One Simple Trick Can Boost Your SMS Marketing
When I was little, we lived in Hawaii for about 15 months. I loved it. Besides swimming every day and going to the beach, a favourite memory I have is visiting Baskin Robbins. They only have a dozen or so stores in the UK now, so you may not know about them. But they offer “31 Flavours” of ice cream. That has been their tagline forever. Well, since they were founded back in 1945.
I’ve only been to one of their stores since then, as they aren’t in my area. But I recently learned about an SMS marketing promotion they are doing. It’s a great example of taking something that you’re known for and making it even more special.
Making "31" Special
So their tag line is “31 flavours”. The intention behind that is you can have a different flavour every day of the month. I’m not sure how many customers they get coming in every day, but it’s still a great concept.
The thing is, not every month has 31 days right? But generally you can get any of their flavours at any time, so those seven months that have the extra day don’t get much notice. Until their SMS promotion that is.
Just so you know, the following marketing campaign is being run in the US. I haven’t been able to confirm if it’s in the UK too.
Here’s the concept:
Every 31st of a month, ice cream scoops only cost $1.31 (£1.03). See the “31” there? Now the normal cost is $2.79. That’s about a 53% saving when you stop in on the last day of the month.
But while 53% sounds like a great deal, using the actual monetary value is better. At least for this promotion. It ties directly into their slogan – their identity really – and what people associate with them.
Everyone who gets their SMS marketing message will remember not only the day the offer is valid but also how much it is. If they ran a 53% off sale, though, would customers remember when to go to the store? Of course, customers can just reference the message, but the point is that they won’t have to when the number 31 is all over it.
This offer is a regular promotion that will excite current customers to come in on these special days. Maybe it’s the only day they come in, or they come an extra day in each of the seven months with 31 days. How much money do you think they could make from such a simple offer? Doing some quick maths here: Thousands of customers x one extra scoop x 7 “31st” days a year = lots, and lots of money.
Can You Do The Same?
Part of the reason this SMS promotion works so well is because it plays on their iconic brand. It’s something people know and remember about them.
So think about your business. Is there something that can work similarly for you? Maybe it’s in your logo, slogan, or anything people associate with you (in a positive way of course).
It doesn’t have to relate to the calendar either. Maybe it has to do with weather, sports, or holidays. For example, what if London Fog (a retailer specialising in overcoats) sent out a promotion to Londoners on their list every time there was fog? Or they could do it for anyone when there’s fog in London.
Forget whether that would be a good idea or not, and let’s stick with the example. If they wanted to do such a promotion, SMS messaging would be the only practical way of doing it.
SMS is fast and customers could get the special deal on their mobiles before the fog even lifted. Even email couldn’t be guaranteed to deliver the messages faster. The offer could be front of mind while conditions existed that would make them want to take action on it.
I realise that’s an idealised situation. But it is another way a brand can play off of what they are known for based on their name. And to be clear, it is a completely fictional example I just made up. Don’t try to sign up for it at their website!
It Could Work for Anyone
You don’t have to be a large, international corporation for it to work either. A pub known for awesome chips and supporting the local sports team could use the same approach every time the team plays. They could send the offer just before the start of a game with an offer for free chips with every pint (or vice versa) but only during the game.
You’ve probably considered all sorts of marketing like this when it comes to leveraging your brand. These examples hopefully show how easy it could be to take an offer and deliver it – based on some condition – using SMS messaging. The trick is finding a way of making it time sensitive, then sending it out to your SMS list to boost sales, attendance or anything else you’re promoting.
Why not give it a try? Sign up today for a free account and see how easy it is to use SMS marketing.
Related Articles
5 Winter Phrases for SMS Marketing [Infographic]
7 Tips for a Successful SMS Marketing Campaign
SMS marketing is still one of the most effective marketing channels available to businesses but is often overlooked in the pursuit of newer, more digitised technologies. When you include SMS marketing as part of the marketing mix, you're in a far greater position to increase engagement with your campaign, helping you generate a greater return on your investment. As with all channels, there are certain ways you can ensure your campaign is more effective, by following these simple steps.
Five Things Every Marketer Needs to Know About SMS
There's no better time to take a closer look at SMS marketing - could it fit your marketing strategy? What should be at the forefront of your mind when you look at whether SMS could fit with your business? Here we've highlighted five things you should know before getting started.
What are the Worst SMS Marketing Messages You’ve Received?
Just for fun, I asked people in a marketing focused Facebook group to share the worst SMS marketing messages they’ve ever received. I was expecting a deluge of responses, but actually only a few trickled in. But those horrible SMS marketing messages are out there…the comments on my post proved it even if no one wanted to share (I guess they’re all shy).
SMS Marketing Techniques for Copywriting Agencies
More Examples of Calls to Action in an SMS Message
In a previous article I shared two examples of SMS marketing messages I received and how their call to action worked, or not. This time I want to share two more examples to help you in crafting the perfect call to action for your SMS marketing messages.
13 Words That Inspire Action in Your SMS Messages
Because they are so short, word choice is important in SMS messages. You need to convey instructions and the benefits of following those instructions in few words. If you’ve ever struggled to find just the right one, check out our list of action inspiring words for SMS messaging.
What You Can Learn From a Bad SMS Message
In last week’s blog I covered how the Trump campaign sent unsolicited SMS messages to voters. This week I’m stuck on the same topic, but from a totally different angle: what we can learn from that failure. Because honestly, their biggest issue might not be violating the law. It might be the people they have writing their SMS messages. It’s time to dissect the message that spawned the law suit, and learn what we can from it.
3 Best Types of CTA for SMS Marketing
One mistake some marketers make is assuming people will know what to do when they read an SMS message. After all, they’re short and to the point right? How confusing could they be? On the other hand, when writing every other form of marketing they know that calls to action need to be clear. So, just because you don't have much room, it doesn’t mean you get to leave out your call to action! Saving space and being brief is important though, so take a look at three of the best SMS marketing CTAs you can use.
Increase Conversion in Your SMS Marketing by Doing This One Thing
Good copywriting is something marketers understand. But it's easy to forget the basic principles when running SMS marketing campaigns. You only have 160 characters after all (or 453 characters if you're using fastsms). While there are many elements to successful copywriting, there's one element that is often either overlooked or over-used. What is it? Urgency.