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SMS, which stands for “short message service,” is a standardized communication protocol primarily used by mobile devices. When you send someone a text message, you take advantage of SMS technology. An SMS gateway makes it possible for a broader range of devices and applications to communicate with each other. For example, you could use a computer to send an SMS message to someone’s smartphone. Most times, the message leaves your computer in a format that’s incompatible with SMS. SMS gateways translate the message so the mobile device can understand it. A gateway can also work in the opposite direction, allowing mobile device users to send messages to computers. SMS gateways have evolved considerably over the last couple of decades. Early mobile devices had built-in physical gateways. The gateway hardware included the device’s SIM card and an embedded radio. Today, consumers and businesses do not need to rely on devices with an SMS hardware gateway. Instead, they can use cloud-based systems that translate and communicate messages seamlessly. This improvement in technology comes from messaging gateway APIs that can deliver messages to specific devices at specific times. What Is an SMS API? SMS gateways can function because they use APIs that let two systems share information with each other. An API (application programming interface) essentially makes integration possible between multiple applications, networks or databases. For example, when you use a mobile app like Expedia to find airline options that match your search requirements, the app uses multiple APIs to communicate with databases. The app can then aggregate information from multiple sources and present them to you for easy consideration. Even though the app and the databases use different languages, they can communicate because the API creates a connection and translates data as it moves between the systems. An SMS API focuses on the unique requirements of mobile devices. Instead of connecting with a specific application, it can translate messages from a computer and give them to mobile devices. How Does an SMS API Work? SMS APIs work by letting telecom carriers connect devices to the internet. Thanks to the API technology, telecom carriers do not need a platform to interpret diverse data formats between devices. Instead, messages go straight to the SMS API, which automatically turns it into an appropriate format for the recipient's device. Thanks to SMS APIs, mobile devices do not need internet access to receive messages from computers. As long as the message gets translated and distributed as SMS, cell phones and similar devices can receive and interpret them. An example may make it clearer how SMS APIs work. When Company A wants to send Customer X a text message confirming that they recently signed up for a membership, one of the company’s computers automatically sends a message to the API. At this point in the communication exchange, the cell phone would not understand the message. The API takes the message from Company A’s computer, translates it into a format that Customer X’s cell phone understands, and passes the message along to the device. Now, Customer X has a text message confirming that they signed up for a membership with Company A. Without an SMS API, Company A would need to send the message from a cell phone or smartphone, creating a tedious process. An SMS gateway makes the transmissions even more efficient by letting computers and servers send large amounts of messages instantaneously. Even if 1,000 customers applied for a membership with Company A, they would all get a confirmation text almost immediately. Do's and Don'ts of Using Bulk-sending Gateways To get the most out of your gateway, you will need to follow and avoid some practices. Do: Require Consumers to Opt-in Before You Send Messages The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and the FTC (U.S. Federal Trade Commission) do not let companies send messages to a consumer until the person “opts-in.” Texts must also include a message that gives consumers an opportunity to opt-out of future communications. Federal laws let people add their phone numbers to the National Do Not Call Registry . Companies cannot send texts to numbers on the Do Not Call Registry unless they have received permission from the person who controls the number’s account. Don’t: Choose an SMS Gateway With Limited Reach Not everyone cell phone service provider’s network uses the same format. That’s why you often have to purchase a new device when you switch to a different carrier. An SMS gateway can have a similar limitation. Look for a gateway that can connect with as many networks as possible. If the gateway cannot communicate with at least 1,000 global networks, your business probably will miss opportunities to communicate with consumers in the U.S. and emerging markets. Do: Choose a Service That Offers REST API REST API offers several advantages that you will not get from SOAP. By choosing a service that offers REST API, you get: Options to use a wider range of data formats. Faster communication that uses less bandwidth. Superior performance by caching data when necessary. Opportunities to connect through more communication apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. You can also get good functionality from a basic HTTP API. HTTP APIs are easy to use, but they lack the security features that you will get from REST API. Get Started With an SMS API Today The SMS API that you choose affects who you can send messages to and how quickly your communications move. Clickatell gives you an advantage with a secure, cloud-hosted, scalable platform that offers intelligent routing, global reach, and two-way text messaging. Click here to find out more about our SMS gateway product or here to achedule a conversation with Clickatell today to discuss your options. An expert can help you choose the perfect resources for your business’s needs.

