The back to school rush is just around the corner, and we know how crucial this time of year is for many retailers. If you’re a marketer looking to maximise the impact of your activities during this time, then read on as we share some SMS tips to ensure success.
Check that your website works and is updated
As we all know, technical incidents occur at the most inopportune moment, so before sending out your text message that contains a link to a promotion, it’s best to ensure that your site is working as it should be, and everything is up to date.
Segment your database
The foundations of any great marketing, is clean, usable data. A well managed database is key to any marketing activities, but the back to school period is the ideal time to try some narrowly focused campaign targeting if you haven’t done it before. So, this is the prime time to go through your customer data so that you’re certain you can send the right message to the right person. If done well, the conversion rate of your messages can grow exponentially with a minimal amount of effort.
Check the stock of your products and the availability of your services
It’s common for backlogs in operations to occur as staff take their leave, so it’s well worth checking that there’s still plenty of pencil cases, day planners and book bags available in the warehouse, and there have been no changes or delays. Otherwise, you will lose some of the impact of your promotions and your well-meaning comms could result in some unintended negative consequences further down the customer journey.
TIP: Promote that product that’s been sat in your warehouse for a long time and you’ve built up a large stock of. Look at whether you can offer an attractive discount and you may be able to generate demand in one of your less popular products.
Review the campaigns you scheduled before you went on holiday
If you’ve planned ahead, you will likely have left some campaigns scheduled for your return. Take a look at them to remember the subject, the offer and any operational considerations, like shipping times. If you want to send a new communication for the return to school, take into account the days scheduled for shipments so as not to be too insistent. No need to use a hard sell if the additional time can help ease potential delays.
TIP: There are better and worse days for shipments depending on the industry to which your company belongs. It is a good opportunity to refamiliarise yourself with these operational elements if you are not very clear about the best time to connect with your customers.
Analyse what the competition is doing
You should always keep an eye on what companies like yours are doing. On the one hand, if you like what they do and it works, you can repeat it and adapt it for your company. Alternatively, if it doesn’t work, learn from their mistakes and avoid making them yourself.
Prepare offers or promotions that are of interest to your users
The user should always be at the centre of your marketing strategy. The more you think about them and create initiatives that are interesting and engaging, the more you will get them to buy and become ambassadors for your brand. Offer them that discount they’ve been waiting patiently for: a 2 for 1, a special gift or maybe even eliminate shipping costs. This is particularly effective when combined with a good database. The more information you have on your customers, the more accurately you can predict what is good, relevant content for them.
3 key strategies to highlight this return to school 2023
Now that you know the tricks to make this back to school period a success, it’s time to start creating amazing SMS campaigns.
- Encourage your customers to keep travelling
Appeal to the good memories of their recent holidays and use the theme of travel to guide your customers through your purchases and campaigns. You can use designs and copy reminiscent of holiday destinations that encourage your audience to harness the positive feeling we all get from going away.
For example:
– “Travel to our promotions for back to school”
– “Your next destination is…”
– “We’ve all come back too, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing!”
– “Explore the back to school period with this exclusive 2×1 offer for you
- Inspire your audience with useful content
Not everything has to be a promotional offer, there are other ways to impact your customers that can contribute to improving engagement and conversion rates. Increasingly, as consumers we are becoming aware of uninteresting messages that we delete without even reading. Ensure this doesn’t happen to your campaigns by sending messages that are of interest with useful, actionable information.
For example:
– “In the following link we share tips so that the return to school for your little ones is easier than ever.”
– “Some exercises so that your body and mind do not suffer from post-holiday blues.”
– “We tell you how to make a good plan to stop the back to school period from overwhelming you”
– “Be sure to check our FAQs to answer any questions you may have!”
- Gamify the return to school 2023
If you want to really stand out from your competitors, something that works very well is the gamification of experiences. Offer a simple game to your audience and you will be able to hook them through a journey that will make your brand stick in their memory. We all like games and it’s a fun way to interact with a company. For example, if you add a prize, you will increase the attractiveness of the proposal.
For example:
– “The back to school clue game begins now. Discover the hidden treasure!”
– “Exam Time! Do you know everything about how to organise a good return to school? Test your knowledge here!”
– “3, 2, 1… The game begins! Be the first to answer these 5 questions that we sent you by SMS and get a very special gift”
We know you are probably looking back on happy memories from your days off rather than thinking about what your plans for Autumn are. But don’t let this information pass you by. The guidelines we’ve shared here will help you get back into the swing of things and get back on track before anyone else.
And if your holiday hasn’t arrived yet, access your Text Marketer free trial today and schedule your back to school 2023 SMS campaign now.