10 ways to use interactive SMS to engage customers

Engaging your customers through interactive SMS Marketing

Interactive text messaging is an innovative and effective way to engage your audience. Through dynamic, two-way SMS interactions, brands can build meaningful relationships with their customers. Whether it's personalized offers, interactive polls, or exclusive sneak peeks, interactive SMS campaigns are changing the way businesses communicate. By focusing on SMS customer engagement, brands can stand out in a crowded digital marketplace, drive higher engagement, and ultimately increase conversions.

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As SMS continues to outperform other marketing channels like email and social media in terms of open rates and engagement, brands must leverage the potential of creative SMS marketing campaigns. Platforms like Klaviyo, and Yotpo make it easier than ever to integrate SMS marketing into your e-commerce strategy. Below, we’ll explore how interactive text messaging can transform customer engagement, and we’ll show you ten actionable ways to use it in your marketing.

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What is interactive text messaging?

Interactive SMS marketing refers to two-way text communication that allows customers to engage directly with your brand. Unlike traditional SMS campaigns, which are typically one-sided, interactive SMS encourages responses, feedback, and real conversations. This approach fosters deeper customer relationships while providing valuable insights into customer behavior.

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Through interactive features such as polls, quizzes, and automated responses, customers are more inclined to participate, driving engagement and increasing brand loyalty. SMS customer engagement goes beyond just pushing offers—it opens the door to ongoing dialogue between customers and brands.

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What are the benefits of interactive SMS marketing?

Interactive SMS marketing offers a range of benefits that can elevate your customer engagement strategies:

Boost customer interaction

Interactive SMS marketing significantly boosts customer interaction by providing a direct and immediate channel for communication. Through creative SMS campaigns, brands can engage customers in meaningful conversations, encouraging them to respond, share opinions, and participate in brand activities. This two-way dialogue fosters a sense of connection and involvement, leading to stronger customer relationships and increased brand loyalty.

Keep your brand in focus

SMS keeps your brand front-of-mind with instant, highly visible messages. Unlike emails that might get buried in an inbox or social media posts that can get lost in a cluttered feed, SMS messages are typically read within minutes of receipt. This immediacy ensures that your brand stays visible and relevant to your customers. Creative SMS marketing campaigns can leverage this visibility to reinforce brand messaging, announce new products, or remind customers of ongoing promotions, effectively keeping your brand at the forefront of their attention.

Understand customer behavior

Interactive SMS provides a unique opportunity to gather actionable insights through creative SMS marketing campaigns. By designing interactive elements like polls, surveys, or feedback requests, businesses can collect valuable data on customer preferences, behaviors, and opinions. This real-time information can be used to refine marketing strategies, improve products or services, and tailor future communications to better meet customer needs. The direct nature of SMS allows for quick and honest feedback, providing a goldmine of customer insights.

Optimize your time

One of the key benefits of interactive SMS marketing is its ability to optimize time and resources. By automating responses and creating pre-defined interactive sequences, businesses can reduce the time spent on repetitive queries and routine customer interactions. Tools like Klaviyo can help set up automated SMS workflows, while platforms like Justuno can assist in creating interactive pop-ups that integrate with your SMS campaigns. This automation not only saves time but also ensures consistent and timely responses to customer inquiries, enhancing the overall customer experience.

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Why interactive SMS is essential for customer engagement

In today's competitive landscape, standing out from the crowd requires more than traditional marketing methods. Interactive SMS is essential for creating meaningful interactions with customers and fostering stronger connections. Here’s why:

SMS vs. other marketing channels

When comparing SMS to other marketing channels, its unique advantages become clear. SMS boasts higher engagement rates and faster response times compared to email or social media. This makes it an ideal platform for time-sensitive offers and immediate customer interactions.

Open rates and response times

SMS significantly outperforms other digital marketing channels in terms of open rates and response times. While email open rates typically hover around 20%, SMS open rates can soar as high as 98%. Moreover, the average response time for SMS is just 90 seconds, compared to 90 minutes for email. These statistics highlight the unparalleled effectiveness of SMS customer engagement strategies in reaching and engaging audiences quickly and efficiently.

Personal touch and direct communication benefits

Interactive SMS provides a personal touch that many other marketing channels struggle to match. The direct, one-to-one nature of text messaging creates a sense of intimacy and immediacy that resonates with customers. This personal approach allows brands to tailor their messages to individual preferences and behaviors, fostering a stronger connection with their audience.

Fosters two-way conversations

One of the key strengths of interactive SMS is its ability to foster genuine two-way conversations between brands and customers. Unlike traditional marketing channels that often rely on one-way communication, interactive text messaging encourages customers to respond and engage in real time. This back-and-forth interaction creates a dialogue that feels more natural and engaging to customers, leading to deeper connections and increased brand loyalty.

