Why texting is the ideal way to reach customers
Written by Lucky Wilson | KGTO Writer on May 17, 2022
I once almost lost a six-figure contract because I missed an email.
Luckily, I said “almost.”
For some reason one day, I decided to check my junk folder. I had no reason to, except that apparently some small business angel on my shoulder whispered in my ear, telling me that I should.
And there I found it – an email from a potential client, inquiring about my interest in working together. The client was a Fortune 100 company and I ended up working with that client for almost a decade. I shudder to think what would have happened had that email remained lost.
So, how is your inbox doing these days?
If you are like most of us, the answer is “not very good.”
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Sidestep overflowing inboxes by texting
Between unopened emails, unanswered emails, online newsletters you signed up for – and ones you didn’t, flagged mail, junk mail, and other unwanted messages, the fact is, email has become a burden.
For the small business, this is nothing short of a disaster.
Indeed, email is actually a fairly horrible way for business generally, and small business, in particular, to communicate with customers. Unopened and unwanted, ignored and abandoned, emails simply don’t get through anymore.
There has to be a better way, right? Of course, right. And that better way is the way you and I and everyone prefer to communicate these days: texting.
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Consider:
- Text marketing campaigns can have up to a 98% open rate. (Let’s see your newsletter do that!)
- Text reminders result in 40% fewer missed appointments.
- And, maybe best of all, by turning missed calls into texts conversations, businesses generate two times more leads
Did I say, “turning missed calls into text conversations”? You bet I did. But how do you do that? By using not using your phone as a phone. Let’s face it: people do not like speaking on the phone much anymore. Gone are the days when your brother would yell, “I got it!” when the phone rang. No, today, texting with customers is a far better way to communicate.
You don’t have to use your own number
I recently had a great chat with Greg Woock, the CEO of a company called Pinger. Pinger makes an app called Sideline Pro. Sideline is the kind of tool I am talking about because it solves a few problems that many small businesses today have, namely:
- Using a personal phone as one’s business phone
- Having communications get lost or forgotten
- Not engaging in text marketing
Sideline Pro not only gives you a second number that can be dedicated solely for business use, but it also helps you easily convert phone calls into text conversations and create text messaging marketing campaigns.
By having a powerful text tool like this, you can generate text promotions, create auto-responders, convert calls into texts, and reply via text. Do you see how much better that is? With the right text tool, you instantly up your small business game because you are suddenly communicating with customers in a way that resonates with them.
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Let’s say that you are a real estate agent. Instead of emailing listings and newsletters, with a dedicated second line and text marketing, you can communicate with customers in a way that is both powerful and professional. That you can send them the actual listing, create a record of what the client says and wants, and follow up with texts, makes your business that much better, more effective, and literally more memorable.
So, what are you waiting for? Business is ever-changing, and the pandemic has made mobile access more important than ever. The good news is that there are tools that allow you to ride this wave, be more effective, and – as an added bonus – clean up your inbox!
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