Proof SMS Messaging Gets Results: Increase Traffic
Does SMS messaging get results? Yes, it does. And in the second of The Results Series we’ll look at how it increases traffic to your website online and into physical stores too. In the first blog of the series, I covered opt-ins and how quickly SMS helps build marketing lists. If you want to start from the beginning, you can find it here.
But today’s post is all about traffic. I’ve researched and found case studies, statistics and testimonials specifically focused on how SMS is used to generate traffic. The data comes from all over the web, though I’ve only included the ones I know are trustworthy.
Online Traffic
Without visitors to your website, you might as well not have one. And getting traffic is a challenge that plagues any online business. Thankfully, there are many examples of how using SMS messaging increases traffic.
The first one is from a single online clothing retailer who sent out SMS messages for sales on Boxing Day. Here are their results for year over year website traffic:
- 27% increase from all sources
- 45% increase from direct links
- 93% increase in mobile traffic
That last number is impressive, right? Not everyone they sent the message to visited the website right away (as evidenced by the increase in overall traffic). But the SMS campaign resulted in an amazing 93% more mobile visitors than the previous year. That’s more anecdotal evidence that more people are researching and buying from mobile platforms. This evidence is backed up by a study done by Adobe, that found in the UK, £4.10 out of every £10 spent over the 2016 holidays originated from a smartphone.
This retailer had spectacular results using SMS messaging. But they aren’t the only example.
Every Online Retailer's...Dream?
One e-commerce fashion store used SMS messaging to announce major sales. They said they had the best response they’ve ever seen when using SMS. In case that wasn’t clear, that means it was the best out of every channel they’d ever used.
It was so good in fact, that they crashed their server after one promotion. The response was so good, it actually broke their systems. They dreamed of getting great response, but they didn’t plan to crash the site! But that’s still an indication of how well, and fast, SMS messaging can work. On a side note, fastsms offers a feature called “throttling” which can help spread out messages so this doesn’t happen to you! Check our support centre for more information or click live chat and ask us about it.
Traffic Keeps on Giving
Remember that successful Boxing Day promotion I mentioned above? Well, beyond getting traffic and immediate sales from that, they also managed to pull in even more customers.
It turns out that the company uses something called remarketing. It’s when you see ads for a website you visited recently. Anyway, they used remarketing on all those visitors that came based on the SMS promotion, but didn’t buy at the time. According to the company, this turned many of those visitors into buying customers over the course of time.
Increasing Foot Traffic
Physical, or brick and mortar, stores face their own challenges. Changing economic times, including the growth of online shopping, means it can be hard to get people to visit physical stores. If there’s a downturn, the usual sales and adverts don’t work as well. But SMS messaging can cut through those issues, and get your most loyal customers back into the store.
Here are some results retailers saw after starting SMS campaigns:
- Foot traffic up 21% after sending mobile coupons
- 10% more traffic in 2 months (also added 1,000 new subscribers!)
To see more about increasing foot traffic with SMS messaging, check out our aptly named blog How to Increase Retail Foot Traffic.
Not Just Retail
So far, the examples I’ve shared are all retail sales. But SMS messaging is great for any business or organisation that needs to get people’s attention – and their time.
For example, there was a nightclub that needed a boost in attendance for certain shows and nights. So, they sent out an SMS alert with a special code. After sending just one message to their list (for one night), they received a bump of 11% attendance. They went on to use it at other times too.
A second example is about a non-profit whose mission was to raise awareness about sexually transmitted infections and the available treatments. Not something nice to talk about obviously, but they wanted to help as many people as they could. So, to grab attention, they created a contest. The result was 10,000 came to their website over the four-week campaign.
It’s hard to deny SMS can drive online and foot traffic after seeing all this data. It really is one of the best ways you can reach your audience or customers in our mobile age. Be sure to come back for the next blog that offers proof of how good conversions are when you use SMS messaging.
Related Articles
Attention! The mCommerce Summit is Happening Now
Mobile Marketer is holding the mCommerce Summit: State of Mobile Commerce 2016 today in New York City. And you'll get to find out what happens when I get back and write about it next week. But today, I'm going to give you a sneak peak at what I'm seeing in New York at this moment. Before I do though, be sure to check our fastsms Twitter feed throughout the day. I'll be sharing the best tidbits as they come up in each session as they happen.
When the Internet Goes Down, SMS Messaging Can Save the Day
At the end of February, Amazon’s S3 servers went down. And so did much of the Internet. What can we learn from the experience about communicating with customers during an online disaster? According to experts, having a plan that includes SMS messaging is key.
Don’t Believe The Myth of The “Cashless Shopper”
Sometimes bloggers or journalists get a bit carried away. They see some data or fact, and run off to declare there’s a trend you need to know about. The latest one I’ve seen is all about how to reach the generation of “cashless shoppers”. The argument goes that you need to use SMS messaging to reach customers because they are all shopping online – where you obviously can’t pay in cash.
SMS Marketing for the Domestic Pets Market
With consumer spending on Britain's 57 million furry friends valued at over £4.5 Million and all the signs showing that this is only going to increase, there has never been a better time for the sector to invest in marketing - and SMS marketing should be top priority. As pet owners spend more and more time pampering their pets and investing in pet paraphernalia, the opportunities are infinite. SMS marketing is one of the best ways to ensure that your offers get seen - and in most cases, instantly. With its low costs, exceptionally high open rates and above average response rates, SMS Marketing offers huge potential for ROI.
SMS Marketing – 4 of the UK’s Best Ever Campaigns
Discover how to come up with an SMS marketing campaign in this article which looks under the surface of some of the UK's most successful ever SMS marketing campaigns. Whether you are looking to boost revenue, improve customer satisfaction or help your brand stand out with a unique and memorable promotion, this article shows how a simple approach to SMS messaging can work wonders for your company.
SMS Remarketing: What It’s All About
You’ve seen or heard about remarketing online. But did you know you can use SMS to remarket to visitors who abandon their cart in your ecommerce store? According to one study, using it can double your conversion rates. Check out the blog to see the details.
A Checklist for Your First SMS Marketing Campaign
This year SMS marketing is predicted to become an even bigger piece of the mobile marketing pie. Businesses of every size will be launching their first ever campaigns. If you’re one of them, take a look at our handy SMS marketing checklist below to help you do it right from the very beginning.
5 Reasons SMS Should be a Major Part of Your Marketing Mix
81% of mobile phone users use SMS or text messaging and 90% read text messages within three minutes of receipt. But it's not just a convenient way to chat with friends, fix a rendez-vous or remind people to do things; it has also become a powerful marketing tool for businesses large and small, national or global.
In Store SMS Service Could Improve Sales
Have you ever been inside a Walmart or ASDA Supercentre? If you have, you’ll appreciate the possibility of what I’ll share in a moment. If you haven’t, try imagining walking into a store so big you can barely see one end from the other, where the shelves are packed with everything you might ever need, and staff who are often less than helpful (not everywhere mind you, but often). The point is you can get lost or frustrated if you’re trying to find a certain item that you need, or is on sale. Finding the right section is sometimes challenging, and even if you think you’re in the right spot you might not be.
