Gaining subscribers is the first step to a successful SMS marketing campaign, but how do you keep your customers engaged after they opt in?
In this article, we’re bringing you 15 out-of-the-box SMS examples that are interactive, compelling, and sure to entice your customers. Read on to gain inspiration and make your own SMS messages more engaging.
Jump right to:
- What is SMS customer engagement?
- 15 ways to boost SMS customer engagement
- Best practices for engaging customers via SMS
<h2 id="What">What is SMS customer engagement?</h2>
SMS customer engagement is how often customers interact with or reply to your text messages. To get customers to engage with your company’s texts, your messages need to provide value and incorporate conversational elements. SMS customer engagement specifically refers to the use of text messages to stay in contact with and build better relationships with customers.
<h2 id="Ways">15 ways to boost SMS customer engagement</h2>
Here are some unique ways Textline customers use SMS to engage customers. These messages go beyond pushing sales and provide value to customers that they can’t ignore.
1. Welcome message with incentive
A welcome message is a great opportunity to let your customers control how often they get texts from your company. Send frequency options and stand out from other companies by offering your customers a special offer or discount when they opt in to your SMS program.
2. Text us your guess
SMS messages that include guessing games are sure to drive customer engagement. Providing a reward for correct answers boosts that engagement even more.
3. Personal quiz
SMS personal quizzes are great for increasing customer engagement. Not only are they interactive, but they help improve the shopping experience for customers.
4. Surveys or polls
Interactive SMS messages are crucial for gaining customer engagement. Surveys and polls are two great ways to increase customer responses. You can use text surveys to gauge customer satisfaction or gain insights into customer preferences.
5. Repurchase reminder
With thoughtful timing, repurchase messages can help your customers stock up on their favorite products when they’re running low.
6. Event countdown
Send SMS messages close to your event to get customers excited. Adding fun trivia or special updates keeps your customers engaged and boosts event attendance.
7. Exclusive content or invites
Customers are more likely to engage with your messages when they get exclusive content that’s just for them. Use the element of exclusivity to increase customer engagement.
8. Giveaway
Who doesn’t love a free giveaway? Hosting giveaways through SMS is a great way to keep customers engaged and encourages participation with your SMS program.
9. Customer service
Give your customers a keyword they can text to receive customer service. Using SMS for customer service provides a quick and easy way for customers to reach out and get help with their inquiries.
10. Personalized shopper
With customer data, you can use SMS to follow up on customer purchases and provide relevant products that they can also enjoy.
11. Birthday rewards
Use SMS to send your customers a special gift for their birthday. This personalized offer shows that you value your customers and the incentive makes them more likely to engage with your brand.
12. VIP loyalty program
An exclusive loyalty program is a great strategy for keeping customers engaged. The program provides value to customers and they also engage more as a result to keep the benefits of the program.
13. Helpful tips
After your customer makes a purchase, use SMS to share more product information. Helpful product tips ensure customers get the most out of their purchase and show that your company cares about your customers.
14. Mystery deals
Sharing mystery deals with customers provides incentive and creates a fun process for customers to receive their deals. Entice your customers with the element of surprise.
15. Opt-in anniversary
With SMS platform automations and analytics, you can keep track of when your customers opt in to your SMS campaigns. Share your appreciation by sending a special deal for your customers’ anniversaries with your SMS program.
👀 Looking for more? Get 17 other creative SMS marketing examples.
<h2 id="Best">Best practices for engaging customers via SMS</h2>
Here are important tips to keep in mind before you send out your interactive SMS messages.
- Encourage replies. Persuade customers to respond by asking questions and creating enticing prompts. Send messages your customers will want to reply to.
- Unique and personalized content. Personalize your SMS campaigns by addressing your customers by their first names and using customer data to share relevant information.
- Visuals. Include an image or GIF to capture your customers’ attention. An eye-catching visual makes your customers more inclined to read your message. You can also add emojis to capture customers’ attention.
- Use a clear CTA. Include a clear and compelling call-to-action that tells your customers exactly what to do and makes the action easy to take.
- Don’t just push a sale. Be sure to provide value to your customers by keeping your messages relevant to them and their shopping behaviors. Provide helpful tips, recommendations, and special offers.
- Keep messages concise. Make sure your messages are short and to-the-point. You don’t want to overwhelm or distract your customers with too much excess information.
- Add a sense of urgency. One way to boost engagement with your promotional messages is to add a sense of urgency. Encourage customers to reply today to claim the discount or get something before it’s out of stock.
- Get timing right. The reality is the timing of your message can impact the level of engagement and your response rate. For example, your customer base may be more likely to engage with a message around lunch time than in the early morning. You should A/B test different send times.
- Ensure opt-ins are clear. SMS remains a highly engaging channel because it requires opt-ins. This means you can only text customers who consented to texts. Ensure that you’re being transparent in your opt-in processes to keep customers happy with your text program.
Captivate your customers via SMS with Textline
Now that you know how to make your SMS messages more interactive, it’s time to choose a reliable SMS platform. With Textline, your business gets both mass texting and two-way-texting features to engage your customers. Plus, you can send visual attachments with ease.
Ready to send SMS messages that boost customer engagement? Schedule your demo with Textline today.
