways to provide real value and cater to the customer’s needs and wants, rather than sending generic and impersonal messaging.  

A Timely call-to-action  

Personalized SMS marketing, when done right, prompts users to not only appreciate but also react  to messages. An irrelevant and poorly timed message will come across as invasive to a user, but when sent just at the right time, you’ll be rewarded with action, be it a purchase, subscription, or a website visit.

Let’s think about Superbowl, for instance. Global audiences watch this event worldwide and don’t want to receive intrusive text messages about a discount on any product unrelated to the sports event. A successful strategy would consider teaming up with a local bar to deliver discounted beer or VIP seats to watch the game with friends, thus catering to what the customer (according to their demographics and interests) wants. The more relevant your offering is to the moment, person, location, etc., the more likely your customer will buy from you.

The recipe is quite simple and results in engagement that is truly valuable to both the customer and your business. Personalization is king, and when combined with the right channel at the right time, it can truly deliver extraordinary results for brands across all industries. To learn more about how to leverage personalized SMS marketing in your business, visit our resources or contact us.