A: Use an SMS Service to draw attention to your e-mail.
We all know the problem with e-mail. Open rates have been dropping steadily and it’s becoming an increasing struggle just to get e-mails read let alone responded to.
SMS has presented a very effective solution that is going a long way to resolving the problem. By using a bulk sms service to send out a text to your customers, alerting them to the e-mail in their inbox, you can create a very dramatic effect on the open rate.
“We have quite a complicated product catalogue that we send out by e-mail to all our customers once a week with all out latest offers. About a year ago we had open rates of about 12%; in recent months we’ve seen this drop away to around 7%.
Last month we started sending all our customers an sms alert to let them know that the e-mail was on its way. The open rates have now risen to about 16%. We’ll be going back to customers where we don’t yet have the mobile number and a making sure that we update our customer records.” Julian Winter – AES Products
The same approach can be used to draw attention to a mailing piece that has just been sent to your customers. In the case of direct mail, where you will have spent at least 50 pence on each mailer, it make sense to maximise your return on investment by doing all you can to increase the response.
While these techniques are not particularly revolutionary, there are very few companies who are currently using this strategy. Those that are getting the biggest benefit.
Opening a bulk sms account with Text Marketer is free and your account comes with 10 free text credits so you can test the service.