2023 holiday season predictions

Sales and discounts

Many luxury brands are skipping big sales and instead offering free shipping, gift wrapping, and early access to products. We expect more retailers across categories to shift away from deep markdowns and launch sales earlier. Beginning promotions before Black Friday and Cyber Monday will decrease the intensity of focus on those two days.

Black Friday rebound

For retailers with both online and brick-and-mortar stores, we expect an increase in in-person Black Friday shopping compared to the COVID-impacted years. However, foot traffic likely won’t fully return to pre-2020 levels. Look for pre-BF promotions like free shipping on early bird purchases.

Younger generations take center stage

Younger demographics like Gen Z and Millennials will significantly impact marketing strategies this holiday season. Our research shows that exclusive offers are the number one motivator encouraging Gen Z shoppers to join loyalty programs. Appeal to these cohorts with exclusive offers, partnerships with niche microbrands, influencer collaborations, interactive metaverse experiences, or eco-friendly messaging.

Tighter budgets and embrace of AI

With many brands facing tighter ad budgets, we expect a focus on highly targeted media buys, increased user-generated content, and prioritizing high-ROI tactics. AI will assist with optimizing efforts like personalized copywriting at scale and more efficient campaign experimentation.

5 marketing strategies for the 2023 holiday season

Since you’re busy with holiday planning—we’ll keep this short and sweet. Here are five quick tips to crush your marketing initiatives this holiday season and beyond.

1. Optimize for mobile

With the majority of holiday purchases happening on mobile, be sure to optimize messaging, creative, and campaigns for the small screen. 

• Conduct speed tests to ensure fast load times on mobile networks. 
• Confirm seamless checkout and forms on mobile apps and mobile web. 
• Prominently promote mobile-exclusive deals and savings throughout the shopping journey.

2. Personalization power

Leverage personalization in your messaging and offers with segmentation and customer data.

• Use 1:1 relevance in emails, social ads, and site experiences to provide value and boost engagement this busy season. 
• Personalized subject lines, dynamic content, and personalized product recommendations make each touchpoint more relevant.

3. Retargeting is crucial

Retargeting is crucial for re-engaging site visitors who left without purchasing and recovering abandoned carts. 

• Use tighter timing on browse and cart abandonment campaigns, personalized to each user. 
• Continue retargeting past the holiday season to maximize lifetime value. 
• Give special incentives for customers to come back and complete their purchases.

4. Strategic segmentation

Divide your audience into specific behavioral and attribute segments. 

• Key groups include gift givers, self-gifters, budget shoppers, repeat customers, and more. 
• Then, go beyond basic segmentation to truly customize messaging for each group based on insights into their needs.

5. Plan for post-holiday

Have a plan ready for January and February 2024. 

• Set up re-welcome campaigns, loyalty reminders, and re-engagement flows to build relationships with new holiday customers. 
• Offer incentives for them to make a repeat purchase or engage with your brand post-holidays. 
• For further reading, here are 11 tips for post-holiday customer activation.

The holiday season is an exciting and busy time for marketers. With thoughtful preparation and data-driven marketing strategies, you can connect with customers in meaningful ways that drive results. Meeting customers where they are this season will lead to holiday success.

Most importantly, don’t lose sight of your long-term goals. The holidays are a stepping stone to building customer loyalty and lifetime value. Keep engaging and delighting customers after the seasonal rush to continue nurturing those relationships into the new year.

The post Holiday 2023 predictions to inform your marketing strategy appeared first on Cordial.

Unfortunately for digital marketers, customers often sign up for emails during the holiday season, and never again engage with the brand. Because loyal customers refer more customers and tend to spend more than one-time shoppers, it’s imperative that those customers come back to buy again in the New Year. While not all new sign-ups in this timeframe are worth investing in long-term, it is critical that we activate, retain and turn as many of these customers into advocates as possible. 

Depending on the type of retailer, the typical opaque churn rate (customers not responding via open or click) is 10-25%. Post holiday, when these customers have done their shopping, we might need to work a little harder to retain them and minimize attrition.

How to increase post-holiday customer retention and activation

1. Say “Thank you!”

Kindly acknowledge their purchase and help them make that all-important second transaction through a targeted, personalized campaign with a juicy incentive, such as free shipping. Some marketers choose to include this type of messaging as part of their post-purchase transactional flow — an excellent high-engagement option for adding value to that message stream.

2. Grab another sale.

Speaking of second transactions, getting the customer to make a second purchase makes them nine times more likely to convert. Use data about the customer such as product or page views — even the types of incentive they responded to — to deliver content that shows them the products they should buy again. Use messaging around replenishment or re-purchase for products with a short lifespan. 

