To understand why texting is important to improve conversion rates, you must first know what a conversion rate is. Simply put, these rates increase when prospective customers visit a business’s website and become paying clients. In other words, the conversion rate goes up when people stop just looking and start actually buying products on a website.
Why then, would text messaging help increase your conversion rate?
The goal here is to get people to your website and get them to buy whatever it is you’re selling.
Well, in today’s modern world, it’s best to adopt and implement marketing techniques to grab prospective customers’ attention, in turn increasing conversion rates. Some businesses will use email campaigning as a way to increase revenue, yet others will create a phone list as a way of communicating with paying clients.
There’s one form of communication that works better than both email and phone call, though, and that’s text messaging.
In fact, in recent years, text messaging has had a 97% open rate, compared to that of emails at a 15% open rate. It seems that text messages act as a more urgent form of communication, whereas emails can be pushed aside for a while, even forgotten.
What do you do with this information?
Try out text messaging with prospective customers, but make sure you do it right.
Additional research has been conducted on how efficient text messaging has been for businesses to increase conversion rates, concluding that texting before and after initial contact is made is not highly beneficial. In some cases, this order of business does work, but most professionals will urge you to only use text messaging after initial contact is made. For example, don’t text, then call, then text again. Introduce yourself through an in-person interaction or personal phone conversation, and then follow-up with a carefully thought out text message.
Remember, make sure your text messaging tactics feel warm and inviting to strum up a conversation; prospective customers will want to feel valued as if their time is of the utmost importance to you. Don’t use intrusive language or persist too much. It’s all in the approach and how you develop and build the relationship in the beginning.
Making each text significantly important is crucial.
Don’t send your prospective customers irrelevant offers just to get their attention. Remember, time is money to them, and sending something their way that’s not one bit intriguing will likely get them to run in the opposite direction.
Instead, make what you’re sending them seem important. Some customers actually have to pay for texts from businesses and companies, so reading something that costs them additional money and doesn’t help them will likely only be a nuisance.
Be efficient, clear, and concise. You have a total of 160 characters per text message – use them wisely. And, make sure that your grammar, punctuation, and spelling are all correct to add to your credibility.
What’s the magic number?
Business professionals highly recommend sending a total of three follow-up texts after the initial interaction. One text and two texts aren’t necessarily bad, but three seems to be the number that produces the most results.
What can you text your prospective customers about?
The options are endless, but remember to use your text messaging to raise your conversion rates the right way. That means sending surveys out, asking people to participate in fun games, and showcasing current contests to enter. All the fun stuff – that way people will physically want to go to your website and take action or make a purchase.
You can also include product updates, company alerts, and weekly blogs in a text message – let them know what’s new and improved, how your business is thriving, and what’s on your mind. Doing all of this will make your prospective customers feel included.
But don’t be too formal when urging them to go to your website for fun or informative stuff. Tone back the language to make your customers want to engage and “talk back” to you. This is a two-way street; no reason to make someone feel uncomfortable with fancy lingo.
Lastly, timing.
Timing is pretty important for these text messages. You’re going to want to understand your target audience the best you can – meaning you’ll want to know when to send the text and when not to.
Avoid holidays, super late nights, and very early mornings. Send the texts throughout the day; this will give you an advantage, and that advantage will likely lead to a high percentage open rate.