Companies need to explore as many ways as possible to reach their customers. As your emails get sent to the trash by spam blockers and your legitimate phone calls get labeled as robocalls by call blockers, SMS mobile marketing offers a better way for you to get messages to your target audience. You can expect SMS mobile marketing’s popularity to grow in the coming years. As of 2019, 81 percent of U.S. adults own smartphones. Also, the number of mobile device accounts has outgrown the number of landline accounts around the world. Before you invest in SMS mobile marketing, you should learn more about rules regulating the practice and how you can expect campaigns to benefit your business. SMS Messaging SMS stands for “short message service.” People send and receive SMS messages every day. When you text someone, asking them to pick up dinner on their way home, you sent an SMS message. When you text someone a website link to a story you think they will like, you just sent an SMS message. For the most part, SMS messaging is the same thing as texting. SMS mobile marketing targets customers by sending them text messages about topics like: Upcoming sales that will help people save money on your products and services. New products that your business will release soon. A new location that your franchise is opening in the area. Keep in mind that SMS messaging can only send letters, numbers, and special characters. The messaging format cannot send pictures, videos, or other types of multimedia. MMS To send multiple, you need MMS messaging. As you might have guessed, MMS stands for “multimedia messaging service.” Luckily, most of today’s popular texting apps know how to adapt to incoming MMS. They don’t restrict messages to plain text. When your message includes an image, the apps know how to display the image with the correct text. SMS Opt-in Rules The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other government agencies have set SMS opt-in rules that organizations must follow. Breaking SMS opt-in rules can lead to hefty fines. The most important opt-in rule to remember is that you must request a customer’s permission before you send the person text messages. If you hire a marketing agency to manage your SMS marketing campaign, you might also need to get permission for that company to send messages. It might sound difficult to convince people to sign up for SMS messages. Most of the time, though, you just have to ask for permission when you sell someone a product or service. During the checkout process, include a message that says the person gives your company permission to send them promotional texts. Other ways to improve your acceptance rate include: Telling people they can get discounts by following SMS marketing links. Offering exclusive invitations to events. Adding a call to action (CTA) that encourages customers to accept text messages. You also need to give your customers an easy way to opt out of future SMS mobile marketing. You can fulfill this obligation with a message such as, “Reply STOP to stop receiving messages.” Just add that message to the bottom of your texts. Few people will opt out unless they truly do not have an interest in your brand. How to Target the Right People with Mobile Marketing Every marketing campaign needs to target the right people to increase conversions and revenue. SMS mobile marketing gives you several ways to target your audience. Some of the most effective options include: Only sending mobile marketing messages to customers who have expressed an interest in receiving them. Targeting people in a specific area, such as in a neighborhood where your business has a location. Sending messages at the right time, such as giving recipients discounts around the holidays or other special times of the year. Targeting customers who haven’t bought anything from your website in a specific amount of time. Sending SMS marketing messages costs money, so you want to target people as accurately as possible. Otherwise, you will get a lower ROI on your marketing dollars. What Are the Advantages of Mobile Advertising? As spam filters trap your emails and carriers block your calls, the advantages of mobile advertising become increasingly important. Some benefits you can expect include: Creating a direct channel that reaches your target audience immediately. Funneling customers from SMS messaging to diverse channels, such as online stores, landing pages, and polls. Gathering information about customers who opt in for mobile advertising. Improving customer engagement by sending them friendly texts with gentle CTAs. Mobile marketing also gives you a comparatively low-cost way to reach your customers. Use an SMS pricing estimator to determine approximately how much you can expect to spend on your SMS marketing campaigns. SMS Opt-in Rules Regulating the Practice Following SMS opt-in rules does more than help you avoid fines. The rules will also help you conform to consumer expectations so you do not annoy them and encourage them to opt out of your receiving messages. Rules that you should know include: Always ask customers to opt in for SMS texts. Confirm the person’s identity by sending a confirmation text. Only send messages to customers who have interacted with your business within the last 18 months. Include an option to opt out in every message you send. What Laws Are in Effect Against Spam? Countries have their own laws that help control the amount of spam residents receive. The strictest countries have laws that require you to: Inform customers of their rights. Obtain consent to send messages. Protect any data you collect from customers. Follow orders when customers tell you to erase their data. Report security breaches within 72 hours. Avoid sending messages to customers who haven’t had recent interactions with your