Lately, cold texting has been showing up in discussions in how to promote a network marketing business. Some videos and blog posts are touting the benefits of cold texting and the effectiveness of SMS marketing. While it is true that reaching people quickly via text is a great way to spread the word about your products or business opportunity, sending a cold text message can get you in a lot of trouble.
Is cold texting legal?
Cold texting refers to sending unsolicited messages to individuals who have not given their permission or consent to receive such texts. It involves the use of automated technology to send out bulk messages to large numbers of people. In most cases, cold texting is considered illegal, as it violates the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and other applicable laws and regulations. The fines for cold texting your leads without permission can be up to $1,500 per complaint.
In addition to being a nuisance, cold texting can also expose recipients to potential scams and frauds. Individuals who engage in cold texting leads can face serious legal penalties, including fines and lawsuits, and can damage their reputation and brand image in the process. As such, it is important to obtain the necessary permissions and consents before engaging in any kind of texting or marketing activity. By following the law and respecting people’s privacy and preferences, businesses and individuals can build trustworthy and long-lasting relationships with their customers and audiences.
Does cold messaging work?
Cold messaging does work at generating buzz about your product or service. However, it also works to annoy prospects and customers. While it is true that people would rather text a business for information, they do not like it the other way around. In other words, they can reach out via SMS first, but your business should not.
Just like cold emailing, a sales team can use mass texting to send thousands of messages in just a few clicks. The results can be similar to cold calling, a lot of people will ignore the message, but the ones that do respond positively are ripe to making a purchase. The sales process quickens by skipping the whole slowly warming up a prospect to your message.
How can I turn cold texting into warm texting?
Instead of risking legal issues, avoid cold SMS marketing by growing a list of active prospects that want to hear from you. Just like email marketing, you can build a list of subscribers by offering an incentive in exchange for a phone number. Offering a discount, free report, or exclusive inside information can motivate a person to give up their precious information.
The easiest way for a prospect to give their phone number or opt-in to your list is by using a keyword. In a print ad, website form, or social media post, you can write something like “text the word ‘info’ to 800-222-3333 to get this secret formula.” A person texts the keyword, in this case “info,” to the number. They get the promised information and the system automatically captures their phone number. Legally, this counts as consent and you are able to send friendly, engaging texts to prospects without fear of repercussion.
Text message marketing good practices
Once you have a prospect’s permission to text them, there are still a few things you want to remain mindful of. You don’t want to accidently use texting to turn an excited prospect into an angry person who feels like they received spam from you.
When you reach out to prospects, don’t send any SMS messages outside of business hours. If your business sells to people in different time zones, pay attention to what time your leads and customers will receive messages. You don’t want to text someone at 3 a.m. even though it 3 p.m. where you are.
Another good practice is to make it easy for prospective customers to opt out of receiving messages. This is easy to do as most SMS marketing and sales platforms usually include a mandatory opt-out link in messages.
When you compose ads enticing prospects to give up a phone number, you should give them an idea of approximately how many texts they will likely receive weekly or monthly. You can include language like “you may receive up to 6 marketing messages per month” or something similar.
Text message marketing and MLM
Text message marketing is an excellent tool for businesses of all kinds, but it can be particularly useful for multi-level marketing (MLM) businesses. However, it can be challenging to connect with potential customers and build relationships. That’s where text message marketing comes in.
An automated text messaging robot, also known as an SMS chatbot, can help your MLM business warm up leads and get them excited to talk to you. These chatbots can work 24/7, engaging potential recruits with personalized messages that feel like a conversation. The beauty of a text message marketing chatbot is that it works on complete autopilot. This means that MLM business owners can focus on other aspects of their business while the chatbot does the heavy lifting.
Use SMS to build a contact list the right way
While tempting, sending unsolicited text messages jeopardizes your network marketing business. Messages to customers who have already done business with you are okay as long as you have received consent. Otherwise, you’ll want to grow your list and build relationships just like you would through any other marketing campaigns.
