Harnessing the power of SMS for marketing and support

When SMS messaging was first used back in 1992, nobody could have predicted the evolution of mobile computing. Nowadays, we rely more on mobile data networks than we do on cellular networks, and more of us are using internet telephony, rather than relying on a mobile signal.

With that in mind, you’d think that SMS messaging would have fallen out of favour. But for various reasons, consumers still love texting, and businesses still use SMS messaging to get marketing messages across. VoIP and SMS aren’t at war; in fact, they can be perfect partners.

Marketing with SMS

SMS messaging allows you to get a marketing message right into the hand of your intended audience. Most people can’t resist checking their phone when a new text alert goes off, so it’s a great way to deliver a snappy message quickly. For best results, make the sender and offer clear, getting your message into one short text.

Consumers have become wise to SMS spam, and it’s important to use texting very sparingly. Otherwise, you may incur penalties for misusing customer data. Make sure you include clear unsubscribe instructions with every text you send.

Support

Businesses are always trying to limit the cost of support, and contain its impact on day-to-day operations. This may mean that businesses shut off the phone lines to save money, forcing people to use slow email support. SMS is a great way to communicate faster. You can send a quick text and let the customer reply when they’re ready. Time it right, and you could even intercept a support call before it’s needed.

Use SMS to follow up and improve your service, too. After a customer has called your company, send them a survey link in a text, or invite them to respond with their feedback. Many companies invite their customers to vote on the quality of support. And because Nimvelo lets you text from your UK geographic number, the Caller ID will show as your business number, and the recipient won’t be wary of incurring huge costs when they reply.

Sending SMS messages with Nimvelo

With free minutes being bundled into call plans, and PAYG phones getting their own (often unlimited) text allowances, SMS messaging shows no sign of decline. Despite the popularity of Whatsapp and Viber, many people still use texts to keep in touch.

Nimvelo’s virtual phone system is geared up for SMS. With any enabled number, you can send SMS messages through our control panel, by installing our Chrome extension or via Nimvelo Manager. All of our UK geographic numbers can be instantly enabled for SMS.

SMS messaging costs just 10p per message, and all of your incoming messages are automatically forwarded to your nominated email account. In your account, you’ll see your complete SMS history, including all incoming and outgoing SMS messages. If you don’t have access to the nominated email account, you’ll also be able to see the SMS history in Manager.

For more information on our affordable SMS feature, contact Nimvelo today. Whether you text from Nimvelo Manager, or from our handy Chrome extension, we hope that affordable texting will help you to engage more effectively with your clients.