When considering adding SMS content to your business plan, it’s crucial that you have a solid understanding of your audience. Age, gender, and general interest all factor into an audience’s receptivity to text messaging.
In a survey conducted by Open Market, it was found that 75% of millennials prefer text for things like appointment and billing reminders, promotions, and surveys. The younger generations prefer texting because it’s quick, direct, and easy to manage.
If your audience is text-savvy, the 7 SMS content ideas below are simple ways to increase your audience engagement and strengthen your community.
#1—Create Tailored Interest Communities with Opt-In Text Message Subscriptions
Circling back to understanding your audience—it’s crucial to have a general idea of why your clients or followers engage with your content to anticipate the kind of SMS content they care to receive.
To successfully captivate your audience with SMS content, you should begin to segment the levels of value your business provides into categories. These categories will become different SMS subscription products that your audience can choose to subscribe to. Each of the suggestions below could serve as a stand alone SMS content product. For example, a free SMS content product may involve simple one sentence tips or tricks, similar to what you may share for free on social media. While a paid SMS content product, may involve back and forth communication, or even intentional exercises you are asking your subscribers to engage in.
By creating an “Opt-In” option, your audience can subscribe to the content they’re interested in receiving from you and you reduce the risk of spamming your subscribers.
#2—Share Content Links via SMS to Help Your Audience Navigate Your Digital Offerings
While social media is a super-tool in today’s markets, these platforms serve a higher purpose in facilitating lead generation than they do in relationship management. However, text messages are a great way to drive cross-platform traffic. Text messages are not subject to an algorithm and there’s a 97% chance the message will be read within 15 minutes of delivery.
If you regularly publish content on IG, Facebook, YouTube, or any other social medium, an SMS subscription that links to relevant content is an effective way to increase engagement across multiple platforms.
#3—Increase Engagement with Surveys or Creative Interaction Prompts
If your audience is receptive to quizzes, surveys, or check ins, interactive SMS subscriptions are a fun and clever way to capture more information from your base. Providers can use SMS subscriptions to run journal prompts, accountability check ins, or content feedback surveys.
Be creative! Consider periodic (daily, weekly, monthly) value you can contribute to your audience that would encourage them to participate in a curated SMS experience with your company.
#4—Provide Privacy While Communicating Community Groups
Community groups are beneficial and loved by many, however as individuals come together over shared ideas, concepts or topics there can often be sensitivity surrounding being so publicly engaged in them.
Where Facebook Groups and instagram pages provide little to no privacy for engaged community members, SMS memberships can deliver the group experience while still protecting the members anonymity.
Through broadcast messaging coaches, content creators or community managers can still broadcast content to a group, and receive direct communication in response. However the benefit of Subflow is that any responses or direct discussion resulting from broadcast communication remains private between the two connecting parties. Even better, a customer's subscription to a membership is visible only to the service provider offering the membership.
#5—Send Important Reminders and Promotions through Text Message
It’s been reported that sending appointment reminders via SMS can decrease missed appointments by 26%—a profitable increase for the providers, no doubt.
Creating an SMS subscription for appointment, content, or promotional reminders is an effective way to keep your audience in the know about your current offerings and increase the probability of conversion or client success.
When sending these notifications via text message, you no longer have to worry about your message reaching the intended recipient in time for meaningful engagement.
#6—Offer 1:1 Text Messaging to Increase Subscriber Communication
A beneficial feature for valuable SMS content delivery is one-on-one text messaging with your subscribers.
Two-way texting is important to 65% of consumers and helps them to feel more positive about businesses that offer mobile messaging. This can be especially true for influencers or service providers, where your audience is more likely to prefer the ability to directly communicate with you.
#7—Use SMS Broadcasts to Reach Segmented Audience Groups
Another effective way to deploy text message content is through the use of SMS broadcasts. This feature allows businesses and individuals to send mass-text messages to a specific segment of their audience for targeted results.
SMS broadcasts can save time and increase conversions by allowing users to bulk communicate with their subscribers and respond to any questions or inquiries directly.
The Best Subflow Features to Maximize Your SMS Content Delivery
Subflow is a web-based SMS platform built to help businesses, providers, and individuals grow stronger connections with their audience. Through the user-friendly dashboard, Subflow users can send/manage:
- New Updates/Notifications
- 1:1 Text Conversations
- SMS Broadcasts
- Audience Segments
- SMS Subscription Products
- User Settings
- SMS Product Pricing
- Subscriber Lists
Along with creating avenues for group and individual audience communications, Subflow partners with Stripe to collect subscription payments directly from subscribers and deposit them into your bank account.
If you’re ready to engage your audience with SMS content, contact a Subflow team member for a demo or get started today.