As an affiliate marketer, you are constantly looking for new ways to generate leads and increase your sales. One of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal is SMS marketing.
With over 5 billion people using mobile phones, texting is a great way to reach your target audience directly and effectively. However, for a successful SMS strategy, you need to have a clear strategy that is both effective and compliant with regulations.
In this blog post, we will show you how to leverage the power of SMS marketing to generate more leads and sales. We will cover everything from building your contact list, creating powerful SMS campaigns to promote affiliate products, measuring your success, and remaining compliant with regulations. So, let’s get started and take your affiliate marketing to the next level with text message marketing.
The simplicity of SMS affiliate marketing
SMS marketing is a powerful tool that affiliate marketers can use to generate more leads and sales. This digital marketing strategy involves sending text messages to your current or potential customers to promote your affiliate program.
The basics of SMS marketing begins with building a list of subscribers. Once you have a list, you should segment it based on the interests and behavior of the subscribers. This will help you tailor your messages to their preferences and increase the chances of them taking action. When creating your SMS messages, keep them short, engaging, and clear. You want to make sure that your message is easy to read and understand, and that it clearly communicates the benefit of your product or service. Finally, track your campaign’s effectiveness by measuring key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. This will help you identify areas for improvement and optimize your SMS marketing strategy for better results.
Text messaging vs. email newsletters
Compared to email marketing, text messaging offers numerous advantages as almost every SMS message gets read. One of the biggest benefits of using SMS is its highly personal and immediate nature. People tend to check and respond to promotional text messages much faster than emails, making it a highly effective tool for time-sensitive promotions.
Additionally, texts have a much higher open rate than emails, with some figures stating as high as 98 percent of messages being opened and read within the first three minutes of being received. With limited characters per message, marketers are forced to be succinct and to-the-point, making it easier for recipients to quickly understand the message. Overall, while emails still have a place, text messaging is a highly effective tool for reaching and engaging with customers, especially for concise messages.
Building your contact list for SMS marketing
Building a contact list for SMS marketing is key to the success of any affiliate marketing campaign. You want to ensure that you are sending the right message to the right audience with your marketing.
There are a few things you can do to build your contact list effectively. One way is to offer something of value in exchange for your potential customers’ phone numbers. For example, you could offer a free e-book, a discount, or a special promotion to incentivize people to sign up. Another effective way to build your contact list is to use social media advertising. You can create targeted ads that are shown to people who are most likely to be interested in your product or service. This will help you attract the right audience and build your contact list more quickly.
Additionally, you can ask your existing customers to opt-in to your SMS marketing campaign by adding a sign-up option on your website, social media platforms, and email marketing. Make sure to use clear and concise language so that people know what they are signing up for. Additionally, make sure you include a call-to-action that encourages the recipient to take action, such as clicking on a link or making a purchase. Building a robust contact list takes time and effort, but it is an essential step in reaching your target audience and generating more leads and sales for your affiliate links.
Creating effective SMS campaigns
Creating effective SMS campaigns is all about understanding your target audience and crafting messages that resonate with them. Once you have a list of active numbers, you can begin to craft your messages. It’s important to keep your messages short and to the point, as you have limited space to work with. Be sure to include a clear call to action that encourages your subscribers to take the desired action, such as making a purchase.
Personalization is also key to creating effective campaigns. Use your subscriber’s name and other relevant information to make your messages feel more personalized and targeted.
Measuring the success of your SMS affiliate marketing campaigns
Measuring the success of your SMS campaigns is an essential step in leveraging the power of SMS marketing. You need to track the key performance indicators (KPIs) to get a clear understanding of your campaign’s effectiveness.
The most important KPIs to measure are the open rate, click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and ROI. The open rate shows the percentage of people who received your message and opened it. The CTR is the number of people who clicked on the link in your SMS. The conversion rate is the percentage of people who completed the desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a trial. The ROI is the return on investment of your campaign.
