How many times have you wondered that this one phone call, could be a text message? The truth of the matter is that texts are preferred more than calls or even emails today. It is easy for emails to get buried under hundreds of spam emails that come your way every day. Calls are also easily ignorable for multiple reasons. You can busy or you can just not feel the need to answer a phone call. However, text notifications are here to stay. You can open them later and respond to them later too. Moreover, they are automatically saved in your phone to view later. There are just a few reasons why text notifications work. Here is a complete guide on how you can enjoy the benefits of texts for your business.
What are text notifications?
Text notifications are alerts of receiving text messages on your phone. You can enjoy the perks of reading them later. Or, you can read them instantly. Stats show that over 95% of messages are read and responded to within 90 seconds of receiving them.
In the USA, texts are also used by local governments for notifications and urgent messages. For example, text 911 is a system now. Similarly, emergencies, where people might not have access to the internet or such, can receive text messages without a worry. Text messages only require a couple of network bars. Anybody who owns a phone – even if it’s, not the modern smartphone – will receive messages as a default feature in mobile phones. Hence, text notifications work best in urgency and for quick messages.
How to use text notifications for businesses?
Text notifications are one of the best ways for a business to stay on its toes. These allow you to communicate with your audience instantly. Hence, it works best for the following reasons.
Last-minute updates
No matter how well-planned you are, there is always something that comes up at the last minute. For businesses, these become problematic because of communication. For instance, you work hard to market a sale. However, your inventory is finished with a few days to spare. People walking in and finding this out may annoy them. It wastes their time and resources when they walk in and find nothing left for them. A simple mass text updating your list helps save their troubles of showing up.
Similarly, if you run a gym or a school. Classes can be canceled. Calling each person can be cumbersome and very time-consuming. Mass texting saves the day by sending out instant notifications to update everyone on your list.
Building community
In pandemics like the Coronavirus, it becomes difficult for the community to stay together and be positive. A simple text message from the business or even the organization can become a source of strength for many. Text messages do not need internet or an application to receive. They go through as long as you have signals from your network.
Moreover, you can also inform if people are joining your community before the meet-up. This will allow the newbies to feel welcomed when they visit you in person. Moreover, it helps build community ties.
Business incentives
One of the most efficient ways of marketing is creating a sense of urgency. FOMO (fear of missing out) marketing is creating a sense of opportunity. It is basic human nature to avail opportunities that we think are the best for us. In this marketing technique, messages and announcements are in a way to create desire and a sense of loss if the opportunity misses out.
Businesses can use text notifications to send flash sale blasts. However, the most important thing to remember is to know your customers and send messages at the right time to make use of this technique.
Reminders
One of the most revenue-damaging things is no-shows. No-shows are when customers make appointments and fail to show up. A survey showed that most of these no-shows are because people forget, or they misremember the date and time.
Reminder texts help people get a record of their appointment. A text with all the information including the date and time can help save missed appointments and not make a dent in your revenue. Ensure that you add the option of canceling and rescheduling with two-way texting.
Invoices
Send invoices with text messages is very convenient with a service like ExpertTexting. You can simply attach the invoice image or even add a hyperlink to a webpage with this information. Moreover, it works as fee reminding alerts as well. Colleges and universities use this service to send reminders before the fee is due. This helps save late fees and other inconveniences that come with it.
Put out fires
As a business owner, you will always have fires that you need to put out. However, the longer you wait, the bigger the damage it can do to your business. If a customer has a complaint that they want to talk to you about, then you need to act fast. However, them sending an email and you responding to it is not a quick process.
Text messages work wonders in this regard. A dissatisfied customer can simply text you, their concerns. With text messaging being fast and direct, you can quickly hold a conversation with them to solve their problem. However, if you wait longer, your customer may be annoyed and post negative feedback. These are, of course, going to make your business look bad.
Seasonal promotions
Just like flash sales, seasonal promotions work best with text notifications as well. On a holiday, simply send out a text blast to your subscribers. They can see your promotion and avail the offer.
Hence, you do not have to make the effort of advertising and waiting for it to reach your target audience.
Send Text Notifications with ExpertTexting
ExpertTexting is a mass texting service that allows you to send text blasts to your list. You can promote your business or even hold one-on-one conversations with your audience. All at a pay-as-you-go pricing to save your credits from wasting.