Successful Text Marketing Secrets

Text Marketing Training Video 2

Prefer to read the transcript – Read Successful Text Marketing Secrets

“Hey, my name is Brian from Betwext. Welcome to the second Text Message Marketing training video for small business… 

Today we’re talking about running a successful texting marketing campaign. 

Let’s jump in.

Today I’m going to share with you the secrets to…

Successful Text Marketing – even if you’re starting from scratch.

In the previous video, I explained why every business needs Text Marketing.

Watch Text Marketing Training Video #1 HERE

In case you missed it… there are over 275 M smartphones in the US… And 90% of text messages are read in the first 10 minutes. 

Text marketing lets you connect with your customer and prospects instantly!

It’s no surprise text message marketing is so powerful.

Done correctly, text marketing can grow your business quickly… Texting might even DOUBLE your business.

A bold claim, I know. But let me show you how.  

First a Quick Question…

What are the two most critical parts of any text message marketing campaign?

If you said:  Your LIST and Your CONTENT… Gold Star!

There are two big parts to successful text message marketing…

What text messages you send… and WHO you send the messages to!

There are other important things to know about finding success with text message marketing… And, I’ll be dropping those knowledge bombs as we go along. 

Training video #3 is packed full of them… but more on that in a minute.

Let’s start with the number one question I get from everyone…

HOW Do I Build a GIANT List of Hungry Customers, Who Are Eagerly Awaiting My Next Text Message?

There are 4 simple steps to building a big text message marketing list… 

1. Group People
2. Give them a way to sign-up
3. Offer a Carrot to Join
4. Ask Again

I’m going to give you specific examples of each and every step… 

But first, here’s a quick rule to keep you out of jail!

ONLY send text messages to people who have ASKED to be on your list.

Simple right.

Let me say it a different way… Don’t ever text someone, UNLESS they have asked to be on your texting list. 

Not even once. 

Not only is it a bad marketing practice there’s actually a law against sending spam text messages.  The fines are steep… so, don’t break the law.

Ok, now that the dirty work is over, let’s get back to getting people on your texting list.

How to Build a Texting List Step One – Group People

Take a moment and think about WHO you want to send Text messages to.

For your businesses, you probably have a few different types of people to text…

• Prospects
• Customers
• VIP customers
• Staff 
• Vendors

Of course, you can get more granular, like segmenting customers by products or services, but let’s just keep it simple for today. 

You want to start with segmenting your contact list, because you don’t want to send the same message to everyone!  

Look, you don’t want to send a special offer to everyone on your list.  

You want to make sure your VIPs get different messages than your regular customers.  And you need to connect and message your regular customers very differently than your prospects.

Start by figuring out what groups of subscribers you’re going to have.  

Oh, and don’t stress about this… 

We can always change the segments later.  If you’re not sure where to start, start with 2 lists, Prospects, and Customers.

Ok, now for the next step…

How to Build a Texting List Step Two – Give People a Way to Sign Up

This next step is critical.

Signing up for a text marketing list is super easy… and there’s a number of ways to do it.  

But first a “Best Practice” Rule…

When you ask someone to sign-up for your texting list, clearly state what they are signing up for.  Let them know you’ll be texting them.  

Seems like common sense, right… but you’d be surprised how often people forget these simple steps.

Ok, how do you get people signed up?

You can do something as simple as setting up a form on your website.  People can submit their phone numbers to sign-up for your texting list.

You can take this to the next level… here’s an example:

I know one business that set up an IPad right at the cash register.  When customers paid, the cashier simply said, “Add your phone number on the IPad to join our texting list!”

Here’s another example…

One church passed around a clipboard.  They asked people to put down their phone number if they wanted to get text message alerts… or in their case join a prayer chain.

They took the phone numbers and manually uploaded them to their text marketing software.  

If you collect names and numbers using a form or manual signup, you always want to send out a confirmation text. This is called double opt-in.  It makes sure that the people who signed up, really signed up, and want to see your content and offers.

It’s a text marketing Best Practice.

How else can you get people on your list?

Here’s the easy way… Set up a keyword.

