5 SMS Marketing lessons from The Apprentice

The annual occurrence that is The Apprentice is in full swing and as we approach the half-way mark it is reasonable to say that this season has lived up to expectations. As the candidates have battled it out over the last six weeks to stay in the running to become Lord Sugar’s business partner, we have witnessed plenty of fails. However, for the astute there are also plenty of positive takeaways from the show – provided of course you can see them past the bickering! In this article, we look at five lessons from The Apprentice that can help you improve your SMS Marketing.

1. Know your customers

It may sound obvious, but good research has shown itself time and again to be the key to successful business. A strong SMS Marketing campaign needs to based on a sound knowledge of who the target customer is and where they can be found, along with their preferences, behaviours and other such relevant information. Armed with this knowledge, you can tailor your campaign to reach the right people with the right message, at the right time.

Several factors come into play in crafting your messages. Pay attention not just to what you are presenting, but who you are presenting it to and how you are presenting it. The language you choose will be very different for different audiences and it is essential to get it right. Getting all ‘laddish’ and promising a ‘Skinful of beer’ for example is not always going to win you bonus points.

2. Deliver on your promises

Again this is nothing new when it comes to the fine art of marketing, but it can never be said enough – be sure to deliver on your promises. If you run a beautifully planned SMS marketing campaign selling a glamorous, luxury hotel stay that offers sumptuous bedrooms, exquisite dining and sweeping panoramas you better be ready to deliver.

The use of creative, descriptive language in an SMS Marketing campaign is, without doubt, the best way to ensure that your offering gets attention and stands out from the competition – but be sure that you are not making false promises. Not only will this leave you with a queue for refunds (did somebody promise a Segway tour?), it can undermine your brand’s reputation overnight with lasting repercussions. In addition, falling foul of the law when it comes to marketing is never advised.

As seen on board the Britannia, the best way to ensure that the offer that is being marketed and the actual product or service match up is ensuring that there is good communication between the different teams within your business.

3. Focus on the experience

In a world where customers are saturated with a myriad of like-for-like products and services, those which stand out in today’s marketplace are more and more often those that focus on the customer experience. Every company should think of their product or service in terms of what unique experience it can offer the customer – and SMS Marketing is a great way capture and convey this. Compare the following two messages. Which has the greater effect?

“Here at the Palm Hotel, we are proud to offer our customers luxury bedrooms, a swimming pool, sauna, 5* restaurant with a mixed menu and a lounge bar with late opening.”

“If you do find yourself drawn to venture beyond the sumptuous comfort of your luxury Palm Hotel bedroom, you might want to consider becoming one with yourself in the soothing atmosphere of our tranquil pool and sauna.”

4. Know the numbers

Of course, good marketing is not just about the clever use of language, a sprinkling of psychology and delivering on promises. At the heart of success in every aspect of business is knowing the numbers. A successful SMS Marketing campaign should be based on S.M.A.R.T. targets – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Bound. The only way to ensure that your campaign meets these criteria for success is to have an understanding of the numbers involved before you begin and to be able to collect and analyze numbers as your campaign progresses.

If you know your numbers, you can plan and predict, measure progress and evaluate the performance of your campaign, ensuring that you are using SMS Marketing in the most profitable way possible.

5. Hindsight is a fine thing – but foresight is better

Hindsight can be a great thing – if it wasn’t for the fact that it is hindsight. For one candidate, the ability to see things after the event very nearly brought an end to his aspirations.

When it comes to SMS Marketing – and in particular the law – it is far better to be fully informed before you begin and make sure that you have fully complied with all the requirements. The most important regulations relevant to SMS Marketing are:

• PECR– most importantly, the requirement for customers to opt-in
• Data Protection
• Spamming and Harassment  – and how to avoid it
• Consumer Rights – including rules on distance selling and contract law
• Advertising Standards – what you can and can’t tell say about products/services

Whilst at first glance this may seem a daunting list, the truth is that provided you are genuine in your intentions, a brief overview is generally sufficient to ensure that your SMS Marketing campaign is a real success.

Here at Fastsms, our award-winning team of customer service experts can’t help you to become Lord Sugar’s next business partner – but they can help your business to succeed and grow with SMS Marketing. Give us a call now on 0800 954 5305 to start using our cost-effective business bulk SMS packages now and see just how easy and efficient it can be.