With Summer in full swing, we expect business to be at its peak. But when you see potential customers using their summer spending elsewhere, it means turning back to the drawing board. As a leading mobile marketing company, we understand the challenges faced by small businesses in attracting and retaining customers, especially during the tourism season.

In this blog post, we will explore the power of text message marketing and how it can help your small business thrive during this crucial period. Whether you’re a local restaurant, a boutique hotel, or an adventure tour operator, utilizing SMS marketing can make a significant impact on your customer acquisition and retention strategies.

Understanding the Power of Text Message Marketing

In an era of digital communication, text messages have emerged as a highly effective tool for engaging with customers. With a minimal time commitment, text message marketing is a quick way to get the word out about specials, events, and updates about your business to customers.

Additionally, SMS marketing allows you to connect directly with your target audience, providing an immediate and personal touch that other marketing channels can struggle to achieve. With over 95% of text messages being read within minutes of receipt, you can ensure your messages reach customers when it matters most.

Engaging Customers with QR Code Scan-to-Win Marketing

One of the most innovative and proven ways to leverage text message marketing is through QR code scan-to-win campaigns. By incorporating QR codes into your promotional materials, such as flyers, posters, or even menus, you can encourage customers to engage with your business in a fun and interactive way. For example, a local ice cream parlor can print QR codes on their dessert menus, offering customers a chance to win a free scoop by scanning the code and signing up for their SMS marketing list. This not only increases customer participation but also builds a valuable contact list for future promotions.

But it doesn’t stop with the winner. After the contest ends, send a consolation gift to the non-winners for continued business! Running a monthly contest also grows your list continuously, and builds a strong recommendation list.

Leveraging SMS Marketing for Customer Retention

While attracting new customers during the tourism season is crucial, it’s equally important to retain their loyalty and bring them back for the next tourism season. SMS marketing offers an effective solution for customer retention by allowing you to stay connected with your audience throughout the year.

By sharing exclusive discounts, special promotions, or even personalized birthday offers via text message, you can keep your business top of mind for customers and nurture long-term relationships.

Harnessing SMS Lead Generation for Targeted Marketing

SMS lead generation is another powerful tool that small businesses can employ to enhance their marketing efforts. By using opt-in keywords, such as “TOURIST” or “EXPLORE,” customers can sign up to receive updates, tips, or special offers from your business. This strategy not only helps you build a database of interested prospects but also enables you to segment your audience based on their preferences and demographics. This targeted approach allows you to tailor your messaging and offers, ensuring maximum relevance and engagement.

Crafting Effective SMS Marketing Campaigns

To make the most of your text message marketing initiatives, it’s essential to follow some best practices:

Keep messages concise

Due to character limitations, it’s important to keep your SMS messages brief, clear, and to the point. Get your message across succinctly, and always include a clear call to action.

Offer value

Ensure your messages provide tangible value to your customers. Whether it’s a discount, exclusive offer, or useful information, make sure your recipients feel rewarded for being part of your SMS marketing list.

Personalize when possible

Addressing customers by name and tailoring messages to their preferences can significantly enhance engagement and create a sense of personalized attention.

Timing matters

Be mindful of the timing of your messages. Avoid sending texts too early or too late in the day, and consider time zone differences if you cater to a diverse customer base.

Start Your Summer Success

In conclusion, small businesses can unlock tremendous potential by incorporating text message marketing into their customer acquisition and retention strategies during the tourism season. QR code scan-to-win marketing, SMS lead generation, and targeted messaging are just a few of the powerful tools at your disposal. By leveraging the immediacy and personalization of SMS marketing, you can attract new customers, foster lasting relationships, and ensure their return for future tourism seasons.

The Streamwerks Media platform helps businesses like yours harness the power of mobile marketing.

Take It From Small Business Owner Alex

In the picturesque town of Pineview nestled amidst the towering mountains, Alex owns a cozy store called Mountain Treasures, specializing in outdoor gear and adventure essentials. Aware of the challenges faced by businesses in attracting customers during the tourism season, Alex decided to implement SMS marketing into his summer strategy, hoping to bring his small business to new heights.

