Savvy business owners and organizations understand the importance of text marketing to engage their customers and build brand awareness. It’s no secret that people are almost always attached to their phones, even the 50+ demographic. According to Pew Research, 97% of U.S. adults say they own a cellphone1. Additionally, data shows that 96% of all Facebook leads come from a mobile device. Using text marketing is an effective way to connect with prospects using their preferred form of communication in a more personal way.
Ask Prospects to Opt-In to Texting
Many people can feel hesitant giving out their phone number, especially in today’s era of relentless robocalls. But by asking them to opt-in to text reminders when they sign-up for in-person or virtual events, you can begin to build trust by not coming across as overtly sales-oriented but by simply reminding them that their spot is reserved for an upcoming event they want to attend. By laying the groundwork of a trustful relationship, recipients of your marketing texts are more likely to engage with the content.
Text vs. Email
Email marketing provides a way to convey a great deal of information, while text marketing is able to focus on something very specific. Texting is able to cut through the noise and clutter that emails can often be associated with. Simplicity Lone Beacon is proud that in 2022, email open rates for our clients is at 33.5%, but compared to the open rate for text messages, which is about 98% according to various sources, texting really can’t be beat in terms of ensuring those that are sent your message will actually see it.
Keep it Simple
Texts should say what you want to say to a prospect in a quick, effective manner. Remind them of your upcoming event the next day. Let them know you have a new educational resource available on your website with a link right to it. No one wants to read a 300-word text, so it’s important to keep your messaging short and to the point. Just be sure to introduce yourself in the text so readers will know who it is coming from and are thus less likely to opt-out.
Every advisor and financial institution wants to be at the top of their clients’ and prospects’ minds and texting can be an extremely useful tool to do so. In an increasingly digital world, and especially since 2020, there is a certain sense of personal contact that can be missing and utilizing text marketing can help bridge that intimacy gap.
1 https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