business. Give consumers an easy way to opt out. Mobile Marketing Examples Popular mobile marketing examples include: Messages that welcome customers to your service. Airlines that confirm flight itineraries and allow for flight updates via SMS. Promotions that give customers discounts. Event invitations that you only send to qualifying customers. SMS messaging to allow businesses to call back customers who may be calling a contact center to prevent long hold wait times. Billing reminders that help you get paid on time. Appointment reminders that lower the rates of cancellations and no-shows. SMS messages that allow users to top-up digital goods such as airtime, subscriptions or data bundles. Reach Customers with Business SMS Clickatell makes it easy for you to send a business SMS. After you register for an account, you can activate your SMS channel, integrate the platform with your messaging solution, and start sending SMS messages within minutes. Clickatell allows your business to reach and engage with 90% of the world’s population in real time through SMS messaging. Our intelligent routing ensures your messaging meets its destination on-time, every time. Our SMS tool is quick and easy. With a single account interface, just one account can be used for multiple business users. Our platform is built in the cloud, allowing our customers to access it from anywhere. We have recently created a Sandbox testing environment that allows customers to have unlimited testing for free. Additionally, we have a variety of traffic routing options, intuitive and intelligent reporting dashboards, and SMS setup options that are fast and seamless. Getting started with Clickatell is simple and straightforward. Register a free account and login. Once you activate the SMS channel, set up a basic HTTP API or our REST-based One API. Test in the Sandbox and publish the integration when your campaign is ready. The process is built for speed, consistency, and meant to generate results that drive high open rates and engagement. Our pricing is simple as well and our pricing estimator allows you to easily price out any campaign. Learn more about Clickatell's SMS solutions here or you can contact our team to ask questions, learn about pricing, or get started today by clicking here .

Brand loyalty describes the commitment consumers show to businesses' products and services through repeated purchases. Brands that build an emotional connection with their customers and provide experiences that surprise, amaze, or simply satisfy can expect strong brand loyalty. Every company hopes to engender wildly enthusiastic customers that build tribes of loyal followers around their brand, spreading their messages through social media posts and word-of-mouth. It’s a high benchmark, but there are clear steps to create raving fans of your brand. Drive your Brand Story with Compelling Content The idea that content and brand narrative (or brand story) should be in alignment is certainly nothing new, but driving engagement and passionate, repeat customers can be heavily influenced by delivering the right content. Customers consume large amounts of content as a course of daily life and businesses can be assured that by creating and distributing enough content they can achieve a layered impact where content trickles through to their customers in varied ways. Quality content builds credibility and when the content and the experience with a product or service track in parallel customer trust is born. Personalization of content can also be a terrific way to drive brand loyalty. How do you respond to messages that seem tailored individually to you? If you’re like most of us, personalized content significantly ups the odds you’ll pay attention and act. People respond to marketing messages that make them feel special and unique. The more your business can tailor content and services to making emotional connections with customers the closer they will get too fanatical repeat buyers and brand ambassadors. Another factor that will increase your engagement is to localize your content. Just as personalization creates an immediate customer connection to the content, localized deals, localized messaging with specific nuances of a regional or city-specific population, and other details that reach buyers with content they can call their own will drive loyalty and affinity. Utilize the power of loyalty programs The introduction of digital advancements and the changing face of the business that has accompanied the digital transformation has made the competition across every sector more fierce - and truly innovative brands win in this environment. It is a buyer’s economy and brands that do not provide exceptional, satisfying customer experiences will see their sales and market share erode. Loyalty programs have become a key driver of high brand engagement and there are very proven models to learn from and repeat. Retailers like Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Kohl’s are famous for their loyalty coupon mailers that offer steep discounts during specific buying dates. They have successfully fended off the steep price and loyalty competition from eCommerce retailers for more than a decade. And research backs up this tactic - a 2018 report from Bond and VISA showed that 70 percent of customers trend as repeat buyers and recommend brands that offer them a good loyalty program. To take advantage of loyalty shoppers, brands need to understand more about their customers and what triggers buying decisions. Understanding which customer demographics prefer a voucher program compared to 2-for-1 deals is critical to success. Points programs have gained in popularity because they gamify the shopping experience, tapping into the competitive drive many shoppers have to find the best deals. As consumers