Tracking software will provide you with real-time data, allowing you to make adjustments to improve the campaign’s performance. By tracking these KPIs, you can identify the elements that are working and those that are not. For instance, if you notice a low number of people opening your message, you may need to adjust your words or the timing of your texts. If your CTR is low, you may need to optimize your call-to-action or the landing page.
Measuring success is not just about tracking KPIs. It’s also about analyzing the data and drawing insights to improve your strategy. You need to continually test and optimize your plan to ensure that you are getting the best results possible. By doing so, you can generate more leads and sales and grow your affiliate marketing business.
Stay compliant with regulations
It is important to keep it compliant with the regulations to avoid any legal issues. SMS marketing is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States. The FCC has established certain rules and regulations that must be followed when sending messages to consumers.
These regulations include obtaining prior consent from the recipient before sending any marketing messages, providing an easy opt-out mechanism for recipients, and ensuring that the messages are not deceptive or misleading in any way.
To keep compliant with these regulations, affiliate marketers must obtain express written consent from their recipients before sending any marketing messages. This means that they must clearly disclose what they will be sending and how often they will be sending it. Marketers must also provide a clear opt-out mechanism for recipients to opt-out of receiving future messages. This could be in the form of a reply message with the word “STOP” or an unsubscribe link.
It is also important to ensure that the messages are not deceptive or misleading in any way. This means that marketers must not make false or misleading claims about products and services in messages. They must also ensure that any disclosures required by law are clearly and conspicuously displayed in the message.
By keeping SMS marketing compliant with regulations, successful affiliate marketers can ensure that their messages are being delivered to a receptive audience who has given their consent to receive them. This will help to increase engagement and conversion rates, while also avoiding any legal issues that could arise from noncompliance. SMS affiliate marketing works as long as you stay within the law.
Smart businesses are using SMS marketing, also called text message marketing, to get the edge on competition. Getting the attention of potential customers has become a battle of technology. Companies using the latest digital marketing channels and techniques are finding and targeting consumers where they hang out the most – on their mobile phones. This is one of the main SMS marketing benefits.
Why use SMS marketing?
SMS marketing is a great way for businesses to connect with customers. It’s personal, direct, and fast. And it’s a great way to reach people who might not see your other marketing messages. You don’t need any special skills or training to start texting your customers.
Businesses can send messages to specific groups of customers, or tailor your message to each individual. This makes your communications more relevant and engaging, and helps you build better relationships with your customers.
There are many providers that make it easy for anyone to set up SMS campaigns and start messaging customers. As long as you’re familiar with a few basics of SMS marketing, you’re ready to jump in.
SMS marketing benefits
1. Personalized messages: With SMS marketing, you can send highly personalized messages to your existing customers. You can include their name, purchase history, and other information in the message to make it more relevant to them, which can increase customer loyalty.
2. Timely messages: SMS marketing allows you to send messages in real-time, so you can take advantage of opportunities as they happen. For example, if you’re running a sale or promotion, you can quickly send a text message to your customers to let them know.
3. Increased engagement: text message marketing can help you boost customer engagement and loyalty. By sending timely, relevant messages, you can keep your customers engaged with your brand.
4. Higher conversion rates: SMS marketing can also lead to higher conversion rates. Because SMS messages are so personal and direct, they can prompt customers to take action, such as making a purchase or scheduling an appointment.
5. Cost-effective: SMS marketing is a very effective way to reach the right audience at a low cost, especially small businesses. It can be much cheaper, often just a few cents, than other marketing methods, such as Google ads or traditional advertising. It is also more personal than even social media.
6. Low spam rate: Since it’s permission-based, another benefit of SMS marketing is the low spam rate – only 3% of text messages are marked as spam. This means you don’t have to worry about upsetting a customer base or complaints of unwanted messages.
Three main types of SMS marketing campaigns
1. Automated text messages are pre-written and sent out in a series. They can be used to send customers promotional content, or to keep them updated on new products or services.
2. One-time messages are sent as one-off communications and are often used for time-sensitive offers or announcements.
3. Triggered messages are sent in response to an action taken by the customer, such as opting in to a service or making a purchase.