3. Invite them in.

To your loyalty program, that is. About 57% of customers spend more when they are part of a loyalty program, and having a rewards program has been reported to increase average order value by 319%. Rewards and loyalty programs give the marketer additional, meaningful touch points with consumers, including the achievement of tiers or hurdles, the reward of points, statements, and newsletters.

4. Keep the welcomes flowing.

With inbox flooding up to and beyond the end of December, consider sending an additional welcome touch later in January to increase engagement and cement the brand’s value proposition. Include a clear call to action with a buying message or ask them to provide more first-party data through a preference center.

5. Know from where they came.

Make sure to capture source and acquisition methods for new customers during the holidays. Did they sign up for a limited-time discount, such as BOGO or a threshold discount? Did they sign up in store? How many purchases did they make? All of these data points will make it easier to personalize content to them in the months to come. Because 72% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase from a brand if it consistently provides them with personalized content, knowing this data helps make messaging more powerful downstream.

6.  Hear them out.

Gathering customer-generated content (CGC) drives loyalty in existing customers, and can be powerful in generating secondary sales, as 95% of consumers look up reviews before they make a purchase. Solicit CGC like reviews and feedback to make them feel heard and further the relationship with the store. This feeds the content engine, and gives the marketer message-worthy material that resonates with other customers. 

7.  Ask them to be an advocate.

Repeat customers are 25% more likely to tell their friends how amazing your site, product, shipping. service, etc., is. I repeat… Repeat customers are talking. Further, the long-term dollar impact of these referrals for apparel retailers can be significant: Customers referred by online shoppers have been known to spend 50% more with a brand. Savvy marketers work hard to combine their brand narrative with special offers, making outbound communications work harder to convey value and build trust. Giving them content to share with their network, or flat-out asking them to tell your story, can drive incremental sales and add valuable customers to your business.

8.  Get the audience involved.

Don’t be afraid to ask them about themselves. Nearly two-thirds (63% ) of millennials are willing to share personal data to get personalized offers and discounts. Using a preference center, a series of light boxes capturing first-party data directly from customers, or even logging clicks on interest polls in email, will help gather those all-important data elements that can be used for personalization and conversion. Gather up this data and use a tool like Cordial’s Architect feature to make it more powerful by adding data elements to purchase history, browse behavior, and more to drive personalized content.

9. Acknowledge the obvious.

If most of the audience remains dormant early in the year, the assumption could be that they are not self-purchasers, but are instead generous gift-givers. Look for the next key buying time for gift-giving to activate them with a gifting-specific message. Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day are both viable options for gift-giving earlier in the year. Presenting this audience with clear gift-buying messages during these times might generate activity and loyalty. Another great tactic is to collect their birth month during the sign-up process, and light up that deal outside the holiday season to get them to purchase in another timeframe.

10. Don’t lose them mid-year.

Re-engagement and reactivation tactics might (by design) knock new holiday customers out of messaging mid-year. If there is a 180- or 275-day re-engagement window and the program is designed to suppress customers without response to reactivation messaging, consider lowering the frequency of messaging to — say — once a week, then bring these customers carefully back into the messaging list in time for the next holiday season. They might truly be a once-a-year purchaser, and making sure they see your marketing messages in the holiday timeframe can be revenue-generating. 

11. Think outside the (in)box.

Reaching these valuable customers in channels other than email is becoming increasingly important as customers expect exclusive, time-based offers in SMS, mobile push and more. Recently released Cordial benchmarks show a 56% increase in AOV when marketers leveraged email, SMS, and mobile push. Look for ways to acquire customers in these other channels and test messaging type, content, frequency, and activation tactics. Using Cordial’s Podium customer journey builder to incorporate multiple channels in automated messages is a powerful way to reach the cross-channel audience with intention and timeliness.

Boost customer activation all year long

Deploying one or more of these tips could make a difference in retaining and engaging holiday shoppers — new and old! Make sure you test into long-term tactics, and don’t forget to set up tracking to ensure you can measure engagement and lift down the road. 

Need help choosing which levers to pull for your program this post-holiday season? Cordial’s Strategic Consulting team is here to help you make data-driven decisions. Let us build and execute messaging roadmaps and test plans. Learn more from our team and put these ideas into action!

The post 11 tips for post-holiday customer activation appeared first on Cordial.

What are best practices for retail welcome series?

Think of your brand’s welcome as a campaign, not a single message. Your new customer or prospect is getting to know you. So introduce yourself a few times. You are connecting the customer to your brand. Two or three well-crafted initial messages can help tell your story without being cumbersome.

