How to Use Email and SMS to Increase Your Brand Exposure?

For a while, brands have resorted to social media to increase brand visibility and recall. But the truth is, there are equally powerful tools that most brands fail to leverage. Two such tools are SMS and Email.  

Did you know that SMS has an open rate of 98% and on average it takes a mere 90 seconds for a prospect to reply to your message? Similarly, were you aware that brands that use segmented and targeted email campaigns can increase their revenues by 760%? 

It’s safe to say that not only will SMS and email campaigns help you increase your brand exposure, but they will have a tremendously positive impact on your top and bottom line. So, let’s look at how you can implement these two powerful tools in your campaign. 

Using SMS to introduce your brand to prospective buyers 

1. Stick to the same sender ID throughout the campaign

The sender ID in SMS is the unique identifier that identifies you as the sender of the message. Sending all of your SMS campaigns using the same sender ID is imperative for brand exposure and recall. The more often a prospective customer sees your sender ID, the easier it becomes for them to recognize that the message is from you. 

So, if they’ve been enjoying your SMS’s, they’re more-likely to immediately open your message the moment they recognize your sender ID. 

As a best practice, consider publishing your SMS sender ID on your social media profile bio or on your product labeling as well. This multi-pronged approach will increase brand visibility and recall. 

2. Provide information that is useful to the recipient

Buyers will read your SMS only if it offers something of value to them. This is why you need to include content that is not just promotional but informative or entertaining and which the recipient would like to know. 

For example, if you’re sending an SMS offering your stockbroking services, including the current prices of valuable stock or tips on how to invest in a tricky market, can be interesting information that can get recipients to research more about you. 

For this strategy to work, you need to have sent them a series of SMS’s which give them valuable titbits of information constantly. 

3. Encourage trials and sampling through a well-timed SMS 

SMS’s work great when you’re trying to get people to actively research about you. But the trick is to offer them an incentive which acts a great payoff for their effort. It’s been found that prospects research brands, visit the site and redeem the coupon shared 10X more often, after reading the SMS, than through any other channel. 

So, send an SMS with a link to a free sample or free trial page of your product/service, where the message recipients can download the coupon or place the free order. When they actually get your product/service, they’ll be able to better appreciate the benefits of your offering. 

4. Send mass messages about your upcoming events to B2B companies 

Mass SMS’s are an excellent way to introduce your brand to B2B companies. You can use your SMS campaigns to invite them to a trade show, conference or event you’re organizing. The fast delivery and reply capabilities can help you include an RSVP link in the SMS as well. 

SMS’s can also be great places to share the link of a new whitepaper or brochure or eBook you’ve created. B2B companies can take a look and learn more about your brand. 

Leveraging emails to keep your brand at the top of customers’ minds  

1. Validate all email IDs to ensure your marketing campaigns run as planned 

A customer’s email ID is a goldmine of information. It is the path, which brands can use to collect information about prospective customers and create personalized email campaigns. 

Collecting the wrong customer email ID can stop your email marketing campaign in its tracks by cutting-off the information source. This is why it’s important to validate emails regularly.

Email validation will help you check whether the ID you’re mailing to, is valid or not. You’ll be able to identify wrong ID’s and stop sending them into the void. 

2. Use the extended lookup feature to create segmented & targeted emails

The Lookup feature is used in excel and many software types to find information/entries that match specific criteria. The Extended Lookup feature allows you to filter your searches to a more granular level. You can now find specific recipients who meet a unique customer avatar and create highly-segmented and targeted emails for them. 

These types of segmented and targeted emails increase brand exposure exponentially and contribute to 58% of email marketing revenues. 

3. Write the most compelling subject lines to pique curiosity 

The subject line of the email determines whether a recipient opens your email or not. It is only when the recipient reads your email, does he/she becomes aware of your brand. This is why it’s imperative to write subject lines that create in the reader a desire to know more about your brand. 

Image Credits: Pixabay

Here are a few tips you can follow when writing subject lines: 

• Keep it short. Ideally, a subject line should be under 41 characters. 
• Start the subject line with a numerical value (i.e. discounts, fee rates etc.) as they catch attention faster than words. 
• Instill a sense of urgency by including a deadline (ex: buy before 31^st September, 2020 to avail the offer). 
• Personalize the subject line with the recipient’s name. 
• Specify the action you seek (ex: Browse our portfolio, visit our eStore) 
• Be mindful of spelling & grammar. 

4. Develop a well thought out an introductory email to increase brand awareness 

An introductory email is one, which you send to people who don’t know your brand, with the intention of introducing yourself. If done right, not only will such an email increase brand exposure, but will cement brand recall. 

Here are a few tips you can follow when drafting an introductory email: 

• Keep the mail informational and not promotional. You’re just introducing yourself right now. 
• Acknowledge the person by name. Such a personal salutation makes the recipient feel that you’ve crafted the message specifically for him/her.
• Thank the recipient for opening your email and assure them that they’re in for a treat. 
• Introduce your brand in a short paragraph. Be upfront about your expertise in the niche. 
• Specify what they can expect from your future emails (give examples of the type of content you’ll share – tips & tricks, listicles, videos, customer anecdotes etc.). 
• Provide a list of helpful resources and tools that they might find interesting (be sure to select those which are relevant to your recipient group). 
• Give them the opportunity to share your email with others (through social buttons). 
• Invite them to connect with you anytime (through a contact form, a chatbox, social media handle etc.). 

Remember to merge SMS and email to get the best results 

Although powerful individually, both SMS and email can be extremely helpful in generating immense exposure to your brand, if done together. You can use one tool to re-iterate the message you’ve shared using the other tool. Seeing your engagement so often will definitely pique the recipient’s curiosity and will encourage them to learn more about you.