5 Tips to Help Beginners Optimise SMS Marketing for Shopify in 2022

Ecommerce systems like Shopify make it easier than ever to get your online company up and running, but you can’t stop there—you’ll need a marketing plan to ensure client acquisition and retention. And, in 2020, SMS marketing for Shopify store should be part of your complete e-commerce marketing plan, not a nice-to-have.

SMS marketing has eclipsed the low open rates found with emails (20 percent), and you’re throwing money away if you’re not including it into your entire marketing plan. SMS, short for “short messaging service,” is one of the few modes of communication that you fully “own” in addition to email and your website.

So, how can you make the most of this “owned marketing” opportunity?

Let’s continue reading to discover how to get started with SMS marketing for Shopify, including how to choose an SMS platform that can interface with your business and how to plan out your SMS marketing for Shopify.

What is SMS Marketing

SMS Marketing is a permission-based strategy that Shopify stores may utilize to disseminate promotional texts. Customers are often required to opt-in using a 5-digit number, with the option to unsubscribe or opt-out at any time.

SMS marketing’s purpose is to engage and keep clients, increase clientele, and form a loyalty-based connection between them and the Shopify business. It’s also a good strategy for sending out promotional messages and informing clients about new items and services.

The Advantages of Using SMS marketing for Shopify

Despite the availability of several instant messaging apps, around 90% of smartphone users still interact using SMS. Furthermore, the majority of Shopify clients are millennials, and 60% of them communicate primarily through texting. Millennials prefer text messaging to email, sending an average of 130 SMS each day.

SMS marketing for Shopify fosters more connection and communication with Shopify consumers. Texting has over a hundred percent open rates, with ninety percent of them occurring within three minutes — in a contrast to emails, which only have a thirty percent open rate.

This is partly due to the fact that texting someone feels much more intimate and honest. SMS marketing for Shopify eliminates the first feeling of uncertainty and unfamiliarity associated with Shopify companies and allows for more effective communication with clients.

Additionally, texting saves customer support calls by 20% and requires far less writing time. Furthermore, SMS marketing for Shopify does not need a 24/7 support staff, and clients are constantly reachable via their phones.

Another behavior that is becoming more widespread among Shopify users is Shopping Cart Abandonment. This is when a visitor comes to your website, adds items to their basket, and never checks out. According to research on a thousand Shopify customers, this accounts for more than half of all individuals, which is a huge percentage of income that may be tapped into by reaching out via SMS.

Finally, all of this will result in the following benefits for your Shopify store.

• Increase your traffic since customers are more inclined to interact with you.
• Customers should not be allowed to abandon their shopping carts.
• Save money on customer support systems by receiving true feedback.
• It is ten times more efficient than a telephone conversation and four times more efficient than email.
• Use a Chatbox to automate client dialogues.

How To Get Started With SMS Marketing

When you begin an SMS marketing for Shopify campaign, the first thing you must do is define your goals. Consider if you want to promote a product or a service or if you just want feedback. Your responses to these questions will determine what you put in your SMS to be transmitted to your client list.

When sending such SMS marketing for Shopify messages, you must identify your company and, if feasible, obtain a brand name with the Sender ID. This provides a sense of familiarity, which engages and maintains consumers.

When it comes to composing the substance of your message, keep it short and to the point. SMS should not take up entire paragraphs or develop into essays. Furthermore, a reduced word limit makes them more targeted, which implies greater advertising outcomes. For example, rather than sending a generic campaign to your complete customer list for the sake of sending a generic campaign, delivering specific messaging to a chosen segment of your clients would be a more profitable plan.

First, an SMS marketing for Shopify platform collects and organizes consumer data. For example, using an SMS marketing for Shopify tool, you may determine how many customers are most likely to buy on a Sunday and if they would be best reminded with a message on a Friday or another day. You will also be able to educate the tool on which triggers should cause it to behave.

For example, if a user abandons their basket on your website without completing the checkout process, the app should be able to detect this and queue a reminder message for that user. And the message should appear in the recipient’s inbox at the right moment. The message generated is based on data from user behavior and a templated copy given by you or the app developer.

When is the best time?

People, for example, are more likely to purchase after they receive their paycheck. They will be quite active on your website at this period. The SMS app should be able to track when a certain shopper is most active throughout any given month. That will be the best moment for delivering SMS marketing for Shopify messages.

5 Tips to Help Beginners Optimise SMS Marketing for Shopify

Learn the Essential Terminology

It’s no wonder that text messaging is becoming increasingly popular as a means of communication. Spam inundates email, and customers have learned to disregard phone numbers they don’t recognize for identical reasons.

In today’s industry, you must be imaginative if you want your message to reach people. SMS marketing allows you to cut through the clutter and engage your clients more successfully than other approaches – because people genuinely want to receive your texts.

