Do Personalized SMS Campaigns Have Better Conversion Rates?

From the humble email marketing campaign to classic leaflet advertising, the mediums for advertising are not in short supply. However, in a world where consumers are constantly bombarded with advertisements from the 47,383 listed companies and potentially tens of millions of unlisted companies worldwide, it can pay to stand out as a business.

Personalization of your brand and all the communication you provide, is one of the best ways to get your business known as a unique enterprise within an industry. Where there is unique, there is memorable, which is like gold dust for any business.

Text messaging is the powerhouse of advertising communication and the data service that is used the most around the world. SMS marketing campaigns enjoy high open rates, impressive response numbers, and have the elements of speed, reach, and controlled timing working in their favor.

But, does personalization in an SMS campaign lead to better conversion rates?

Text-based campaigns offer versatility when it comes to crafting a campaign exactly how you want, but sometimes, this can be the biggest problem of the medium – too much choice. It’s easy to add in too many features and forget about just what you’re trying to do – covert your audience.

When you peal away the layers of conversion rates and the methods for conversion, it’s all about connecting with your audience. If you connect with your audience, then you encourage them to covert through well-written calls to action or through the reward of getting something that they want.

No matter the marketing campaign type, the best way to connect with an audience is to speak to them on their level – to personalize your message. Personalization can lead to better conversion, but only when the right techniques are implemented with an understanding of the target audience.

How Can You Personalize an SMS Campaign for Your Target Audience?

There are many ways that you can personalize your campaign and generate a successful conversion rate. Depending on your audience, some or all of the popular personalization methods may work in your business’s favor when it comes to conversion.

Here are four of the top ways to add an element of personalization into your SMS marketing:

• Segment Your Audience

If you are targeting a national audience or your business offers multiple products/services, then it can be helpful to segment your audience to better personalize messages to each group. Through your SMS marketing software, you can categorize contacts into small groups, target single groups quickly, and keep track of your subscribers.

• Send Rich Multimedia Content

It’s now easier than ever before to send group MMS messages as a part of your SMS campaign. Rich multimedia content creates variety and can keep an audience engaged for longer periods of time. Multimedia messages are a great way to keep the interest of select audiences and show your brand off in a unique light.

• Include Promotions and Free Products/Services

Few additions will capture the attention of an audience more than freebies, promotions, and coupons. Including regular money-saving additions to your text marketing is a leading way to create a sense of exclusivity within your customer-base. Personalizing this content to your customer preferences will help to generate more conversions as you create a message that speaks directly to them.

• Take Note of Customer Preferences

Standing out as a company that values the personal approach doesn’t have to start and end with the content of your SMS. Running polls or including the option to add preferences to the sign-up process, like the choice of a nickname over a person’s full name, is an effective way of adding the personal touch to all your future messages.

What Else Influences Conversion Rates for SMS Campaigns?

Personalization can lead to a great campaign with a high level of conversions, but the personalization won’t guarantee it. The success of a personalized campaign doesn’t just rely on the personalized element, there are other areas of good SMS marketing that need to be implemented for a campaign to be successful.

Some of the most important considerations for any text-based marketing campaign, include:

Campaign Timing

For a campaign to generate the kind of conversions you’re looking for, it needs to be timed perfectly. This is also another way to include personalization in your message. Addressing trending topics, running your campaign when your product or services are most needed, and sending messages when there is the highest chance of a good open rate, is all key to launching a campaign that creates an impact.

Consistency of Messages

Sending a personalized message once and then reverting back to standard messaging is not going to create the right image of consistency for your brand. Messages should not be sent in excessive quantity and should follow the same tone to develop a reliable consistency that your customer-base can count on.

The Variety of Content

The old saying ‘variety is the spice of life’, is of the upmost importance for a successful marketing campaign with SMS. You need to keep content interesting and diverse. Customers might not have time to watch a video every week, but it doesn’t mean that the addition of one each month can’t be a surprising and effective change to the standard messages.

Campaign Monitoring

The success of any campaign comes down to management: before, during, and after. With close monitoring, you can see where your changes have been successful and where you might need additional changes to better tailor your messages to your target audience. The addition of polls can help you to gather the information you need to keep texts relevant and keep campaigns successful.

The success of an SMS campaign relies on multiple things, from the construction of the content down to the timing of the text. A personalized text campaign won’t guarantee that you get a better conversion rate, but it does improve your chances of connecting with your audience and building a brand that values the individuality of their customers. With high-quality content, accuracy, and good-timing, an optimized SMS campaign can deliver exceptional results.