Now, keywords online and keywords in texting are VERY DIFFERENT.  

A texting keyword is simply a word you designate in your account to do something special.

For example, you might set up the keyword “VIP”.

Then when a customer text’s in “VIP” to your texting number, the system knows to sign them up for your VIP list… now you have an easy way for people to sign up and they can segment themselves.

What kinds of keywords can you use… ALMOST Anything.

Here’s a few tips.  

There are certain keywords that are reserved for the system… like ‘Help’, ‘Stop’, and ‘Start’, just to name a few.

Keywords should always be ONE WORD.  Sorry, don’t use numbers, hyphens, commas, dashes, or other special characters.

When you pick a keyword, make sure it’s easy to understand and spell… and please don’t MAKE UP a word.

Remember, phones have this feature called Auto-correct. 

So if you type in a fake word, the system will change their text message and you’ll miss out on an opportunity to get a sign-up for your list.

For example, ‘VLOGMAS!12’ is a terrible keyword…

Let me give you an example of how I use keywords…

I set up the keyword DEMO.  

Then I posted it on Facebook.

When someone texts the word “demo” to my phone number – 480-508-9444… They automatically get a welcome message.  They get added to my DEMO marketing list. Then, I send them a link to a video Demo of our text marketing software.

Here’s another way to use a keyword.

A restaurant could set up a keyword “Tacos”.  

Then when a customer texts in, they join the Tacos texting list, get sent a link for a coupon, and some other content.

Maybe the chef sends a video on how the best tacos in the city are made! 

I prefer to always have Prospects, Customers, and everyone else sign-up with keywords… that way I always have a record of when they joined the list!

OK.  We’ve talked about setting up segments for our list… we’ve talked about how to actually get people on your list… like using opt-in forms or better still, Keywords.

Now let’s push hard to get people on your list…  

How to Build a Texting List Step Three – Offer a Carrot to Join

Step three isn’t very difficult… 

To get people on your texting list, just ask them to join.

I know it sounds simple, but some people will sign up for your texting list just because you asked them!

This is how one person does it on Instagram!

Others will need a little push… you’ll need to offer them a carrot… but more on that in a moment.

If you’re still thinking, “How do I quickly add people to my texting lists?”

Here’s a few Ideas. 

First add your own phone number to the list.  Now you can send yourself test messages and see all the messages going to your list!

Second, ask friends and family to sign-up.  Get people on your list just to start the momentum.

Third, get creative with your other marketing sources to add people to your texting lists.

If you have an email list, send out an email blast.  Ask your email followers to join your texting group.

If you have a physical location… put up a sign in your store window.  

I know a deli in Chicago that uses table tents to get people to sign up for their texting club.

Here’s a real breakthrough… Ask customers to sign up as they check out at the cash register!

I know one business owner who put a wrap on his company van… and it asked people to text his business!

Don’t have a physical location, do all of your marketing online? Don’t despair… you have options too.

First put a notice on your website asking people to join your texting list. 

Then put the same message on your social media accounts… Put it on your Facebook page, Twitter page, and don’t forget to make a few posts about how to join your texting list.

Now, to really amplify your signups, you need to offer a carrot!

Tell people WHY they need to join your texting list. 

Give them something of value.

Maybe offer them exclusive access, special deals, or an early bird notice… Tons of people will sign up just for those opportunities. 

The key is, YOU just need to figure out WHY a customer should WANT to be on your list. 

Here’s a few ideas to get your juices flowing… 

One good way to get people on your list is to BRIBE them!

It’s like offering a little kid a cupcake for eating his dinner.

Seriously… offer your prospects or customers something of VALUE. 

The easiest thing to think of is a coupon or discount code. “Sign up for the texting list and get 10% off your first order.”

But we can do better… right? 

Instead of a discount, offer them information. Send them an ebook, a checklist, offer a special link to a training video, or a case study.

None of those inspiring the “light bulb” moment?

Offer them a free sample, or a free consultation… offer them a prize. I know one group adds people to their list by offering the chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card.

Want more?

