The Perfect SMS Sales Funnel
More than 5 billion of the 7.9 billion people in the world use text messaging. In the United States, 81% of the population is quite versed in sending and receiving text messages. In recent years, a growing number of marketers have been taking advantage of the sales potential of SMS marketing.
With an open rate of 98%, it’s pretty apparent why SMS marketing is today’s go-to marketing tactic. Yet, the space is still not crowded and, therefore, less competitive than email marketing; only 44% of marketers use SMS marketing as part of their sales funnel.
Marketers that have been quick to incorporate SMS marketing into their sales funnel are reaping bountifully. Marketers that use text messaging for business say it helps their enterprise increase revenue. Sixty percent of those marketers say SMS marketing revenue generation has been phenomenal.
So, how do you, as a marketer, take advantage of SMS marketing? And where would you start in creating an SMS sales funnel that converts? This article seeks to answer these questions about making the perfect SMS sales funnel.
What is an SMS Sales Funnel?
An SMS sales funnel is a marketing technique that uses text messages to nurture leads and customers through the purchase journey. Like email marketing and other digital marketing channels, an SMS sales funnel aims to take prospects from awareness to purchase.
An SMS sales funnel gives your customers an easy way to contact you for queries, get more information, and even make purchases. What’s more, the SMS sales funnel can work in tandem with other sales funnels. A customer could begin the process by email, ask specific questions via SMS, and complete their purchase at your store in person. So, your SMS sales funnel can function as both a booster for other sales media and a standalone sales asset.
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Phases of an SMS Sales Funnel
There are three essential stages in every SMS sales funnel:
1. Awareness and interest stage
The awareness and interest stage is where you introduce your product or service to the customer. The goal at this stage is to get the customer’s attention so that they can start considering your offering. You also seek to arouse the customer’s curiosity so that they want to know more about your product or service. You can achieve this by offering a free trial, a discount, or a piece of valuable content such as an eBook.
2. Consideration and decision stage
In this stage, you provide more information about your product or service to sway the customer towards making a purchase. You can send case studies, customer testimonials, product demonstrations, or even free shipping. With a little extra push from your marketing department, the lead is seriously considering buying from your brand.
To make their decision, they’ll typically ask more questions. They’re likely going to compare your products and services to those of your competitors and may want to know from you what makes your product or service better than your rivals’ offerings. These queries should serve as an excellent opportunity to use your SMS marketing skills. Consider encouraging them to message you those complex queries and, in the process, get more information about them.
Action and purchase stage
The action and purchase stage is when the prospect becomes a paying customer. This is where you ask for the sale and provide information so they can use it to make a purchase. At this stage, you want to make it as easy as possible for the customer. You can do this by providing a link to a landing page with a purchase form or by giving a shortcode that they can use to buy your product or service.
You can also provide an incentive for them to take action, such as free shipping, a discount, or a bonus gift. A limited time offer encourages them to take action fast. Once the customer makes a purchase, you can thank them and include a link to leave a review or survey.
How to Create the Perfect SMS Sales Funnel
The perfect SMS sales funnel is built on a foundation of trust. Your customers need to trust you before they can hand over their hard-earned money. The best way to build trust is by providing value. This could be in the form of helpful content, discounts, or bonuses. You also need to have a solid call to action so that your customers know what you want them to do next.
To create the perfect SMS sales funnel, you need to:
- Establish trust with your audience.
- Provide value at every stage of the funnel.
- Have a strong call to action.
- Make it easy for customers to take action.
- Thank your customers and ask for feedback.
Here are a few tips to get you started with building your SMS sales funnel:
- Start with a list of contacts: You can do this by importing your existing customer list. You can also add contacts manually or use a lead capture form on your website.
- Import your list of customers: Import your list of customers into your SMS marketing software. This will allow you to segment your list and send targeted messages to each group.
- Create segments: Segments allow you to send targeted messages to specific groups of people. For example, you could segment your list by location, age, or interests.
- Send targeted messages: Start sending targeted messages. Targeted messages are more likely to be opened and read than generic messages.
- Monitor your results: Monitor your results to see how your SMS marketing campaign performs. Look at metrics such as open rate, click-through rate, and conversion rate.
- Make improvements: Based on your results, make changes to your SMS marketing campaign. Try different messages, offers, or calls to action.
Thanks to the widespread use of mobile phones, you can reach potential customers anywhere, anytime. From initial contact until conversion into an actual sale or engagement opportunity, the foundation of the perfect SMS sales funnel lies in building trust so that you can provide value at each stage.
SMS sales funnels offer a high degree of customization so that you can design a tailored campaign for your specific products or services. With SMS sales funnels, businesses of all sizes can increase leads, conversions, and ROI.
Signalmash’s communications platform offers innovation by fusing programmatic voice, messaging, and elastic SIP trunking into any existing integrated application. With just a few lines of code, you’ll be able to engage customers through your business app.
We’re all about empowering brands and businesses to take control of their communications strategy, no matter where they are in the business cycle. We cover every one of your communication needs, whether 2FA or SMS capabilities and message delivery notifications.
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