1. Be genuine.

Offer thanks, welcome them with open arms, and be authentic. Acknowledge that they have given you the gift of their personal information and allowed you to talk with them about your brand.

2. Be persuasive.

Include a persuasive subject line. Although a good opener in retail often includes a discount or personalization, remember that being direct and clear always trumps trying to be too clever or gimmicky.

3. Show thoughtfulness.

Don’t make welcoming a new customer an afterthought. Create your most eye-catching graphics, use animation or video, connect through personalization. When you make an effort, it shows — and customers respond more positively.

4. Consider cadence.

Pay attention to when you send a message in a series. Cadence matters and depends on the buying cycle of your customer. For instance, if they made a purchase and there is a possibility of repeat purchase in a short time frame, you might message them more frequently in the first few days of the relationship.

5. Get personal.

Connect personally with content that relates to the customer’s behaviors by leveraging JavaScript listener data, preference data, first visit/signup data, and purchase data — or data based upon their engagement with your messages.

Example: Sending multiple messages allows you to learn and shift to a customer’s interests based on their interactions. For example, if they clicked on a dog bowl in message #1 and then bought that dog bowl, perhaps you want to focus on the dog food category in message #2. They have a dog bowl: So let’s help them fill it. While we’re at it, maybe we toss them a bone in the form of a discount.

6.  Activate learning.

What if you don’t know anything about your customer? Many marketers allow sign-ups in the absence of a purchase, and who wouldn’t? In this case, there are a few primary messages you can lean on to learn more about your customer through further engagement.

• Make them feel included: The customer has joined your list. So tell them what they are going to experience. Sales? Early notice of special events? Insider information?
• Show you’re thinking about their needs: Ask the customer to give you more info via a preference center or click data about what they want from your brand.
• Start with one action: Focus on one clear call-to-action. Ask the customer to click through on a product or category, forward the email to a friend, or dive into your site for hours. With just one action you can learn more about them.

7. Offer incentives.

Especially in an early relationship with a customer, incentives and discount codes can help with activity and conversion. Here are two winning ideas:

• Add a sense of urgency to non-purchasers with an expiration date. Reinforce that expiration date with subsequent messages.
• Track behavior and usage of discount codes carefully, and don’t be afraid to re-offer if they haven’t used them. This is a standard practice, with increased urgency as the customer moves through the campaign.

8. Remember governance.

Let’s talk about governance. You need to decide whether to include brand new customers in your regular, promotional sends. If you send every day or several times a week, it’s a good idea to suppress welcome recipients from broader promotional messages for a short time. You don’t want to lose them by over-messaging.

9. Deliver great content.

Your customer or prospect has graciously allowed you into their crowded email inbox. From the get-go, you want your brand to deliver value through great content. Here are some ideas:

• Got a sweeps or contest going? Promote it.
• Have new products? Categories? Show them.
• Do you have a seasonality play? Leverage seasonal messages and update frequently.
• Show the customer a category they might be interested in.
• Share your brand’s passion, including the people who make your company the best in the space.
• Use your best performing lifestyle content within a relevant time frame.
• List your most popular products. Everybody likes a good Top Ten list!
• Leverage your best user-generated content to share stories of similar customers.
• Establish rapport by asking questions through surveys and polls.
• Ask for reviews and feedback: “Tell us what we can do better!”
• Break down how to use/install/enjoy a complex product the customer purchased.
• Offer complementary products or services.
• Thank the customer for their purchase!

10. Test everything.

Learn to optimize the welcome series emails so they can be the most successful revenue-generating messages possible. Test subject lines, content, and, later on, cadence, seasonal content, or even regional/geotargeted content.

11. Drive actions.

Keep welcome messaging optimized and effective by ensuring that your brand’s content is driving your primary calls to action:

• Click to purchase (more, again, with a discount, etc.)
• Click to update preferences or complete a profile
• Click to engage with lifestyle content
• Click to use, learn, explore more about a purchased product
• Click to engage with social media
• Click to add this company to your safe senders list
• Click to answer a question  (e.g., What do you want to see? How often do you want to hear from us?)

Get more campaign ideas in our article: Intro to growth marketing in the age of personalization

What to include in your welcome series messages

Your strategy is custom to your business, audience, and what data you have available. That said, here are some considerations for messaging that you could use as a great starting point for a winning welcome strategy.

Message #1

Timing: real-time or on day of sign-up

What do we want customers to do when they get this email? Engage with the brand and purchase merchandise. So clear calls to action, often repeated more than once, are key to getting them onto the site and into the shopping cart. Be concise and actionable, and include a relevant CTA. Let’s breakdown common considerations for purchasers and non-purchasers:

When messaging non-purchasers:

• Did they sign up without a purchase? Tell them about your brand.
• What is your most compelling offer right now? Show them.
• Why should they purchase from you? Share your value props.
• What should they expect in return for giving you their email address? Offer value.
• Encourage your new “fan” to follow your Instagram or Facebook for the latest and greatest info.
• If you have JavaScript listener data, leverage customer behaviors to deliver content that’s relevant to them.

