With Thanksgiving behind us, the holiday season is midway through. Now is the time to check in on your holiday SMS campaign and make any adjustments. This holiday season is forecasted to have the most significant growth rate and total spending amount in history. Consumers are “…spending because they can” Having a solid plan in place for the remainder of the season is key to benefiting from that growth, and central to that is focusing on your customer’s needs.
How’s your holiday SMS plan going?
Check Your List (Twice)
Your customers should be front and center as you are planning and adjusting your holiday SMS plan. Have you checked on your audience lately? Is anyone missing? With All-in Opt-in, you can quickly and compliantly opt-in your previous clients and customer base. Verify By Text confirms that the customers on your list possess the device, giving you another layer of consent.
Find Your Rhythm
Take a look at your open rates and SmartURL™ analytics. Adjust the time of day and frequency of your messages if something looks off. Sending messages too frequently, at off-times, or only once in a blue moon can leave your audience confused and frustrated. It’s always best to let your audience know from the beginning when and how often they will hear from you. Once you have that in place, plan the promotional and informative messaging into the schedule. Don’t forget to factor in enough time for your audience to interact with your messaging!
Think Beyond December
November and December are all about the upcoming holidays, but what happens right after? Holiday fatigue sets in when our planning fails to extend past the holiday season. Major promotions have run their course, and you may not have an active campaign to promote. Use January to follow up with your customers, many of whom suffer from their own version of holiday fatigue. It’s the perfect time to reach out for reviews and feedback. Encourage your customers with education and insightful contact that extend through the new year.
Are you connecting with your audience?
The winter holidays are a chance for us to reconnect with family and friends through revisiting old traditions and creating new ones. Connect with your audience this holiday season by carrying that sentiment over into your brand’s messaging. Consumers prefer to talk to a real person and make meaningful connections over talking to a chatbot or receiving an email. Remember that not all of your messaging has to be sales-driven this season. Connecting on a personal level now can create brand loyalty for the future.
A great way to do so is to know about your holidays. Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Boxing Day, Christmas, and New Year’s Day are just a few of the holidays celebrated worldwide from now and until the first of the year. Interfaith Calendar lists 15 different holidays in December this year, and that’s just religious celebrations. Knowing which holiday your customer celebrates will go a long way in deepening your personal connection if they celebrate at all. Send them a message that celebrates with them during this season. When you do not know which holiday, broaden your message with a “Seasons Greetings” or “Happy New Year.”
Are you having fun?
It’s the most wonderful time of year, so have fun with your messaging! Having a more relaxed voice when texting can make your brand more approachable. Here are a few ways to elevate the fun this season:
- Use Emojis By Text™ to lighten the mood and show your festive side.
- An Adobe study found that users were more likely to open a push notification if it contained an emoji. Of those same users, 42% were more likely to make a purchase that was promoted with an emoji.
- Send gifs and images through text to amplify your message and make it memorable. Use a site like Canva to design a seasonal card that features your team, products, or location and text it to your customers. It’s a simple way to connect the personal side of your brand with your audience.
- Create a holiday countdown text message drip to get your customers excited about your holiday promotions and events. Are you hosting an open house this season? Use the countdown as an invite and reminder sequence that teases prizes, holiday treats, and your promotions.
- Closeout the year by sending a SmartURL™ to an end of the year video messages from your business leaders. Share a look at the overall year, thank your customers for their support, and give a preview of what will come in 2022.
Helping You Connect
Keeping your customers’ needs as the focus of your holiday SMS campaign is what’s important. We understand that this time of year can be overwhelming for businesses competing to get their messaging in front of their customers. Our team of experts is here to solve that problem by helping you create a custom SMS plan that lands directly in the hands of your customers. It’s not too late to make an end-of-year campaign, and our team is ready to help you connect with your customers.