MARKETING
11 Proven SMS Marketing Strategies to Increase Sales in 2023
Incompetently planned marketing activity often leads to a decrease in the results and efficiency of work actions. Even with a good target audience a professional marketing agency, and the tools to increase it, not everyone knows how to take advantage of it. Although in order to get success, it is enough to just start acting. Therefore, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the most proven SMS marketing strategies that will help you increase sales and make a profit.
Text message features
Almost all modern users actively use mobile devices to buy goods and services, pay bills, transfer funds, etc. According to research, 41% of consumers prefer to receive news about brands via SMS. Therefore, this is the best platform for promoting your offers. If you analyze the activity of people, when receiving a letter by email and a text message, they will read the second one more quickly. And this proves that a gadget is present in the life of a modern person most of the time.
The first step in developing a marketing strategy is text messaging. The basis of such a message is a short code and a keyword. The first is a set of numbers that are entered into the recipient’s window. And the second can be your brand, by which the consumer can immediately identify your company. Text messages are sent when the customer has consented to the subscription. It is not possible to impose systematic mailing on people without their consent. And even after the consent, it’s important to give people the option to opt out if necessary by entering a code word or number.
This is general information about text messages, but without knowing the specifics of your e-commerce strategy, you won’t be able to use them effectively. Therefore, we will learn what needs to be done so that your short text is not only opened and read but also started to act. And later – they remained among your customers.
1. Personalization of messages
In order to increase your audience, each consumer needs to be well-studied. In particular, his preferences, the applications he visits most often, and his purchase history. So you can analyze which offer will suit him the most. When sending a message, you should enter the recipient’s name in the text. This will allow a person to feel his importance and understand that this is not a general mailing to everyone and everywhere.
2. Conciseness of the offer
Every day, people receive hundreds of emails in their inboxes and delete most of them without reading them. What is the reason? The text failed to interest them. To ensure that your letter will be read, try to put the main point in the first sentence. Start the appeal with the offer and bonuses, if any. This will attract the reader’s attention and is guaranteed to speed up the customer’s decision. If you have an unique offer you can use tool such as a landing page to further explain your messaging.
3. Special offer
The best way to attract the customer’s attention is to make him feel the exclusivity of the offer. To do this, form the text in such a way that the person understands that he is a special customer of this company (VIP buyer, new member, etc.). Emphasize this immediately when addressing the addressee.
For example “Attention all online retailers! Are you tired of spending a fortune on shipping costs? Look no further! Our company, is proud to announce our special offer of up to 70% off on all shipping rates for the next two months.
4. Limited time frames
Help the person believe that he has received an urgent offer and cannot lose it. Therefore, one should take appropriate measures – make a purchase, issue a subscription or order a product, and immediately. Be clear about the offer period and compare what the difference is to the customer: why is it important to do it now and not two days from now?
5. Shortage of supply
A person always wants to get what is in limited quantity. Present your product as expiring, almost expiring, or no longer on the market. Create a feeling of scarcity of the product and you will see that the consumer will respond to this offer more quickly.
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6. A clear call to action
After you offer customer service, don’t forget to call them to action. The simpler and clearer the appeal, the faster the target audience will respond to it. But do not use excessive pathos, the client immediately senses insincerity.
7. Systematicity of messages
Determine the optimal frequency of the mailing, which will allow you not to look annoying and at the same time remind the client about the existence of certain services. The best option is twice a week, but it also depends on the specifics of the services and products.
8. Temporal synchronicity
Send text messages around the same time, and determine if it is convenient for your customer. Of course, texting at midnight is not a good idea. Therefore, choose the optimal time period when it will be convenient for your client to familiarize himself with the offer.
9. Performance analytics
Periodically analyze the effectiveness of text messages and use data to optimize them. In particular, such data as the number and frequency of opening letters, and the time of their opening. For this, there are special tools that allow you to collect data from the reaction to messages. So you will understand whether you are doing everything correctly and whether the marketing component is working.
10. Game with bonuses
In order to bring back customers who have not been active for a long time, you can send a text message with special discounts, order bonuses, and holiday offers. But it must be noted that the company is grateful for the previous orders and is waiting for the next ones. Because he values every client and this one in particular.