When messaging customers who purchased at sign-up:

• Did they sign up for email as part of the purchase flow? Acknowledge and thank them.
• Offer them a discount code for their next purchase. Repeat purchases are the best path to loyalty.
• Validate that they made a good decision in purchasing from the brand — and hammer the value proposition.
• Tell them what they should expect in return for giving you their email address. Exclusivity? Inclusivity? Special offer?
• Encourage social sharing. You might have just found your best new influencer. Include your social links prominently.
• If you have JavaScript listener data, leverage it to deliver content that’s relevant to them.

When messaging existing customers who finally made a first purchase:

• Consider sending a “welcome” to customers who were already subscribed to email but have finally made their first purchase. They are now your loyal purchaser.
• Offer a discount on their next purchase or the best recent offer.
• Share information about your loyalty program.
• Ask them to provide a review or feedback about their purchase or shopping experience.
• Give them something to click on. The more data you collect, the better you can personalize their next inbox experience.

Message #2

Timing: 1 day

• For non-purchasers: Encourage engagement with a good content-based email. Leverage your latest beautiful photos or lifestyle content.
• For first-time purchasers: Serve them product recommendations for complementary products, personalized to them. Ask them for their opinion. Have them share about their experience or product.
• For repeat purchasers: When they purchase again, thank them again! Introduce your loyalty program to keep them coming back.
• For all customers: Give them stuff to click on — the more they click the more data you have to use to market to them.

Message #3

Timing: 3-7 days

• For non-purchasers: Try another offer, but add urgency: “It’s expiring! Better act now…”
• For purchasers: Upsell, cross-sell, promote a subscription or refresh service, or encourage a repeat purchase.
• For subscription management: What do they want to hear about? Use a preference center or click to manage the customer’s needs.

Messages #3-#7

Timing: second week and beyond

• Consider additional welcome messages if your brand requires deeper education.
• Leverage a personalized content block added to ongoing promotional messages to increase relevancy.
• Ask customers if they are getting what they hoped for out of their emails from your brand.
• Consider an opt-down strategy (e.g., “Want fewer emails?) if a customer hasn’t engaged at all.
• Test additional welcome messages vs. promotional messages to determine best engagement.

Optimizing your welcome series

As a good practice, you should revisit your welcome series on an annual basis at a minimum to ensure you are leveraging data optimally and including the best performing content possible. Here are few key questions to consider:

• Do you have new content or offers?
• Are brand elements in your messaging fresh?
• Are your testing messaging cadence and optimal send times?
• What new data elements have you begun to collect that can help you personalize content and messaging?
• Are there other channels you should incorporate into your welcome stream? Are leveraging SMS, MMS, mobile app messaging, direct mail, or other channels?

More examples in our email campaign series:

• Article: 5 popular email drip campaign examples
• Article: Abandoned cart email examples
• Article: Browse abandonment email examples
• Article: Holiday email campaign examples
• Article: Post-purchase email examples
• Article: Recommendations email examples
• Article: Retention and win-back email examples
• Article: Welcome email examples from leading brands

Power your welcome series with Cordial

Cordial makes the potential for personalized lifecycle campaigns limitless, and allows you to build, executive and evolve your welcome series — through a visual campaign orchestration layer that enables you to create messaging experiences that flex and adapt to changing customer signals. Connect personalized marketing messaging across email, mobile push, in-app, web, and SMS to create rich, nuanced brand touch points.

Learn more from our team on how your brand can onboard your campaigns in no time. Talk to a Cordial expert.

The post Best practices for email welcome series in retail appeared first on Cordial.

In digital marketing, we’re looking at a watershed year. We should not only begin to look at more meaningful interactions with customers but also learn how to respect their ability to control their data while capitalizing on sales momentum gained during this pandemic. Here are five trends to keep in mind in 2022:

Smart automated campaigns and orchestrations 

Marketers have learned that these types of set-it-and-forget-it campaigns are performing, not only on days with nothing to send but also on regular sending days. Prioritizing messages that are super relevant based on a customer action or interaction (i.e., visited a site, clicked on a link, etc.) seems to be a winning tactic. Along with this, marketers are looking for ways to move to modular email architectures to reduce production times. Automations and orchestrations will also support this goal.

