Did you know Text is the most popular app, ahead of the likes of Facebook and TikTok? Text is a highly valuable channel for brands, as 90% of messages are read within 3 minutes, giving marketers a direct line to their customers. With Black Friday & Cyber Monday just around the corner, you might be wondering how to use text message marketing to maximize sales, revenue, and loyalty this holiday season.
Why eCommerce Brands Should Use Text Marketing around BFCM
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are arguably the most important dates in the marketing calendar. Last year saw record levels of sales in the US, with Cyber Monday alone driving $10.7B in revenue for retailers. This year, competition is fierce, with brands in every industry vying for consumers’ attention – and wallets. To stand out and engage customers, smart marketers are preparing their BFCM marketing campaigns now – and Text message marketing will be a critical part of their media mix.
Is your brand ready to rock the holiday season? Last year, Wunderkind clients drove $2.3B in revenue over Cyber Weekend, outperforming the industry average in text messaging and email marketing Check out our top ten strategies for text messaging marketing to help you achieve your most successful BFCM yet.
1. Build your text marketing subscriber list early.
The more relevant people you can contact, the more revenue text marketing can drive for you. According to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), your customers need to opt-in for you to be legally able to contact them. If you text people without their consent, you may face legal consequences. So, make building and scaling your subscriber list a priority to maximize reach and meet your revenue goals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Check out our List Growth Guides here or get in touch to learn how Wunderkind can help brands accelerate list growth in time for BFCM – without cannibalizing email.
2. Nail the timing.
Did you know that half of consumers start their holiday shopping early? Black Friday shopping starts earlier every year and what used to be Cyber Monday is now Cyber Month. Competition around the holidays is fierce, so it’s even more important to make sure your brand is ahead of competitors. Plan your Black Friday Cyber Monday promotion texts early, so you are ready to go before the main sales season hits.
3. Nurture and loyalize your customers before BFCM.
Don’t wait until Black Friday to engage with your customers. Let’s say someone becomes a customer in August, and opts in to receive text communication from your brand. If you wait until the end of November to contact them, your brand will no longer be top of mind and your messaging is likely to get lost in the shuffle. Instead, nurture your customer relationships prior to the holiday season with regular, thoughtful communication.
4. Offer personalized text message experiences.
Batch and blast” messages to all of your email and SMS subscribers should be used sparingly and only when the message will resonate with all subscribers. While sending the same generic messages to everybody might be easy, it isn’t effective, and customers today are dismissive of inauthentic, impersonal communication. Even if you think your brand does a good job of personalizing its marketing communications, your customers might not think so. In fact, 73% of marketers state they excel at personalization, whereas only 34% of consumers agree.
Personalization is key to BFCM marketing success – both in terms of scaling your text subscriber lists ahead of time, as well as enticing customers to convert while your campaign is live. Each customer is a holistic individual, so treat them that way with one-to-one messaging.
For instance, you can send customers who abandoned their carts over Black Friday and Cyber Monday a personalized message offering a discount on the product they were looking to buy, or making alternative suggestions if the product they wanted is out of stock.
5. Create text messaging sequences.
Text messages have the highest open rates of any channel (98%). Moreover, customers who have signed up to text messages are particularly engaged with your brand, which means they are more likely to be receptive to your offers and promotions. You can leverage this loyalty by sending them not just one message, but thoughtful sequences sharing what your brand has to offer this holiday season.
Build anticipation by warming your audience up in advance and letting them know about your brand’s Black Friday plans, then retarget them with time-sensitive offers to create a sense of urgency.
6. Don’t overdo it.
Sometimes, less is more. Because text is such a visible channel, resist the urge to bombard customers with too many messages and focus instead on delivering relevant messages to each of your top subscriber segments! Of course, on key dates (such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday) you can increase the cadence, but be sure to keep an eye on the performance and customer feedback.
7. Craft irresistible Black Friday messaging.
With a recession looming, consumers are likely to be more disciplined and set priorities for their purchases. You need to stand out from the competition and ensure your value proposition is clear to your customer. Ensure your customer is aware of the value of Black Friday and Cyber Monday and emphasize how it is the ideal time to get a discount on Christmas presents.
Relevant Black Friday messaging will encourage customers to take notice of your brand and push them to take action. For best results, your messages should be time-sensitive, appeal to the emotions, and incorporate a strong call-to-action (CTA).
8. Loyalize existing customers.
Many brands are so wrapped up in chasing new customers, they forget to remind their current ones how special they are. Don’t let that be you! A text message has a more personal touch than any other channel. Use that to your advantage and shoot your customers a text message reminding them how important they are to you, and offer a reward for their loyalty.
For example, you could offer an additional discount or early sales access to regular customers. Offering special benefits to existing customers is the best way to keep them around and make it more lucrative for them to stick with you instead of switching to a competitor.
9. Drive revenue this holiday season.
Traditional marketing channels are becoming increasingly more expensive and driving decreased ROI. Owning your first-party data strategy is crucial in driving sustained growth.
When brands own and control growth and communication channels, like text, they can reduce costs while delivering targeted, behavior-based messaging to the customers most likely to take action.
10. Think beyond BFCM.
Once the sales are over, be sure to keep nurturing your relationship with the customers you acquired or re-engaged during BFCM. Many are probably new to your brand, so use engaging, personalized messages to convert and retain them over the long term.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the biggest shopping days of the year, and text message marketing is a simple yet powerful way to make the most of them. Be sure to implement these strategies to achieve maximum business results this holiday season. The Wunderkind 2022 Market Outlook report contains even more insights to inspire your BFCM marketing strategy. Grab your free copy here.