11. Adaptation of messages
Before sending a message to a customer, make sure it is optimized for reading on mobile devices. Avoid overly long messages. Make a clear offer and make sure the text displays correctly on mobile devices. If the message is not adapted for mobile, you will not be able to get effective results.
Reasons to develop SMS marketing
First of all, this is the most popular way to develop your own business. How and why it works:
- the use of smartphones occupies a key place in people’s lives
- SMS marketing works well with other strategies
- direct coverage of customers with subsequent involvement in a permanent audience
- an effective call to action
What should the ideal text message be?
Remember, the goal of every text message you send is to a new customer. Therefore, before creating and sending it, you should think about it. In order for the message to be effective, it is worth remembering the following nuances:
- do not forget to introduce your company in each letter
- limit the text (the fewer words, the better it works)
- use the link if you want to provide the customer with more information
- get in touch (if there is no manager, automate several universal responses)
You can also use an AI text generator to help you pare down existing messaging for text messages.
SMS Marketing Case Study
It is with the help of simple and effective tools that companies quickly find customers. At the same time, it is possible to keep in touch with them through text messages. In addition to business, this practice is also supported by educational centers. Educational applications are extremely popular today. It is a great opportunity for pupils and students to find all the necessary manuals and notes. Therefore, by covering this category with text offers, you can successfully recommend educational services online.
The very function of text messages is also widely popular among participants in educational processes. Through them you can organize:
- team communication
- current support
- a survey of students, parents, and teachers
- Feedback
Schoolchildren and students are more likely to respond to a text message than to fill out questionnaires.
As a matter of fact, the use of the best educational apps is of high demand for SMS marketing managers, students and startups.
Some of the popular apps are highlighted below as a bright sample.
TextMagic
This is a way to quickly carry out mass mailings of information necessary for the audience. At school, it can be various messages, announcements, and appeals from teachers to students and individuals to parents. And also the opportunity to discuss important problems and quickly solve them.
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ClassParrot
A teacher program for storing information about exams, homework, etc. It is convenient because it has easy navigation and does not require complex software. It also allows for cooperation with parents. Teachers and students do not have to exchange contacts. By registering in this program, they will be on a common platform and always stay in touch via text messages.
Remind
Reminder platform with two-way information exchange. It can be used both for communication between the class and the entire school or university. Depending on the selected plan, the circle of participants can reach up to 1,500 people.
SMSMatrix
It’s not just about texting, it’s also about voice and text-to-sound. Most often, it is used to convey messages that have a larger volume than provided by marketing. This is an automated message service with the ability to process up to a thousand SMS per minute. Covers the audience in more than 200 countries of the world. Messages can be sent via SMTP/Email Gateway.
SendHub
Modern business SMS technology in education, which integrates with various software and is constantly updated. This is an opportunity for companies to create their own SMS platform for messaging, analytics, data archiving, meeting scheduling and many other important things. A professional way of scaling and developing a business.
SMS marketing is the technology of the future
Using marketing strategies proposed by the best developers and specialists, you will be able to professionally adjust the work of your organization, reach as many clients as possible, and attract new consumers of services.
With the help of short text messages, you can deliver valuable information to the client, inform about new offers, and perform a number of operations. So let’s briefly mention that the basis of forming the right strategy is the content, form of the text message, frequency of its sending, and adaptation to devices. As for the client, you should always follow the rule – there are no former clients. Even if the consumer of your services has not contacted you in a long time, use marketing tools to bring him back. In particular, offer a discount, a bonus.
Every year, SMS marketing will become more and more popular and will change. However, it will definitely be effective. He is the driving force behind all business ideas and successful entrepreneurial ventures. By reaching audiences with text messages, you can control how they react to your offers. And accordingly – to adjust them, getting closer to the wishes of your client.
MARKETING
YouTube Ad Specs, Sizes, and Examples [2024 Update]
Introduction
With billions of users each month, YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine and top website for video content. This makes it a great place for advertising. To succeed, advertisers need to follow the correct YouTube ad specifications. These rules help your ad reach more viewers, increasing the chance of gaining new customers and boosting brand awareness.