Hyper-personalization 

With new and exciting data points being leveraged for personalization—real-time and programmatic content are moving Cordial’s clients along our Personalization Spectrum. One particular application of creating personalized emails is to leverage direct CTAs that are tailored to the individual. For example, if the customer previously purchased in a blue colorway, perhaps the CTA offers, “See it in Blue.” When looking for ways to deploy personalization, keep in mind that email should remove barriers and simplify processes.

Continuity and authenticity across channels

As we look to retain the new customers gained in the past 24 months, authenticity will become even more important throughout 2022. Retailers focusing on retention and activation will dig deeper into the data—and in the absence of open rate as a viable metric—will look for generated metrics like lifetime value (LTV), propensity to buy or churn, and more to deliver a seamless experience from website to app, and even social media. Marketers are looking for low-effort, high-impact ways to build out this continuity, and leveraging platforms like Cordial to house, process, and leverage data across channels. 

Loyalty programs

As consumers are craving connections, loyalty programs continue to perform exceptionally well in retail, with points- and rewards-based programs doing particularly well. Gaining or keeping consumer trust is wholly built on relationships, and as we emerge from the pandemic these programs will be vital to retaining relationships and loyalty. Loyalty programs tend to provide a higher frequency of surprise and delight, which can feel like a bright light during a time of uncertainty. Push notifications are an excellent application of loyalty. Reminding clients of their favorite brands during key buying times can be super effective for conversions, help consumers achieve higher loyalty tiers, and reap the benefits of being a brand enthusiast.

Conversational marketing

Advanced tactics in 2022 include more conversational marketing. A reply to an email or SMS message might deliver more specific product details, or notify of a wishlist item onsite. 

What if we let the customer choose their own adventure as they make a buying decision? 

Letting the customer choose to receive more—and more specific—communication could bring a highly successful personal shopping experience to the inbox or mobile device, on their terms. Options become even more limitless if a customer has the option to buy directly from an email or SMS message from a retailer who holds their credit card data.

2022 is bound to be filled with as much change as 2021 brought to every marketer. By innovating to adapt to an evolving retail landscape, marketers will be well-positioned to not only drive sales but also build deeper relationships and brand affinity with customers. To learn more about how Cordial can help, schedule some time to chat here. 

The post High-impact opportunities to focus on in 2022 appeared first on Cordial.

Remember, we are not legal experts so always consult with legal counsel to make sure you are 100% compliant with the most current regulations before you begin sending. 

Basics of SMS marketing compliance

The opt-in

Opt-ins are the most critical aspect of SMS compliance. If you text someone without their explicit permission, it’s considered spam and you risk facing legal repercussions. You, as a marketer, must receive express written consent from a contact before you can start sending them SMS marketing messages. That consent needs to be clear and straightforward — not buried in your terms and conditions. Present clear language and ensure that consent is concisely stated, perhaps with a checkbox. 

In addition to physical written consent, your customers can opt in to your SMS campaigns using a few different methods. The two most common are mobile opt-in and web opt-in.

• Mobile opt-in: Consumers opt in by texting a keyword to a short code number. Promote your keyword and short code on advertisements, emails, or ads to encourage people to subscribe to your messages.

• Web opt-in: Using a form or landing page on your website, during a newsletter sign-up or at check-out, ask the customer for permission to send them text messages. Again, you are looking for express consent to send them messages. They must receive clear disclosure of the text messages they will receive from you, and agree to receive those messages to a specific phone number. When it comes to receiving consent, you can never be too careful. Remember that customers giving you their phone numbers isn’t the same as permitting you to text them. If you use an opt-in form, you should include the SMS program details and very clearly ask for their permission.

The double opt-in

To make absolutely sure that you’re in compliance with the law and that your customers actually want to receive SMS messages from you, consider implementing a double opt-in. In fact, Cordial requires that all clients implement a double opt-in automatically. A double opt-in requires that the customer confirm via text message that they would like to receive your communications. 

Double opt-ins are not required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), but they are the closest a marketer can come to following the letter of the law. Having the customer confirm that they signed up for your SMS program shows additional intent to receive messages, and is a much stronger consent should the consumer forget that they opted in. 

Double opt-ins can be simple. It’s as easy as sending an immediate follow-up message that reads: Reply Y or YES to confirm that you want to receive SMS messages from [Business Name].

The message itself

To maintain SMS compliance, you must make sure that each SMS message you send has the following attributes:

• Contains content expressly requested by the consumer
• Has no other marketing or advertising information
• Is a one-time only message
• Is sent in response to the specific consumer request
• A subscriber must be able to stop receiving messages from your company by replying to any messages with STOP, OPT-OUT, CANCEL, or UNSUBSCRIBE

The opt-out

Equally as important as the opt-in, is the opt-out. There are two places where opt-out instructions are absolutely required by the FCC. The first is wherever a call-to-action asks someone to join your text program. Every location where you’re opting customers into the program—whether it’s a text to join, an opt-in form, or a sign-up sheet—you must include opt-out instructions. It can be as simple as “Text STOP to opt out.”