Eager to engage with his target audience, Alex immediately embraced the power of QR code scan-to-win marketing. He created visually appealing flyers and distributed them to local lodges, hiking trails, and even at the entrance of his store. Each flyer featured a QR code that, when scanned, gave customers a chance to win exciting prizes by signing up for Mountain Treasures’ SMS marketing list. The campaign not only piqued the interest of adventure enthusiasts but also built a valuable contact list for future promotions.

As the tourism season started, Alex focused on leveraging SMS marketing to boost customer retention. He sent personalized messages to his customers, expressing gratitude for their visit and offering exclusive discounts on their next purchase. By using automation tools, he ensured that customers received birthday greetings and anniversary offers, making them feel valued and appreciated. The result was a growing sense of loyalty among his customers, who eagerly returned to Mountain Treasures for their outdoor needs, year after year.

Honing in on the keywords

Driven by his belief in the power of targeted marketing, Alex harnessed the potential of SMS lead generation. He included opt-in keywords, such as “MOUNTAIN” and “ADVENTURE,” in his marketing materials, encouraging visitors to join the Mountain Treasures community for updates, expert tips, and exclusive offers. With a segmented audience based on their preferences and interests, Alex tailored his messages to cater to specific groups, ensuring maximum relevance and engagement.

Alex’s dedication to SMS marketing bore fruit. His small business thrived not just during the tourism season but throughout the year, earning a reputation as the go-to store for outdoor enthusiasts in Pineview. Word-of-mouth recommendations spread like wildfire, attracting visitors from far and wide, even the big city just an hour away. The success of his marketing efforts empowered Alex to expand his product range, offer unique services, and become an integral part of the local outdoor community.

By embracing QR code scan-to-win campaigns, personalized messaging, and SMS lead generation, Alex not only attracted new customers but also fostered enduring relationships year after year. His story became a source of inspiration for fellow small business owners in Pineview and beyond, encouraging them to explore the untapped potential of mobile marketing.

Real Strategies that Work

Alex’s story exemplifies the transformative power of text message marketing for small businesses, even in mountainous regions. By incorporating QR code scan-to-win campaigns, personalized messaging, and SMS lead generation, he successfully attracted and retained customers throughout the tourism season. His dedication and commitment to the strategies outlined in Streamwerks Media’s blog allowed Mountain Treasures to flourish, becoming a trusted name in outdoor retail.

If you’re a small business owner in a similar setting, take inspiration from Alex’s journey and unlock the potential of text message marketing. By harnessing the power of SMS campaigns, you can enhance customer acquisition, retention, and overall business growth. Streamwerks Media is here to guide you along this path, providing expert insights and support. Embark on your own success story today, and witness your small business thrive in the mountains and beyond.

The post Leveraging SMS Marketing During Tourism Season appeared first on StreamWerks Media.

In this digital age, text message marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for reaching and engaging with customers. In this blog, we will explore how text message marketing can help businesses, and we’ll follow Carry, the owner of an ice cream shop, as she successfully utilizes this strategy to boost her sales during Father’s Day.

Why Text Message Marketing?

While traditional marketing platforms have shined in the past, they must move over for new trends. But just as you would create a compelling message for a flyer, text messages are just as simple- and in more ways than one. Let’s dive into a few of the pros of text message marketing.

Instant Connection with Customers

With an average open rate of 98% and an average response time of just 90 seconds, text messages provide an instant and direct connection to your customers. This makes text message marketing a highly effective tool for engaging with your target audience and getting your message across.

Personalized Communication

Text message marketing allows you to create personalized and targeted campaigns. You can segment your customer base based on demographics, purchase history, or preferences and tailor your messages accordingly. By sending personalized offers and promotions, you can make your customers feel valued and increase their likelihood of making a purchase.

Cost-Effective and Efficient

Compared to traditional marketing channels like print media or TV advertisements, text message marketing is incredibly cost-effective. Sending bulk text messages requires minimal investment while offering maximum reach. It also saves time and resources by automating the process, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business.

High Conversion Rates

The direct and immediate nature of text messages often results in higher conversion rates. Customers are more likely to take action when they receive a text message with a limited-time offer or an exclusive discount. By leveraging this sense of urgency, you can drive more traffic to your business and increase your sales during Father’s Day.

There are several benefits to going mobile, but why simply talk about it when we can see it in action?

