A Guide to Automated Text Message for Business

The world of sales is packed with acronyms:

• SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)
• CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
• KPI (Key Performance Indicator)
• NPS (Net Promoter Score)
• ABC (Always Be Closing)

Well here's another one to throw on that list:

SMS.

It stands for Short Message Service, which is more than a little redundant nowadays (the texts I get from my girlfriend are all but short).

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Still, the acronym stands, though many of us ditch the term altogether and just call it ‘texting.'

What does all of this have to do with sales, then?

Well, aside from being an incredibly easy and effective way to get hold of your prospects, it's also highly automatable, giving you more time each month to close more deals.

Wanna know how?

Great. You're about to learn. So set your phone to Do Not Disturb mode, lest ye receive a text message while you're reading this, and let's dig in.

What is Text Automation?

Text message automation is, in a nutshell, sending text messages to customers and prospects automatically.

Let me explain:

When you whip out your phone to send a message to your mom every morning (aren't you sweet?), that's a manual text message.

You're probably dealing with 100s of customers, so sending manual texts to all of them is bound to get not only a little tedious but also hugely time-sucking.

When you automate SMS messages, you're using a specific software system (an automated text message service) to fire off pre-written text messages to your customers.

How does the automated texting software know what to send and when to send it? Well, you tell it!

Using an automated SMS service, you can program messages to be sent:

1. At specific time intervals (such as once a week)
2. After a specific action is taken (such as when a customer's account is overdue)
3. In a singular bulk send (such as when you send out a text message with a 20% discount code for purchases this weekend only)

Seems like a pretty simple concept, right? So let's take a look at how to automate text messages.

Sending Automated Text Messages for Business

This is a fairly painless process. You'll need to start by signing up for an automated text message for business purposes.

These are different from consumer-focused automated texting platforms in that they are designed for sales reps and marketers sending large quantities of text messages each month.

Depending on the features of the sales CRM you're using, you might find that it already has a free automated text message service built right in.

If not, you'll need to bridge your SMS automation tool and your CRM via some form of integration.

Once you've done that (or if your CRM has text marketing capabilities), then just follow these steps:

1. Ensure you have a method for identifying who has opted-in (a legal requirement of business texting), such as a field in your CRM.
2. Create text message templates in your automated SMS software (be sure to utilize merge fields such as customer name).
3. Schedule the send to go out when you desire it to.
4. Make sure you measure the effectiveness of your campaigns! Your CRM or SMS tool should provide in-depth analytics for this.

Benefits of Automated Message Text

Still not convinced that an automated text messaging system is the right solution for your sales team?

Take a look at these impressive benefits, and see if we can't twist your arm.

Consistent Communication

Using text message automation, you're ensuring that every customer on the list receives the same message.

This removes the element of human error, and differences between sales reps, and delivers a consistent communication experience that is in line with the sales process you've worked so hard to develop.

Risk Prevention

Automated text messaging systems probably have a better handle on regulatory acts such as the TCPA than you do.

When you partner with a trusted provider, you can be sure that your customers' data and privacy are protected and that you're meeting your own obligations as a marketer.

Efficiency

With automated text messaging, you can send literally thousands of messages at once. You simply cannot do that with a manual solution.

More than that, you can schedule several messages in a row, further improving efficiencies.

SMS Has a High Open Rate

Open rates for SMS messages are insanely high: like 98%.

Compare that to email open rates, which sit at around 30% on average, and you realize the awesome power that business texting offers.

Of course, opens don't necessarily mean click-throughs and sales. Or don't they?

Time Optimization

Automated message texting can help you save time from your daily tasks by quickly and easily sending automated messages to clients or customers.

Rather than manually typing out each message every time, automated message text lets you create a template for the same message and send it out with just one click. This way, you don’t have to spend time typing the same message repeatedly.

As a result, you have more time and energy to focus on other business tasks, increasing your productivity.

Personalized Promotions

Sending automated text messages doesn't have to be a one-way street. You can use automated message text to send personalized promotions and offers to your customers or clients.

This helps you build relationships with them by sending out promotional messages tailored to their interests. Plus, automated messages can also be used to remind customers of upcoming sales events.

For example, you can use automated text to send out special promotions or discounts for certain products or services. This way, your customers know about offers that are specifically relevant to them, increasing their chances of taking up the offer.

Segmentation

Segmentation involves sending automated text messages to different groups of people based on their profiles and interests. This way, you can send automated messages that are more relevant and tailored to a particular group of people, thus increasing customer engagement and loyalty.

Suppose you have a group of customers who always shop for specific products. You can send automated messages to them with special offers tailored to their shopping habits.

According to research by Accenture, 91% of consumers expect a personalized experience when interacting with brands. Sending automated text messages can help you provide this personalized experience, thus improving customer relationships and loyalty.

Low Cost and High ROI

Automated text messaging is super cost-effective, and can deliver ROIs upwards of 600%.