Builds deeper relationships with customers

Interactive features like polls, quizzes, and feedback requests can significantly deepen trust and loyalty between brands and their customers. These elements not only make the communication more engaging but also show customers that their opinions are valued. By consistently using creative SMS campaigns that encourage interaction, brands can build a community of engaged customers who feel heard and appreciated. This sense of involvement and value can translate into stronger brand affinity and long-term customer relationships.

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Ways to use interactive text messaging

Interactive text messaging offers a myriad of opportunities for brands to engage with their customers in innovative and meaningful ways. By implementing creative SMS marketing campaigns, businesses can create dynamic, two-way conversations that drive engagement and foster customer loyalty. Let's explore ten effective ways to leverage interactive SMS for enhanced customer engagement.

Proactively communicate new offers

Interactive SMS allows brands to directly inform their customers of new offers before the competition does. By engaging customers with time-sensitive promotions or personalized deals, you increase the likelihood of capturing their attention and securing a sale. This strategy also helps keep your brand top-of-mind when customers are ready to make a purchase.

Benefits:

• Keeps your audience engaged and informed about the latest products or services.
• Boosts sales by alerting customers to new offers at the right time.
• Builds anticipation for product launches and seasonal offers

Best practices:

• Use countdown timers to create urgency around new offers.
• Segment your audience to send offers relevant to their preferences.
• Time your messages carefully to avoid overwhelming your customers.

Send exclusive discounts, promotions and reminders

Nothing engages customers more than feeling special. Exclusive discounts sent via SMS can drive immediate responses because customers know they won’t get these deals elsewhere. Coupled with timely reminders, interactive SMS campaigns can increase customer loyalty and engagement during key moments.

Benefits:

• Creates a sense of exclusivity, making customers feel valued.
• Drives immediate purchases by offering time-sensitive discounts.
• Encourages customers to act quickly, especially during sales periods.

Best practices: 

• Personalize each discount with the customer’s name or preferences.
• Use words like “exclusive” or “VIP” to make offers feel more special.
• Set expiration dates on discounts to foster urgency and increase conversion rates.

Offer a VIP experience with sneak peeks and teasers

Your most loyal customers deserve to feel like VIPs, and SMS is a perfect way to deliver that exclusive experience. Sending sneak peeks of upcoming product launches or giving early access to sales not only drives engagement but also strengthens the bond between your brand and your most engaged audience.

Benefits: 

• Makes loyal customers feel valued and part of an inner circle.
• Increases engagement and excitement for upcoming events or launches.
• Strengthens brand loyalty by offering unique experiences.

Best practices: 

• Send sneak peeks with exclusive access links before launching publicly.
• Offer VIP customers early access to promotions or events.
• Use teaser images or videos to build excitement and intrigue.

Keep it light and entertaining, but informative

Interactive SMS doesn’t always have to be serious. Infusing your messages with a sense of fun can enhance engagement, especially during the holidays or promotional events. Quizzes, fun facts, or entertaining content can capture attention and keep your brand’s personality front and center.

Benefits: 

• Increases SMS customer engagement through entertaining content.
• Builds a fun, approachable brand image.
• Keeps customers engaged without overloading them with constant promotions.

Best practices: 

• Add interactive elements like quizzes, polls, or fun facts.
• Keep content light-hearted and relevant to your audience.
• Balance fun content with promotional messages to maintain interest.

Boost customer service and follow-up post-sale

Interactive SMS provides a direct line to your customers, allowing you to offer real-time customer support and follow up after purchases. This proactive communication enhances the customer experience, ensuring that any post-purchase questions are answered quickly, and that customers feel supported.

Benefits: 

• Enhances customer satisfaction by providing immediate support.
• Builds long-term relationships through post-purchase engagement.
• Reduces customer churn by addressing issues promptly.

Best practices: 

• Automate follow-up messages to check in after a purchase.
• Provide quick response options for common customer inquiries.
• Use SMS to troubleshoot problems or offer post-purchase care.

Let customers answer quizzes to earn points

Gamifying your SMS campaigns is an excellent way to keep customers engaged. By allowing customers to answer quizzes to earn points or rewards, you not only make the interaction fun but also gather valuable insights into their preferences and behavior.

Benefits: 

• Increases customer engagement through gamified experiences.
• Provides valuable data on customer preferences and habits.
• Encourages repeat interactions with the incentive of earning points.

Best practices: 

• Keep quizzes short and relevant to your brand.
• Offer clear incentives like points or rewards for completing quizzes.
• Use the data collected from quizzes to improve future marketing efforts.

Example: Hyper-personalization for SMS campaigns

Building on the concept of interactive engagement, hyper-personalization takes SMS campaigns to the next level. For example, customers can respond to SMS messages with predefined options to receive tailored product recommendations. This approach not only makes the interaction feel highly personal but also adds significant value by offering recommendations that align with the customer’s specific needs.