The second place you’ll need to include opt-out instructions is in the confirmation message the user receives after opting in. In addition to a welcome message, you’ll need to alert the user to the frequency of messages, provide them with a way to contact support (usually by replying “HELP”), and give them an option to opt-out. 

Learn CTIA and ADA regulations

One of the key components of text messaging compliance is making sure your campaign follows the rules set by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) as well as the Americans With Disabilities Act for Accessible Design (ADA). Both spell out exactly how texts should present messaging and prevent misleading messages or campaigns that exclude individuals with disabilities.

Regarding the CTIA, there must be clear opt-in consent presented and details must not be hidden within the terms and conditions content. More specific directives include:

• Displaying a clear call to action, giving users a specific idea of what they are signing up for and what they will receive — in this case, recurring text messages
  
• Providing clearly labeled Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy links in the opt-in messages
  
• Giving subscribers the ability to stop receiving your messages any time they choose by replying “STOP” or something to that effect
  
• Including your brand’s name in all outgoing messages to avoid confusion
  
• Sending new subscribers a message upon their enrollment that includes complete details about the nature of the campaign, the frequency of messages, disclaimers about SMS and data rates, and how to opt out or receive technical support
  
• Giving subscribers the option to contact support by messaging “HELP” or something similar, which should result in a message containing detailed information about getting assistance
  
• Avoiding offensive content such as hate speech and violence
  
• Displaying instructions for opting out at least once a month, which should appear in either the advertisement itself or the Terms & Conditions content

In terms of how your SMS messages should conform to ADA, they fall under the law’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This means that your messages must be crafted with particular attention paid to their:

• Readability: Images and text should be high contrast to ensure those with vision impairment can still read what you’re saying.
  
• Operability: Interactions and navigations should be easy for all and provide no undue obstacles.
  
• Comprehensibility: Messages should avoid jargon and provide directions or instructions as clearly and concisely as possible.
  
• Compatibility: Any assistive technologies used in your SMS campaign should be capable of reading and understanding all content.

Adhering to these requirements is essential if you want to make sure your campaign will be successful from a compliance standpoint.

Review your privacy policy and terms

Your privacy policy and your terms and conditions are extremely important aspects of FCC compliance. These documents must include explicit language about how you plan to use subscriber information and provide details about how to opt out of communications. Cordial will partner with your team to ensure your documentation is compliant, but you should also work with a legal expert to ensure your language is airtight. 

At a minimum, these documents should contain the following information:

• Minimum age requirement
• Clause about standard messaging rates
• The short code(s) messages will be sent from
• The frequency of message sends
• How to unsubscribe
• What subscriber information will be collected
• How subscriber data will be used
• Where the service is available
• Supported message carriers
• Where to get help and support
• Notice that terms may change

Keep in mind that complaints often arise when customers forget they’ve signed up for text message marketing in the first place. You can avoid any potential issues by promoting your SMS marketing terms, conditions, and privacy policy in as many places as possible. Here are a few important places to add links to these documents:

• Your website
• Inside your physical business or on store signage
• On landing pages and/or preference panels used to collect opt-ins

Also remember that if you change your terms and conditions or privacy policy in any way, you should inform your subscribers via text, and ask them to reply CONTINUE or YES to confirm their continued consent. Not doing so could land you in a sticky legal situation if there is a complaint. 

Ready to learn more?

Now that you know the basics of SMS compliance, download our comprehensive guide to learn how to build an effective SMS marketing strategy. Or if you’d like to learn more about how Cordial can help you send personalized messages to your customers, request a demo today.

The post Play by the rules: A quick guide to SMS marketing compliance appeared first on Cordial.

Building on this trend, marketers have embraced mobile marketing and are using it to engage customers more than ever before. SMS is at the forefront of that effort, representing a new frontier in one-to-one communication. While tried-and-true channels like email and social remain an important part of the marketing mix, SMS has distinguished itself as a powerful tool in the modern marketer’s toolbox. However, to make use of SMS, marketers need to make sure they understand the ins and outs of setup, compliance, and strategy.  

Make sure you have access to real-time data

Before we dive into the specifics of SMS, let’s take a moment to discuss the importance of real-time data when deploying a successful SMS campaign. Because you’re sending SMS messages to a user’s most personal device, it’s critical that the message content is both timely and relevant. The threshold for discontent is much lower than in other mediums. For example, if your customer receives an irrelevant email, they may give you a pass, but if they receive an irrelevant text message, they are much more likely to unsubscribe. 

