Influencers, public figures, thought leaders, small biz: Are You Texting Your Fans?

Influencers, public figures, thought leaders, and small biz: Are You Texting Your Fans?

SMS messaging may be the key to increasing follower/customer engagement and monetizing a following of any size. Social media influencers and other content creators have been rapidly emerging in recent years. They have loyal followers through content that offers key types of value such as entertaining, useful, or instructional material. As platforms change, creators and businesses are forced to catch up with the trends. By including SMS communication as part of the product and service offering, creators could access their audience more intimately than ever before.

Text Messaging for Influencers

Being a thought leader, influencer, or celebrity, text messaging is a very successful approach you may employ to build a following of devoted fans that interact with your business even outside of social media platforms. This implies that with a simple SMS, the users of social media who are currently just your followers on those specific sites will become your followers everywhere you go.

The benefits of an SMS strategy in the marketing efforts of creators and small businesses

Convert followers on social media to loyal supporters

You may start your SMS list by using online forms or by asking supporters to text a keyword to your designated cell number. They are admirers who chose to receive your communications. This indicates that you may anticipate them to be captivating enough.

Create a devoted following for yourself

A large portion of your followers may not notice your content, at least not right away, as a result of often-changing algorithms. Additionally, there can be those that don't frequently open social media apps. In contrast, you may communicate with them more effectively by sending a single text message that will be received by each and every recipient right away.

You can monitor the SMS delivery rate if you're using an SMS solution with sufficient features. The SMS might contain a link to your podcast, a YouTube video, or any other content.

However, unlike social media communications, texting is not confined or overloaded. Social networking might cause you to miss a lot of private messages, including crucial collaborations and partnerships. By using SMS as your principal form of communication, you can stay clear of these hassles.

Increase sales in your physical or online store

By giving a location or an online website link, you can use your SMS subscriber base to boost sales at your physical stores or on your online store. Additionally, you can provide them with exclusive coupons in order to expand your SMS list.

Opportunities for brand sponsorships

Influencer marketing is a popular marketing technique that many companies are utilizing to advertise their goods and services. What makes you different from other influencers? When accepting partnership offers, to influencer offer MORE?

How about a base of devoted and engaged users who were once followers who you could reach out to with your brand marketing campaign?

These indicators, such as views, clicks, likes, and shares, fall short when it comes to comprehending the campaign success rate because it is impossible to observe an actual conversion through them. With SMS campaigns, however, you may guarantee greater outcomes since you can demonstrate campaign data like the quantity of delivered SMS, opened SMS, links visited, etc. utilizing an all-in-one SMS solution. Many DTC (Direct-To-Consumer) brands who need to communicate with customers directly will be drawn to this.

Offer tailored SMS marketing programs

Organizations and people that provide these specialized services will contact you to conduct campaigns if you are an influencer who specializes in a certain field, such as finance, travel, legal, etc. You may always use analytics and reports to demonstrate the effectiveness of your outgoing text messages.

Creating your initial subscriber list

The first step you need to take is to get the texting cell numbers of your social media fans in order to build this section of devoted followers. Naturally, you must obtain their permission before collecting their cell phone numbers. How do you go about that?

An easier and better method to accomplish this is via online forms. Better, since forms enable you to gather information that is useful for SMS targeting and communication with your followers, in addition to just the cellphone number.

Choosing the best SMS tool for mass text messaging  

The best SMS tool requires extensive study since the features it offers will determine a number of aspects of your SMS marketing.

Here are a few things to think about.

Personalization

Your SMS should evoke that feeling in your already devoted followers because you are bringing them even closer to you through messaging. Your SMS tool should enable you to automatically add each follower's name to the SMS for this purpose.

Customization

Some aspects of the SMS will vary depending on the follower. For instance, each follower will receive a different location if you are conducting an SMS campaign about deals in several locations of your real stores. You probably won't have enough time to figure out which location each follower or mobile number is from. Such information must be instantly and automatically included to the SMS content.

Uploading Attachments & Media

A good SMS marketing tool should allow you to upload files and either send the file as-is over text or convert it into an accessible link for larger downloads and future access. Long URLs used for linking to media files can exceed the character limit for an SMS, and the SMS file-size limit is often quite small. Therefore, shortening your URLs should be an option in a good SMS application.

Scheduling

If you can plan your text campaigns to go out at a later time, it will be simpler. If you have a tight schedule, this option will be helpful.

Two-Way Communication

Your devoted fan base may ask questions that are distinct from those of your typical fans. Furthermore, there's a good probability you'll overlook messages left on social media profiles. The two-way (or 1-to-1) messaging feature on the SMS tool would therefore be ideal.

Using a Virtual Number Separate from Your Real Phone

Instead of using a telephone number to send texts under, you can use a virtual number that is specific to you or a sender ID, also known as a unique name. See if these two choices are available with your SMS provider.

Unlimited Subscriber List

Since you have a sizable following, you will need to send a sizable amount of messages either weekly or monthly. Therefore, the perfect SMS application will allow you to text an unlimited number of recipients.

Precise Targeting

Ask your followers directly what kinds of texts they would like to receive. They can choose from choices like promotions, updates, advice, etc.

Engaging Content

If used well, text messages are a potent kind of content that may increase engagement and generate revenue. Since you are confident in your targeting, take advantage of it by making sure the content you text them is educational, interesting, and preferably includes a CTA (Call to Action), such as an online link to premium content.

When used properly, text messaging may be a great technique for influencers. It didn't take SMS long to dominate the majority of business sectors worldwide.

Fans are sick of Patreon and the influx of emerging platforms. The easiest, low friction way to stay in touch with your favorite businesses, creators, artists, and public figures is through text message.

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