Learning how using mobile messaging in tandem with inbound marketing can help you to better connect with your customer base.

When most business owners think of mobile messaging they’re likely not thinking of text messages as a complement to their existing inbound marketing strategy. The reality is that if done correctly, SMS messaging can be a great way to connect with your customers and move them along through the purchasing journey.

before we dig into how mobile messaging can benefit your inbound marketing strategy, let’s dig into the concept of inbound marketing and what it can do for your business.

What is inbound marketing?

Before the dawn of the internet, most organizations had to rely on outbound sales and marketing strategies to gain customers. This typically resulted in a large sales staff that physically knocked on doors and made cold phone calls to get sales. These types of strategies are not only difficult, they can also be soul-crushing for the sales reps who have to consistently hear a barrage of “no’s” before ever hearing a “yes”. While these methods are still in use in some organizations today, many companies are beginning to use inbound marketing as a more efficient way to gain new customers.

Inbound marketing is more focused on providing value to potential clients through online content. Think of some of your favorite brands might that keep you interested in consistently producing high-quality content through social media and blogs. These organizations are using inbound marketing to connect with potential customers who have a problem and will, hopefully, find the solution to their problem through a piece of content that’s published somewhere online.

The primary goal of inbound marketing is to turn a stranger into a paying and satisfied customer. The inbound marketing journey can be quite long, so it’s important that organizations remain patient as they embark on this new style of marketing.

What does text messaging have to do with inbound marketing?

You may be thinking that text messaging by its nature is most definitely an ‘outbound’ form of communication. If that is the case, how could it be used as a complement to an existing inbound marketing strategy? Well, as is the case with most marketing methods, text messaging can be effective if used in a way that’s providing value to your current or potential customers, and not bombarding them with sales messages that will do little else aside from tarnishing your brand.

When deciding if SMS messaging is an effective strategy for your organization, you first need to understand how this messaging medium works. According to Techipedia, 98% of text messages are opened, but most people consider text messages a private medium of communication and therefore wouldn’t necessarily welcome a large number of messages that they hadn’t agreed to receive.

Common examples of how mobile messaging can be effective

If, and only if, you’ve received permission to send SMS messages to current or potential customers, there are a number of ways that this method of communication can be effective. Below are some of the more common methods of engaging with your customer base through text messages:

• Communication with existing customers – One way that text messaging can be effective is to update customers based on a transaction or appointment time. Think of the convenience of getting a text notifying you a service representative is on the way to fix your internet or cable. Another common use of text messaging is to keep customers updated of shipping information while waiting for a package to arrive.
• Reminders – SMS messaging can also be beneficial to remind customers about an upcoming appointment or bill that is due. This way companies can help to ensure their customers are properly notified about critical information via text as opposed to email, or even postal mail which can often be overlooked.
• Customer service surveys – Assuming that your customers have opted in to be texted, you can easily send them surveys after a purchase to glean as much detail as possible about the entire customer experience.
• Nonprofit donations – The American Red Cross pioneered the use of text messaging for fundraising and because of this success, many other nonprofits have started to use text messaging to receive donations. Typically donors can text a certain code to a dedicated number, which will then charge a set amount which will be added to the donor’s cell phone bill. This is a quick and easy way for donors to feel connected to a cause.
• Customer service – Because consumers as so comfortable with text messaging, companies are beginning to use it as a two-way method of communicating with customers. Rather than sending emails or being sucked into a phone tree with a myriad of different prompts, some companies now allow customers to communicate via text to receive real-time responses to pressing issues.

Salesmsg meets Hubspot

If you’re currently a user of Hubspot, one of the top inbound marketing automation platforms in the world, you’ll be excited to learn than Salesmsg now integrates with this marketing suite. Below are some of the key features you can expect to have access to thanks to this new integration.

• Automate text messages based on workflows – Easily send automated SMS and MMS messages from your Hubspot Workflows. This can allow you to more easily engage with current leads and in turn boost sales.
• Two-way SMS & MMS messages – This integration offers real-time two-way SMS & MMS messaging from within Hubspot.
• Track Customer History - Refer to previous conversations, track processes and even send birthday reminders or personalized messages using details stored in the CRM.

To learn more about this new integration between Salesmsg and HubSpot, feel free to browse over to the HubSpot site where you can learn more about how to connect these two versatile tools and boost your inbound marketing efforts.