Text marketing is one of the hottest trends for digital agencies to differentiate their services from the competition. And that’s because SMS marketing continues to delight clients with head-turning results.
Here a few SMS marketing statistics that tend to surprise many of our agency partners:
- Text messages have a 98% open rate.
- Marketers see 6-8X the engagement when comparing SMS vs email.
- Response rates of 45% and an average response time of 90 seconds.
Furthermore, text message marketing is the most preferred channel of communication by consumers when compared to email, app notifications, and direct mail.
SMS marketing is rapidly growing in popularity because it’s instant, convenient, and universal.
Outdated mobile-targeting tactics are costing you conversions, clients, and revenue. Meanwhile, SMS marketing is lurking in the background, waiting for agencies to capitalize on it.
Customers.ai for Agencies
Higher retainers, improved ROI, and happier clients.
Text Marketing Examples
Here are 10 ways for digital agencies to use text marketing in order to impress and retain clients:
- Send exclusive deals and offers
- Mass text messaging for marketing agencies
- SMS keyword campaign
- Automated SMS drip campaigns
- Get opt-in from Facebook Messenger
- Run contests, giveaways, and sweepstakes
- Get opt-in from live chat on website
- Send clients and their customers status updates
- Perform community building for your agency and clients
- Build contact lists with SMS lead generation
#1. Text Marketing For Agencies: Exclusive Deals & Offers
Digital agencies use SMS to send promotions and sales because it is one of the most engaging and cost-efficient ways to engage their clients’ prospects and customers.
Customers.ai’s OmniChat® messaging inbox allows you to support messaging on multiple chat platforms, including SMS text messaging.
Reaching out proactively and engaging with segments of your audience is effective in moving prospects to the bottom of your sales funnel. And one of the most powerful proactive channels is text message marketing.
After opting-in new SMS subscribers, you can send bulk text messages to that audience with announcements, news and deals.
For example: “Claim your free gift!”
This text marketing example includes an image, the promo code, and a link to the website to claim the offer.
You could also consider offering a 20% promotion code for all shoppers.
If 75% of all consumers want to have special offers, discounts, and coupons delivered to their smartphones via SMS, this should be a no brainer to pitch to your clients, right?
#2. Text Marketing for Agencies: Mass Text Messaging
Send mass SMS text message blasts to your clients’ contact lists with an SMS Blaster.
Using SMS chat blasts reaches audiences with whatever business information or promotional material you have to offer, and it’s easier than ever using Customers.ai’s SMS opt-in and text message blasting tools.
By the way, you can send chat blasts via SMS and other messaging channels like Facebook Messenger at the same time using Customers.ai OmniChat cross-channel marketing tools.
Learn how to send a text message blast with Customers.ai.
#3. Text Marketing for Agencies: SMS Keyword Campaign
What’s the best way to grow an SMS subscriber list for clients?
Well, one fantastic way is to use SMS keywords, which are also supported by Customers.ai.
If you live in Canada or the United States and text the word “CLUB” to 309-740-3151, that will enter you into our Unicorn Marketers Text Messaging Club where Larry Kim will send you a weekly message with the latest growth marketing strategies.
SMS keywords are just one way you can get more SMS subscribers.
SMS opt-in is powerful, not only because you can re-engage with your customers after they leave your website, but because the results from SMS marketing are almost hard to believe.
Tips for advertising or promoting any SMS marketing program:
- Provide a link to the Terms and Conditions.
- Set expectations about how often the audience gets SMS updates.
- And offer an incentive or make the value of joining really clear.
Sign people up for SMS text marketing updates with SMS keyword opt-in.
#4. Text Marketing for Agencies: Automated Drip Campaigns
Utilizing marketing automation for agencies is no longer a “nice to have.” And when we’re talking about text marketing, SMS drip campaigns are another highly effective way for agencies to delight clients.
Drip campaigns are key to keeping active customers engaged as you continue to send them valuable and relevant content.
You can use your growing contact lists to send SMS drip campaigns to:
- Welcome and onboard customers
- Keep leads engaged with the brand
- Activate the use of sophisticated solutions
- Leverage automation to communicate at scale
If you were sending coupons in a drip campaign, for example, you could send a 5% off coupon right after a subscriber signs-up, a 10% coupon after three weeks, and a 20% off coupon after two months.
The longer they stick around, the bigger the potential bonus. So you’re incentivizing the action you want.