gain points - and spend them - they increase their brand affinity and by engineering points, programs to encourage sharing and discounts for friends and family loyalty programs can have an exponential growth impact on your business. Improve Customer Experience with Bulk SMS strategies Consumers use messaging daily - in fact, people spend more time using the top four messaging apps than they do the top four social media apps. Brands that implement bulk SMS strategies can help increase customer engagement and vastly improve the customer experience. The more advanced messaging and chat solutions (like those offered by Clickatell) include the integration of artificial intelligence, which will streamline your bulk SMS marketing and make the process quicker and more efficient. An example of such AI-empowered bulk SMS marketing is Clickatell’s Campaign Manager , a top of the range bulk messaging approach that enables companies to send high volumes of bulk messages to more than 1,000 global mobile networks. Many brands now use both one and two-way messaging to build trust and loyalty among their customers. Businesses can communicate with customers in the messaging platforms they know and love and deliver highly tailored messages of all kinds. Through one-way bulk messaging, real-time messaging can reach customers in a more direct way than other forms of marketing and communications and provide the convenience to open and act upon a message at the customer’s convenience. Also, the open rates are exceedingly high - with our own open rate for bulk SMS at 98 percent, and most messages opened within 90 seconds of being sent to the receiver. Two-way bulk SMS solution opens up for more engagement with the customers. Research has indicated that 64 percent of customers want the ability to engage with companies through text. Two-way bulk SMS allows for that to happen with additional feedback from customers and the collection of data on customer preferences and behavior a significant part of the equation. Conclusion Brands need to consistently rethink the strategies and tactics they have in place to improve brand loyalty, customer retention, and customer experience. Customer relationship management is a key area to maintain market share, but also an opportunity to build ties to customers, deliver significant and scalable value and win new customers through innovative thinking. Consumers prefer buying from companies that recognize them, appreciate them, and reward them. If you do not have any loyalty programs running, your chances of keeping your customers returning to you are getting slimmer by the day. And tailored content is critical to turn a skeptical shopper into a loyal brand enthusiast. Every aspect of your marketing efforts should deliver clear and measurable results and brand loyalty and affinity are no exception. Delivering premier customer experiences and providing chat and messaging solutions to reach customers in new, creative ways are all part of a larger, more integrated solution to building valuable and lasting customer experiences that make your relationship with your customer enduring. Want to find out more about how to use SMS campaigns to engage and transact with 85 percent of the world’s population in real-time? Let’s connect.

Watches that suggest ways to manage your cholesterol. Smart glasses with real-time product information overlays. Refrigerators that tell you how your stock portfolio is performing and remind you to buy 2% milk. With over 4 billion potential consumers engaging with digital and with over 2 trillion dollars a year exchanged in the digital marketplace, in 2020 and beyond your ability to ‘market’ is limited only by your imagination. As digital marketers, the challenge will continue to be marrying industry-specific technical advances, with creative problem-solving. Brand managers now have the ability to connect in real-time with potential consumers, leveraging the insights gleaned from hard-won experience, into effective campaign building and return on investment. Here are the 5 trends that will define digital marketing in 2020. Multichannel Marketing Multichannel marketing, as the name suggests, refers to multiplying your contact points with potential customers while offering them a quality, uniform experience across your supply chain, and different choices as to how they research, interact and ultimately, purchase.  Multichannel marketing combines and compliments your different distribution and conversion channels to better nurture potential customers, encouraging them to respond and interact with your brand on their terms, in their own time, and through their preferred channel. As all digital marketers know, the key to marketing success in 2020 and beyond is ‘choice’. Businesses overly focused on their brick and mortar sites with no due homage to the ways modern customers actually interact – via chat, email, and social media – ignore the many opportunities along the conversion funnel to contact, inform, nurture, and connect with their customers. Well-conceived multichannel processes allow businesses to always be where their customers are - in their favorite platforms and chat apps. VR & AR According to analyst Maria Weinberger, over a quarter of high-end digital marketing leaders already acknowledge that virtual and augmented reality will define the field in the coming years. With spending on AR and VR estimated to have increased from $12.1 billion in 2018 to more than $20 billion in 2019, the ability to communicate virtual or augmented marketing messaging directly to consumers, in real-time, offers both consumers and businesses a platform through which they can actively and holistically explore potential relationships through engaging, interactive, and specific virtual and augmented interactions. Chatbots According