Q&A with an SMS Marketing Expert Team [2024]

A new perspective can make all the difference…

Especially when that perspective has insight and experience that can shed new light on your questions.

For this article, we’ve compiled some concise insights from a panel of SMS experts here at Mobile Text Alerts to help you navigate the waters of SMS:

I asked 7 key questions about SMS marketing to our panel and recorded some of their answers below.

I’ve also thrown in some of my own 2 cents based on 10 years working here at MTA in various capacities.

Check it out below, so that you can continue to optimize your efforts for the best SMS marketing results possible.

Strategy

Beyond open rates and click-throughs, what criteria do you consider most important when evaluating the success of an SMS marketing campaign?

Jack: Another important metric to consider when evaluating the performance of your SMS marketing efforts is the opt-out rate. If you find that a lot of your contacts are consistently unsubscribing in response to your messages, it's a good sign that you are not offering them valuable content.
My 2 cents: Response rate can also be important if your CTA has to do with the recipient replying to your message. ROI is one of the most important metrics for any type of marketing effort—so if you can analyze whether your campaign is yielding a positive ROI and what that ROI is, that will tell you a lot about whether your campaign has been successful.

What are some of the best approaches to segmenting audiences for a successful SMS campaign?

Jack: When segmenting audiences, it's crucial that you get as much information about your audience as possible. The more you understand about their behavior and their needs, the easier it will be to segment them in an organized fashion. For example, you could keep track of your customer’s purchase history and segment the audience based on what products and services you know they are interested in. This will ensure that your customers get the most relevant messages.
Isabella: Segmenting your audience by using adaptive groups is a great way to narrow down your specific audience. This allows for the sender to target their “ideal” customer.
My 2 cents: The narrower you can be in your segmenting, the better. In marketing, generally speaking, you want to be as specific as possible with your messaging.

In your experience, what are the biggest challenges brands face when using SMS marketing, and how can they overcome them?

Alyson: Giving your customers valuable information while keeping it short & concise. Customers don't want to read a novel text message. Determine the needs of your audience and utilize our AI message shortener if you’re having trouble condensing your message.
My 2 cents: One major challenge brands face is getting people to subscribe to their texts. Providing an enticing incentive is one of the primary ways to get people to subscribe. But make sure you’re offering real value in your text messages so that it’s more attractive for people to want to subscribe—and to remain subscribed.

What are some innovative ways you've seen SMS marketing used to achieve specific campaign goals (e.g., brand awareness, lead generation, sales)?

Alyson: A customer printed our QR code opt-in on the back of their employees’ T-shirts for an event so their attendees could opt-in for event notifications.
My 2 cents: You can integrate SMS with your webinar provider to automate webinar reminders and follow-ups—helping to increase both show-up rates and sales.

How do you stay up-to-date on the latest trends in SMS marketing?

Isabella: I stay up-to-date by taking notes from the people I speak with on demos. There are so many different use-cases and trends, and the best way to keep up is observing what other organizations and businesses are doing!
My 2 cents: In regards to staying up-to-date on marketing in general, an easy thing to do is to subscribe to email lists from authorities in the marketing space. Two of my favorite “authorities” to hear from are Neil Patel and Joanna Wiebe (of Copyhackers).

What are your thoughts on the future of SMS marketing? Do you see any emerging trends or technologies that will shape the industry?

Jack: RCS messaging is an emerging trend.
Isabella: SMS marketing is becoming a more attractive way to market products as opposed to email. This is because texting has such a high read rate within the first few minutes. As more businesses move to SMS messaging, more messages are being read, and more interest is taking place in the products. I can see higher profit generation for all businesses, just from a simple text!
My 2 cents: I don’t think SMS is going away anytime soon, although RCS is becoming more of a player now that Apple has announced that they will support it. AI, of course, may have a part to play in shaping the industry of SMS marketing as well.

What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in SMS marketing?

Alyson: Research your audience. Design your message campaigns around what they want to gain.
Jack: Make sure you are providing value to your audience. Some contacts may get annoyed with marketing texts so do your best to send content that your audience will actually want to receive. An easy way to do this is by creating special discounts or promotions that are exclusive to your SMS marketing campaign. If you are offering real value in your SMS marketing messages your audience is going to want to keep getting your messages.
My 2 cents: Don’t overthink it. Better to do something imperfectly than not to do it at all, and sometimes the best way to learn is to just do.