How to acquire new customers through SMS text message links?
Table of Contents
Introduction
Besides adding email or phone call prompts on websites, business owners can also add an SMS text message link to initiate personalized conversations with customers. All you need is an HTML link to launch the SMS app on the smartphone of your website’s visitors. A click-to-text button can be placed on your website, which when clicked by the potential customer would open the SMS app on their phone, where the business provider’s phone number and the default message to be sent out is already put in. All the customer has to do is click the ‘send’ button and initiate a conversation with the business provider.
SMS text message links can prove to be beneficial in upcoming years as 63% teenagers prefer text to communicate while only 39% of teens use their smartphones for voice calls. Moreover, smartphones are responsible for more than half of the internet usage and thus, using SMS text message links is preferable for customer interaction.
Although other options such as calls and emails are available to establish contact with potential customers, these methods are slow and often leave the customers waiting in queues.
Since customers should have easy access to your services, SMS links are one of the best ways to help them reach out to you. While developers usually integrate launch links for email and phone calls, having a dedicated button on your website to send out an SMS text message is a must in today’s time.
What is an SMS text message link?
An SMS text message link is essentially a regular hyperlink that redirects the customer to their smartphone SMS app with the phone number of the respective business and a customized text already filled in to be sent out. It allows the website visitors to contact the business practice through an SMS text message and engage in two-way communication. The HTML hyperlinks for an SMS is similar to click-to-email links and include an “href” attribute. These hyperlinks can be added to the navigation bar, images, cover page action buttons or text on the website or even on social media platforms.
SMS links work better on smartphones as clicking on the link automatically opens the SMS app and approximately 55% people use native messenger apps on their devices to send texts and more than 69% people prefer interacting with businesses through an SMS text message.
Many business owners prefer to keep the click-to-text links active on their smartphone web pages instead of their desktop sites as 54% of web traffic comes from smartphones. Several companies such as Uber, Doordash, Airbnb and Instacart use click-to-text buttons to get in touch with customers instantly.
Benefits of an SMS text message link
While SMS links are a great way to initiate a contact with potential customers, the benefits do not end there. These links are the easiest and fastest mode of communication and also allow streamlining of customer inquiries. SMS text message links provide the following benefits;
1.Relevant and open relationship:
Maintaining a conversation with the business provider is of utmost importance to customers. Your business has to be easily approachable and instead of subjecting potential customers to queued calls, SMS text message links offer an opportunity to keep the conversation going with minimal effort. By remaining in touch with the business provider through SMS text message, a customer feels a sense of loyalty from the other end. Further, this relationship can include any form of communication including product or service inquiries, reminders, offers, feedback, etc, between the customer and the business provider.
2. Increased sales due to acquisition in customer database:
Once the website visitor chooses to click on the SMS link to reach out to a business, their details get logged into the customer database and a channel of communication is established. This relationship can be used for SMS marketing campaigns and to send out promotional information including new product or service details, discounts, follow-up appointments etc, which in turn convert into more sales. Alerting the customers through SMS text message channels is a very convenient model for driving your business.
3. Serving clients better through data analysis:
Customer retention is one of the keys to run a successful business. In order to provide value to existing customers, the SMS channels can be used for data analysis to find out the requirements and interests of each client and send out targeted material in the future. This saves the customers time as only tailored information reaches their inbox and they come back to you with their needs.
How to create an SMS text message link?
Creating an SMS text message link is rather simple; however business providers should keep the following points in mind;
- Have a mobile number which will be exclusively used for the SMS link
- Use click-to-text button generators such as JookSMS, ClickSend etc.
- Find out which mobile operating system is more commonly used by your potential customers
- Set up auto-reply informing the potential customer that someone will get in touch with them once they reach out using SMS link
- Allow website visitors to reach out to your business through other methods such as emails, phone calls, chatbots, etc.
Once you have taken care of the prerequisites, the following steps can be used to create an SMS text message link.
Step 1 – Writing the text for the SMS link:
To begin with, one has to write the text that can be clicked to open the SMS app. The clickable text should be short and attention-grabbing. For example, text such as ‘send us a text’, ‘text us’ or ‘click to text’ can be used. The clickable text is often posted on the landing page of a website as a click-to-text button. Other options used for SMS links include
– an image
– contact details
– navigation bar
– email signature
– website text where HTML elements can be added
Step 2 – Writing the body of the SMS text message:
It is advisable to include a default text to be sent out to the business provider when a potential client uses the SMS links. The message body should convey the requirements for which a potential customer is looking at your website and why they wish to reach out to your business. A short and precise message is enough to initiate the conversation with the interested customer. Business providers can use the following sample templates for default messages;
– Hi. I would like to get a free trial for your [business] services.
– Please send me free samples of your products.
– Hi. I would like to order the [items].
– I’m interested in your services. Please contact me.
Step 3 – Writing the HTML code:
Writing hyperlinks for SMS links is a basic process. In case the website builder does not have an option to insert a link, one can use the following template and add it to your website:
<a href=”sms:[phone number]&body=[default message]”></a>
These HTML links are valid for mobiles and there is some variation in template formats based on the operating platform such as iOS and android. Therefore, a device detection code can be included to allow usage of the correct SMS text message link. Google Analytics can also be used to find out the most common mobile devices used by your customers and customize the SMS link.
Step 4 – Placement of SMS text message link button:
If you’re adding an SMS link button to your website, it is crucial to decide its placement to your best advantage. Ideally, a landing page or the pages of your website that receive the most traffic should be used to place the link button. Putting the button on the side or at the bottom of each webpage can also increase its visibility.
Step 5 – Checking whether the SMS text message link is working:
To ensure that clicking on the button or text link is redirecting to open the SMS app, please visit the webpage on your smartphone, and click on the SMS link. Once your messaging app opens, verify whether the default text and phone number is correct and then send the message. After that, check your business mobile for any new SMS text message notifications. If received, the SMS link is working as per expectation.
Conclusion
SMS text message links are the new go-to for an easy, fast and effective mode of interaction with potential clients who visit your website or social media platforms since smartphone usage is more prevalent these days. Creating an SMS text message link is not time-intensive and involves writing a simple hyperlink which should contain a concise default message.
There are several benefits of providing an SMS link including improved customer conversion rates, better relationship with the customer, building of streamlined customer database, customer retention, better google search listing, and increased sales. Therefore, SMS text message links should be included on every business’ website landing page or social media information page.
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