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This concept is particularly effective in industries like skincare. In our blog on hyper-personalization for SMS, under the header 'Envisioning a Hyper-Personalized SMS Flow for Skincare,' we detail how a brand could send a message asking customers to reply with their skin type (e.g., "Reply 1 for Dry, 2 for Oily, 3 for Combination"). Based on their responses, customers receive customized product suggestions that cater to their unique requirements.

Benefits:

• Provides a tailored customer experience, increasing satisfaction and trust.
• Enhances conversion rates by recommending highly relevant products.
• Offers actionable insights for brands to refine their product offerings and marketing strategies.

Best Practices:

• Use customer data to design SMS flows that align with their preferences and past behaviors.
• Provide clear and concise instructions on how to interact with the SMS.
• Include an option for customers to explore more recommendations or make a purchase directly.

For more detailed insights and practical applications, check out our article on Hyper-Personalizing Messaging for Skincare.

Create a sense of urgency or exclusivity

Urgency and exclusivity are powerful motivators in marketing. SMS is a great way to create a limited-time offer that encourages customers to act fast. By offering exclusive deals to a select group, you build excitement and ensure that your audience feels valued.

Benefits: 

• Drives faster customer responses by creating urgency.
• Increases conversion rates with exclusive, limited-time offers.
• Fosters a sense of exclusivity that builds customer loyalty.

Best practices: 

• Use language that emphasizes urgency, like “limited time offer” or “act fast.”
• Set clear expiration dates to reinforce scarcity.
• Segment your audience to ensure offers are targeted to the right customers.

Boost foot traffic through flash sales and incentives

For businesses with physical locations, SMS campaigns can be highly effective in driving foot traffic. Flash sales or time-sensitive incentives can encourage customers to visit your store in person, while the real-time nature of SMS ensures the message reaches them at the perfect moment.

Benefits: 

• Increases in-store visits through timely promotions.
• Enhances customer experience by offering instant incentives.
• Allows businesses to clear inventory quickly through flash sales.

Best Practices: 

• Send flash sale announcements in real-time to create urgency.
• Make sure incentives are easy to redeem in-store.
• Use geo-targeted SMS for location-specific promotions.

Give clear and easy choices for how to respond

Simplicity is key when engaging customers through SMS. Offering predefined response options, such as "Reply YES to confirm," makes it easy for customers to interact with your brand, reducing friction and increasing response rates.

Benefits: 

• Simplifies the customer interaction process, encouraging engagement.
• Reduces friction by offering easy-to-understand options.
• Increases response rates by making actions as simple as replying to a text.

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Best Practices: 

• Use predefined response options to make the interaction process seamless.
• Offer multiple choice responses for surveys or feedback requests.
• Ensure customers know what their response will trigger (e.g., “Reply YES to confirm order”).

Send out surveys for immediate feedback

Customer feedback is essential for improving your products and services, and interactive SMS is an excellent way to gather this feedback quickly and efficiently. Short surveys sent via SMS can provide valuable insights, and offering an incentive for completing the survey can increase participation.

Benefits: 

• Gathers immediate feedback from customers, allowing for timely improvements.
• Increases customer satisfaction by showing that you value their opinion.
• Provides actionable data that can be used to refine future campaigns.

Best Practices: 

• Keep surveys short and easy to complete.
• Offer a small incentive, like a discount code, for completing the survey.
• Use clear and concise language to encourage participation.

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Overcoming challenges in SMS marketing

Despite the many benefits, there are challenges to be aware of in interactive SMS marketing:

• Compliance: Ensuring your SMS campaigns are compliant with regulations, including opt-in requirements, is critical. Make sure you have explicit permission before sending promotional messages.
• Message fatigue: Avoid overwhelming customers with too many messages. Strike a balance between frequency and value, ensuring that every message you send provides meaningful content.

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Measuring success and ROI

Measuring the effectiveness of your interactive SMS campaigns is vital to understanding their impact on your business. Here’s what to track:

• Metrics to track: Focus on open rates, click-through rates, and customer response times.
• ROI analysis: Compare the costs of SMS marketing to the revenue generated by increased conversions to determine your campaign's profitability.

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How to get started with interactive SMS marketing

Ready to dive into interactive SMS marketing? Here’s how to get started:

• Choosing the right SMS platform: Klaviyo, Justuno, and Yotpo are some of the top platforms that offer interactive SMS features.
• Best practices: Craft compelling, personalized messages that encourage responses, and set up automation to streamline your SMS campaigns.

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Final thoughts

Interactive SMS offers unparalleled opportunities for customer engagement, allowing brands to create meaningful, two-way conversations with their audience. By incorporating strategies like personalized offers, exclusive promotions, and gamified quizzes, you can significantly boost customer interaction and loyalty.

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At Growth Gurus, we specialize in helping brands harness the power of creative SMS marketing campaigns. If you’re ready to take your SMS marketing to the next level, reach out to our team today and start engaging your customers in new and exciting ways.