The use of real-time data to trigger and personalize communications helps prevent this from happening. Next-generation messaging platforms like Cordial can track real-time user behavior and events and use that information to automate messages. Before implementing an SMS program, make sure that you can leverage all of your customer and business data to personalize those messages.

Figure out what types of messages you want to send

Now that we’ve covered data, let’s move onto the basics. There are two distinct types of SMS communications: transactional and promotional, each of which plays a specific role within a messaging strategy. 

Transactional messages are a powerful way to communicate important updates to customers. Unlike email, where the message can go unread for hours or days, most text messages are read immediately, which make them an effective medium for delivering time-sensitive information. Whereas transactional messages are informational by nature, promotional messages contain content that’s created to inspire action. These messages promote products or services and should have a limited time frame to create a sense of urgency. 

Build your strategy

Before you rush off to set up an SMS marketing program, make sure you are clear about how you’ll use SMS as a messaging channel and the types of messages you’ll deploy. Having an airtight strategy beforehand will help you avoid compliance mishaps down the road (more on that in a minute) and help you cover your bases. 

When deciding what kind of text messages you’ll send, take into consideration the commitment a consumer is making when opting in to receive your messages. Successful campaigns offer something to their subscribers that is of equal value to that commitment, and some of the most successful lean heavily on exclusivity to engage customers. Everything in your message should be relevant and exclusive to your SMS subscribers. Ask yourself questions like:

• What can we provide our customers that is worthy of their personal phone data? 
• How can SMS augment our current marketing communications?
• What do we plan on communicating through SMS? 
• Will we send real-time SMS alerts, or will we rely on scheduled sends?

Secure your sending code

Sending SMS messages as a business isn’t as easy as it is for an individual. You will need to determine how your program will run and decide on either a short code or a long code. A short code is an easy-to-remember 5- or 6-digit number, while a long code is a 10-digit number closely resembling a standard phone number. 

Long codes can often make messages feel like they are coming from a person, not a bot. However, this level of personalization comes with a price tag, as well as reduced throughput. Messages sent from a long code can be processed at a rate of only one message per second. In addition, you cannot send MMS (video or image) messages via a long code. Long codes work best when your business strategy is focused on customer service, communicating one-to-one with your customers, or if you prefer to have a consistent number across channels.

Dedicated short codes can only be used by one business. For example, Chipotle uses the dedicated short code 888222, which means that no other business can send SMS messages from that number. Most large organizations have a dedicated short code, but they are more expensive and can take longer to acquire. You can also acquire a vanity short code, which you can choose (like a vanity license plate), but again, you will have to budget time and money to go this route.

Another type of SMS short code is called a shared short code, which is used by multiple businesses. Sounds confusing, but to keep everything segmented each company is assigned a unique keyword. For example, if two businesses are sharing the same short code, one might be assigned the keyword “PIZZA” and the other might be assigned “BOOKS.” Shared short codes are less expensive and easier to acquire, but are less customized which may be less attractive to some businesses. Remember that it’s important to identify your SMS strategy before submitting your short code submission to the carriers. If your messages deviate from what is in your application, the carrier can block you from sending SMS.

Follow the (extensive) rule book

Because SMS messages are of such a personal nature, there are many rules and regulations created by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) governing their usage for businesses. The most important thing to remember is that you need explicit permission to message a subscriber. You get this permission through an opt-in. 

Opt-ins are arguably the most critical aspect of SMS compliance. If you text someone without their explicit permission, it’s considered spam and you risk facing legal repercussions. You, as a marketer, must receive express written consent from contacts before you can start sending them SMS marketing messages. And that consent needs to be clear and straightforward—not buried in your terms and conditions. Provide clear language and ensure that consent is concisely stated, perhaps with a checkbox. In addition to physical written consent, your customers can opt in to your SMS campaigns using a few different methods, most commonly mobile opt-in or web opt-in.

Consumers can use their mobile phone to text a keyword to a short code number. Promote your keyword and short code on advertisements, emails, or ads to encourage people to subscribe to your list. In addition to a mobile opt-in, you can use a form or landing page—on your website, on a newsletter sign-up, or at checkout—to ask the customer for permission to send them text messages. Again, you are looking for express consent, so it’s important to remember that customers giving you their phone numbers isn’t the same as permitting you to text them. If you use an opt-in form, you should include the SMS program details and very clearly state that they are giving you permission to text them.

