If you are working in the media, whether print or electronic you need to expand the reach of your business to your customers. Media organizations need to reach out to readers (for print media) and viewers (for electronic media). Most media organizations work on a membership business model. They enroll members as subscribers who would pay a fee to read or view content. The marketing team of the media organization would put in a lot of effort to attract new members. This is vital to help them expand their reach, get more customers, and earn more.
One of the most effective ways to do this is by using SMS marketing. SMS or short message service involves sending messages of up to 160 characters to mobile phone users. Since most people have a mobile phone, it makes sense to send an SMS to your people. Studies show that 97% of all message recipients read the message within 3 minutes of receipt. This makes it a good idea to send SMS to reach out to customers.
Adding members to print and electronic media
Organizations working in print and electronic media need to reach out to potential customers to convince them to be members. They need to showcase their brand and content to convince people to become members. When they become members they would pay subscription fees, which helps the media house to earn revenue. Constant interaction with customers is needed to convince a person to become a member. SMS can help you do this effectively at a lower cost than other methods.
SMS is easy to use. You need a database of potential members. You can start sending messages to them using SMS marketing software. The software will allow you to send messages to all the customers or to any of them you select. Sending messages is easy and reaches the customer instantaneously. You can even schedule messages in advance so messages will go at the time of your choice. All this can be done at the fraction of the cost spent on other marketing methods.
Effective ways of using SMS
The following are 8 ways of using SMS effective to add members by print and electronic media organizations:
1. Introduce yourself to potential customers
Potential customers need to know more about you before they sign up with you. For this, you need to send an introductory message where you talk about your organization and talk about the content you offer. These introductory messages can be very helpful in improving your visibility and in brand building. The message can be typed in brief and sent to all potential customers. You can even add a link to your website here.
2. Invite them to avail of a trial
Before customers consume content, they would want to take a look at it. This is why a trial service would be very helpful. Whether you offer print or electronic media content, provide a one-month free trial for customers. This trial can make them hooked to your content, so they can sign up. Use SMS to send the link for the free trial.
3. Send attractive offers
Attractive membership offers will make people subscribe to your content. You can send text messages with details of membership schemes and special offers. Provide a link that they can use to avail of the offer online.
4. Offer value-added content
You can use text messaging to send value-added content to customers. For example, you can have a compilation of all your shows/articles and send a link to that. This will help attract new members to avail of your service.
5. Provide offers for renewal
For existing members, you can provide offers to convince them to renew. You can provide an early bird offer with a substantial discount if they renew early. This can be sent by an SMS to the members. It’s a good way to engage with members and get them to renew their membership.
6. Send regular updates
Members need regular updates on new content. This can be done through newsletters. You can send the newsletter through SMS or a link to the newsletter.
7. Provide service
Members may have issues with their service. This could include login difficulties or not getting copies of the magazine, not receiving emails, etc. Allow them to send their service requests and complaints through SMS. You can reply to them immediately allowing for good service.
8. Personalize messages
Send personalized messages by including the member’s name, address, etc. Such personalized messages work more effectively. They can help you connect with customers so they respond better to your promotional messages.
The 8 ways listed above can help media organizations reach out to their potential customers easily. Adopting these methods can help them use SMS marketing to the best effect to enroll new members. This can help them in boosting their revenue.