to InvespCro, more than 67% of consumers worldwide used a chatbot for customer support in the past year and around 85% of all customer interactions will be handled without a human agent by (the end of) 2020. Chatbots are automated, machine-learning-driven programs designed to manage and respond to customer interactions. Chatbots can be deployed to address specific frequently asked questions or deliver specific pre-planned or scheduled communications. With chatbots’ ability to ‘learn’ from every interaction, a business’ chatbot-driven customer relationships will only improve with time. This automation of customer interaction processes allows a higher degree of message personalization without increasing personnel costs. Targeted Marketing According to Forbes Magazine, 49% of people will not only ignore marketing messaging that is not related to a prior purchase or search, but may actively resent the intrusion. In 2020 and beyond, digital marketers must focus on data analysis and their internal feedback loops to ensure that their strategy is as defined and specific as possible, ensuring the right potential customer is messaged with the right marketing communication.  The outdated plug-and-play methodology of flooding the market with collateral simply does not work and may even be counterproductive. Marketing departments must focus their efforts on not only designing the right messaging but ensuring that it reaches the right people. Personalization As digital marketing analyst Alex Membrillo contends, marketing personalization refers to, “analyzing customer behaviors and promoting products based on assumptions and the user’s past purchase history”. Hubspot’s media analysis indicates that 70% of customers react negatively to marketing content not relevant to them, while 50% of digital marketers acknowledge they need increased customer knowledge and insights. This Venn diagram of uncertainty is where personalization should be inserted. Understanding how to individualize the management of one’s leads or data sets in order to better structure one’s marketing communications strategy, will define the quality and rate of one’s engagement levels.

Customer engagement marketing strategy Imagine if you could get to really know your customers. What if you could pull back the curtain to reveal the psychological forces shaping your customers' expectations? Understanding a few tenets of basic human psychology now makes it possible for organizations to dig deep into customer behavior. There’s nothing new about harnessing psychology to better connect with audiences. Executives turn to behavioral psychology to build brand loyalty. Organizations tap into the well of academic research on color and psychology to develop persuasive marketing messages. Now, businesses are able to combine the power of psychology and technology to serve fast, highly customized engagements. It’s why leading organizations across industries are embracing concepts like chat commerce and the ability for customers to transact on their preferred messaging channels. This sort of experience is designed to keep customers coming back. By better understanding how psychology influences your customers’ preferences, you gain the insights you need to design the best customer experiences. Let’s take a look at some of the leading studies and analysis from academics and marketing leaders. Real-time customer engagement and the power of now There’s no denying it - we love the power of now. Scholars suggest our obsession with immediacy is hardwired into our DNA. “It’s a natural human urge to want good things and to want them NOW. It has almost certainly provided an evolutionary advantage for humans and their ancestors, as life for pre-modern humans hinged on decisions made and actions taken in the immediate far more than those intended for long-term gain,” writes Courtney Ackerman. Since it’s a human impulse to prefer instant results, we dread waiting. MIT theory professor, Richard Larson, said we even tend to exaggerate the time we’re spending in queues. “According to...Larson, ‘the psychology of queuing is more important than the statistics of the wait itself.’ We tend to think we’ve been standing in line for longer than we really have; our perceived wait time is longer than your actual wait time .” And brands are rushing to meet this need for speed. Always on the bleeding edge of market trends, e-commerce giant Amazon will offer same-day drone delivery to get your goods to you within 30 minutes. A SuperOffice study showed that the average response time for a customer service request was 12 hours.  Compare this with live chat software, where the response is instant even beyond operating hours. With a tool like Clickatell Touch , you can respond to hundreds of queries at once, meeting customer needs as they arise. Deliver personalized customer engagement There’s nothing sweeter to a person than the sound of their own name. In How to Win Friends and Influence People , Dale Cargenie writes: “Names are the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” And it turns out, a unique reaction takes place in the brain when we hear our own names, according to a study published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Other findings by the University of Texas at Austin revealed that we especially value personalized experiences in the digital era. In a post discussing these findings, HubSpot expands on the two reasons why personalization matters: it gives people control and helps them manage information overload. “You’re not just getting what everyone else is getting with personalization. Instead, you’re getting something tailored to you. And because of that, it makes you feel more in control.