SMS marketing best practices
When it comes to text marketing, there are a few best practices to keep in mind in order to ensure success. First, make sure your content is relevant to your audience. Keep the tone of your messages conversational and be sure to use keywords that will resonate with your subscribers. Additionally, make sure your messages are brief and to the point — no one wants to read a novel on their mobile phone! Finally, always give subscribers the option to opt out of future communications.
SMS marketing regulations
When it comes to mobile marketing, there are a few regulations you need to be aware of. The first is that you need to include a disclaimer in the first text message you send. This disclaimer should let your recipients know that msg & data rates may apply.
Another regulation to be aware of is that you can only send SMS marketing messages to people who have opted-in to receive them. This means that you can’t just add people’s cell numbers to your SMS marketing list without their permission.
Many, if not all, text message providers make it easy to comply with these and other SMS marketing regulations. They often automatically include the required disclaimer in all of the texts.
Disadvantages of SMS marketing
While SMS marketing does have its benefits, it does have a few disadvantages that you should be aware of before you start using this type of marketing.
First, your messages can have a character limit. This means that you can’t really include any rich media in your messages, such as audio or image files. Secondly, because of the way SMS messages are delivered, there is a chance that your message could get broken up into several smaller messages, which could bombard the recipient with multiple notifications.
Another big disadvantage: It’s easy to block unknown numbers. This means that any texts that don’t come from a saved contact will be filtered into a spam folder where the customer may never even realize it’s there.
This can be a major issue for businesses who rely on SMS marketing to reach mobile phone users. If customers are constantly blocking unknown numbers, they may never see your messages. One way to avoid being blocked is to use a short code. They are typically used by businesses and organizations, so customers are more likely to recognize them.
As already explained, one of the many text marketing benefits is its cost effectiveness. However, the money can add up quickly if you are sending messages to a large number of people. Finally, because SMS messages are so personal, they can sometimes come across as intrusive or unwanted, which could turn off potential customers.
Keep these disadvantages in mind before you start using SMS marketing for your business. While there are several benefits of SMS marketing, it comes with some potential downsides that you should be aware of.
If you’re not using text message marketing, you’re missing out on a powerful marketing tool that can help you reach and engage your customers. With email marketing mostly dead, social media getting more restrictive and robo phone calls annoying, it’s probably a good idea to start looking at the benefits of SMS marketing for your business. Start using SMS marketing today to boost your businesses’ sales and get the edge on your competition.
Many businesses are seeing the benefits of text message marketing, often referred to as SMS marketing. Frankly, promoting products and services using traditional advertising is dead. Email ends up in the spam folder, and social media has become crowded and restrictive. So, businesses are looking for new ways to spread the word about their brand, and text messaging has been a huge benefit for them.
What is text message marketing?
Text message marketing is a promotional strategy that uses SMS messages sent to prospects and existing customers. It is also commonly referred to as mass texting. SMS messaging marketing is significantly more effective than email marketing and can reach a larger audience.
The way it works is businesses send text messages about their products or services to customers. These messages can include alerts and time-sensitive updates, as well as information about products and services.
Benefits of text message marketing
There are several benefits to SMS marketing. One of the most obvious is that it’s an opt-in process. Customers have to sign up to receive texts from businesses, so they are already interested in what you have to say. This cuts down on the amount of unwanted messages people receive.
Another benefit is that text messages have a high open rate and seems to be the preferred method for receiving marketing promotions. In fact, studies show that text messages have a 99% open rate, while email has only a 20% open rate. This means that more people are likely to see your message when you send it via text, which increases customer engagement.
Text messages are also read quickly. The average person reads a text message within five minutes of receiving it. This is compared to email, which can take up to two hours to be read. This means that your message will be seen and action can be taken more quickly.
Text messages are also personal. They are sent directly to a person’s phone, so they feel like they are being communicated with on a one-to-one basis and receiving exclusive deals. This helps to build trust and rapport with customers.
Finally, text messages are relatively inexpensive. You can reach a large number of people for very little cost. This makes SMS marketing an affordable option for both large and small businesses.