I know a church who encourages people to sign up for their texting list… they offer to text information about their next all you can eat BBQ event. 

Another group sold products that were in limited supply… so they asked people to join their texting list.  

The texting list was given priority for ordering when the next shipment arrived!

I know speakers who offer to send copies of their presentation to people who sign up for their texting list.

Now here’s a creative one… One physical trainer offered to send his followers a daily motivational message!

Here’s one more… Comedian Carlos Mencia starts all of his comedy shows off by asking everyone to text him. 

He tells them that once a year he’ll select a winner and fly them to Las Vegas to see one of his specials. 

Guess what – now he has thousands of followers all over the US and he regularly sells out shows by sending a simple text message that he’s going to be in town!

There are thousands of reasons for people to sign up for your texting list.. Test them out. Try one… then another… then another… see what works best for you. 

Up next: step four on how to quickly grow your list…

How to Build a Texting List Step Four – Ask Again

It’s not good enough to just ask people to sign up once.  You need to ask them over and over again.

Make your signup offer is irresistible. Test different offers. Put your offers everywhere you can. Make it a focus of your business.

Here’s a bonus idea…

Add your text signup offer to your email signature.  Make sure it’s on all your marketing material.  Include it in every ad, put it on your menus, put up signs.  

Put it on your business cards… Heck, have t-shirts printed.

Ask everyone you meet to text your keyword to your texting number.  Before long you’ll have hundreds, if not thousands of loyal followers. 

Best of all, they’ll be trained to read and respond to your text messages right from the get-go!

OK, I think I’ve gone on long enough about how to build a text marketing list… 

Now we get to the second part of today’s training.  You’ve built your texting list… What the heck do we send them?

This is another big question I get all the time…

What Types of Messages Should I Send to Keep My List of Subscribers Engaged, Interested, and Buying Products?

It’s a great question!  If you’re thinking “I’ll just send the same text messages to everyone.” – you’re dead wrong. 

Sending the same message to everyone is worse than not sending a message at all!

Let me help you a little bit when it comes to sending messages… 

You MUST provide value first!

When you send a text message you are interrupting someone’s day. 

You have no idea what your subscribers are doing… so if you send a message you better be texting them for a damn good reason. 

Always keep your customer in mind… Ask yourself “Will my prospect or customer really care about this message?”

Ask yourself: is this message engaging, entertaining, or informative… Or, are you being BORING? 

Boring is terrible by the way.

Look, getting OFF a text marketing list is easy.  All you have to do is text the word ‘STOP’. 

Your goal is to provide such good targeted content that your prospects and customers NEVER want to leave! 

Ask yourself, “If I was in my customer’s shoes going about my day and I got this message, would it help me or annoy me?”

You need to offer them value, so they don’t mind having their day interrupted with a text message.

And that means sending them the right content… 

And that’s the million-dollar question: What is the right content? 

IF you ask me, there are 4 parts to every effective text message… 4 parts to the perfect content.

Those four parts are: 

1. Identification
2. The meat and potatoes content  
3. A clear CTA,  and
4. Legals

Remember text messages are short so you don’t have a lot of time to anguish over what you’re going to send!

Let’s start at the top.

Part One to a Great Message – Identify Yourself 

You should always identify yourself in every message.  

This is a best practice that will go a long way to developing a relationship with your customers, prospects and members of your texting list.

You can identify yourself at the beginning… like here:

EXAMPLE:  Brian @ Betwext here… today we have an amazing blog post to ….

You can also identify yourself at the bottom of your message by adding your name.

If you don’t want to use your name, or you work at a big organization, you can always  include the business name, a website address, or some other identifier.

The key is to make sure everyone who sees your message knows instantly who it’s from.

Now I know what some of you are thinking… the message is coming from my texting phone number… won’t people know who it is?

Great question and my answer is NO.

Keep in mind, our attention spans are shorter than ever… you might text people every week.  It doesn’t guarantee they’ll remember who you are!  

Plus, if you don’t identify yourself, it makes you look like a spammer – and you’ll NEVER get sales and grow your business if people think you’re spam-texting them.

