What is the right SMS marketing platform for your business? Will your clients like it? Will it help grow your business? Most importantly, is it worth the investment. I’m going to be honest here and say text message marketing was no where on my radar as a web designer until about a year ago. Even though I’ve learned more about it I still find myself being resistant to the idea of it. However, the data on the matter shows that if you’re not using a SMS marketing platform, you’re leaving money on the table.
SMS marketing has become one of the most effective ways for businesses to reach and engage their customers. With a 98% open rate, SMS messages have proven to be a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes. Yes, even small businesses and solopreneurs should be texting clients (not with there their personal number though).
After becoming convinced that I needed to get started with it, the next step was to find the right SMS marketing platform. This can be overwhelming, with so many options available in the market. I’m going to save you some time here. Now you won’t have to spend the time doing research and signing up for trial accounts.
In this article, we will discuss the top things to look for in an SMS marketing platform. I know that choosing the right platform can be a daunting task. It can feel overwhelming to sift through all the options and try to figure out what’s going to work best for your business. But don’t worry, I have some tips that will point you in the right direction and future-proof your business.
Is the SMS Marketing Platform Easy to Use?
The first thing to look for in an SMS marketing platform is ease of use, especially when you’re just starting out. The platform should be easy to navigate, with a user-friendly interface that is intuitive and easy to understand. It should also be easy to manage your contacts, and to create and send SMS campaigns. I wanted to be able to send an individual text to one client (not from my personal number though).
With Magenta CRM, I can select one client or one of my smart lists of clients and send out a quick text message. I can do this from the mobile app or the desktop app. I can even shedule the text messages to go out based on a workflow. A client books a call with me on my calendar, they get a text message confirmation. They also get a reminder before the appointment. Brilliant!
Which leads me to the next point…
Does It Integrate with the Other Marketing Tools I Use?
If the the SMS marketing feature did not integrate with my contact list and my workflow automations, I’d have to use something like Zapier. This is where I start to feel overwhelmed. I don’t want to connect multiple tools and I don’t like having to manage 10 plus subscriptions. A woman with too many passwords is distracted and a entrepreneur with too subscriptions is broke.
Your platform should be seamlessly integrated with your other tools, such as your CRM, your calendar, your website, and your marketing automation software should all be one unified platform. This will ensure that you have a centralized view of your customers, and that you can easily track and analyze the effectiveness of your SMS campaigns. This is make you feel less scattered and overwhelmed.
Does it Have Customization Options?
Your SMS marketing platform should provide you with the ability to customize your messages and campaigns to match your brand’s voice and tone. This includes the ability to personalize messages with the recipient’s name or other relevant information, as well as the ability to customize the look and feel of your messages.
Can You Create Segmented Lists of Your Contacts?
The ability to segment your contact list into different types of clients and leads will allow you to personalize your text messages. Sending the right message at the right time to the right people is key. Magenta CRM organizes your list of contacts using smart filters. This makes it super easy to send a specific type of message to a group of contacts.
Segmentation also helps to ensure that you only send helpful messages. Don’t bother clients who have just on-boarded with the option to become a reseller. Personalization is a must. You need to understand where each person is in their customer journey with your business. This will also go a long way to protect you as a business owner. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) was created to protect people from unwanted marketing. There is a system in place to protect all of us from spammy marketers. I know you don’t want to be lumped together with that type of nonsense. The best way to that is to use segmentation to help you know what to send to who.
Will It Grow With My Business?
Finally, your SMS marketing platform should be able to scale with your business as it grows. This means the ability to handle larger volumes of messages, to support multiple campaigns and channels, and to provide enterprise-level features such as user permissions and team collaboration. You don’t want to get started on one platform and then have to migrate over to another one as your business grows. Plan for business growth!
When looking for an SMS marketing platform, it’s important to consider factors such as ease of use, integration capabilities, customization options, automation capabilities, analytics and reporting, compliance with regulations, and scalability. By choosing a platform that meets these criteria, you can ensure that your SMS marketing campaigns are effective, efficient, and compliant with all relevant regulations.
If you’re curious about how Magenta CRM compares with other platforms, why not try a 14-day trial? You can sign-up for an account today and look around the platform. You can even add some contacts and begin getting organized.