SMS marketing is nuanced, but the goal is to incorporate SMS strategy into your marketing mix that provides value to both your company and your customers. If you would like to learn more about the nuts and bolts of SMS, check out our free SMS marketing guide or request a demo with a Cordial expert.

The post The nuts and bolts of SMS marketing appeared first on Cordial.

SMS marketing has become a new way for marketers to satisfy this sense of urgency we all crave. Mobile phones are always within reach, which means most people are always ready to read a text message. In fact, according to Text Local’s State of SMS, text messages have a 98% open rate. That means that your marketing message is almost guaranteed to reach your customer. If your company has not yet tapped into SMS marketing, consider these five ways to jumpstart your SMS program and help you tap into the culture of “now.” 

1. Build your audience

Before you can deploy a successful SMS campaign, you need to build your audience. Even if you already have your customers’ mobile numbers from online orders or customer service support, you cannot begin sending messages to these users until they have expressly opted in to receive SMS communication from your company. To begin collecting mobile phone numbers for your marketing campaigns, try adding a field to your existing forms (for recommendations on compliance, check out our full guide to SMS marketing). There are several ways to ask your customers for permission to send them text messages. Here are a few examples:

• Website: SMS opt-in should be a clear call-to-action on your website.
• Newsletter: Make SMS opt-in visible on your newsletter.
• Social Media: Add a mobile number field to your Facebook page sign-up and an opt-in button for your followers to sign up for your SMS campaign.
• Direct mail: When you send coupons or promotional mail through the post, make sure instructions for SMS opt-in are printed on it.
• Receipts: Since many people keep receipts for returns and store policy information, the footer or back of a receipt is a great place to promote your SMS program.
• Point-of-sale: Using keywords in signage or having retail team members ask customers to sign up for SMS texts for promotions and sales can be very effective.

2. Create a plan and stick to it

Having a rock-solid messaging strategy before you begin sending messages is essential to long-term success and growth. It also enables you to set the proper expectations with your subscribers about how many messages they will receive. If you set the expectation that you will send one message per week about upcoming promotions, stick to that cadence. Don’t all of a sudden start sending one message each day. Doing this will result in brand dissociation and unsubscribes. If you need to change your strategy make sure your subscribers are aware so that they have the option to opt-out.  

3. Make sure you are compliant

SMS marketing comes with a host of rules and regulations set forth by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). To make absolutely sure that you are in compliance with the law and that your customers actually want to receive SMS messages from you, implement a double opt-in. A double opt-in requires that the customer confirm via text message that they would like to receive your communications. Double opt-ins are not required by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), but they are the closest a marketer can come to following the letter of the law. Having the customer confirm that they signed up for your SMS program shows additional intent to receive messages, and is a much stronger consent should the consumer “forget” that they opted in. Double opt-ins can be simple. It’s as easy as sending an immediate follow-up message that reads: “Reply Y or YES to confirm that you want to receive SMS messages from [Business Name].”

4. Adjust the timing of your messages

When deploying SMS campaigns, as with other channels, it’s important to take timing into consideration. Messages are most likely to be opened when recipients are awake and have their phone within reach. If you start sending coupon codes at 4 am, not only will your open and engagement rates suffer, you’ll probably end up with lots of angry subscribers and even some unsubscribes. You can find out when your subscribers are most engaged by:

• Checking your email platform: Your email platform should have detailed stats about when your subscribers open and click on messages. Granted, email is different from SMS, but this is a great starting point you can use to iterate on.
• Reviewing Google analytics: Check the “audience” tab on Google Analytics to see when your mobile web traffic is highest. If it spikes during certain times of the day, send your SMS messages right before or during these spikes and measure the improvements.

Remember to take time zones into account when you are scheduling your campaigns. Subscribers in New York are going to have different peak times than subscribers in Hawaii. Some messaging platforms are able to adjust send time based on subscriber location so the messages are always sent during peak time. 

5. Keep it brief

SMS messages are limited to 160 characters. Be mindful of this, especially when you are including personalization in your message tactics. If your message is too long, it will be broken into two separate messages, which can be frustrating and confusing for the customer. With only 160 characters to use, ensure your message is to-the-point and delivers high value so your customer is motivated to respond positively. Customers respond more to materials addressed directly to them, so insert the subscriber’s name when you can. You can also target your customer with more relevant texts based on their preferences and past shopping or browsing behavior. 

Want to learn more?

To learn more about the basics of SMS marketing, check out our new guide: Communicate Cordially with SMS Marketing. We share over 20 pages of useful information about getting your SMS program up and running. Or, request a personalized demo of the Cordial platform and learn how you can fuel customer engagement with real-time personalization.

The post 5 tips to jumpstart your SMS marketing appeared first on Cordial.