With more than half the global population owning a smartphone and location services coming pre-installed on most, businesses can easily implement location-based marketing through SMS.
Location-based marketing is often under-utilized and one of the least understood forms of marketing. It refers to a form of marketing that targets consumers based on their geo-location.
The benefits of location-based marketing are plenty, and it can be incorporated into mobile apps, search engines, and social media for notifications, advertising, organic search, and leveraging trends.
When considering which method of communication to consider for location-based marketing, look no further than bulk SMS.
For example, when you need to target a specific group of people living near your pizza shop to come and grab a bite at discounted rates, the high open rates of an SMS will work better than using social media.
That said, how can your business implement location-based SMS marketing and effectively reap from its benefits? Here are four ways to try:
- Bulk SMS Opt-Ins
As long as a customer has given you consent to receive marketing messages from you, you can be sure that they will be happy to hear of the available promotions. Therefore, create an easy way for people to opt-in to your bulk SMS campaign by asking them for their contact details when they visit your store or by building a web form that includes a phone number field for customers to fill.
These two ways are by far the easiest. Entice them with offers, coupons, discounts, and other benefits they stand to get. This way, your success rates are heightened.
- Audience Segmentation
Segmenting your customers is particularly important if you have a chain of stores and you want to target specific subscribers. Through this strategy, you can create tailored promotions for each segment instead of having a single campaign for your subscribers – including those who will not access the offers. You can use location-specific keywords or area codes to target your customers better.
- Take advantage of SMS automation
Look for a reliable bulk SMS provider with a robust SMS API integration. This way, you can incorporate it into your other platforms and automate marketing messages across different channels.The best thing about this is that it keeps track of the user engagement with your campaign.
This data gives you first-hand information on how your campaign is performing. Moreover, you can identify the type of audience engaging more with your brand and make a concerted effort to include them in your other campaigns.
- Workflow conversations
Alternatively, you can build workflow conversations – an automated series of text messages constantly sent to your subscribers depending on their preferences or behaviors.
Workflow conversations allow you to reach out to the most loyal customers and offer them incentives or better offers. It also helps you develop better strategies to enhance your marketing efforts further.
The catch, however, is that you must deliver your marketing messages promptly using the best routes. There is no better channel than bulk SMS.
Start leveraging bulk SMS for location-based marketing today
Location-based SMS marketing isn’t oversaturated like other channels of brand promotion. It has low competition and is equally highly engaging. It is also more accessible and convenient if you work with the right provider.
Reach out to Celcom Africa for exclusive ways on how you can integrate SMS into your existing systems for better targeting and lead generation. In addition, it is a trusted bulk SMS reseller in Kenya. They have the most robust bulk SMS services for every niche and industry.