Types of YouTube Ads
Video Ads
- Description: These play before, during, or after a YouTube video on computers or mobile devices.
- Types:
- In-stream ads: Can be skippable or non-skippable.
- Bumper ads: Non-skippable, short ads that play before, during, or after a video.
Display Ads
- Description: These appear in different spots on YouTube and usually use text or static images.
- Note: YouTube does not support display image ads directly on its app, but these can be targeted to YouTube.com through Google Display Network (GDN).
Companion Banners
- Description: Appears to the right of the YouTube player on desktop.
- Requirement: Must be purchased alongside In-stream ads, Bumper ads, or In-feed ads.
In-feed Ads
- Description: Resemble videos with images, headlines, and text. They link to a public or unlisted YouTube video.
Outstream Ads
- Description: Mobile-only video ads that play outside of YouTube, on websites and apps within the Google video partner network.
Masthead Ads
- Description: Premium, high-visibility banner ads displayed at the top of the YouTube homepage for both desktop and mobile users.
YouTube Ad Specs by Type
Skippable In-stream Video Ads
- Placement: Before, during, or after a YouTube video.
- Resolution:
- Horizontal: 1920 x 1080px
- Vertical: 1080 x 1920px
- Square: 1080 x 1080px
- Aspect Ratio:
- Horizontal: 16:9
- Vertical: 9:16
- Square: 1:1
- Length:
- Awareness: 15-20 seconds
- Consideration: 2-3 minutes
- Action: 15-20 seconds
Non-skippable In-stream Video Ads
- Description: Must be watched completely before the main video.
- Length: 15 seconds (or 20 seconds in certain markets).
- Resolution:
- Horizontal: 1920 x 1080px
- Vertical: 1080 x 1920px
- Square: 1080 x 1080px
- Aspect Ratio:
- Horizontal: 16:9
- Vertical: 9:16
- Square: 1:1
Bumper Ads
- Length: Maximum 6 seconds.
- File Format: MP4, Quicktime, AVI, ASF, Windows Media, or MPEG.
- Resolution:
- Horizontal: 640 x 360px
- Vertical: 480 x 360px
In-feed Ads
- Description: Show alongside YouTube content, like search results or the Home feed.
- Resolution:
- Horizontal: 1920 x 1080px
- Vertical: 1080 x 1920px
- Square: 1080 x 1080px
- Aspect Ratio:
- Horizontal: 16:9
- Square: 1:1
- Length:
- Awareness: 15-20 seconds
- Consideration: 2-3 minutes
- Headline/Description:
- Headline: Up to 2 lines, 40 characters per line
- Description: Up to 2 lines, 35 characters per line
Display Ads
- Description: Static images or animated media that appear on YouTube next to video suggestions, in search results, or on the homepage.
- Image Size: 300×60 pixels.
- File Type: GIF, JPG, PNG.
- File Size: Max 150KB.
- Max Animation Length: 30 seconds.
Outstream Ads
- Description: Mobile-only video ads that appear on websites and apps within the Google video partner network, not on YouTube itself.
- Logo Specs:
- Square: 1:1 (200 x 200px).
- File Type: JPG, GIF, PNG.
- Max Size: 200KB.
Masthead Ads
- Description: High-visibility ads at the top of the YouTube homepage.
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 or higher.
- File Type: JPG or PNG (without transparency).
Conclusion
YouTube offers a variety of ad formats to reach audiences effectively in 2024. Whether you want to build brand awareness, drive conversions, or target specific demographics, YouTube provides a dynamic platform for your advertising needs. Always follow Google’s advertising policies and the technical ad specs to ensure your ads perform their best. Ready to start using YouTube ads? Contact us today to get started!
MARKETING
Why We Are Always ‘Clicking to Buy’, According to Psychologists
Amazon pillows.
MARKETING
A deeper dive into data, personalization and Copilots
Salesforce launched a collection of new, generative AI-related products at Connections in Chicago this week. They included new Einstein Copilots for marketers and merchants and Einstein Personalization.
To better understand, not only the potential impact of the new products, but the evolving Salesforce architecture, we sat down with Bobby Jania, CMO, Marketing Cloud.