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Wondering how it works?

Well, around 15% of your SMS receivers will go on to make a purchase with you, on average.

Let's say you have 10,000 customers opted-in to your SMS database, and you're paying $500 a month for automated text messaging, sending a message.

It follows then that if 15% of those customers purchase from you (that's 1500 buyers), then you'd need an average purchase price of around $200 to achieve an ROI of 600%.

Improved Customer Retention

An unfortunate aspect of sales is that, more often than not, once a sale is closed, the communication between the company and the customer drops off.

That's not conducive to keeping customer retention rates low.

Automated texting can keep a line of communication open, inspire new conversations or repeat purchases, and improve customer retention rates.

SMS is Reasonably Unsaturated

Let's compare these two numbers for a second:

Yep, more than 12x as many emails are being sent and received as text messages. Which medium do you think it's going to be easier to cut through on?

11 Tips on Improving Sales Performance with Automatic Text Service

1. Automate Text Responses to Maximize Speed to Lead

It's well known that the first vendor to respond to an inbound inquiry usually gets the sale.

The difficulty is being that first responder when your sales reps already have a full day's worth of calling to do or are stuck in a meeting.

A simple solution is to set up an automated text message response system.

What happens here is when a new prospect gets in touch with your company, they instantly receive an SMS message from one of your reps.

This sparks off the conversation and makes you the first responder to help further qualifying their urgency (because they'll text back if they're ready to move now).

2. Send Automated Text Messages For Meeting Reminders

There's nothing worse than no-shows to your sales demos.

It's a huge let-down, a massive timewaster, and even a source of frustration and conflict between AEs and SDRs.

Sure, you're never going to have a 100% attend rate (some people are just plain rude, and don't value your time enough to get in touch to cancel), but you can rest assured that a percentage of your no-shows are just plain honest ‘I forgot' responses.

By implementing a text message reminder system, you can ensure your prospect makes the meeting by sending reminders:

1. A few days prior
2. 24 hours prior
3. 30 minutes prior

3. Leverage Data to Identify the Best Times to Send

The prevalent wisdom is that sending SMS messages around noon seems to work best, getting the highest click-throughs and the best sales results.

However, this is a generalization across so many industries, and there's a fair chance that it's not the best time for you.

For example, if your audience is tradies (builders, plumbers, roofers), then you might find that 7 am is a better time to reach them, as they are about to get on site.

If you're selling to freelance web developers, however, then they're unlikely to be out of bed at that time, let alone up and working, so you might want to leave it a few hours.

Similarly, 9 am on a Saturday probably isn't a very good time if you sell hard seltzers, but 8 pm Saturday might be perfect.

The point is this:

Use your data to figure out the ideal time for your business.

Your CRM or automated text messaging platform should be able to provide this insight, allowing you to determine:

• What days to send SMS messages
• What times to send texts
• How your performance stacks up across the month (end of the month can be a headache for B2B customers)

4. Include a CTA in Every Message

Every single time you send out a text message, there should be a next step in there for your reader.

Even if you're just sending a text out with a positive message or with some insightful content (see tip 9), you should be guiding customers as to the next step.

Why?

Because that's where your ROI comes from. If you can direct readers through to your content, your website, or your e-commerce store, you're more likely to secure a sale down the line.

Here are a few examples of text message CTAs:

• Check out the full case study here
• Click here to confirm or cancel your booking
• Shop the latest deals today

5. Use SMS Automation to Promote Special Offers

Having a promotion or sales?

Automated texts can be a powerful way to reach your audience to let them know.

We've already discussed how valuable SMS is in terms of click-throughs, but you should also consider that the promise of special access discount codes can be a great mechanism for getting new subscribers to opt-in.

Just make sure you're actually giving them exclusive access.

6. Nurture Long-Term Leads Using Drip Campaigns

Every person who's been even remotely close to a sales role knows this:

Not every prospect is a buyer... right now…

Even if a customer goes with a competitor of yours, that doesn't mean you might not be able to secure a sale in the future, unless of course, you sell something that is typically a one-off purchase (like a casket).

But imagine you're selling a software tool.

Your prospect buys from your main competitor and signs up with them for a 12-month contract.

What do you do? Give up there. Hope not…

No, instead, you set up a drip campaign to check in with the prospect in say, 6 months, and then again in 9 months, and then maybe you give them a call in 11 months when they are reconsidering their options, and see if perhaps now that they've had some experience with the competition (who you know are far inferior to your company, of course), they might think about jumping ship.

7. Automate Customer Surveys via SMS

Want to learn more about your customers' needs and desires to fuel future sales and marketing campaigns?

Calling every customer on your roster can be a tedious and time-consuming process.

Good thing you can simply use an SMS marketing service to automate this, leading customers through a survey question by question, all while you're still doing your thing and closing more deals.

