Text messaging for sales can be a powerful tool for any company because SMS messages are one of the most welcome ways to market to customers. That’s because it’s possible to lead users into conversions in every stage of the sales funnel without being overly pushy.
In this article, we’ll explore general ways to use texting for sales, and then go more in-depth into how to use it in the discovery, interest, decision, and even post-sale stages.
Text Messaging for Sales: General Overview and Do’s/Don’ts
Whether you’re sending a message to someone who doesn’t even know who you are or someone with their credit card in hand and ready to buy, there are some general tips on what you should do (and don’t do) at the moment of sending an effective text message:
- Identify yourself: don’t give for granted the other person knows who you are. Adding your name and company at the top of your message can help them know right away who’s the sender and why they’re receiving a text message.
- Be direct and brief: prospects will appreciate that you deliver a message that is straight to the point, clear, and as easy to understand as possible. 1 to 3 sentences should be more than enough.
- Avoid abbreviations, jargon, and bad grammar: try to find a balance between casual and formal. Using jargon and abbreviations can make it difficult for some people to understand your message, so avoid it unless there’s a specific reason to use it.
- Keep timing into consideration: make sure you’re sending your messages in a timeframe that is not disruptive or that your prospects can easily ignore; like late at night when most of them are sleeping.
Text Messaging for all Stages in the Sales Funnel
Discovery Stage
The good thing about SMS marketing is that people need to opt-in in order to receive your messages. That’s an advantage because it means that, although they’re still in the discovery stage, they’re not as cold as most of the leads in this stage.
This is a good moment for you to give a good first impression to someone that is somehow interested in your brand. You can provide additional information via text, or offer a consultation in the first automated text message set to be sent to people in the discovery stage.
Some Examples of Text Messages in the Discovery Stage
- Follow up after they opted-in your campaign or filled up a contact form.
- Follow up by offering a consultation call.
- Give a quote on the product that the person is interested in.
- Confirm a scheduled call
- Follow up unopened/unresponded messages (a data capture tool can be very helpful for this).
Interest/Evaluation Stage
This is probably one of the most challenging stages in the sales funnel. Even though you’re closer to the sale and leads already know about you and what you offer, they’re still unsure about whether they should buy or not.
The advantage of text messaging in this stage is that it allows a high level of personalization. That makes it easier to build a relationship and even have a direct back-and-forth via two-way texting. For that reason, sales prospects contacted by SMS messaging in the interest/evaluation stage can convert up to 40% higher than those who received an email or other types of messages.
Some Examples of Text Messages in the Interest/Evaluation Stage
- Follow up by offering a free trial
- Offer a video call to follow up on a previous message
- “Warm up” message – for those leads who got stuck in this stage in a previous campaign.
- A second email in your drip campaign that lets leads know they can have a two-way text communication with you.
- An onboarding message or an invoice reminder – for those who accepted a proposal but didn’t pay their invoice.
Decision Stage
This is the beautiful moment in which leads are ready to close or check out! That will be the base of your text messages in the decision stage. Sales promotions, promo codes, and similar reminders are some of the best ideas to make sure new clients not only convert but also continue to engage after the purchase is finished.
Some Examples of Text Messages in the Decision Stage
- Payment reminder – example: an unfinished check out on an e-commerce cart.
- Account Manager introductory message.
- Text appointment reminder – example: to pick up a product in-store, or to have an introductory call with an Account Manager.
- Free-trial check-in – follow up on how they are doing during a free trial.
- A message letting the lead know he or she can text you back with additional questions.
Bonus Stage: After Sale
Once the sale is finished you can continue engaging your (now) clients through text messaging and maximize their lifetime value. Retaining and upselling is the key. For that reason, it’s important that you build a fluid relationship with them. Text messaging is perfect for that because 60% of users in the US prefer to receive text messages from a company rather than any other media, and they’re also more eager to respond to them.
Some Examples of Text Messages to Send After-Sale
- Thank you messages – for example: to those clients that are still subscribed after a certain time.
- Congratulations messages after anniversaries or other special occasions.
- A message with news and updates not only on your products but also valuable information for your clients; like an update on your privacy policy or their billing plan.
- A track-in on a purchase’s delivery.
- Upsell follow-up message – you can thank clients for their purchase, and encourage them to continue buying similar products.
Are You Ready to Use Text Messaging in Your Sales Strategy?
As you can see, there are multiple ways in which you can use text messaging for sales. Using your creativity and wit to follow the examples we just shared is half of the work. Having the right texting software to implement these ideas is the other half.
Trumpia is different from most providers because we offer the industry’s most complete collection of text marketing features. We can cover your needs from a beginner’s level to the most advanced automated text message workflow.
Call or Text 1-888-707-3030 to start a free trial or book a demo today!
