How Texting Can Engage Customers, Create Loyalty, and Drive Sales

Business owners can talk your ear off about the changing needs of customers, but another thing that’s changing, which companies may not be aware of, is how their contacts wish to be communicated with. Email was once revolutionary, but is now commonplace. A website used to be the gold standard, but now anyone can build them. So what can businesses do to engage customers?

Text them! Yes, despite all the tools available to us, a text message, similar to what you send your friends and family, is what your fans want. In fact, 64% prefer it to voice-based solutions like calling. 

Learn what content you can send to best engage your contacts:

The Power of Promotions

Everyone loves getting prices breaks on their favorite products and services. While promotions can be used to get new customers, they can also be a way to thank your regulars and long-time favorites for their loyalty (and for having opted-in). Perhaps send something like “To thank you for always being there for us, please enjoy 25% off your next visit.” 
You can also parlay this into a loyalty program. After a pre-determined number of visits, customers can receive a product or service for free. Text that promotion out with your original text so customers know the drill. This saves you money on having to print out loyalty cards, while customers are enticed for repeat visits!

Best Practice: Text at Regular HoursI

It might be tempting to text customers at 3am to be first in their text inbox, but if you wake them up, you may do your business more harm than good. Further, they may think it’s spam and delete your message.

Wish Them a Happy Holidays

Put customers in a good mood by texting them a quick season’s greetings. They’ll appreciate that you care about their happiness, not just their business. This will pay dividends when it comes time for holiday shopping, as they’ll remember your “happy holidays” text and keep you front of mind for stuffing the stockings of their loved ones.
Wondering how to properly wish your followers a happy holidays? Check out our MMS templates page! An MMS is a text message that includes a picture, and here you’ll find seasonally-appropriate holiday images.

Deliver Better Customer Service

Calling customer service lines about missed deliveries, product checks, etc., isn’t fun for customers and service reps alike. Offer texting, such as EZ Chat, as a support channel so customers can avoid lengthy hold times and help agents can take their time to find a solution to customers’ needs.
The list of why you should text as a customer engagement and retention strategy goes on and on, as it can easily be adapted for any business. But the key takeaway is that customers prefer texting, and the sooner you adopt that as a viable channel, the sooner you’ll see a stronger bottom line.

Want to use texting to engage customers? Sign up now!

About Daniel:

Daniel graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in Media Arts and a Communications minor. He also graduated from California State University of Fullerton with an M.A. in Communications.

When not being a tech evangelist, Dan enjoys an active lifestyle that includes the beach, tennis, swimming, weights, and stand-up paddle boarding. He’s also is a grill master who ensures everything has the right amount of char on it. An avid LA sports fan, Dan used part of his wedding speech to talk about the Dodgers’ and Lakers’ soul-crushing playoff losses.