2017 has been set up to be one of the best years there’s been. But why? This year the Chinese zodiac cycle represents the year of the Fire Rooster which symbolises trustworthy, punctual and responsible (especially at work).
So what value does this bring for marketers? There are several key traits from the Rooster which every marketer should adopt when devising their marketing plans and strategy for 2017. Follow the steps of these and 2017 could be the best yet for your business!
Become centre of attention…
Roosters like being centre of attention and popular within a crowd. Stand out from your competitors through SMS marketing. Mobile marketing is the UK fastest growing marketing channel with at least a 45% ROI. Studies reveal that 75% of people would like to have offers sent to them via SMS and 1 in 5 consumers is just as likely to prefer a text message from a business to a phone call. Text messaging is not only cost effective but most engaging channel with at least 36% response rate. There are many innovate ways your business can utilise text messaging to stand out from your competitors and grab your customer attention. With 91% of smartphone users having their mobile device within arm’s reach 24/7 it’s not surprising that text messaging instantly cuts through the everyday noise.
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Late again?….
One of the key traits of the Rooster is being punctual and this could not be more crucial for text messaging. Timing of your messages is important for several different reasons. Firstly, you want to ensure you are giving your customers enough time to react to your message. If you’re running a 24 hour Sale and send it midday of the sale chances are they will not have time to take part! On the flip side, if you send it too early they may have forgotten! Establishing perfect timing of your messages will not only increase engagement rate but also helps reduce opt-out rate. No one wants to receive a message about 10% discount at 2am – not only will this infuriate your customers but it can be deemed as spam. Remember to take into consideration about different time zones when you send internationally.
Text responsibly!
With great text messaging comes with great responsibility and trust – key characteristics of the Rooster! When a customer gives you their information you have built a great deal of trust that you won’t misuse their personal data. More than 175,000 complaints about spam text messages and cold calls were made to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in 2014. Always give your customers the option to opt out at any time from your messages. Giving them the option makes them feel less pressured receiving your texts and means you can target quality data.
Read our full guide on how to stay compliant with SMS marketing.
New Year, New things…
A New Year brings new years resolutions some of which will be to try new things. A very valuable quote from Grace Hopper: “The most dangerous phrase in the language is, ‘We’ve always done it this way.”. There are still surprisingly companies out there who aren’t using text messaging as part of their business strategy. The statistics speak for themselves and the real life business case study results are a proof of the pudding – everyone is using it, so you shouldn’t miss out!
Even if you are currently using SMS in your strategy take and look to see what you could do differently. There are so many different ways you can utilise SMS marketing to your benefit. If you are unsure on the different options then talk to our highly SMS trained and specialised Customer Service Sales Team or browse our Content Hub filled with blogs, guides and videos on different ways to use SMS in your business today.