Social media has allowed marketers to boost organic traffic and connect with consumers on a more personal level. But social media isn’t the only marketing channel that enables this kind of social engagement. With the right focus, you can utilize your social network of customers via your SMS marketing campaigns too.



The social element of social media is what makes it so special, and it’s entirely possible to harness this social benefit from a texting campaign. But if you want real social engagement, you have to go further than simply using SMS to offer deals and promotions. Concentrate on the following aspects to optimize the level of social engagement you gain from your next SMS marketing campaign.

Give and Receive

To get the most from any SMS strategy it’s important to remember that it’s not a one-way method of communication - it also makes it incredibly simple and quick for your customers to get in touch with you. This two-way, open communication is what’s made social media marketing such a success, and it’s easily utilized via text communication too.

Two-way texting is ideal for customer service issues. You can set up keywords with automatic responses, making it easy for people to interact with you for additional info. In addition, you can have someone monitor incoming texts to answer queries and direct customers towards the information they need.

Two-way texting can provide a valuable service for customers, increasing customer satisfaction and positive word of mouth for your business. Just remember to respond professionally, politely, and above all promptly to incoming messages.

Encourage feedback

SMS polls and surveys are a simple way to instantly increase interaction with customers. It’s a chance for them to offer feedback on your services and products, making them feel that you really do care about what they have to say. In addition, it’s valuable feedback for you regarding your service at present and changes that you need or want to implement in the future.

Polls and surveys can be used in a range of ways:

Make customers feel part of the business - ask customers to name a new menu, or vote on a range of new products they’d most like to see added to your store. Polls like this make customers feel personally involved with the development of your brand
Create more social interaction with customers - your polls and surveys don’t need to be strictly business based. Run timely polls and surveys on upcoming events and holidays - the Superbowl, Thanksgiving, the Grammys - and have some fun interacting with your customers on a social level

Changing the perception of your brand - sending out the occasional non-business related poll, whether it’s about favourite characters in the latest TV blockbuster or what they think Beyonce should call her twins, brings your business into a more social arena, where it’s more likely to come up in conversation with friends and family. Valuable feedback on current services - ask customers what they think of a newly introduced product, to rate your service, or let you know how they think you could improve

Encourage Sharing

Texts are easy and, for many SMS users now, free to share with friends and family. Just as you would with social media content, you want to create SMS content that’s just as shareable. You can:

Run contests and games - offering prizes or special offer codes to winners

Make the most of MMS - mix it up with MMS content to send messages that feature video, images and sound

Reward sharing - offer a special discount to people who text you with a specific, shareable keyword, encouraging text recipients to forward your SMS onto friends and family
 
In this way, SMS marketing has the potential to increase your organic reach in the same way that social media can.