If you’re new to text marketing, you’ll need to grasp the lingo so you can comprehend how it works. SMS marketing for Shopify, keywords and shortcodes are the three most critical terms to understand.

Marketing via SMS

SMS is an abbreviation for short messaging service, and it is another word for text messages. When combined with a well-thought-out plan, SMS marketing for Shopify provides an exceptional return on investment (ROI). You may include it into your existing marketing plan to increase interaction with your other marketing initiatives, such as social media, email newsletters, and direct mail adverts.

Keywords

Keywords are specified words or short phrases that you develop to assist you in determining the effectiveness of a campaign. For each campaign, you may establish a new Keyword, and you’ll be able to monitor how many people texted that Keyword to your shortcode.

Shortcode

The phone number associated with your SMS marketing for Shopify account is referred to as a shortcode. Shortcodes eliminate the need to send and receive text messages from consumers using your own cell phone number.

Plan a Strategy

Don’t sign up for SMS texting and start sending messages blindly. First, you must devise a strategy. Determine the purpose of sending the communication. What’s the point of mailing it? What are you hoping recipients will do? What is the advantage of your message to them? Is your text something they’d be interested in receiving? Sending too many texts too quickly and sending texts to those who haven’t opted in to receive them are common beginning blunders — we’ll go over this further in the fourth point. You may avoid the first error by making a strategy for when and what SMS messages you want to deliver to your subscribers.

Think about your audience

The more you know about your audience, the more you will be able to adapt your messages to what they want to read. What are their preferences and dislikes? When and on what days of the week do they often respond to your texts? Keep your communications brief, and make sure you’re offering them something of actual value.

Plan to increase value

You may add value to your messages by teaching them something, introducing new goods they might be interested in, delivering pertinent company information, encouraging them to join in a contest, sending surveys, or providing them with a special discount or coupon offer.

Use SMS marketing for Shopify in conjunction with other tools

When paired with other marketing techniques such as social media, email newsletters, and direct mail advertising, SMS marketing for Shopify becomes even more effective. You may make your social network postings more engaging by texting individuals to invite them to join in competitions, giveaways, or surveys.

Encourage them to enter the contest or giveaway by texting a keyword to your shortcode and completing questionnaires. You can measure the performance of your campaign by keeping track of how many people use the Keyword.

Increase your SMS subscriber base by sending out an email blast that encourages individuals to join up for the service. Encourage customers to sign up for text message order and shipment confirmation, tracking information, new product notifications, and special discounts and promotions. The more value you can give them in exchange for signing up for your list, the more likely they are to do so.

Choose a Reliable Provider

How do you determine which SMS software provider to utilize when there are so many to select from? As a Shopify store owner, you want software that is tailored to your specific requirements. SMSBump connects with Shopify, making it simple to create effective marketing campaigns for your store. It is, in our opinion, the greatest SMS software for Shopify shops.

List segmentation, custom flows, A/B testing, ROI text automation, SMS automation, link shortener, campaign scheduling, and opt-out lists are some of the essential SMS provider capabilities. They also assist you to stay in compliance with international rules. Their software is TCPA, CTIA, and GDPR compliant.

Become acquainted with the CAN-SPAM and TCPA Acts

The CAN-SPAM and TCPA Acts specify which communications corporations may transmit to customers and when they may do so. Customers do not want to get texts from a company unless they have given their permission, and you are obligated by law to obtain their written approval before sending the first message. Ignoring the law can result in heavy penalties or possibly time in jail.

Jiffy Lube discovered this for themselves when they sent unsolicited SMS to clients who had not signed in to receive them. Customers received a one-time offer for 45 percent off an oil change. Doesn’t it seem like a decent deal? Even the best offer may result in a lawsuit. Jiffy Lube ended up paying out of court for $47 million in this case – ouch! Take the time to learn the law and consult with a licensed lawyer if you have any questions.

Choose a Professional

Are you ready to start SMS marketing for Shopify business but don’t know where to begin? Shopify specialists can assist you with integrating SMS marketing for Shopify providers into your store and showing you how to utilize it.

Conclusion

If there is a go-to eCommerce platform these days, it is Shopify, which has 1 million stores in total. Shopify SMS is an all-in-one platform that includes all of the eCommerce and point-of-sale capabilities you’ll need to launch, manage, and grow your business.

As you can see, there are several popular Shopify SMS applications for enhancing the functionality of your online business. It is critical to understand that SMS is not a set-it-and-forget-it service. Set aside time each week to check your SMS metrics and KPIs to verify they are on pace to meet the objectives you’ve set. In the beginning, you might want to go through these measurements and spend time every day making improvements as needed.

Analyze these SMS marketing for Shopify tips depending on your preferences, and then include any of the aforementioned apps to help your business succeed.