If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that companies need to leverage digital transformation now. By 2021, capitalizing could mean rationalizing strategies and adopting SMS Automation solutions to better serve your customers over the long term.
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technology by several years, as companies increasingly digitize customer interactions to remain competitive in a volatile economy.
In this sense, the use of SMS marketing in B2B strategies grew by 197% from 2015 to 2017 and remains a broad channel that can help you gain an advantage over your competitors.
Text messages are personal in nature and feel human when done right. SMS is not just a communication channel; It is also a very strategic tool that you can implement in your business, especially when SMS is combined with automation.
SMS automation can transform business by increasing efficiency through communication processes and personalized workflows.
The B2B customer journey involves cultivating relationships as it can be a complicated and time-consuming process. That’s exactly why you should adopt strategies to participate in the purchasing process quickly, effectively, and comfortably, through the channels, you know best.
Digital communication in a COVID economy
During the COVID-19 pandemic, companies became even more dependent on the power of digital solutions. The technology that allowed us to stay in touch with friends and family also allowed us to maintain solid business relationships and keep in touch with customers.
However, digital transformation is not just about short-term benefits; it is also about preparing your business for the future and building a long-term sustainable strategy. In addition to COVID, companies need to maintain the momentum to support their digital acceleration to stay relevant.
As recently as four years ago, 80% of B2B consumers were using their cell phones at work, 60% said they would increase cell phone use, and 60% said cell phones played an important role in recent purchases.
To provide a seamless digital experience for your customers and consumers, you need to interact and interact with them on the platforms they use most. Customers want real-time responses through direct channels, and text messaging offers the speed and access they want.
Fortunately, there are options for all types of budgets and tech skills, from flexible SMS APIs for developers to codeless apps like Zapier and HubSpot that integrate in minutes.
How Companies Can Start Successfully Implementing SMS Automation
Launching new tools can be a difficult process for companies of all sizes. But, in my experience, it’s easier when you’ve got the ball: once you’ve successfully implemented SMS functionality and automation in a communication process, it’s easy to extend it to other parts of the business.
Here are four points to consider when adding SMS automation to your broader communication strategy.
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SMS and customer experience
Text messaging is an interactive experience that can bridge the gap between your sales team and your customers.
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Automatic communication processes
Cultivating clues can be a challenging process. There are often many clues and clues to keep an eye on. This is where automation really shines, especially codeless integrations that work based on actions and triggers.
SMS automation allows companies to send messages based on their customers’ behavior and send them the right message at the right time. Even if a company is short on time or resources, messaging automation can deliver relevant and useful responses like these:
- Follow-up of form submission
- Appointment reminder
- Invoice notifications
- Order confirmations
- Personalized marketing messages
- Resources to help with registration
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Segmentation and personalization of SMS content
As with any marketing channel, segmentation of communications is essential when sending SMS campaigns. By keeping your posts as personalized and relevant as possible, you ensure that your clickthrough and conversion rates remain high; Plus, your prospects don’t care about the content that isn’t relevant to them.
There are many ways to segment text messages to ensure that each campaign or notification has a specific purpose and generates results.
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Add value to your customers with SMS automation
Once you have your target rights, you can start purposely building your SMS communication strategy.
With just 160 characters, an SMS can convey your message and address the recipient concisely. It’s easy when each campaign, individual message, or dialogue has a purpose. Ask yourself, “What actions do you want to take after reading your text? Is this message valuable to the final recipient?”
Here are some informative and valuable messages you can send:
- New Product Updates
- Discounts and personal offers
- Answers to frequently asked questions
- Links to new blog posts, webinars, and other content
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Marketing research
- Public Relations Announcements
Building Strong Business Relationships
The pillars of a successful B2B sales strategy are relationships and people. Building strong relationships is an effective way to grow your business, and communication plays an important role in building relationships.
You’re not just trying to open a business or close a sale; people win. By talking to their weaknesses, connecting with them at their level and where they spend the most time, you position your company and team as a trusted partner opportunity.