Transform the way you message with conversational SMS. Learn how this SMS technology can enhance your customer communication and increase engagement.
We're all familiar with marketing messages by SMS. Every day, sometimes multiple times per day, we get text messages from retailers marketing some product or offer. But what the majority of SMS marketers don't realize is that the majority of their audience really wants to respond to their text messages.
What happens when they try?
If you respond to a text message about some offer with a question about the offer, chances are what you get back is an error message. The same company that sends the message saying "Buy our product!" responds to you with "Huh?" when you tell them that is exactly what you want to do.
Capturing consumer interest is where SMS conversations come in.
Let's reimagine this campaign done following the best practices of 2 way SMS, that is, following the best practices of conversational SMS marketing.
Maybe instead of a plain text message, you send your lead a video of the product and invite them to respond with a question about the offer. Your customer might want to know about the sizes of the product that you have in stock, or options in colors and sizes, or how long it takes the product to ship.
Conversational SMS assures the customer that you are the best place to find the product. It helps them confirm that your product fits their budget. It displays an image and a description of the product that best meets their needs.
All of this is driven by conversational AI. And the beauty of SMS conversations is that you don't need to cajole your customer into giving up any first-party data for you to know where your customer lives, what products they are interested in, or their budget. You can deliver a targeted, personalized offer with a much higher likelihood of closing the sale.
Let's take a more formal look at this exciting, profitable marketing method.
Conversational SMS is like conventional SMS in that it is a text messaging technique. Marketers use it to communicate with their customers via text messages.
Conversational SMS differs from conventional SMS in that it is 2 way SMS. It mimics real-life conversations between people with back-and-forth responses to your customer.
SMS conversations are becoming increasingly popular among marketers because it has proven themselves to be a great way to improve customer service and support. Using conversational SMS, businesses can provide a quick and convenient way for most customers to ask questions, make appointments, or receive updates.
But isn't that just what chatbots do?
Not exactly. There is an important difference between the algorithms for chatbots and the algorithms for SMS conversations. Chatbots basically use words as cues. They automatically send out a response that most of the time matches a term the customer uses.
If a customer types in, for example, "Do you have the blouse in red?" a chatbot can respond with the item you are offering in red. But conversational AI would scan your records with that customer and also recommend a blouse in red that complements the skirt they bought last time.
Traditional SMS responds to words. Conversational SMS responds to people. Occasionally, human operators are necessary when AI stalls. But you can automate much more of the process of connecting with returning or potential customers with SMS conversations than with traditional SMS text messaging.
Conversational SMS gives you more options for meeting customer needs. Conversational SMS provides the information your customer seeks, while making life easier for your customer service staff.
There is a fuzzy distinction between conversational SMS and two-way SMS.
Both methods can be automated, but SMS conversations can be much more automated.
The major limitation of 2 way SMS is that it is activated by keyword. If the customer misspells the keyword, uses a synonym for the keyword, or defines what they want in slightly different terms than the system is set up to expect, two way SMS will ask for additional inputs.
Conversational SMS can get stuck, too. But when this happens, conversational SMS will send the conversation to a human agent, along with all the relevant records of your interactions with this customer to ensure outstanding service.
Here are two big reasons to leverage conversational SMS in your next marketing campaign:
SMS conversations get your customer's attention. And then it makes it easier for you to make the sale.
SMS business messaging provides a direct and interactive communication channel between businesses and their customers. Here are some of the ways conversational SMS can increase personalization:
Conversational SMS improves customer satisfaction and drives sales. Your SMS conversion rates will soar!
SMS conversations can be highly scalable by leveraging automated messaging, pre-defined templates, segmentation, targeting, and analytics.
Conversational SMS improves customer engagement and satisfaction by providing a convenient, personalized, and engaging communication channel between businesses and customers. Let's take a closer look.
You will spend a lot less on conversational SMS messages than you would spend on billboards or advertising on TV. But those aren't the only metrics you can improve with conversational SMS.
Conversational SMS offers some solid advantages for your customers, too.
First of all, it provides convenience. Your customers can receive and respond to messages on their own schedule without needing to call or wait for email responses. Conversational SMS also allows personalized and two-way communication that further enhances convenience.
That's not all. Conversational SMS also provides an additional layer of security by enabling you to send verification codes and password reset links to your customers. These prevent unauthorized access to customer accounts.
Thirdly, SMS marketing makes it easy for customers to opt-in to receive your messages. Customers can simply send a text message or fill out a form. This is a more seamless and convenient opt-in process compared to other channels like email.
And let's not forget that conversational SMS has a lower spam rate compared to other marketing channels. That's due to the opt-in requirement. Conversational SMS provides more relevant and personalized messages that are less likely to be perceived as spam. This helps your customers avoid unwanted messages, enhancing their experience with your business.