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Pallavi Jaisinghani, October 24, 2018

Transactional SMS - Top Brands Benefit From It And You Could Too

“DM-DHLVRY: Thank you for your order. It is under process and you will receive it shortly.”

Seems like you’ve read it somewhere before? You might have; it is the most common opening line of a transactional SMS.

#DidYouKnow – Transactional SMS can be sent 24x7x365 on both DND and non-DND numbers.

That’s because transactional SMS are relevant to customers and expected by them. But, it’s only a handful of marketers who actually use transactional SMS to their full potential.

By optimizing transactional SMS marketers can increase engagement that could drive more profit and that is exactly what we intend to show you how.

So let’s make your transactional SMS enticing, engaging and click-worthy.

Drive Profit From Your Transactional SMS

Transactional SMS as it is have high user engagement, so why not take advantage of them to drive growth for your business?

Besides having a high open rate, transactional SMS have an impressive conversion rate of 45%.(Salesforce) And transactional SMS are the ones that are not creatively crafted with multiple links and no clear call-to-action (all tick marks that lower click-through rates).

So you can imagine what could happen if you craft a transactional SMS with a compelling copy, short URL and a powerful CTA?

Let’s create high-converting transactional SMS

  1. Let The Referrals Flow To Increase Revenue

#DidYouKnow – Referrals drive almost 900% year on year growth as a program, in terms of driving 1st-time bookings for Airbnb. (Referralcandy)

The perfect platform to ask your customers for referrals.

Your customer just placed their order and you send them the order confirmation transactional SMS. They’d be in a happy mood and it makes for the best time to ask your happy customer to refer friends and earn some rewards for it – they’d gladly do it.

If a reference comes from family or friends, consumers are likely to choose the referred brand.

#DidYouKnow – Purchase decisions of more than 42% online customers are influenced by recommendations made by friends and family. (Bigcommerce)

Simply include a call-to-action telling customers why they should refer you, what’s in for them and their referrals.

The main focus of the SMS should never deter, but a straightforward call to action makes it hard to miss.

| | | --- | | Dear Paul, your order for size 9 winter boots is confirmed and will be delivered to you by Oct 20. Get 15% off on your next purchase by referring a friend. Know more. Takeaway – A small incentive can go a long way. |

 

  1. Increase Repeat Purchase With Upselling Existing Orders

#DidYouKnow – 35% of Amazon.com’s revenue is generated from product recommendation (Martech).

Upselling products to customers who just bought something might seem like you are pushing them hard, but if done right there’s a good chance you’ll end up increasing your order value.

The best way to do it is offer products that go well with the recently purchased item. It is in business terms called product recommendation and Amazon does it quite well.

To encourage a purchase you can add a time constraint of sorts. Say example tell the customer if they buy an item within a few hours (4-6) you can add it to their existing parcel eliminating the shipping cost and reducing the wait time for another one.

| | | --- | | Dear Meg, Thanks for shopping at XYZ. Your order for a skiing jacket in size M is under process. Your new jacket would look great with skiing pants, gloves, skiing equipment. To shop visit URL. Takeaway – Recommend products that go well with the recently bought item. |

 

  1. Increase Customer Loyalty To Encourage Repeat Purchase

Another great way to encourage repeat purchase is by ensuring your customers are happy with the products they bought and it can be done by providing customer resources.

Encourage customers to use the product they bought to its full potential by overcoming any obstacle that might prevent them to do so. Including how to guides, best practice tips and other helpful resources along with the SMS can help a customer make the best use of their product increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

For example, you bought a white rug and showed it to your friend who said you are crazy to buy a white coloured rug that can be easily stained. Now you are having second thoughts about it and plan to return it. But would you have had second thoughts if you would have received a how to clean guide the minute you ordered the rug?

That’s how you increase customer satisfaction – by offering the customer a great product and telling them how it can be best used or kept.

| | | --- | | Hi Tim, Your order for Speakers has been successfully placed and will be delivered to you before Jun 10. There’s a small video guide to help you enjoy your speakers to its best output. Enjoy. Takeaway – Offer guidance on how to best use the product for increased customer satisfaction. |

Happy customers result in great feedback and reviews and of course next purchase.

 

  1. Valuable Feedback And Review

#DidYouKnow – 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. (BrightLocal)

You know what increases the credibility and trustworthiness of your brand – good reviews. That’s why it’s important to ask for customer feedback and reviews right when the purchase is still in the customer’s mind.

It’s best to ask feedback or review from a customer a day or two after they have received the product so they get enough time to use it.

| | | --- | | Dear Ryan, Thanks for shopping with us! Your opinion matters to us and we were hoping you’d write a review about your recent purchase to help other customers choose well. Write a review and you could be our monthly reviewer gift card winner. Review link. Takeaway – Ask for feedback/review when the purchase is still fresh in the user’s mind. Also, adding an incentive for doing so can add fuel to the fire. |

 

Conclusion

Customer loyalty and repeat purchases can be increased with just a little extra effort in your transactional SMS. Try to implement one or two of these tactics in your transactional SMS and see the results.

But, make sure to not take the focus away from the information you need to provide and lastly, end with a strong call-to-action that is easy to act upon.  

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