“ And, on information overload: “With personalization, you aren’t presented with thousands of resources to sort through and consume. Instead, you are -- ideally -- presented with exactly the information you were looking for. Hence, you never feel “overloaded" with information.” It’s why more and more companies invest in meaningful, personalized experiences . Consider the endless possibilities and opportunities in offering your customers personalized, real-time customer engagement on the channels they’re already communicating on, and prefer. For instance, with Clickatell Touch , you can communicate with your customers via a range of messaging, web, and social applications and resolve queries quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively. Your clients can book appointments, check the status of deliveries, and access account information - all on a secure platform they’re already using to reach out to family and friends. Think of the difference it might make in your customers’ lives. With the live chat capability of applications like Touch , your customers can reach you on several platforms. And your team of support agents can respond via a simple, unified interface. Keep it simple Amid the swirl of evolving technologies and trends, figuring out what your customers truly want seems like an impossible task. One thing is clear though: customers prefer to ease. A Corporate Executive Board study found that time and time again, consumers didn’t respond well to complicated marketing messages. As human beings, we long for the simple things. Research shows that “fancy language” is off-putting, and the audience tends to think less of the writer. In retail, another study found that customers responded better when fonts were easier to read. Connecting with your customers Your customers have a natural affinity for fast, personalized and simple services. You need to meet those needs and engage with customers in ways they’re already primed to love. Check out Clickatell Touch if you want to raise the bar for service in your industry and set your business up to unlock new levels of customer engagement success.

Successful digital marketing strategies With the right digital marketing strategy, your business’s efforts can help you acquire new users, offer quality customer service, and retain valuable customers. Marketers and businesses are always looking to improve the customer experience and a successful digital marketing strategy is a key driver of this. Your business stack probably comprises of an amalgamation of a few of the seven thousand marketing tools available today … so how does one sift through this list to find the best tools for your business? Using research-backed strategies to market your business for success One of the biggest challenges for businesses is taking control of leading the omnichannel customer experience. Different parts of the customer journey take place on a variety of apps, tools, devices, and more, which can create a diluted and distant experience with your brand. A crucial aspect of your marketing strategy is to focus on this in order to create a clear journey for your customers to your product or service. But before you start sifting through the lengthy list of what to adopt and what to steer clear of, your business needs to get the basics right. What we’ve found about setting your marketing stack up for success is that lead generation and the customer experience are the first steps to acquiring new customers and retaining them. Here’s why you should consider focusing on nailing these two areas of your business before adopting a myriad of marketing tools. Lead generation, customer acquisition, and retention Research reveals that in the last five years, the cost of acquiring new customers has increased by over 50 percent, and although your business may be put off by that number, you need to spend time finding the most affordable and impactful way to acquire and retain new customers. It doesn’t matter how long your business has been around nor whether you are a small, medium, or large enterprise - acquiring new customers is a necessity for the growth and success of all businesses. Your business needs to acquire new customers for a number of reasons including to make enough money to cover expenses, the cost of staff, as well as being able to spend on things that are required to see the business grow, like investing in technology and staff training. Don’t forget that your partners and investors are also a big reason your business needs to be able to prove that you are gaining new customers and that you are able to retain them, not just create fleeting interest. Additionally, your business needs to consider all the channels your customer uses to learn about your product or service, then convince them that they need to engage with your brand, and finally encourage them to join the audience of loyal purchasing consumers. Once you’ve acquired this valuable audience, next is one of the most crucial aspects to retaining them:  customer support. It’s proven that poor customer service pushes consumers away and “76 percent of consumers look at customer service as a test of their value to a brand” says BizReport. So, why not give your users value by answering their questions timeously through customer support? The role of automation in your digital marketing strategy Even better, when merging customer support with automation, your business can save time and money while adding maximum support to your audience. Marketing automation isn’t new on the digital marketing arena - it’s a technique that an average of 49 percent of companies currently use and that 55 percent of B2B businesses are adopting. Merging marketing automation with customer support doesn’t only improve productivity, it lets you connect with clients at the right time, with the right message, and on the right channel through personalized tools, like chatbots.