Do yourself a favor and identify yourself!

This Brings Us to the Second Part of the Text Message – The Content.

The beauty of text marketing is you can send just about anything and everything… I’ve seen people text out links to blog posts, coupons, addresses to locations for a meetup. 

Some groups text out news, product updates, uptime, and downtime announcements. 

I’ve seen some send meeting reminders, event reminders, or schedule changes. 

Want more? 

I’ve seen texts for new products, introductions to events, links to youtube videos… and secret codes to unlock hidden content. 

One restaurant sends out a secret codeword to get an “off the menu” dish!

I’ve seen texts requesting donations, asking for feedback, asking questions, or offering whitepapers and special reports. 

You can always ask your customers questions –  send them a survey, or ask for feedback.  Why ask your customers a question?  

Well, it’s been reported text messages have an average RESPONSE rate of over 45%.  The best emails barely crack 5%!

Can I get more specific about text message types?

YES, I can, But remember every business is different and your marketing goals may change the type of content you want to put out.

Remember the promise you made to them for signing up to your list in the first place, and deliver on that promise as much as you can!

For example, here’s how one SAAS software company might send out text marketing messages to their prospect list:

1. They send a link to a video Demo of their product 
2. A link to a long-form blog post about an industry case study
3. A message asking if anyone had a question about the software 
4. A text giving people a blog post link answering the questions 
5. A link to a sign-up page for a free 30 min consultation on using the product
6. A discount coupon for new customers to use

This SAAS company could send one message a week and they’d send these out during business hours… their target customer is another business after all.

A restaurant might do something totally different. They might message existing customers the following sequence:

1. Coupon for 10% off when dining on Tuesday (it’s their slowest day).
2. A reminder that a holiday is quickly approaching and they do group catering… including a click to call phone number dialing the catering manager.
3. A message letting people know if they use a “Secret Code Word” they get a free dessert for the table (this week only).
4. A Thursday night reminder to make a reservation for Friday Date Night.
5. A message from the Chef about Farm to Table specials this month.
6. A survey asking people what their favorite Pizza topping is…

Now here’s the really cool thing about this restaurant’s text messages.

Since they’re texting customers, it’s ok to send more than one message a week.  So these 6 messages might be sent over 3 or 4 weeks… enough to remind people you’re there… but not enough to overwhelm them!

Plus, with texting you can have your messages get delivered around specific times.  

They might send out the Tuesday coupon at 4:30 pm… so people see the message just as they’re starting to make dinner plans. 

As you can see, each business will send very different types of messages to very different segments of their list. 

The key is to send stuff people actually want to see!

Now For Part Three of the Message – The CTA.

In case you don’t know, a CTA is a “Call To Action”

Make sure every text marketing message you send has a CTA.

The CTA is simply instructions on what to do next… like “Click here” or “Watch this video” or “Call us now”.  

Use a CTA on every message, and you’ll never be disappointed.

Legals Are the Fourth and Final Part of the Message.

This is another best practice in the text marketing industry… Always include the phrase ‘Text STOP to end’ or something similar.  

It’s like the unsubscribe button on an email.  It lets your subscribers know you’ll take them off the list at any time, they just need to text back the word ‘STOP’.

Use it on every message you send.

There you have it… the 4 parts to sending a successful text message to your customers or prospects.  

Remember: to make sure your messages are well received, make sure they include all 4 parts every single time!

Ok, I’m running out of time today.  We’ve covered a ton of stuff, everything from how to get someone on your texting list, to what to text them!

We’ve dropped a lot of knowledge bombs and I gave some ninja text marketing tricks… 

So what’s the next step?

Your next step is to sign up for a texting platform and get your dedicated texting number. 

I’m biased, I recommend Betwext.com I work there.  😉 

In the next video, I’m going to cover how to pick the best text marketing system for your business… and the 5 critical questions you need to ask BEFORE signing up for any text message marketing service.

We’re going to cover other important topics like long codes, shortcodes, toll-free numbers, keywords, Segmenting lists, Automation, and scheduling, as well as a bunch of other important topics!

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