Bridging the Gap with Loyalty Programs, Keywords, and Shareable Coupons
There’s a lot of potential this year with consumer holiday shopping. With inflation continuing to rise, shoppers are expected to begin their hunt for deals as early as October. The main mode of online searching: smartphones. With 56% of consumers planning to use their smartphones to shop for the best deals, this is a huge opportunity for small businesses to up their mobile marketing game. The best part? It will complement and drive in-store sales. So let’s talk about the fluid and ingenious integration of the three major SMS elements with in-store promoting to increase your ROI going into 2023; loyalty programs, keywords, and shareable mobile coupons.
The Breakdown of SMS Elements and In-Store Signage
Promote your SMS elements with in-store signage and your in-store deals with your SMS elements. While this may seem obvious, playing each one off of the other so that they are balanced is going to be key to retaining customers through the tightly budgeted holiday season up into 2023. Based on the trends set so far for 2022, the majority of shoppers are looking for the best deals to be offered to them, rather than them searching for optimal deals. As we said before, more than half of Americans will be using their phones to search for these deals. While 34% of shoppers plan on using social media to find great gifts, this is the prime time to jump ahead and give consumers the perfect incentive to spend money locally at your business.
But let’s step away from the statistics and look at the strategy.
Shareable Mobile Coupons
The goal is to intercept consumers before they interact with their social media outlets. Let your existing contact lists do the work for you! Instead of offering your coupons outright, shareable coupons not only give your customers that special “VIP” feeling, but also allows them to spread the word with friends and family. Mobile coupons that are shared from person to person instead of business to shopper give that community feel that your local business is looking for, but they also build trust in your brand. There are hundreds of paid advertisements out there, and your customers have learned to disregard them. This is great for organic growth which makes your company appear more genuine. You offer discounts that your contacts want to see and give them the option to spread the love with their circle of friends and family.
Loyalty Program
Shoppers are looking for special deals that help them save money on the products they love. But while nearly every business has a loyalty program, incorporating holiday-specific deals into your VIP list is a great way to increase your contact list, and retain customers after the holiday season has ended. Since most shoppers don’t go into the new loyalty programs they signed up for during the holidays to delete them, you have the perfect advantage to remind them about your business with these SMS elements.
In-Store Promotion with Keyword Signs
In-store traffic is going to be guaranteed during this shopping season. Why not promote your loyalty programs and special SMS offers with in-store signage? You want to capture the attention of those who wander to your business and incentivize them to consider your promotions through instant messaging. This is where secret keywords can be your best friend! By having a sign that says “Text HOLIDAYS25 to 76626 to get 25% off at the counter!”, not only are visitors going to opt-in to your list to get the deal, but you can also promote this through social media or your basic Streamwerks contact list to come to your store to find that secret keyword. This incentive to make flash purchases can increase immediate sales, AND you’ve grown the list of those you can send SMS deals to after the holiday season as well.
Bringing it all together
So how do we create this perfect harmony of in-store promotions, shareable coupons, and loyalty programs all into one marketing strategy?
As customers open their phones to begin their holiday shopping, they see a text message from your business. Upon opening it, they see that your store is offering a flash sale with a secret keyword that can only be found in your store. Once at your store, they find the keyword along with the shortcode. They see that the mobile coupon can only be redeemed in the next 24 hours, pushing them to make that quick purchase to get the most out of their visit to your business. Along with the sign is a message that has your loyalty program keyword so that they can get additional offers throughout the holiday season, similar to the one they just got.
As they join your loyalty program, their initial opt-in offer is a shareable coupon for a different kind of discount. This type of mobile coupon is one that they can send to their friends and family. Those people not only get that same discount, but a message that allows them to join your loyalty program too. Here, we’ve created the perfect balance of free advertising that benefits your business and the customers.
This is how hybridizing your marketing creates less effort for you, the business owner. With your SMS elements and in-store signage, it’s actually the customer who does most of the work for you. Strange concept, right? As we said, the majority of consumers this holiday season are willing to put in a little more research and effort to find the best deals, and one’s they can use immediately. This helps relieve their stress of finding good deals on time, and it pushes them to make those quick purchases you’re looking for. While also increasing your sales and brand awareness, you’re able to grow your contact list to push incentives for the following slow season.
A Sidenote on Keywords
Looking for customer engagement that has more excitement, but less work on your end? Text-to-Win campaigns can be great for bigger opt-in rates. Similar to the Secret Keyword, you can include signage in your store or an SMS that offers a keyword and shortcode to enter your contest. This could be a grand one-time contest for the season, multiple contests for smaller prizes/discounts, or a mix of both.
Don’t know much about Text-to-Win contests? Click here for how they can benefit your business.
The Time is Now
We all know how the holiday season goes. From in-your-face ads to the collection of flyers in your mail, approaching holiday shoppers is going to be a tricky business. But with a medley of in-store promotions that lead to your SMS offers, and the other way around, you’ve got your bases covered. Your customers are going to be inadvertently looking for deals all around, and with shareable coupons, loyalty programs, and secret keywords, that holiday magic that can only be gained from mobile marketing will be key to making your holiday marketing a success.
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