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Timing Your SMS Marketing

Using all of the mobile marketing strategies in the world wouldn’t be effective unless you have a properly timed SMS blast. Implementing your mobile marketing campaign using the right tools, with the right timing, is much easier than you think.

Why does timing matter?

It is extremely important to pay attention to the timing of your SMS marketing campaign. Sending a lunch special, for example, after the lunch rush, won’t be of any use to you or your customers. You want your message to be sent recently enough that it’s fresh in your customer’s minds, but with enough time for them to act on the message.

The bottom line is, a poorly timed marketing blast can result in very little revenue, whereas an aptly timed blast can result in a huge return on investment.

Give me an example of good timing.

In a recent study conducted by Txtwire, a local deli that saw a return on investment of 350% after one text blast. After Geraldine’s initial marketing campaign ended, they used all of the customer information they gathered to maintain customer contact. They do this by sending 1-2 promotions a month. One such promotion is sending a blast close to 11:00 AM. This is generally the time most of us start thinking about lunch, and it’s helpful for Geraldine’s to be fresh in your mind. My coworker gets these blasts, and chooses Geraldine’s almost every time she receives one!

How can I time my messages?

  1. Organize your subscribers by time-zone. One system you may want to consider is organizing your subscribers by time-zone or region so that you can be aware of the exact time they will receive your message. This will also help you optimize the effectiveness of your message so that a lunch special doesn’t go out to subscribers after lunch or a shoe sale doesn’t get promoted after the store closes.
  2. Use Txtwire’s schedule feature. With Txtwire’s Message Schedule feature, it’s easy to write all of your messages in advance, and schedule them all at once. This way you can make sure to schedule blasts for the appropriate times, even if you’re not going to be around to send them. Many fields utilize this for reminders about events, sending a reminder a day before, an hour before, or even 15 minutes before.
  3. Include store or location hours in your message. Even the most appropriately timed blast won’t be effective if your customer’s don’t know when they can enter your store. Make sure to include your store hours in the message, so that your customer’s can plan appropriately.

What are the best days and times to blast?

Well, that really depends on your business, the season, and other circumstances. Only you will really know what’s best for your business. We do have three suggestions, however.

  1. Increase foot traffic on slow days. Your slow days may be Wednesdays. Whatever the day, you want to increase your foot traffic. Use SMS to send out a special, limited time only coupon to your customers. Make it time sensitive. For example, “for the next two hours only”. This will drive traffic into your store, and will result in a profit increase.
  2. Increase awareness on any night. Pick your busiest day of the week and send out a blast for a special. It could be a “buy one, get one” coupon. Require them to show their mobile coupon. This will get customer’s talking about how they’re getting this deal, and you can train staffers to point them to your opt-in table tents or window clings.
  3. Maintain contact with your customers. It is very important to maintain contact so that your customers don’t forget about you. Using the blast methods numbered above will help you on slow days and busy nights, but you can also send blasts periodically.

Show me a good blast.

Here is sample wording for a well-timed dinner blast on a slow night:

Come to Morgan’s Cafe within the next two hours, and show this coupon to recieve a free appetizer. Valid from 7 PM to 9 PM, Wednesday night only. Morgan’s Cafe is open from 11 am to 10 PM, 7 days a week.

Adding store hours here is helpful because even if they couldn’t make it to that particular time, they would have your hours for future reference.

Conclusion

Hopefully at this point you have a deeper understanding of the importance of timing for your mobile marketing blasts. These blasts can be a hugely effective tool for increasing revenue, driving foot traffic, and keeping people talking about your business. Txtwire provides all of the necessary tools to help you easily begin a mobile marketing campaign. Sign up for our free trial, and use properly timed SMS marketing campaigns to increase your revenue!

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