Businesses are always trying to figure out the best ways to scale their businesses, especially with the myriad of technological tools and advancements we now enjoy in the 21st century. Here is how to enhance our omnichannel strategy with SMS messaging.
One such way to scale has been rethinking the way we marry digital and traditional forms of marketing. From a simple multichannel strategy that often would echo the same message on separate and unconnected channels, we’ve shifted to a more customer-centric, experience-boosting approach: omnichannel marketing.
As a refresher, allow me to quote Shopify’s definition of omnichannel marketing:
“Omnichannel [marketing] revolves around your customer and creates a single customer experience across your brand by unifying sales and marketing that accounts for the spillover between channels.”
So instead of thinking of marketing channels as separate entities repeating the same message, we’re forced to look at all channels and see how they bring about a unified customer experience. But why is it essential to implement an omnichannel strategy in 2020 and beyond?
Brand benefits for omnichannel marketing.
Let’s quickly discuss a few reasons why your brand can benefit from having an omnichannel marketing approach. According to surveys and studies, here’s what the data says in support of omnichannel:
Customers exposed to 3 or more marketing channels of a brand are more likely to purchase 250% more than customers only exposed to a single channel.
The engagement rate for brands using multiple channels can shoot up to 18.96%, compared to a 5.4% engagement rate on a single channel
Customer retention rates are 90% higher for omnichannel versus single-channel.
Average order value per customer rose by 13% for customers exposed to multiple channels compared to those who were not.
Purchase and engagement rates go up with an omnichannel approach. ( Image source )
Which channels should businesses use for their omnichannel strategy?
Knowing what we now know about the benefits of omnichannel, you might now be wondering which channels actually to use. The answer is simple: whichever makes sense for your brand.
Most brands employ a mix of email marketing, social media, landing pages, ecommerce stores, and some offline channels like in-store experiences or activations. A combination of about three or more of these are tried and true; there’s another channel we recommend that is quite underutilized but can deliver powerful results: SMS messaging.
Why should businesses capitalize on SMS Messaging?
90% of customers prefer texting over other forms of communication, like phone calls and email. And for a good reason: texting is convenient, faster, and often more personal. Open rates for a text message go as high as 98% , compared to the average email open rate of about 20%.