Carry’s Success Story: How Text Message Marketing Boosted Her Ice Cream Shop’s Sales

Meet Carry, the owner of Carry’s Creamery, a popular summertime ice cream shop. Carry is aware that Father’s Day is the perfect opportunity to attract customers and create memorable experiences for families. In order to reach her objectives, she decided to utilize simple, but effective text message marketing.

Building a Text Subscriber List

Carry created her subscriber list before starting her text message marketing campaign. During her campaign, she offered customers a discount on their next purchase as an incentive for opting in. Getting customers to opt-in was simple: all they had to do was text a keyword to a designated number. With the customer list growing, Carry had an efficient and direct way of reaching out to the right people.

Crafting Engaging and Personalized Messages

With her subscriber list set up, Carry began sending personalized and engaging text messages. In contrast to generic promotions, she tailored her messages to appeal to her target audience. For Father’s Day, she crafted the perfect message: “Celebrate Father’s Day with a Sweet Treat! For the first 50 Dads to come in, get 30% off a sundae!”

Implementing Time-Sensitive Offers

See that time-sensitive offer? By creating a sense of urgency, her text message encouraged immediate action. Amidst her previous message, she sent out additional messages like, “Father’s Day Special: Buy One Scoop, Get One Free! Offer available for the NEXT TWO HOURS ONLY!” These time-bound offers not only attracted customers but also motivated them to visit Carry’s Creamery promptly.

Exclusive VIP Treatments

For those who were part of the first 50 dads offer, Carry encouraged the visitors to opt-in to her loyalty program to get VIP-exclusive offers for the upcoming weeks. This made her customers feel special and appreciated, and increased their likelihood of returning to her shop. For example, she sent messages like, “Dear Creamery Lovers, as our valued VIP customer from this Father’s Day weekend, enjoy a complimentary topping of your choice with any ice cream purchase!”

Encouraging Social Media Engagement

On top of a compelling and time-sensitive offer, you can blast your promos ahead of time to build up the hype! To amplify her text message marketing efforts, Carry encouraged her customers on social media to opt-in to her list for the holiday specials. By sharing her keyword online, users were able to join her promos list right from their phones, regardless of where they were. This not only boosted her content but also increased the shop’s visibility and created a buzz around the Father’s Day campaign.

Sending Follow-Up Messages

After the Father’s Day celebrations, she kept the buzz going with other special offers. With the fun and engaging messages she sent during the holiday, she had already created a custom list for her sweet tooth fans to stay up-to-date on the excitement.

The Results

Carry’s strategic implementation of text message marketing during Father’s Day yielded remarkable results. Her ice cream shop experienced a significant increase in foot traffic and sales. By leveraging the power of personalized and time-sensitive offers, Carry was able to create a sense of urgency among customers, driving them to visit her shop and enjoy their favorite frozen treats with their dads.

The engaging and exclusive VIP treatment received through text messages made her customers feel appreciated and valued, fostering loyalty and repeat business. Additionally, the social media engagement generated by her campaign not only increased brand visibility but also attracted new customers who were intrigued by the positive experiences shared by others.

Is Your Business Ready for Father’s Day?

Father’s Day is a perfect opportunity for businesses to leverage text message marketing and boost their revenue. By utilizing this powerful tool, business owners like Carry can create personalized and engaging experiences for their customers this summer. The instant connection and high open rates associated with text message marketing allow businesses to reach their target audience effectively, and keep the communication fun by allowing customers to join the list.

By crafting engaging messages, incorporating time-sensitive offers, and providing exclusive VIP treatments, businesses can drive more traffic to their establishments and increase sales during Father’s Day. Moreover, the ability to gather a subscriber list and maintain communication with customers beyond the holiday ensures long-term customer retention and loyalty.

So, as Father’s Day approaches, remember to scoop up the benefits of text message marketing and make it a part of your marketing strategy. Engage with your customers, offer irresistible promotions, and watch as your business enjoys a sweet boost in revenue today!

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The post Text Message Marketing Strategies for Father’s Day 2023 appeared first on StreamWerks Media.

Among the myriad of marketing channels available, SMS marketing has emerged as a powerful tool to engage audiences directly and drive conversions. With its high open and response rates, text message marketing has proven to be a valuable addition to any comprehensive marketing strategy.

