Being a business in the modern age is complicated because, while you have more methods of communication, reaching out, and marketing than ever, you’ll also have to contend with dozens of businesses, all of which want your customers’ attention. The best thing you can do is use newer and more advanced methods like codes that can change the way you get in touch with aspiring customers.
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Offering opt-outs
While short code is by far one of the best ways to interact with your audience, it’s important to remember that some potential customers may not appreciate your promotional messages, and to show that you value their time and privacy, it’s a good idea to integrate easy opt-out options. In most cases, this is done by providing a code phrase like “NO” that allows a customer to stop receiving messages if they want to, and, if you provide this option, you’ll be able to filter out the customers that are less likely to benefit from your advertising and keep the ones that have already begun responding to your efforts. By whittling the list down, you’ll be left with a list of customers from whom your business will benefit the most by targeting.
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Crafting unique messages
Another integral part of SMS advertising and using short numbers is that the messages you send need to be expertly and carefully crafted. Many businesses out there are using these services to send promotional messages to customers, occupying valuable real estate in the notification bar, but they’re often ignored by these same customers because their messages read as plain and forgettable. If you want to avoid this fate and get the most out of the money you’re spending on an SMS service, it’s in your best interest to create unique messages that have something to say and, above all else, are personal enough to be remembered.
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Targeting local areas
Another great benefit of having a short SMS code service is the fact that you’ll be able to send messages and push notifications to customers that occupy a particular area. This means that if you’re a local business, you’ll be able to spend your money to only target the customers around you, and if you’re a massive business with locations in different states, you’ll be able to target your different customer bases locally, sending unique messages depending on where they reside. This is a great strategy for building loyalty because, as your messages and branding become more unique depending on the state or city you’re targeting, you’ll come to be seen as part of the city’s culture.
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Promotions
An important part of building loyalty is providing your customers with calls to action that will encourage them to interact with your message and perform another action – if you’re able to make this exchange unique and fresh, your customers will look forward to each promotion. Some examples of this practice include providing exclusive discounts at local restaurants or retailers if customers visit at a particular date or set time or using a code online to get an exclusive discount.
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Rewarding engagement
If you want to build loyalty through the messages you’re sending, you’ll have to find a way to make your customers engage with most, if not all, of your messages in some form. To do that, you’ll need to reward engagement wherever you can – the most common form of this is offering things like surveys or interactable online quizzes, which, once completed, offer coupons that customers can use in stores for a discount. The prospect of getting a tangible reward from one of your messages will ensure your customers are always eagerly awaiting the next promotion.
Conclusion
Marketing is one of the most important things you can do for your business, especially if you want to build customer loyalty since customers feel a personal connection to a business if they’re able to communicate with it freely and get custom messages regularly. Using codes, you’ll be able to get more and more customers on your side, all while spending little on marketing and reaching millions of people, which is far more than you could have through any other means.