Creative SMS marketing campaigns Discover how mobile marketing drives digital ad spending in the US and how SMS marketing campaigns can grow your business. Google’s announcement that more people use their mobile phones than they do desktop PCs to search the internet, has meant that businesses and marketers have realigned their budget spend and strategies to incorporate and even focus on mobile marketing. While it’s true that the more technology advances the more intertwined in our lives it becomes, businesses have also relied on older, trusted techniques for customer engagement, and one in particular: SMS messaging . Keep reading to take a look at how marketers can make the most of their ad spend with SMS marketing campaigns. Increasing ROI with SMS marketing campaigns We know that digital is the top way to reach customers since digital ad spend in the US has risen to over half of the total ad spend, amounting to $129.34 billion. But what’s really profound is that over two-thirds of that amount, a whopping 70 percent, will solely be spent on mobile advertising , cementing ideas that mobile marketing should be a key focus for businesses in America. When you pair that with the fact that on average, SMS marketing ads have a 98 percent open rate, 45 percent conversion rate, and are read within three minutes of receipt, it’s no wonder SMS is a top choice for businesses looking to increase their return on investment with mobile marketing campaigns. Here are a few key things to remember when deploying SMS marketing, whether bulk messages or campaigns: Add links in your SMS When you add unique links in your SMS it allows you to track which people have clicked on them and reveals what they’re interested in. This can be used to further understand your customer base and what they’re looking for in terms of SMS messaging, which in turn allows you to share specific products and services with them, increasing your ROI. Choose experts When it comes to sending messages to your customers, managing the intricacies of SMS marketing campaigns can be daunting. You’ll want to pick and choose a platform that’s easy to use, won’t drain your marketing budget, and which seamlessly connects to your platforms. We offer specialized solutions for any business looking to reach its customer with SMS messaging. You can SMS-enable any application, website or system, and it doesn’t require coding so your developers can breathe a sigh of relief! This two-way enabled communication is a top choice for customers who are mobile first but who are wary of over-marketing and impersonal content. Our product also offers comprehensive real-time reporting so that you can measure the exact impact of your SMS marketing campaigns. Reach a global audience It’s not just American consumers who are glued to their mobile phones, it’s a global phenomenon - over five billion people have a mobile phone. With SMS messaging as part of your marketing strategy, you’ll be able to reach global customers in a way that is non-invasive and allows for two-way messaging - a personal way to market to your customers while having a conversation. Our SMS platform is the perfect solution your business needs to reach your global audience and lead consistent marketing efforts that grow your customer base, worldwide. Grammar mistakes cost you Spelling is a contentious issue, but the fact is that consumer trust in brands is influenced by spelling errors and typos. For customers who care about your brand, these mistakes communicate carelessness or a lack of conscientiousness that hampers your credibility. They tell the customer that you couldn’t be bothered to review your communication and that it’s not a top priority for you and your business. Remember, when it comes to engaging with a global audience that trust your brand, and who will remain loyal customers in the future, businesses need to send SMS marketing campaigns that are reliable and seamless, creative, and well-thought out. To discover more about how your business can take advantage of the world of SMS as mobile marketing continues to rise, get in touch .

Mobile marketing in Australia Recent research shows Australians want to see an improvement in local mobile marketing, with old customer communication tactics making a comeback. Multiple reports show that Australian customers’ trust in mobile marketing is grim - from in-game and in-app ads to QR codes and mobile banner adverts, marketing efforts need to be reassessed. Customers everywhere are ready to invest in ad-blocking technology, even if it means paying out of their own pockets. The level of advertising interruptions is becoming more and more intrusive and some customers want out. With ad blockers in the mix, businesses need to reevaluate their approach and start sharpening other mobile marketing efforts. This presents an opportunity for businesses to learn a few lessons and tricks to improve their approach to mobile marketing and consider other tools, like SMS messaging , to enhance marketing efforts. Knowing how to market to a specific audience can seem daunting, but if you consider the numbers revealed below, the data speaks for itself. So, let’s unpack how businesses can ensure that their mobile marketing efforts in Australia don’t go wrong. Data-informed marketing According to the latest data from Adobe , 40 percent of residents in Australia and New Zealand think that very few of the product/service offers they receive are right for them. This means that not only are businesses missing out on promoting their goods to customers, they’re also not tracking user-journeys to remarket to customers with specific products and services they’ve already liked or bought in the past. Customers want messaging that’s relevant to them, personalized based on their likes and previous purchases, and not spammy communication that lacks intent. What better way to do so than to invest in the kind of tracking tools