Customers.ai’s SMS drip campaign builder is all visual. It’s just a matter of choosing an audience, adding your content, and setting the timing of the drips.
#5. Text Marketing for Agencies: Get Opt-In from Facebook Messenger
Similar to how you can invite someone chatting on you or your clients’ website to opt-in to SMS updates, you can invite leads and customers chatting on a Facebook page.
So, when a customer is chatting with the chatbot on your Facebook page, now you can give them the option to stay in touch and receive updates from you via SMS.
Use the Customers.ai SMS opt-in widget from your Facebook Page welcomer to give customers the ability to use the messaging app that’s most convenient for them.
See this in action by clicking the “Send Message” button on the Customers.ai Facebook Page. We’ll ask you if you want to sign up for the Customers.ai Text Marketing Club.
Did you know you can capture names, emails, and phone numbers from a Facebook Page automatically? Check out the new Free Lead Generator and start building your client contact lists on auto-pilot!
#6. Text Marketing for Agencies: Run Contests & Giveaways for Clients
Agency clients always love new and creative ideas. Especially when they generate a ton of leads, fast.
Get your clients pumped on having their customers sign-up for sweepstakes by texting a particular keyword.
Once again, this is a standard promotion tactic and one of the most effective marketing tools for small business.
You can select some winners from everyone who opts-in. Or you can also give away a smaller prize to every person who texts your keyword. And you can even use it as an opportunity for cross-promotions.
Running a short-term contest is one of those growth hacking strategies that always works to get more SMS subscribers.
But they can’t run forever.
Consider a contest or giveaway something you can do every year to every quarter, attached to holidays, anniversaries, and special occasions.
In the case of how to get more SMS subscribers, folks enter by texting the magic keyword to your SMS phone number or shortcode.
Keep in mind these tips for contests and giveaways that generate the most leads:
- Create urgency
- Use a partner to cross-promote
- Have a low bar to entry
- Don’t forget a really sweet prize
Build-in urgency, leverage partner networks, and make the process for entry very simple to generate a spike in the size of your clients’ SMS subscriber list.
#7. Text Marketing for Agencies: Get Opt-In from Live Chat
Website visitors can be invited to sign up for SMS marketing updates. Get SMS opt-ins from leads and customers chatting on your website chatbot.
You can turn your clients’ website into a lead generation machine by turning live chat into an automated path to SMS subscription.
Live chat has been shown to increase average order value, increase conversions, and build loyalty among customers.
When customers can get in touch with a business to receive real-time answers to their questions, the business can reduce bottlenecks obstructing conversions.
In fact, someone that chats on a website is 10X more likely to convert. And you can generate SMS subscribers from live chat using a bot and an opt-in widget.
Here’s what that SMS opt-in widget looks like using Customers.ai’s live chat software on your site:
When a customer is chatting with the chatbot on your website using native web chat, invite them to provide their phone number to get updates or in case they’re disconnected.
One of the easiest ways to grow your SMS list is by adding an opt-in option to an existing chatbot dialogue.
Your website chatbot is a tool for adding SMS subscribers who are already engaged with your brand.
Test the website chat widget SMS opt-in for yourself by sending a message in the chat window on this page!
#8. Text Marketing for Agencies: Send Clients Appointment & Billing Reminders
“Valued client, we have updated our policies. Read more here.”
SMS messages are read instantly and are the most effective way of sending time-sensitive messages.
That’s why SMS is the channel of choice for sending urgent messages and status updates.
If hours are changing, or appointments are being rescheduled, canceled, or moved, use SMS to update customers en masse.
#9. Text Marketing for Agencies: Community Building
“Everything’s going to be amazing.”
Gary Vaynerchuck is a marketing industry influencer with massive reach.
Gary Vee uses SMS marketing updates to cultivate community and deepen brand engagement and customer relationships.
He does this by sending motivational and encouraging updates for marketers and entrepreneurs.
And you can do this for all of your agency clients.
Depending on the brand, sending inspiration and motivation can be a way to secure a positive place in customers’ trusted mobile space.
#10. Text Marketing for Agencies: SMS Lead Generation
Text message marketing is one of the most popular lead generation tools you can have in your tech stack. And that’s because SMS has by far the highest open and engagement rates of any kind of media.
Take a look at these SMS marketing statistics which prove my point.
