Building Customer Loyalty Through SMS Marketing

Bringing in new customers to your business is a challenge itself, but retaining them and building a meaningful relationship is a whole other feat. Brands often struggle to find the right communication channel and messaging to grow customer engagement. With so many new small businesses booming following The Great Resignation, building customer loyalty is paramount to stand out against competitors. This is where SMS marketing comes into play.

SMS is more than a channel to communicate and chat with family and loved ones — and brands are catching on to this to help attract their customers to engagement drivers such as loyalty programs. According to a recent study, 72 percent of consumers are more likely to sign up for a loyalty program through text messaging based on its simplicity.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at more benefits and tips for building customer loyalty and boosting retention through SMS marketing.

Attract Qualified Subscribers

Due to its immediacy of message delivery and mobile nature, SMS brings people together with their family, friends and, of course, loved brands. Through SMS marketing, consumers have the opportunity to stay updated with real-time notifications, promotions and exclusive offers from their favorite brands.

Unlike with traditional channels, such as email and voice, when customers give out their phone numbers for SMS marketing, they allow the brand to get closer to them. SMS messages don’t end up in a spam folder or drowned in an inbox, and are way less intrusive than a phone call. This is a clear indicator that consumers want to receive valuable updates and therefore become qualified leads and prospects in a business’ database.

Leverage Tools Through Integrations

After brands build their valuable customer base with quality subscribers, it’s time to really leverage the power of SMS marketing. Texts are meant to be short, so this means that the content must be enticing and to the point. But how can businesses ensure they’re making the most out of their message’s screen time?

Many marketing tools allow seamless integrations with SMS, offering a myriad of features. Among them are e-commerce via text, enhanced customer support, simplified payment processes, and personalized landing pages. The simplicity and seamless nature of these tools takes the direct and responsive SMS channel even further.

Use Customer Data for Future Campaigns

Data is king, and this is true across all industries. Brands can enrich future campaigns and bring customers closer to purchase through insights, such as purchasing habits collected from previous transactions. Personalization allows consumers to feel exclusivity and catered to by the brand, which results in long-term loyalty. It also optimizes marketing efforts and ultimately leads to great rewards, such as increased sales and customer satisfaction.

In today’s landscape, brands must seek to retain their customers and remain competitive in the market. SMS marketing helps nurture customer relationships and serves as an optimal channel to communicate directly with your audience. By ensuring qualified subscribers, leveraging tools available for integrations, and using insights to deliver personalized text messages, your business can improve retention and boost your customer lifetime value.

Greg Chen is the co-founder and CEO of Mobiz, a SMS marketing platform that connects brands with their customers.