SMS has long been a prevalent mode of communication but it seems to have taken a backseat due to the latest messaging apps. Commonly perceived as expensive, slow, and full of constraints, messaging might not come across as a preferred service. However, even after being overlooked due to other dominant messaging services, the SMS shines out with a new use case every time. Among all the other messaging interfaces, SMS is direct and it goes right to the customer. Here is a list of a few unique advantages of SMS.
People still read every message they get
Did you know that 90% of messages are read within three minutes after it is received? Be it your business or friends, people avidly use text messages to communicate. Unlike the social media messages or promotional advertisements, whenever people receive a message they end up opening it. Which is why investing in a dm SMS service makes sense.
Reaching to people on a platform that stays with them
SMS is used on the personal number of an individual. This means that there are actual humans behind the number. So your brand knows exactly whom you are interacting with. This might not be the case of social media handles which can also be fake. At the same time, the advertisements on which you spend a lot of money, might or might not get the attention. So there isn’t the sense of surety that a dm SMS service provides. You no longer have to worry about duplicate accounts and fake email ids.
Reach out to even those who don’t use smartphones
Did you know that SMS has over 4 billion users in the world? This is definitely more than any other social media platform out there. If you are considering an SMS bot then it is a good idea. This is because SMS service has a wide reach. So you can reach people who are not avid users of social media channels. Such a strategy gives you more exposure which translates into more opportunities naturally.
A Multi-lingual Service
SMS advertisement can be customised for regional language as well. You can translate your messages in the local language whenever required. Furthermore, automating the chat can help you bring in business from diverse groups of audience. You can easily target the users who are not active on social media and who would like to communicate in the regional language instead. Thus, SMS bots bring in a lot of possibilities.
What are the advantages of adding SMS Bots to your arsenal?
The best thing about SMS chatbots is that it brings back the magic in traditional media. Measuring the conventional advertising has become very difficult. Be it the billboards, print ads, or radio, measuring its effectiveness can be tedious. So when you add a chatbot to SMS marketing you can experience the following benefits.
- You can easily measure the performance of your SMS campaigns with the number of replies, chat responses, and other useful metrics. Unlike sending a plain SMS and hoping for it to work, you can check it with the help of insights.
- Enable the users to directly call or text you by providing information right in their inbox.
- Promote your direct message service on other platforms such as your websites, prints, and social media.
- Ditch the age-old “Call us on this number” or “visit this website for more information” because let’s be honest, people hardly click on it!
Now that you know how useful SMS bots can be, let us see some of the best practices of using SMS bots and how do we build one.
SMS Bot Best Practices: What you need to know
How to design a delightful conversational experience using SMS bots? Here are some best practices to follow:
Be precise
Since SMS doesn’t have any buttons, the user usually has to respond with either a number or a letter. This way you can avoid misspellings so that the conversation is natural and seamless. There will also be instances when you want users to share their business or email address. In such cases you can let them know how to do it. E.g. “Please reply with your email address so that we can reach you”.
Leverage their phone number
The biggest advantage while using SMS bots is that you have your customer’s number! Click To Tweet
Now that’s a very good benefit right there! Let me tell you why. You see when you communicate with customers through other channels like social media or your website, you have to gather information about them. For instance, you have to ask them their name, location, and the like. But in most cases when you have the customer’s number you also have their other details. So you can begin your conversation like “Is that Stella from Texas?” or “Hi Tom, we’ve heard you are passionate about sports, would you like to check out our latest soccer-inspired collection?”. The customers can easily relate to you and texting becomes all the more engaging.
Use the right copy and emojis
While images and videos are trending on social media, it might not always be a good idea to send them on SMS. Because you never know whether the phone your customer’s use is graphics compatible or not. If they are using a simple phone that doesn’t support images or videos then the messages might not even get sent. To make your messages interesting, you can use engaging copy alongside captivating emojis. Emojis are known to boost conversations and improve response rates.
Re-engaging customers
Re-engagement plays a very important role when it comes to converting leads. Click To Tweet
Facebook has a window of 24 hours, post which you can send in one more message to the customers. This is so that you can send them a push notification encouraging them to engage with the brand. However, doing so is easier with SMS as there isn’t any specific rule. Re-engagement can do wonders and turn cold leads into hot leads. You can send in little nudges to your customers now and again in creative ways. Of course without spamming them. Doing so will help you drastically boost SMS sales.
Thus, with these best practices you can leverage the SMS bots and see your business grow. Let us take a look at how you can create your SMS bot.
You will need to follow these steps to create an SMS Bot
- API and IDE: An API enables you to send SMS through a gateway that translates these messages to HTTP requests. Once you set up a phone number, the API can be used to encrypt the SMS message. Likewise, the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) helps in hosting your SMS in your choice of programming language.
- Build the Chat Script: To make your SMS bot successful, it is important to know what your customers will likely ask. Develop your chat script and include responses that are as precise as possible. You should think from the customer’s perspective as to what they might want to ask you.
- Test your SMS bot: Once you are done setting up an SMS bot it is time to test it to check how well it works. You don’t want to send it to your customers and then get an error. Make sure that you check the flow and test it too.
Final Take
Implementing an SMS bot for your business can bring in new leads and repeat business. Apply the aforementioned best practices to get the right results. This will help you create a stunning service that your customers will love.
Need help with building an SMS bot? Hit us up and we will do it for you!
