Text messaging is becoming an increasingly popular way to stay in touch with potential clients, and in some cases has become the preferred method of communication.

As with any successful sales strategy, experts say a combination of approaches is best for sealing the deal, but texting — when done right — has the power to generate sales through brand awareness and engagement.

According to Statista, 42% of commercial text messages are opened, compared to 32% of emails.

Apifonica found that short messages service (SMS) achieves a 209% higher response rate compared to phone calls, email, or Facebook, and 90% of customers reported a preference for SMS contact over phone calls.

Text messages also have a near-perfect open rate.

Marketing experts still believe in — and rely on — the power of sales calls and email marketing, but encourage marketing and sales teams to consider the potential of text messages in their strategies.

Texting clients is legal as long as the potential clients provided their information and opted in to text messages, according to Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) guidelines.

This also means the opt-in process must outline potential carrier costs and opt-out instructions.

According to HubSpot, getting a customer to sign up may look like asking them to text a keyword to a mobile number to opt in, or allowing them to check consent boxes if signing up through a website.

Sending a confirmation text also allows customers an additional consent opportunity.

It isn’t legal to “cold text” clients without having an initial conversation with them or allowing them to opt in.

That being said, once a business has the go-ahead, here are common ways text messaging is used in marketing strategies:

• Sending appointment or event reminders
• Asking customers what they need
• Answering questions
• Welcoming new clients
• Linking relevant blog posts or information
• Sharing discounts and special offers

Experts say SMS marketing is generally most effective during business hours, but each company should run tests for click-through-rates or open rates to determine the best time period.

Short, to-the-point text messages are best, experts say, and they must strike a balance between friendliness and professionalism.

Forbes suggests that if your business has a broad customer base, segmenting them into groups based on profession, purchase history, location, and more can help target the right messages to the right people.

As with any communication method, experts place special emphasis on the call-to-action. With a text message’s limited space, businesses have to get it right.

Striking the right balance with communication can be difficult, experts say.

Marketing professionals suggest businesses seek support from an experienced content marketing agency that can help a business perform the necessary research, and put the right tools in place for gathering contacts and executing a successful strategy.

Companies can begin by exploring which customers would benefit from text communication, and what types of messages should be shared with this strategy.

Photo by NordWood Themes.