5 Tips to Stay Ahead for Your Bank Holiday SMS Marketing

So the first of the May bank holiday weekends has finished and the next one is just around the corner. These three day weekends are great opportunities for marketing and can see spikes in sales for all manner of businesses, not just in travel and tourism but also in many other sectors. With two long weekends in close succession, staying ahead of the game with your SMS Marketing can be a challenge – so here are some tips to make sure that you are ready to make the most of the opportunity.

1. Plan ahead

Because it is so quick and simple to use, there may be a temptation to focus all your attention and efforts on your other marketing channels and come back to SMS Marketing once everything else is ready. However, given that the British love to be mobile on a long weekend, the chances are that SMS will be the best way to reach your customers – so don’t let it slip into second place.

Start to think of ideas and plan your SMS Marketing now, so that you can come up with something that is well thought out, high quality and effective.

Think about what kind of themes will be relevant – spring weather, sunshine, barbecues, beaches… try to plan your message around something that is relevant to your brand and will resonate with your customers, and make sure you use some carefully chosen power words for maximum effect.

2. Draft out your campaign

Sometimes what we believe is a great, catchy campaign just doesn’t work for others. Preparing now gives you a chance to draft out your message and test it on your colleagues to make sure that it is giving the right message – allowing you time to make adjustments if necessary.

Be careful to remember that no matter how amusing, clever or punchy you feel the campaign you’ve created is, SMS Marketing must be designed with the customer in mind. The mobile phone is a very personal space and you must respect how your customers can expect to interact with your brand. Know your customers, know your brand and aim to strike the right note.

3. Plan your timings

When it comes to successful SMS Marketing, timing is everything. Think about when would be the best time to get your SMS messages out to your customers – waiting until the bank holiday weekend is already underway may not always be the best approach. On the other hand, sending out key messages too early can also work against you. Getting your timing right is an art form, so take the time to do some research and planning now and it will pay dividends.

People tend to prefer planning things like itineraries and entertainment in advance, so it may well prove to be in your interests to reach out sooner rather than later. If, on the other hand, you are promoting a flash sale then it is all about last minute.

The right timing can vary greatly depending on the nature of what you have to offer, so don’t leave this all-important aspect of planning to chance.

4. Check your links

If you are planning to include links to a website with your bank holiday SMS Marketing campaign, there are some key points to consider. First of all, make sure that the link you are sending really does work – an incorrect link that goes nowhere will destroy any chances of converting and can harm your brand’s credibility. Be aware that many customers will be away from home and may be relying on their data allowance to browse any links you send – so try to ensure the link is direct to the mobile version of the site as this will make sure the experience is fully optimised for mobile browsing and as user-friendly as possible.

Also, consider using a link shortening tool such as bitly.com as this will not only look better but will also free up some vital characters which can be put to better use.

5. Ensure your SMS Marketing list is up to date

It’s always a good idea to keep customer records up to date, but with the all-new GDPR now a hot topic, it is about more than best practice – it is about compliance with the law. The new law comes into place on May 25th, ahead of the second May bank holiday weekend, so it is absolutely essential that you are compliant and the best time to check this is now.

Click here to check our recent article on GDPR compliance for a brief overview of how it might affect you.

It may be necessary for you to update your customers’ permission to receive communications by SMS, so it is highly recommended to work with your marketing team now to ensure you are in a position to make the most of the bank holiday sales opportunity without risking any compliance issues.

Ready to take your marketing to the next level with SMS Marketing? Get in touch with our friendly team now on 0800 954 5305 and we’ll have you up and running in no time.