subject: Text Messaging - Next Generation Marketing [print this page] Text Messaging - Next Generation Marketing
Delusional thoughts like these are common and can be heard nearly everywhere these days.
My question is, "Really?"
We all know about "self-fulfilling prophesy" and "What you think about, you bring about." I'm here to tell you that, just as surely as your thoughts, words and actions can torpedo your business efforts, they can also launch them.
In business, aside from the requirements of having good products and/or services and locating where your customers can easily find you, marketing and promoting is, by far, the most important factor between business success and failure.
Sure, solid systems and tight inventory and financial controls are critical, but if you can't get customers to buy your stuff in the first place and then, buy over and over again, those metrics are useless. You're going to lose in the game of business.
So, if promoting is the key that unlocks the door to opportunity, how to you choose which promotion tool to use? After-all, there are as many options "out there" as there are fish in the sea. All of them seem like wonderful cure-all's in a disease filled world. But, is there one that, if properly implemented, could actually create real, measurable impact on your business' bottom line?
Maybe there is.
What if you could talk to your customers anytime you wanted? Tell them about special offers when you have them? Get them to promote your business with enthusiasm to their friends and do it all in 60 seconds or less once a week? Would that begin to solve your promotion problems?
The solution to the promotion problem might be as simple as the cell phone in your hand. When you text your friends, don't they reply back almost immediately? That's because over 90% of all text messages get read within 3 minutes. It's quick, simple and a very effective way to communicate.
It's also a powerful business promotion tool.
Your customers have cell phones too. If you have good stuff and they like to get great deals on it, then they'd love to receive your texts.
Industry averages put text message marketing at near 25% effectiveness. That's so high it's unbelievable! Think about it. Direct mail is lucky to get 1.5% response and newspaper ads and similar mediums are hard to even measure. 1% would probably be welcomed.
Try it.
If you have 10 of your customers' cell phone numbers, send them a text and offer them something from your business - maybe a "buy one, get one free" offer or a big, fat discount on a store favorite if they come in today or better yet, if they come in within the next 90 minutes. Tell them that you're trying out this texting medium and ask them for feedback. The best feedback, of course, is to see how many actually come in to take advantage of their texted promotion.
You can now extrapolate the percentages of interested users.
Now do the math.
Let's say you have 1,000 customers who join your VIP Text Club. Remember, they join themselves because they want to get great deals on your stuff. You send those 1,000 "fans" a text say, once a week to promote your "specials."
Even if it's only 10% effective, 1,000 texts to those customers yields 100 sales. How much profit do you make per sale? If it's $10.00, you just made a cool $1,000.00 and it probably cost you less (far less) than $250.00.
How's that for return on investment? How's that for proof?
Ready to get started? Read on. My other articles and blog posts will teach you how. They'll also give you best practice ideas on how to make the most of this cool new tool.
Jim Richardson is a veteran marketer. He lives on the central coast of California with his wife and two children.
He's available for coaching, speaking or just plain brainstorming. You can reach him via email @ jim@powertextpro.com or by calling (800) 664-8354.
