As the summer season approaches, ecommerce brands need to find effective ways to engage with their customers during what is typically a slower period.
SMS marketing is an excellent strategy for this purpose.
SMS marketing gives merchants the opportunity to scale their business with impressive metrics: 100% deliverability, an unheard-of 99% open rate, and a click-through rate of over 35%.
But aside from these statistics, what makes SMS the perfect channel for your summer marketing campaigns?
Consider this: It’s well-known that consumer behavior shifts with the seasons. As the weather warms, people are more likely to spend time outdoors and less likely to stay indoors.
In marketing terms, summer often leads to a decrease in desktop usage while mobile consumption remains stable.
Driven by the belief—and first-hand experience—that brands need to be where their customers are, it’s clear that targeting your customers on the devices they use, with seasonally appropriate offers, is crucial for the success of your business.
In this article, we’ll share four tips to help you kick off your SMS marketing this summer.
Let’s dive in.
Why SMS marketing?
So, we’ve touched on the incredible reach and responsiveness of SMS, but let’s dig a little deeper into why it really stands out as a marketing tool.
Firstly, the directness of SMS is unmatched. It lands straight in your recipient’s pocket, literally. With SMS, you have a unique opportunity to personalize your messages. Whether it’s tailoring copy, incorporating appealing images, or crafting irresistible offers, SMS allows you to cater directly to the individual preferences of your customers.
Then there’s the nature of SMS itself—conversational and concise. Your message pops up on your customer’s screen, and they can grasp your whole message without even unlocking their phone. This ease of access means your content is not only easy to digest but also more likely to be remembered.
And let’s not underestimate the power of brevity. A short, sharp message can be a real game-changer in a world where everyone is bombarded with information from countless communication channels.
A short message cuts through the noise, catching the attention of busy consumers who appreciate getting the info they need quickly and moving on.
4 tips to get started with SMS marketing during the summer season
Now, how exactly can you leverage SMS to connect with your customers, offer them enticing deals, and boost your sales?
Let’s explore some practical strategies to make SMS your summer marketing superhero.
Tip 1: Grow your SMS subscribers & get to know them better
To be able to text prospects with your summer sales campaigns, you first need to have them opt-in for your SMS marketing services.
Laws on that are pretty strict, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t make subscribing a truly enriching experience. And even give incentives to inspire potential subscribers and turn them into an engaged customer base – the foundation of all successful marketing strategies, regardless of the channel.
If you’d like to get started with text marketing, the first step to expanding your SMS subscriber base is through checkout.
Because your customers are now one step away from completing their order, they would be more interested in receiving offers from you in the future as well, and thus – more prone to provide you with their phone number.
Look at how one of SMSBump’s users Sand & Sky takes advantage of this little space at checkout to generate SMS subscribers with just one click.
From here on out, it’s important to keep an ongoing conversation with your new subscribers, making them feel welcome at your store and opening the door to a purchase.
What better way to do that than to ask them what they are most interested in shopping for, and send them relevant offers based on their response?
And do so via SMS, where it would be easy for them to access their special promotions and move forward to make a purchase.
At this point, you might be wondering how you can do that without dedicating a support team of 100 people to take care of all of your customers individually. Not to worry – with SMSBump you can even automate this process and only spend a few minutes setting it up.
One of their features is Conversational Flows, which essentially allow you to ask customers relevant questions and have them text you back their answers via keywords. Every reply will trigger a different follow-up message, allowing you to start a meaningful and entertaining two-way conversation with your customers on autopilot.
Perfect for the summer, right?
Each flow will then send them a link to a relevant product or collection, personalizing their experience with your brand to the tee.
This step is the natural continuation of your checkout opt-in as it gives your subscribers the feeling that you aim to offer the best experience and deals that will truly speak to them, right from the get-go.
Besides checkout subscribers, though, you can use flows to continue the conversation with all other subscribers, coming from different sources.
If you look at SMSBump’s integration with OptiMonk, you have at least one additional way to gather more opt-ins. Popups are one of the most effective ways to collect subscribers!
Here’s an example where one of the fastest-growing Shopify stores offers an incentive to its visitors in exchange for their phone number.
If you wanna collect new SMS subscribers with popups, you can try one of these summer-themed templates:
Tip 2: Ride the summer holiday wave
Who says you need a special occasion to have a summer sale?!
Still, themed promotions do much better, especially if you team them with some witty copy to convey the mood of that particular holiday.
There are some major holidays like the 4th of July and Labor Day. But besides that the summer months are filled with small and exciting summer holidays that could easily turn into celebrations and a reason for you to contact your subscribers with some sweet offers.
Just as an example, August is packed with “holidays” that can help to increase sales.
Literally every day in August is dedicated to a certain something – International Cat Day (Aug. 8), National Book Lovers Day (Aug. 9), International Youth Day (Aug. 12) and many more.
The point is that the summer months present all merchants, no matter the niche, with an opportunity to find new customers and make some additional profit.
