by Tara Kelly
In today’s fast-paced digital environment, SMS marketing has become a powerful tool for B2B brands looking to connect with their audience.
Fully 90% of customers read texts within five minutes, so it’s no wonder firms are quickly trying to join the texting party before it’s over.
Once upon a time, reaching consumers was difficult. But the consumer connection is so much more accessible now, as 90% have also consented to receiving marketing messages.
The challenge for brands now lies in standing out.
How can B2B companies ensure their SMS marketing efforts don’t just blend into the noise but actually make an impact?
B2B brands must create informative, consistent messaging that delivers value with every interaction.
An invaluable data set about a company’s customers should be at its fingertips and form the backbone of any effective SMS marketing campaign. The information gathered from previous interactions, purchases, and preferences should inform every communication strategy.
A B2B business needs to harness this data not only to personalize content but also to give a customer a much more meaningful and interesting experience.
But data alone doesn’t cut the deal. The greater challenge is using that data to create relevant messages to your target audience.
Hyperpersonalization is more than just using someone’s name in the text; it means delivering personalized content to the recipient at the right time, through the right channel, and in the right context.
Even the most well-crafted, hyperpersonalized text messages will not yield results if it’s not sent through the customer’s preferred channel. The key for B2B brands is to understand that SMS is simply part of a more comprehensive communication strategy.
An effective SMS marketing strategy should be an integral part of and fit within a customer’s omnichannel experience so they can seamlessly move between communication channels as needed.
For example, if customers are more comfortable with email or face-to-face communication than text, the SMS campaign will largely fall flat—or potentially even feel like it intrudes on their privacy.
It is crucial to determine in advance that SMS is a channel that the intended audience prefers. That can be done via preference centers or surveys, or by looking back to previous interactions that let you know where customers are most responsive.
Regarding message timing, another common trap of SMS marketing is simply following traditional calendars—think holidays or sales events. Though those are important, B2B brands should consider a greater range of events that will impact clients.
For instance, matching your text messages with relevant industry events, conferences, or dates of new product launches could make them highly relevant and timely for recipients.
On the other hand, knowing when not to send a message is just as important, such as not reaching out to customers during catastrophic weather events that may be affecting their business.
One of the most compelling ways to do SMS marketing is to ensure that both in-person and online interactions feel connected. That can be done using data gathered from online activities to improve in-person ones—and vice versa.
One way of gather such data is “clienteling,” whereby the sales team gets valuable insight through person-to-person interactions and then doling that information back into the company CRM. The result is a single view of the customer that is always updated for very personalized SMS communications.
Say a customer has shown interest in a particular product during an in-person meeting; following up with a targeted SMS referencing that discussion can create a more cohesive and personalized experience.
Similarly, if there are particular resources or landing pages your customer clicks on, referring to those inside your SMS communication will help further solidify the relationship for greater engagement.
Not all text message vendors are created equal. Sure, many will provide quick and easy solutions for blasting out messages. Still, it is critical to partner with an entity that allows intelligent, data-driven messaging strategies.
One way to assess the quality of a text vendor is based on how well they facilitate an omnichannel experience. For instance, does your vendor offer building links between SMS messages and other channels, such as email? Can they supply information about customer behavior across various platforms so that you can create more cohesive, better-informed campaigns?
In hyperpersonalization, email has been a level-setter for delivering hyperpersonal messages. SMS is not quite there, but it’s quickly catching up. You need a vendor that will equip you with the tools to deliver the personalization your customers expect and the proper instruction on how to optimize those messages for the best results.
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Ultimately, your SMS marketing success will be determined by how easily you adapt and learn from every customer interaction. If a customer isn’t engaging with your text, it’s a telltale signal that maybe it’s time to re-evaluate your strategy.
By incorporating customer-centric approaches, B2B brands can raise their SMS marketing game and ensure the messages not only reach their customers but also land with them.
How to Harness the Power of SMS Marketing: A Guide to Best-Practices
Seven SMS Best-Practices and Tips for Marketers
Five SMS Campaigns for B2B Marketers to Try
How SMS Automation Bridges the Gap Between Your Sales Team and Customers and Supports Digital Transformation
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How B2B Brands Can Stand Out With SMS Marketing
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tara Kelly is the founder, president, and CEO of SPLICE Software, a customer engagement company that specializes in using big data, small data, and artificial intelligence to create messages that drive customer engagement and the desired call to action.
LinkedIn: Tara Kelly
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