6 Sure-Fire Ways to Let Your Customers Know to Text You

6 Sure-Fire Ways to Let Your Customers Know to Text You

We have found our clients are very enthusiastically text-enable their landline with Textmaxx Pro and quickly opt in their current customers. But what happens to all their new and perspective customers? How will they know they can text your business?

We have put together six sure fire tips that will let everyone your business communicates with know that their texts will be received and answered.

Google:
Google is making it easy for you to communicate with your customers via text with their text extension available both through their Google Local business listing and Adwords campaigns. With one click, a key prospect or customer can text your business.

Check out our blog on how to set up the message extension feature on your Google profiles and Adwords campaigns.

Website:
Your website is the first place most consumers engage with your business. Let them know you are welcoming and easy to contact with “Call or Text” and your phone number at the top of your web page where people can instantly tap to call or text your business.

Keep the “Call or Text” verbiage through your website and place special significance to it on your contact page. See an example below:

 

 

Email/Business Cards:

Once you have had that initial contact with a prospective customer or client, keep them engaged by being accessible to them via phone, email and text. By adding “Call or Text” to your business card and email signature you are showing them you value their business and are ready to connect with them in the way they prefer.

Social Media: Facebook/Twitter
Similar to your website, Facebook and Twitter offer a space at the top of your business pages where you can place a timeline or cover banner in addition to your profile logo/photo. This location is an ideal place to promote your “Call or Text” plus phone number feature. It is also a great place to promote your keyword to your text-enabled number to entice customers to opt in to two-way texting with your business.

Check out our blog explaining all mysteries behind keywords here:

Also, adding a “Call or Text” call-to-action message at the end of certain posts will increase responses from your customers and clients. See an example below:

 

Advertising:

As you are marketing your business to prospective clients and customers, remember to include “Call or Text” or promote your keyword with text-enabled phone number as part of your advertising campaigns placed on local radio, TV, print magazines/newspapers and in direct mail. See an example below:

Marketing and Sales Email Blasts:

Your marketing department is pushing emails out every week with sales and specials – why are you only using click-thru links, landing pages and forms to track their success. Start the conversation instantly by including “Call or Text” with your phone number, or a text in keyword to your text-enabled phone number the top and the bottom of the email.

Pro Tip: type the your phone number into the email vs inserting a linkable image, so mobile phones can click to directly to call or message your business.

 

Questions? Are you looking for more marketing assistance? Email lindsey@textmaxxpro.com with any questions. To learn more about our managed services programs email Dave Leedom at dave@textmaxxpro.com.

At 25 Years Old, SMS is the Worlds Biggest Communications Platform

At 25 Years Old, SMS is the Worlds Biggest Communications Platform

On December 3, 1992, British software engineer Neil Papworth sent the world’s first ever text message. It was to an executive at Vodafone, saying “Merry Christmas”.

SMS now stands as the  most successful communications platform of all time, connecting billions of people worldwide. Celebrating 25 years, lets review SMS’s history and the developments that have shaped its phenomenal success.

SMS origins back to 1984, when Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert from the GSM Corporation first developed the concept of sending a short message (hence SMS – the short message service) to and from a mobile device.

1992: Merry Christmas

On December 3, 1992, British software engineer Neil Papworth sent the world’s first ever text message. It was to an executive at Vodafone, saying “Merry Christmas”.

1993: Nokia Makes the SMS Commercial

Nokia released the 1011 – the first handset that enabled users to send and receive text messages – and the world was changed forever.

1995: Slow to adapt

Consumers initially failed to see the advantages of texting –  the average mobile phone user in the US sent less than one text a month:-(

But 1995 brought the invention of the T9 system for writing text messages on a numerical keypad, using keypad numbers 1-9 to type individual letters – a major solution for many mobile phone companies.

1997: QWERTY Keyboards pave the way

in 1997 Nokia released its full physical “qwerty” keyboard on a mobile phone – the 9000i Communicator. It paved the way for the BlackBerry (launched in 2002), and the rise of the way we text on smartphones today.

Mobile operators were soon hailing texting as a quicker alternative to voice calls.

1999: SMS ignites

In1999, mobile operators turned a simple messaging platform into a global billion-dollar industry. Texting became so popular that it sparked its own language. Txtspk made it quicker to text and as a result, the average number of text messages sent in the US reached 35 per person every month. At $0.10 a text, it was a gold rush for mobile operators.

2007: SMS becomes the most successful communication platform of all time

2007 was a landmark year for SMS –  it was also the first year where more texts were sent than calls made from mobile phones.

Despite rapid developments in smartphone technology, and new apps flooding the market, texting remained the number one form of mobile communication.

2011: Everyone still uses Texting from the Smartphone

By 2011, Smartphones had taken people to virtual keyboards on a smartphone screen and the introduction of Swype sped up the process of texting once again. As texting became quicker and easier, more people started using it as their go-to method of communication with not only friends and family, but with preferred businesses as well. It was in 2011 that SMS usage peaked – with 3.5 billion active users across the world.

Today: 5 billion people and counting

With the rise of instant messaging services such as WhatsApp, iMessage, and Facebook Messenger, many experts are predicting a decline SMS texting. But shallow thinking like that ignores the 5 billion people globally using SMS every day. What’s next, why new services like RCS, which uses SMS functionality to send information-rich, interactive messages with app-like capabilities.

And the future? Well, SMS is still proving its worth to brands looking to improve their customer experience. It remains an ideal platform for sending customers useful, relevant information in the right place and at the right time.

While new forms of communication come and go, SMS is 25 and remains the most successful communications platform of all time.

If you’d like to learn more about how SMS texting can help you make timely connections with billions of customers, ask the textperts. Call or text 866-367-6889!

Unlock the Potential of Google Adwords & Business Listings through Text Messaging.

Unlock the Potential of Google Adwords & Business Listings through Text Messaging.

Earlier this year, we blogged about the rapid growth in Google’s Adwords message extensions. Quickly following the feature’s launch, consumer data showed that user’s preference to text a business rivaled their habit of calling that business or visiting it’s website.

New researched published in Auto Remarketing last week reveals that “90% of consumers want to use messaging to interact with a business – with 50% preferring to message via SMS text.”

This revelation in consumer behavior comes when only 48% of businesses are capable of messaging with their customers.

Our team at Textmaxx Pro anticipates this number will greatly increase with Google’s launch of its Click-to-Message service for your Goggle Business profile.

Additionally, a recent article published via Hallam examined  consumer response to Google Adwords campaigns revealed message extensions rate as the third highest click, following an ads headline and price information. 

Having a message extension in a campaign also increased the overall click through rate (CTR) percentage between 25-36% for customers on mobile devices.

The biggest takeaway from integrating message extensions into your Adwords campaign is it produces a lead generating click. When the customer proactively engages with the company via text it provides a viable direct lead via the customer’s phone number.

The clear competitive advantage for your business is text messaging.

To help get your business started with these new Google features, we have laid out the five steps to set up Google Click-to-Message:

Step One:  Get your business landline set up to receive text messages. If your business land line is not text enabled to receive text messages, you cannot set up your Google Click-to-Message feature. Click Here to learn more how to have your landline text enabled.

Step Two: Log into your Google My Business Page

Step Three: Select messaging in the left menu and add your text-enabled business number.

Step Four: Verify that number with a code sent from Google

Step Five: You’re all done and consumers can now text message your business

Are you ready to unlock the true lead generating power of Google by text enabling your business?  Text or call us at 866-367-6889 or email dave@textmaxxpro.com to get started.

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