Improve your customer journey with Email and SMS marketing
We live in an era where consumers are overwhelmed with technology. Information is reaching buyers from literally everywhere, with an abundance of communication channels and choices at hand. To stay competitive, businesses should focus on putting the customer journey first.
What is the customer journey?
The customer journey is a map detailing how a consumer becomes aware of your brand, and how they interact with it. It is the total of experiences that users go through when associating with your company and brand. Instead of looking at just a part of a transaction or activity, the customer journey documents the full experience of being a customer.
Some customer journeys are short and simple, while others are longer and more complex.
Businesses are responsible for guiding customers through that journey, providing information and value every step of the way, and ensuring the best outcome for every one of them.
How do marketing channels contribute to the customer journey?
It is critical to use multiple marketing channels for these touchpoints as customers look to many different places, online and offline, throughout their journey.
One channel may work perfectly for a particular point in the journey but poorly at another time. There is no one-size-fits-all formula to mix your marketing channels. The best way to check what works best for your brand is to invest time in performing tests (A/B Testing) and optimize your campaigns.
Showcase your brand, products, and mission by creating unique experiences with SMS and Email Marketing.
Start by using email automation and then assess where you can add in SMS to improve your rates.
Types of promotional and transactional messages that you can use to add value
Here are some automated email and SMS campaigns you can easily implement to hit the ground running.
Onboarding
Every time a new subscriber signs up to your email list, you can activate an automated email series to welcome them. This way, you can introduce your brand, show them your products and why they would want to buy them. An effective welcome campaign could make a subscriber proceed with their first purchase.
Welcome offer
Send an automated introductory offer to incentivize the subscribers that were not persuaded by your welcome campaign to purchase.
Thank you
As soon as you send your order confirmation and shipping information when your clients complete a purchase, send them a thank you message via SMS to improve your customer experience and build rapport.
How to email
A successful customer journey must be there for your clients after their purchase. This automation is another post-purchase marketing tactic that helps combat buyer’s remorse. So, once your customers have received their new purchase, send them an automated email to show them how to get the most from it.
Customer feedback
Following a specified period after a purchase, during which most probably customers had the chance to use your product, send them an automated email requesting a product review or feedback. This way you create positive sentiment. Besides, you can use the feedback to optimize your product/service.
Product recommendation
Draft and send an automated SMS that recommends products based on what customers have browsed or bought before. This way you can also cross-sell and upsell different products and product categories.
Cart abandonment
When it comes to a cart abandonment message, you can use both SMS and email. You do not have to choose one over the other. On the contrary, you can use email and SMS in a sequence. For example, you can send out an email two hours after someone abandoned their cart, and if they did not open the email, you can follow with a text message to go out 24 hours. This way, you keep customers engaged and provide them with the required information in case they proceed with the purchase, regardless of their location.
Offers and sales countdowns
Sales and offers countdowns can also work via email and SMS. You can use both channels to create a sense of anticipation or urgency around your sale. You can send your customers a text that reminds them that they do not have much time left to benefit from your sales and add a link to that, which leads to the countdown email. Countdown timers are a visually engaging element to add to these emails that are sure to grab your customers' attention.
Product replenishment
If you sell products that run out or have a certain shelf-life, automated replenishment SMS is a must. These handy reminders prompt your customers to top up on products just before they run out. This makes repurchasing from you the most convenient option and cuts down the chances they will be tempted to buy from your competitors.
Customer re-engagement
A re-engagement email automation will help you to win back the inactive subscribers to your email list. Set these up to be triggered once someone has failed to engage with a certain number of emails, depending on your frequency.
What's next?
You can start by thinking about what your goals are for your SMS program, how you can use SMS to boost your email marketing strategy, and what unique experience you can create on each channel. Always bring it back to your brand, your mission, and the value you provide, and you’ll be on your way to creating loyal customers for life.