How To Close Sales Using SMS Automation Tools?
Why it’s the perfect time to start using an SMS automation tool?
Entrepreneurs around the world are using email campaigns to achieve impressive sales figures. But what about SMS sales automation? Is the sales team equipped with the right tools to leverage this channel? Or is it time to rethink your strategy?
SMS automation is one of the most effective ways for businesses to retain customers and drive sales. The consumer landscape has changed, and sales teams are responding by engaging customers through mobile messaging. SMS is quickly becoming the go-to channel for many businesses.
SMS is at the front and center of consumers’ daily lives. It is reported that click-through rates from SMS campaigns are 10% to 15% higher than email campaigns.
So, what does this mean? This simply means that there are great opportunities in SMS
automation that when utilized correctly may bring great results for your business.
SMS automation is the intelligent way to reach out to your prospects
Sending the right message to the right consumer at the right time is crucial to any business. Applying this concept to SMS automation gives you greater control and efficiency in contacting your prospects and clients, and closing more sales.
With SMS, businesses can stand out from the competition by automating personalized messages based on customer behavior and preferences. SMS automation is a game-changer for sales teams who want to deliver the right message to the right customer.
How to implement sales SMS automation for your business
SMS automation can help businesses boost their ROI by automating their sales messages. However, SMS automation has several pointers you should look into.
For example, it is easy to automate SMS campaigns for business to customer (B2C) or customer to customer (C2C) clients. But, SMS automation for business-to-business (B2B) communication can be trickier.
Text messaging is compatible with practically every cellphone model and it does not require an Internet connection. For this reason, it lets you engage customers who don’t use smartphones or those who aren’t online often.
SMS is much more suited for B2C (business-to-consumer) because it gives companies the chance to communicate with customers directly by sending out offers and reminders.
Since we already know that texts are more likely to be opened compared to emails, you can be assured that your customers will see your important updates.
Here are some tips when integrating automated SMS into your business:
1. Know the rules and regulations. SMS automation isn’t allowed in some countries, so check with your regulator before you implement it. In some countries, consent from the end-user has to be requested before sending any sales and advertising messages.
2. Automate the right messages. Send out automated SMS communications that are intended to drive revenue, such as special offers or coupons. Product launches and upcoming sales can also be your priorities when setting up SMS automation campaigns.
3. Know your audience. SMS automation isn’t the right channel for every audience. For example, an audience that’s mostly younger and tech-savvy may respond better to push notifications, while an audience that’s older and prefers texting may respond better to SMS.
4. Start small. It’s best to start with a handful of customers before automating SMS with your entire customer base. This gives your team a chance to gauge how customers react to SMS automation.
5. Integrate SMS automation with existing processes. You can integrate SMS automation with your existing CRM or ERP software. This can help you track the effectiveness of your campaigns.
6. Direct clients to the right channels. Use SMS automation to send engaging and relevant text messages with a clear call-to-action so you can drive traffic to your chosen platform (website, social media channels, or even online map).
Different SMS campaigns for different industries
Law Firms
One of the most cost-effective ways for building a firm’s reputation with potential clients is sending out SMS campaigns or short text message advertising.
In addition, SMS campaigns also help businesses retain existing clients and acquire new customers. Here are some scenarios where SMS automation can be applied:
- Sending appointment reminders
- Bill collections
- Sending basic information
Accounting Firms
Running SMS campaigns can be a great way of making people aware of your accounting firm and encouraging them to contact you. SMS automation can be applied to the following scenarios:
- Appointment scheduling
- Tax preparation reminder
- Sending surveys
Real Estate
Timely and targeted SMS messaging is a great way to market your properties. Whether you’re a real estate agent, broker, or property manager, you should definitely consider sending text messages.
You can use auto-responders so that you’ll be able to reply instantly to leads who inquire about your properties. Here are some processes where you can use automation:
- Open house invites
- Project updates
- Promotions
Other Industries
SMS is a great channel for reaching people, either on a small scale or for nationwide campaigns. It allows you to connect with customers and keep them informed about important updates. Here are other ways businesses can use SMS:
- Customer support
- Re-engagement campaigns
- Thank you messages
- Event invites
- Surveys
- Follow-ups
- Announcements
- Send Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) content such as images or videos
List of Platforms With SMS Automation Capabilities
The success of SMS text campaigns depends greatly on the ability to automate campaigns. Here are some of the tools that allow users to automate SMS sending.
1. TextMagic – TextMagic is a bulk SMS service that allows multiple users to use an organizational account when sending messages. It supports long SMS messages, and lets users send texts globally.
With it’s availability on both Mac and Windows, TextMagic allows users to set up integrations to other applications using TextMagic’s gateway API.
2. EZTexting – It allows users to send messages to individuals as well as big groups. It is known for its self-service mass texting solution that is easy to implement. It can also be integrated with Zapier.
3. Aloware – Cloud-based software provider Aloware helps its clients boost sales with unlimited SMS so you can reach customers at scale. You can take advantage of unlimited two-way texting and automated text sequences that will let you enroll people into SMS drip campaigns with a just single click.
It runs in the cloud, making it accessible anywhere at any time on any browser. By signing up with Aloware, you will also have unlimited calling capabilities along with a power dialer. It comes with a mobile application that makes it possible to manage customer communication on the go.
4. SimpleTexting – This platform is focused on providing SMS sales solutions that are easy to set up and automate. SimpleTexting allows you to run mass text message campaigns such as text-to-win contests and text-to-vote surveys. Users will also be given the ability to send and receive messages using a 6-digit short code.
5. SalesMsg – This SMS service platform is ideal for clients based in Canada and the US. It has a very easy integration that can be setup in just one click.
It can send specific kinds of messages such as appointment reminders and can also allow team members to share inboxes in order to monitor previous conversations and track leads better.
SMS automation is the perfect way to speed up prospecting efforts
There is a reason why so many experts consider SMS automation to be a great tool for achieving higher revenue. With the right approach, it can take your sales pipeline to the next level when it comes to speeding up your prospecting efforts.