Over 88% of all consumers use smartphones while shopping, so SMS marketing significantly affects spending decisions. SMS reselling is a profitable venture you can get into where you help companies deliver advertising and marketing messages to consumers when trying to drive sales. However, you do need to do things right, and there are several steps you can take when diving into this particular sector.
Send Clear Messages
In many SMS applications, you only get 160 characters to work with. Aim for using less when able. Clear and concise messages are written in very plain English without resorting to all capitalization, emoticons, or abbreviations. Open-ended messages are usually wrong; consumers must know when sales end or coupons expire. A hard deadline prompts action and incentive; you can learn how to rely on that for a higher response rate to your messaging. Not everyone will respond, but higher numbers mean more business.
Know Your Customers
Apply a customer relationship management model or app to your operations to measure the success rate of messages. Do an analysis of purchasing history and demographics based on location. That’s based on what consumers seek and where they live. Your clients should fall into manageable segments for target promotions. When you have messages for products or services that everyone can benefit from, send them to everyone on your list.
Find the Right Program
Part of SMS reseller success is finding the right reseller program. You can use one whether you’re just getting started or expanding what you already have. There are several notable features you should look for in an SMS reselling program. The first is custom branding, so your logo and website are unique to your company. The second is custom pricing, so you can choose from several different price points and find one that suits your budget. The final feature to look for is an account manager, which means you get a dedicated professional who helps you set your account up, answers questions, provides you with resources and support and trains you on operating everything.
Practice Proper Timing
SMS effectiveness is all about immediacy. People might need a few minutes to open a message; last-minute impulses are the most effective sales in this medium. Don’t send messages before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.; make sure those are based on the recipient’s time zones and not your own. If you’re advertising a movie starting Friday, consider sending out messages Friday afternoon. If you promote a dinner special at a restaurant, send your messages out when people are getting off work instead of in the morning. Review your previous consumer spending data and look for patterns in message delivery times and the response rate to those pitches.
Include a Call to Action
Also known as a CTA, a call to action boosts consumer engagement with SMS texts, and this is just what you want them to do. They need to receive and read texts, but you want them to interact with the content and act on what you send them. A call-to-action can be a concluding imperative phrase driving them to buy or call now, but a call-to-action button is even better. It’s visible and easy to use. Advise them to “Show this text…” to get a discount on something in a store, or ask them to “Click here” to get more information you can’t fit in the 160 characters. “Text to win” prizes, perks, swag, or discounts are also very popular, as consumers are fond of winning freebies.
Being an SMS reseller has plenty of advantages, including a low investment threshold to start your business, simple scaling, and being able to pay as you go. You can choose which markets or industry segments you are comfortable with, and increasing automation revolving around SMS technology improves growth potential over time. Use all this to unlock the true revenue potential in your efforts and enterprise.