and data analysis expertise that can give you the answers you need in terms of what your customers want so that you can make informed marketing decisions? Text is their number one choice The study also revealed that the number one thing most Australian customers (69 percent) use their phones for was to text. That’s an exciting find when paired with the fact that there are expected to be 19.4 million Australians who own a phone at the end of this year. So, what should your business do with this information? Based on Adobe’s findings, SMS messaging seems to be a solid choice to communicate with Australian customers. With SMS, your business can cut through the noise and get straight to the point - whether it’s to send a coupon or event invite, share promotional information or remarket a blog post - SMS is a sure-fire way to connect with your customers. The data says it all - your customers are mobile first and they love text messaging, so take this opportunity to send them short, strategic messages straight to their mobile phones. They want to see more products Consider that two out of every three Anzac residents say that their mobile phones are where they perform all retail browsing and buying, but 90 percent still want to view and feel a product before purchasing it. Since your marketing efforts will likely lead them somewhere digital, it’s crucial that your website is sleek and has a seamless user experience. The stronger, more creative, and easy to navigate your website is, the more likely users are to shop, since they’re here to see more products after all! Customers want to spend money on your business’ products or services, and with the right messaging there should be no reason why they wouldn’t. Remember to spend time crafting SMS messaging that works , implement tracking for more informed marketing, and improve your website for a slick user experience that will have customers coming back again and again!

Mobile Coupon Marketing A surge in mobile coupon marketing offers exciting opportunities for businesses to build mobile marketing strategies that drive sales in ways that excite customers. Ten years into mobile commerce and businesses are still required to adapt to customer purchase behavior. Mobile marketing tactics, like using customer behavior, change and require change, constantly. With mobile marketing, there’s an opportunity to increase ROI with mobile phones and coupons. The rise of mobile marketing In 2017, Google Search data found that 60% of automotive searches come from a mobile device. This was a huge wake-up call for car dealerships to start pruning their omnichannel and multi-channel communication efforts away from the good old trusted newspaper adverts, toward crafting strategies around mobile communication. This led businesses to rediscover mobile coupons as a way to drive foot traffic to businesses , as well as to their online stores or as part of omnichannel communication efforts. Keep reading our short guide on how you can integrate coupons into your business’ mobile marketing strategy. Getting started with mobile coupons Since we know that your customers are likely mobile-first consumers - which means they use their phones to review and research products, compare prices, and find their perfect product or service - mobile coupons are a way to connect your customers to the very thing you know they need . Using coupons to enhance the user journey A great way to use coupons is to bring the user to interact with your business - whether in-store physically or digitally via your website. This means that your digital presence needs to be up-to-date and user-friendly. Businesses often think that adopting one aspect of the latest trending marketing tactics will have amazing benefits for their business. But, without a holistic approach to your marketing presence, customers will be driven away instead of to your business. So, be sure your social media profiles, professional platforms, website, and email marketing, etc, all send a unified message with a recognizable tone. Another way to use coupons to your advantage with omnichannel communication is to track the journeys of your customers . Without knowing what they’re reading, which products they’re browsing or items they’ve purchased, services they’ve signed up for, what they’ve ‘liked’, etc., you won’t be able to target them with insight-driven messages that encourage them to act. Reward their loyalty Customers love to be rewarded, and when you send loyalty promotions to your customers it sends a number of messages including that you value their attention, and that you’ll go the extra mile to keep them coming back. This can be achieved by paying attention to their latest purchase, tracking their movements on your website, and taking the time to send them more great offers, among other things. Remarketing is an obvious but often missed opportunity to keep up with customers who are already interested in your brand. A simple SMS like the one below could just send customers to your business in droves: “We hope you’re thrilled with your latest purchase, Emma! To celebrate, we’re giving you 30% off your next shop! Valid until the end of May.” Coupons with personalized messages like these that offer customers real value are the sorts of experiences that stay with a customer and end up influencing their long-term purchasing behavior. Like we mentioned earlier - when customers are offered real value, your business scores real points in the loyalty arena. Using an integrated platform While you’re convinced about the effectiveness of mobile communication and of coupons, it’s important to choose an SMS platform that is easy to use and won’t break the bank. With Clickatell’s SMS Platform , you can build your unique messaging, including two-way messaging. It integrates seamlessly with any application, website or system - who better to choose to partner with for your coupon marketing needs?