Sometimes business is booming, and other times things are a little dead and it seems that attracting a crowd is something beyond impossible. Seasons change, and with them maybe your business traffic takes a dip. From landscaping companies and snow plowers to restaurants and movie theaters, there are just times of the year, month, and day that your business slows down considerably.
These slow time periods are definitely not desired and can put a major crunch on your cash flow. But, there are ways that you can help combat those slow times. One great way is through the use of text marketing.
Text message marketing has been around for a while, although it is still new and fresh in the eyes of many businesses. It enables fast and effective marketing to customers who have opted-in to receive your news and offers and it is a preferred method of contact for the most engaged audience. You can easily reach your customer base any time, anywhere through an automated text message service.
How can you use text message marketing to help you in those business doldrums? If your business is going a little slowly, text marketing is a tool that can give you the competitive edge over business using more traditional methods. It’s is incredibly cost effective when compared to internet, TV, and billboard ads, among other forms of marketing and advertising. Not to mention you have almost immediate access to your customer.s A text shows up right in their purse or pocket, and the statistics show that the average text message is read within 3 minutes of it being sent. Furthermore, 98% of text messages are read. It’s not some far away cry for business, it’s a personal invitation, just like a friend wanting to hang out. It is a chance to get to know your customers on a personal level, and vice versa.
The longer you use text message marketing, the larger you can grow your database of customers. If a person signs up for your text list, you have solid evidence that they are interested in your product or services. Once you have this information there are multiple tools offered through SMS marketing that enable you to customize and personalize all of the offers that you are sending out. As long as you are consistently providing them with information and valuable offers, you can be sure that they will remain loyal to your brand and company.
Working out of a database with this kind of information will help bring those customers back during the peak times but more importantly, during the slow times as well. When you are having high traffic, make sure you promote and push your text messaging list to increase the reach and scope of your database. So if you are a restaurant experiencing that dead time between lunch and supper, that is when you send out a text with a reminder, or an offer about your dinner special or send them a coupon.
That’s how you draw the business. Give them what they want. Give your customers that valuable offer that they simply cannot allow to pass them by. Once they’ve made their way into your establishment, the rest should be a piece of cake. With these texts you’ve just put your business before the eyes of hundreds, even thousands, of customers who are just looking for a deal like that. You’re giving them an offer they can’t refuse and showing them that you are a company that cares. You’ve changed a slow time into an opportunity.
Text message marketing is a powerful business tool. It lets you reach your customers on a personal level, making sure they are apprised of everything you have to offer and the best of it all. Maybe you’re trying to clean out inventory before the end of a season- text your database that you’re having a sale. Stay engaged with former customers with reminders about deals and promotions. Are you making a change on your business’s hours or location? A text message will let all your loyal customers know. Everything from loyal customer rewards programs to tips and tricks of the trade can be covered by text message marketing.
If you are not already using this marketing stream. the time to start is now. You could really missing out on a pristine opportunity to spread the word about your brand and build a larger base of loyal customers.
Photo credit: micurs