Dig deeper: Salesforce piles on the Einstein Copilots
Salesforce’s evolving architecture
It’s hard to deny that Salesforce likes coming up with new names for platforms and products (what happened to Customer 360?) and this can sometimes make the observer wonder if something is brand new, or old but with a brand new name. In particular, what exactly is Einstein 1 and how is it related to Salesforce Data Cloud?
“Data Cloud is built on the Einstein 1 platform,” Jania explained. “The Einstein 1 platform is our entire Salesforce platform and that includes products like Sales Cloud, Service Cloud — that it includes the original idea of Salesforce not just being in the cloud, but being multi-tenancy.”
Data Cloud — not an acquisition, of course — was built natively on that platform. It was the first product built on Hyperforce, Salesforce’s new cloud infrastructure architecture. “Since Data Cloud was on what we now call the Einstein 1 platform from Day One, it has always natively connected to, and been able to read anything in Sales Cloud, Service Cloud [and so on]. On top of that, we can now bring in, not only structured but unstructured data.”
That’s a significant progression from the position, several years ago, when Salesforce had stitched together a platform around various acquisitions (ExactTarget, for example) that didn’t necessarily talk to each other.
“At times, what we would do is have a kind of behind-the-scenes flow where data from one product could be moved into another product,” said Jania, “but in many of those cases the data would then be in both, whereas now the data is in Data Cloud. Tableau will run natively off Data Cloud; Commerce Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud — they’re all going to the same operational customer profile.” They’re not copying the data from Data Cloud, Jania confirmed.
Another thing to know is tit’s possible for Salesforce customers to import their own datasets into Data Cloud. “We wanted to create a federated data model,” said Jania. “If you’re using Snowflake, for example, we more or less virtually sit on your data lake. The value we add is that we will look at all your data and help you form these operational customer profiles.”
Let’s learn more about Einstein Copilot
“Copilot means that I have an assistant with me in the tool where I need to be working that contextually knows what I am trying to do and helps me at every step of the process,” Jania said.
For marketers, this might begin with a campaign brief developed with Copilot’s assistance, the identification of an audience based on the brief, and then the development of email or other content. “What’s really cool is the idea of Einstein Studio where our customers will create actions [for Copilot] that we hadn’t even thought about.”
Here’s a key insight (back to nomenclature). We reported on Copilot for markets, Copilot for merchants, Copilot for shoppers. It turns out, however, that there is just one Copilot, Einstein Copilot, and these are use cases. “There’s just one Copilot, we just add these for a little clarity; we’re going to talk about marketing use cases, about shoppers’ use cases. These are actions for the marketing use cases we built out of the box; you can build your own.”
It’s surely going to take a little time for marketers to learn to work easily with Copilot. “There’s always time for adoption,” Jania agreed. “What is directly connected with this is, this is my ninth Connections and this one has the most hands-on training that I’ve seen since 2014 — and a lot of that is getting people using Data Cloud, using these tools rather than just being given a demo.”
What’s new about Einstein Personalization
Salesforce Einstein has been around since 2016 and many of the use cases seem to have involved personalization in various forms. What’s new?
“Einstein Personalization is a real-time decision engine and it’s going to choose next-best-action, next-best-offer. What is new is that it’s a service now that runs natively on top of Data Cloud.” A lot of real-time decision engines need their own set of data that might actually be a subset of data. “Einstein Personalization is going to look holistically at a customer and recommend a next-best-action that could be natively surfaced in Service Cloud, Sales Cloud or Marketing Cloud.”
Finally, trust
One feature of the presentations at Connections was the reassurance that, although public LLMs like ChatGPT could be selected for application to customer data, none of that data would be retained by the LLMs. Is this just a matter of written agreements? No, not just that, said Jania.
“In the Einstein Trust Layer, all of the data, when it connects to an LLM, runs through our gateway. If there was a prompt that had personally identifiable information — a credit card number, an email address — at a mimum, all that is stripped out. The LLMs do not store the output; we store the output for auditing back in Salesforce. Any output that comes back through our gateway is logged in our system; it runs through a toxicity model; and only at the end do we put PII data back into the answer. There are real pieces beyond a handshake that this data is safe.”