Pro tip: Make sure there's something in it for them, like a free giveaway or a discount code for their next purchase.

8. Automate Text Messages Based on Behavioral Triggers

Automated text messages don't all have to be sent if and when you feel like saying something.

In fact, a powerful way to use your automated SMS tool is to send pre-crafted messages based on behavioral triggers.

This means that when a prospect or customer takes a specific action, they automatically get sent a specific text message.

Want some examples?

Cool, here you go:

9. Give, Give, Give, Ask

One of the mistakes companies often makes when getting started with automated text messaging is thinking that SMS can only be used to push promotions.

Sorry, wrong.

In fact, SMS, like email, social media, and content marketing, should be way more about giving than it is asking.

That means that for each time you ‘ask' something of a customer (such as asking them to buy with a promotion notification, or asking them to perform a survey), you should be giving them at least 3 or 4 other pieces of valuable content or information.

No, not all at once, spread out.

Here's what your sequence might look like:

1. Value give 1
2. Value give 2
3. Conversation-inspiring question
4. Value give 3
5. Value give 4
6. Promotional code
7. Value give 5
8. Value give 6
9. Value 7
10. Survey request

Get the point?

10. Keep Your List Clean

Just like email marketing lists, SMS opt-in lists can become quite huge over time.

This delivers a couple of problems:

• Lower and lower conversion rates
• Higher and higher costs per send

It occurs for a couple of reasons. One is that a percentage of those numbers will become redundant as people leave workplaces or otherwise change their contact info.

The other is that, well, they're no longer that interested in what you're selling.

It's easy for disinterested prospects to unsubscribe from your emails or to mark them as spam, but this action is not so clear for SMS receivers.

There are a few ways you can help to keep your SMS opt-in list clean:

1. Include an opt-out link or text code in every message
2. Do a complete purge of your system by asking members to re-opt-in if they are still interested in receiving text messages from you
3. Set up an automation rule to remove recipients from your communications if they have been inactive for a certain period of time (e.g. not clicking on your links)

11. Differentiate SMS from Other Types of Content

Our last tip is one borrowed from the world of social media marketing and advertising:

Content differentiation.

Let's explain.

The content you send out via SMS should be different from the stuff you send via email, and the posts you share on socials.

You can link to the same resources, of course, but try to vary the copy and content of the message itself.

For example, let's say you want to promote an awesome new ebook you just published. You can differentiate as such

3 Examples of Automated Text Message for Business

Need a real-life example of how automated texting apps can truly transform sales results?

How about 3 of them?

1. Seattle Sun Tan

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Using automated text messaging, Seattle Sun Tan generated nearly $200k in sales in a little over a month.

Impressive, right?

Here's how they did it:

• Promoted their text campaign in-store, online, and to their existing email database
• 4,774 opt-ins in 30 days
• SMS message sent to text database offering buyers $20 off their next purchase
• 57% redemption rate at an average sale price of $72
• $196,100 in sales from a single SMS campaign

2. Whisker Seeker Tackle

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Whisker Seeker Tackle, a company that sells fishing tackle designed specifically for catfish hunters, launched a text promotion that generated a 25% conversion rate.

Their Founder, Matt Davis, describes 3 factors that are responsible for this success:

1. Exclusivity - the draw point for signing up is being the first to know when WST releases new equipment.
2. Transparency - Whisker Seeker Tackle makes it clear from the outset that customers will receive monthly and holiday specials. That's it. And it's resulted in an unsubscribe rate as low as 0.5%.
3. Execution - Matt finds that MMS messages (with an image) have higher click-through rates, using image-based templates to further automate the process.

3. Dreamland Baby

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Dreamland Baby knew that 94% of their audience was already on mobile, and so by implementing automated SMS messaging they generated some incredible results:

• First month's sales post-implementation up 300%
• An astonishing ROI of 2000%+
• Recovery of lost sales

Conclusion

As you can see, implementing an automated text message system can have huge benefits, impacting sales in a massively positive way.

Using automated texts, marketers can realize significantly higher click-through rates and conversion than with other forms of marketing such as email and can generate thousands of dollars in revenue in just a few days.

Let's recap on the 11 inside tips for maximizing your automated SMS potential:

1. Automate Text Responses to Maximize Speed to Lead
2. Send Automated Text Messages For Meeting Reminders
3. Leverage Data to Identify the Best Times to Send
4. Include a CTA in Every Message
5. Use SMS Automation to Promote Special Offers
6. Nurture Long-Term Leads Using Drip Campaigns
7. Automate Customer Surveys via SMS
8. Automate Text Messages Based on Behavioral Triggers
9. Give, Give, Give, Ask
10. Keep Your List Clean
11. Differentiate SMS from Other Types of Content

Ready to dive in headfirst?

Ringy makes SMS automation easy, by being both your automated text message service and your CRM.

Book a demo with one of our team today to find out how we do it.