Using text message marketing successfully
There are a number of businesses that are using SMS marketing successfully. A few examples include:
Retail stores – Retail stores can use SMS marketing to send special promotions and discounts to customers. This helps to drive traffic to the store and increase sales.
Restaurants – Restaurants can use text message marketing to send customers updates about special events or promotions. This helps to keep customers informed and engaged with the restaurant.
Service businesses – Service businesses can use SMS marketing to send appointment reminders or updates about service changes. This helps to keep customers updated and helps to reduce no-shows.
Education – Educational institutions can use text message marketing to send reminders about upcoming events or deadlines. This helps to keep students on track and helps to reduce missed opportunities.
Healthcare – Healthcare providers can use SMS marketing campaigns to send appointment reminders or updates about changes in service. This helps to keep patients informed and helps to reduce no-shows.
Network marketing – SMS campaigns are a powerful tool for network marketers. It allows you to instantly reach your downline and customers with important information. The speed, reach, open rate, and low cost of text messages make them a powerful marketing tool.
How to get started with text message marketing
Getting started with SMS marketing is a fairly easy process. First, you need to find a third-party provider that offers a text message marketing service. Once you have found a provider, you will need to create an account and then provide your contact information.
The next step is to create your first campaign. This will involve creating a message and then sending it out to your target audience. Once your campaign is live, you will be able to track its performance and make changes as necessary.
One of the best ways to get subscribers is by using promotional marketing campaigns. This can be done by requesting people send a specific keyword to a shortcode to be added to your list. Checking a box while making a purchase is another method to get people to opt in.
Before opting-in, subscribers will want to know what to expect. How often will messages come and what type will they be? This way, people will know what they are signing up for and be more likely to opt in.
Tips for creating successful text message campaigns
There are a few things to keep in mind when using SMS marketing. First, make sure your messages are clear and concise. No one wants to read a long novel on their phone. Second, don’t send too many messages. You don’t want to become a nuisance. Lastly, give customers an opt-out option so they can stop receiving messages if they want.
When sending text messages, keep the receiver’s daily habits in mind. When are they using their phones? Mondays are the worst for response rates, per Mobile Marketer. It’s best to avoid that day, unless there is a specific reason.
Typically, 6:30-8:30 a.m. and 4-7 p.m. are bad, as people are in the car and won’t notice texts or bother to respond.
It seems 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. is most effective for SMS marketers. Remember to keep the send times appropriate for a receiver’s time zone.
CTIA’s guidelines for text message marketing
The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association’s (CTIA) rules for text message marketing are pretty simple, but it is a must every business follow them. Always include “msg & data rates apply” in your auto-reply messages. This disclaimer lets your subscribers know that they may be charged for receiving text messages, so they can make an informed decision about whether or not to opt in.
Most SMS marketing services will add this disclaimer automatically, but it’s always good to double-check. Following the CTIA’s guidelines is a great way to make sure you’re staying compliant and providing a good experience for your subscribers.
Additionally, make sure you’re only sending marketing messages to people or existing customers who have opted in to receive them. It’s not only a courtesy, but it’s the law. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) prohibits businesses from sending unsolicited text messages, and you could be fined up to $1,500 per violation if you’re caught doing it. So, play it safe and always get explicit permission before sending marketing texts as well as the ability to opt out.
The future of text message marketing
Text message marketing is becoming an increasingly popular way to reach consumers. This is because billions of people own a phone and spend a lot of time on them. Additionally, mobile phones are becoming more popular, so consumers expect to get updates about their purchases, shipping, and returns via mobile alerts.
As we move further into the 21st century, it becomes increasingly important to connect with customers and prospects. In order to stay ahead of the competition, it is crucial to build and maintain customer relationships. One of the most effective ways to do this is through SMS marketing.
Compared to any other marketing service, the benefits of SMS marketing are vast and can be used in a number of different industries. If you are looking for a way to reach a large group of people at the same time, text message marketing may be the right solution for you.
