Marketing has always been a critical part of running a business. You may offer the best value and customer service, but if your customers aren’t aware of you, then you haven’t maximized your potential. For convenience stores, there are no shortage of ways for you to market such as in-store signage and pump toppers. But among the tried-and-true marketing forms, one of the most effective tools we at Simpliconnect have found to drive more customers into your store are SMS messages or text campaigns. In this blog, we’ll dive into how text message marketing is a tool you need to utilize and how Simpliconnect supports this solution.
It may seem hyperbolic but it’s true — almost all Americans own a cell phone. And unlike landlines or computers, we almost always have our cell phones with us. With the advanced operating systems and wireless internet capabilities today’s standard phones include, it’s no surprise that more people are choosing to shop using their phones over more conventional means. This growth of mobile commerce (no doubt aided by the pandemic) has continued to increase over the past few years.
With the power and reach that modern cell phones have, tapping into that force is a must for convenience stores. That is where SMS marketing comes into play. This critical engagement tool has already proven to be a valuable commodity with a reported 81% of U.S. consumers opening business SMS messages and 43% who initiate SMS conversations. These stats bear weight — customers who receive a text from you are more likely than not to open it. But just because they are receiving and viewing your message doesn’t guarantee sales for you, right? That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Mobivity's 2021 Restaurant Text Marketing Benchmarks Report found among their 15 million subscribers and over 500 million transactions that text message marketing subscribers visit stores a whopping 44% more frequently than non-subscribers. On top of that, once a customer joined a text messaging program, their spend increased 23%! The sheer volume of data and statistics clearly point to one thing: SMS message marketing works.
Loyalty programs such as ours here at Simpliconnect call for a multichannel marketing approach. Between social media, emails, and push notifications, it’s become clear that customer engagement is going digital and SMS messaging is leading the charge.
For perspective, our partners use SMS messaging in a myriad of ways including promoting exclusive offers and fuel discounts, providing store updates and notifications, and sending personalized messages for birthdays and clubs. These methods provide an opportunity to build engagement directly with your customers through the device they all have and use daily.
As traditional mass marketing techniques become less effective, it’s time for new tactics to be introduced that create more personalized and authentic engagement. If you don’t have the means to capitalize with a SMS marketing strategy, contact us. With Simpliconnect’s easy text-to-enroll platform, we can get you engaging via text messages with your customer base in just 30 days!
