With the added business of the season, it can be difficult to know how to work the holidays into your already existing marketing calendar. We’re here to help you optimize your SMS messaging, so you can boost your brand and generate revenue, making this year’s holidays rewarding for you and your business. All month long we’ll be spotlighting Leaders whose businesses you can support this holiday season, so stay tuned! For now, read on for a few tips on how you can make the holiday season work for you.

Do utilize timing

The holidays are a busy time for your brand, and a busy time for your audience, too. SMS marketing is unique in that it has the ability to reach your consumer instantly, and it’s important to be tactical about when that is. Reaching your customer at the time when they’re most interested can take your brand from being one your customer is simply interested in to one your customer shops with. Community’s analytics allow you to discover the days and times when your Members are most active, so you can plan your campaigns accordingly and fully engage your audience. Read more about our Best Hour of Week feature here.

Don’t send too many messages

With the huge influx of sales and promotional marketing during the holiday season, it might be your instinct to plan to boost your messaging in the literal sense, by taking a “more is more” approach. But with SMS marketing, it’s actually more effective to be strategic in your interactions with your audience — and that means not sending too many. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season can mean that your audience is already feeling exhausted and overwhelmed by an overload of marketing messages. Be the brand your customers want to hear from, not the brand they’re constantly hearing from.

Do emphasize customer experience

The average consumer spends nearly $1,000 on their holiday shopping. That means countless order confirmations and shipping confirmations for your buyer, and a lot of room for error in processing time, order accuracy, and quality control. It’s a time that’s stressful for any business, but remember that it’s just as stressful for your consumer, and this season is all-important for building your one-to-one, consumer-facing relationship. The interactions you have with your customer during the holiday season will be the ones they’ll remember, and the ones that will keep them loyal to your brand. Make their experience with your brand as seamless as possible, and increase customer retention for the long-term.

‍

Do utilize SMS-only offers

SMS probably isn’t your only marketing channel, but, especially over the holidays, it’s the most effective channel for engaging with your audience instantly and directly. With 66% of consumers identifying their phones as their single most important shopping tool, the holidays are an opportune time to migrate your audience from social to SMS — and, given the purchases they’re already making, they’ll be more inclined to engage with any sales or free offers you might be promoting. Here’s how two of our Leaders promoted their Community numbers last holiday season:

‍
‍Do drive your audience to SMS

Another way to migrate your audience into your texts comes at the purchase point. Enter our Shopify integration, which allows customers to opt-in to texts at checkout, and segments all your Shopify customers into a separate Community that you can message with applicable offers and campaigns. By engaging your audience from the very first moment they become your customer, you’ll be able to build your relationship with them from the ground up, and keep them in the loop on what’s most relevant to them and their interests.

Don’t reinvent the wheel

The holidays are a time to strengthen your brand and foster your customers’ loyalty — not to try something completely new. Your audience is looking for the voice they know and love, so stay true to your values and what you know works for you and your brand. Keeping your voice strong and consistent is what brought you your loyal brand fans, and what keeps them engaged with your texts. Follow your instincts, and don’t feel pressure to take any marketing risks that don’t feel right for you and your business.
‍

‍

Sources:

Holiday Spending Reflects Continued Consumer Demand | NRF

New Omnichannel Behaviors Changing Consumer Expectations | Facebook IQ

‍