subject: The Potential Of Sms For Sport And Leisure Firms [print this page] Companies across a range of sectors have begun to discover the immense potential that SMS holds for their business. From mobile marketing to customer service, SMS messaging provides a fast, targeted form of communication that has been shown to elicit a greater degree of customer response than more conventional means. But what specific applications does a web-based SMS service have for firms in the sports and leisure industries? Can it really provide tangible benefits over and above those delivered by traditional forms of communication?
First of all, it's important to note that the versatility of SMS messaging gives it a wide variety of potential applications that can be of immense value to businesses that operate in the sports and leisure sector. It can be used for targeted promotions and other marketing initiatives so that existing members and customers receive special offers that help to build customer loyalty and deliver a greater return on investment. Notifications can also be sent out alerting the customer base about upcoming events and promotions.
SMS also has more utilitarian applications that are very useful for companies that like to keep their customers informed and show them that they're valued. Appointment reminders can be sent out by spas and treatment clinics to ensure that clients don't forget their bookings, while football clubs can use SMS to announce when tickets have gone on sale. Warnings of rescheduling of fixtures or cancellations sent by text have a better chance of being read by the customer than e-mail, helping companies to minimise any disappointment.
In fact, this higher visibility is one of the most appealing aspects of SMS as a means of communication. Studies have found that customers often intuitively dismiss e-mails and letters from companies as spam and choose not to read them, while text messages are virtually always read shortly after they have been sent. Some put this down to the more personal relationship people have with their phones, but in any case it grants an immediacy that is immensely valuable to business. Conducting marketing and customer service through SMS means that companies also benefit from the fact that customers have decided to opt-in to the service. This guarantees a certain receptiveness to the messaging that helps to reinforce the connection between company and customer.
Ultimately, SMS is of real value to the sports and leisure industries because it offers a cost-effective, targeted way of delivering a wide range of different communications to interested customers. Having the ability to communicate with members and clients in such an instantaneous and versatile way is of particular benefit to sport and leisure organisations that have vast and varied membership bases that need to be kept engaged with various offers, promotions and events. It can reduce the need for large customer service departments because one bulk text message sent through a web-based service is a fraction of the time taken to call one customer on the phone. All in all, SMS offers a comprehensive tool for businesses of any size in the sports and leisure industry.