SMS text message marketing is incredibly effective in both generating new leads and converting existing leads.
In fact, the average response time to business text messages is just 90 seconds. If you compare that to an average of 90 minutes for business email, then you’ll understand why we emphasize the importance of adding SMS to your marketing toolset.
Check out these 20 SMS marketing tools available on the Customers.ai platform.
How To Get Started with SMS Marketing
Now that you’re all set to test out these effective SMS marketing tips, it’s time to get started with your first campaign.
However, if you want to learn more, take a look at these two articles of “SMS Marketing Examples” and “How To Send a Text Message Blast.”
Or, watch our video on “How To Do Text Message Marketing.”
SMS marketing is the fastest way to reach the more than 5 billion people that send and receive text messages around the world. And that’s because it’s instant, convenient, and universal.
Want the best stats on the effectiveness of text message marketing? Check out these 60 SMS marketing statistics that will have you wondering why you didn’t get started with text marketing sooner.
Have questions? Customers.ai’s SMS FAQs help doc has answers.
Customers.ai for Agencies
Higher retainers, improved ROI, and happier clients.
Important next steps
Here are some additional chatbot marketing resources our agency partners love.
Start with these chatbot marketing services case studies for agencies.
Watch the Marketing Agency Growth Accelerator Summit with Larry Kim.
Check out our Marketing Agency Pricing Guide to find the pricing models that work best for your agency.
Customers.ai agency Team Plan partners get advanced web chat marketing automation features, multi-page and multi-user dashboard, and new client referrals as a certified Customers.ai agency.
See all the tools in Customers.ai’s multi-channel chatbot platform by getting started with Customers.ai for free.
FAQs about Text Marketing for Agencies
What is text marketing?
Text marketing, also known as SMS marketing, is a strategy that involves sending promotional messages and offers to a group of people via text messages. It is an effective way for agencies to reach their target audience, engage with customers, and drive conversions.
How can text marketing benefit agencies?
Text marketing offers several benefits for agencies, including:
- Instant reach and high open rates
- Increased customer engagement and interaction
- Cost-effective compared to other marketing channels
- Ability to target specific customer segments
- Higher conversion rates and ROI
What are some effective text marketing strategies for agencies?
Here are a few effective text marketing strategies for agencies:
- Segment your audience and personalize messages
- Offer exclusive discounts and promotions
- Send appointment reminders or event updates
- Run SMS contests or giveaways
- Provide valuable content and tips
Is text marketing legal for agencies?
Yes, text marketing is legal for agencies, but it is subject to various regulations depending on the country you operate in. It’s important to familiarize yourself with the local laws and obtain consent from recipients before sending them text messages. Compliance with regulations like TCPA (in the US) and GDPR (in the EU) is crucial to avoid legal issues.
How can agencies build their text marketing subscriber list?
Agencies can build their text marketing subscriber list by implementing various strategies such as:
- Adding opt-in forms on their website or landing pages
- Promoting text message opt-ins through social media and email marketing
- Running targeted advertising campaigns to drive subscriptions
- Providing incentives like exclusive discounts or content for subscribing
How often should agencies send text marketing messages?
The frequency of text marketing messages depends on your target audience and the type of content you’re sending. It’s important to strike a balance between staying top-of-mind and avoiding excessive messaging that may lead to unsubscribes. Generally, 1-2 messages per week or a few messages per month can be a good starting point. However, it’s essential to monitor engagement metrics and adjust the frequency based on audience response.
How can agencies measure the effectiveness of their text marketing campaigns?
Agencies can measure the effectiveness of their text marketing campaigns by tracking key metrics such as:
- Open rates: The percentage of recipients who open the text messages
- Click-through rates: The percentage of recipients who click on links within the messages
- Conversion rates: The percentage of recipients who take the desired action (e.g., make a purchase)
- Subscriber growth: The rate at which the subscriber list is expanding
- Churn rate: The percentage of subscribers who unsubscribe from the text messages
Analyzing these metrics will provide insights into the campaign’s performance and help agencies optimize their strategies for better results.
Are there any compliance requirements for text marketing?
Yes, there are compliance requirements for text marketing to protect consumers and ensure responsible messaging. Some key compliance requirements include:
- Obtaining proper consent from recipients before sending text messages
- Including opt-out instructions in each message
- Complying with anti-spam laws and regulations specific to your country or region
- Respecting customer privacy and handling personal information securely