Are you a make-up brand looking to clean up some inventory? Send an SMS campaign to your lady subscribers with a BOGO offer on lipsticks for International Sisters Day.
Or are you in the sweets business? Celebrate National Chocolate-Chip Cookie Day with your text subscribers and invite them to your physical locations to enjoy your heavenly goods at a bundle price.
While you can always find a reason to text your customers, make sure to never overdo it.
SMS is a very personal channel and subscribers who have provided you with their phone numbers expect to only be contacted when your brand has something of real value for them.
So plan your summer marketing campaign so it is relevant to the type of business you run, tailor your summer promotion, and don’t forget to benefit from these fun viral holidays, and make an impression with your out-of-the-box marketing efforts.
Now that you’ve decided to celebrate National Everything Day, let’s see how you can give your text messages a vivid personality and make them shine!
Tip 3: Give your offers some hot summer flare
Spicing up your SMS sales promotions will surely help you stay ahead of the competition this summer.
Since you have limited time to make a good first impression on your customers (and get them to spend a few more minutes in your e-store, as opposed to in the pool) giving your text messages a zing is essential to turn it into a successful conversion tool.
One of the most effective ways to grab your customers’ attention quickly is by emphasizing that your offer has a time constraint and/or will only last until your inventory does.
This way you’re both tapping in on their fear of missing out and implying that they should act quickly so they don’t let your summer promotion slip through their fingers.
A call to action such as “Hurry! We’re running out of…”, “Offer ends in 24 hours”, “Grab yours now with an X% discount” etc. will stir up their intrigue and will be an additional trigger for your customers tо make a direct purchase.
Another popular summer campaign you can successfully carry out via SMS is the flash sale.
At times of slow sales, a flash sale can act as a hype generator around a product that you have an abundance of, driving customers to instantly buy it.
To flare it up some more, use wording such as “12-hour everything-must-go sale…”, “Mid-summer clearance”, “Today only”, “Shop fast” etc., and have customers running for your offers.
Making such a bold move (with a bold discount) will give your customers a good reason to choose your store for their summer shopping.
But besides such nudging factors and marketing tricks, people respond even better to freebies.
With small freebies, you hold the power in your hands that can turn your customers into a real brand ambassador and share their insight of your brand with the world.
Tip 4: Small gifts for a big “thumbs up”
Summertime is also the best time to think in advance and gear up your store for the upcoming hectic Q4, when every merchant is for themselves, vigorously looking to attract customers and beat the competition.
One of the most important deciding factors for people looking to purchase from an unknown store is social proof.
Investing in getting reviews, comments and feedback is what will ultimately help your brand stand out and make more sales over the next few months.
And what’s the easiest way to get somebody to share their thoughts with you? Make them feel appreciated and know their feedback is valuable to you.
Adding an additional touch-point such as a “Thank you” card with every purchase, a small gift, or a personalized physical coupon code could be your way to win their hearts.
Or if you’re more of a fan of digital appreciation, you can simply set an automated SMS flow so that every time customers make a purchase, they will be greeted by a kind thank you message and a discount code for their next purchase.
Source: Pinterest
This will inspire them to share their amazing experience at your store with their friends and family, and spread the word about your brand, turning from just “customers” into loyal advocates.
FAQ
What is SMS marketing?
SMS marketing is a promotional strategy that involves sending text messages to potential customers and existing customers directly to their mobile phones. These messages can be used to inform customers about special offers, discounts, new products, and more. SMS marketing relies on permission-based practices, meaning customers must opt-in to receive messages from a company.
Does SMS marketing still work?
Yes, SMS marketing is still a highly effective channel for reaching customers directly. Despite the growth of social media and other digital marketing platforms, SMS marketing maintains several advantages, such as high open rates, broad reach (not reliant on internet access), and immediate delivery. Research shows that SMS messages have an open rate of about 98%, and most are read within a few minutes of receipt, making it one of the most effective ways to engage with customers directly and instantly.
When should I start marketing for the summer?
The timing for launching your summer sale can depend on the nature of your business and target market. Generally, it’s advisable to start planning your summer marketing campaigns in early spring. This allows you sufficient time to strategize, create engaging content, and build anticipation among your customers. For most businesses, starting to send out targeted messages by mid-spring is ideal, as it catches customers when they are starting to plan their summer activities and purchases.
Wrapping up
The versatile applications of SMS make this channel a must-have for any brand looking to maintain a close relationship with their customers with a 1-on-1 conversation.
As we discussed above, you can use SMS marketing to essentially build your entire sales funnel – from gathering subscribers, through sending them offers and making sales, all the way to establishing a relationship with them and turning them into loyal brand followers, bringing you sustainable growth.
Start today!
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Written by
Viktoria Philbrick
Viktoria is a Content Creator at SMSBump. Besides writing for work and pleasure, she is an avid foodie, a big fan of Stephen King, and enjoys spending time at the beach.