In this blog, we will guide you through the essential steps to take when starting your text message marketing campaigns. So, let’s dive in and unlock the potential of SMS marketing!

Know Your Audience

To embark on a successful SMS marketing journey, understanding your audience is paramount. It’s crucial to recognize that different generations perceive and engage with text messages in unique ways. By delving into the characteristics and preferences of each generation, you can tailor your text messages to resonate with specific groups, ensuring relevance and personalization.

Let’s explore how different generations perceive and interact with text messages:

Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964):

Baby Boomers, although not typically considered digital natives, have embraced technology and text messaging as a means of communication. However, they often prefer concise and straightforward messages that get to the point quickly. When targeting this demographic, focus on simple communication, highlighting the benefits, offers, or promotions in a concise manner. Additionally, be mindful that Baby Boomers may prefer traditional channels such as phone calls or emails, so integrating text messages with other communication methods can be effective in capturing their attention.

Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980):

Generation X grew up during the rise of technology and has adapted to various communication platforms, including text messaging. They appreciate a balance between brevity and informative content. When targeting Generation X, consider providing a bit more context and details in your text messages while still maintaining a concise format. Incorporating personalized offers or exclusive promotions can resonate well with this demographic, as they value individualized experiences.

Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996):

Millennials, having grown up in the digital age, are highly familiar with text messaging and rely on it as a primary form of communication. They appreciate authenticity, personalization, and interactive content. When crafting text messages for Millennials, consider incorporating engaging elements such as interactive polls, surveys, or links to relevant content. Leveraging their desire for social sharing, you can encourage them to spread the word about your brand or promotions via SMS, amplifying your reach.

Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012):

Generation Z, also known as the “digital natives,” has grown up with smartphones and instant communication. They are comfortable with text messaging and expect brands to provide fast and relevant information. To effectively engage Generation Z, focus on creating concise and visually appealing text messages. Utilize emojis, GIFs, or visual elements to capture their attention. Additionally, consider incorporating user-generated content or leveraging influencers to establish authenticity and credibility.

By segmenting your audience based on generational preferences, you can tailor your text messages to each group’s unique expectations. Remember that these are generalizations, and individual preferences may vary within each generation.

Regularly analyze your data and metrics to refine your approach and keep up with evolving trends. By providing valuable and engaging content that aligns with your audience’s comforts and digital history, you can forge strong connections, enhance brand loyalty, and drive meaningful results through your SMS marketing campaigns.

Sending Your SMS at the Right Time

Timing plays a crucial role in the success of your SMS marketing campaigns. By understanding the importance of sending messages at the right time, you can significantly impact engagement and response rates, ultimately driving the desired action from your audience.

Let’s delve deeper into this aspect and explore specific strategies to optimize the timing of your SMS campaigns.

Consider Your Audience’s Daily Routines and Time Zones:

To effectively time your SMS messages, it’s vital to consider your audience’s daily routines and time zones. Think about their typical schedules, such as when they are most likely to be active and receptive to receiving promotional messages. Are they early risers who check their phones first thing in the morning? Or do they tend to engage more during lunch breaks or evenings? Tailoring your sending times to align with your audience’s habits can make a remarkable difference in capturing their attention.

Personalize Timing for Special Events and Promotions:

If you have an upcoming event or special promotion, it’s crucial to inform your audience well in advance. Sending a few days or even weeks prior to the event creates anticipation and allows your customers to plan accordingly. Consider sending a series of reminders leading up to the big day, highlighting different aspects of the event or promo to keep your audience engaged and excited. By extending the conversation beyond the event day, you can continue to nurture interest and drive participation.

Utilize Follow-Up Messages for Maximum Impact:

Don’t let the momentum fizzle out after the event day. Use SMS marketing to follow up with your audience by offering post-event discounts or showcasing your most popular services or products while your brand is still fresh in their minds. These follow-up messages can serve as gentle reminders and encourage customers to take advantage of exclusive offers or continue their engagement with your business.

Analyze Results and Experiment with Sending Times:

To find the sweet spot for sending your SMS campaigns, it’s crucial to analyze the results and gather insights. Monitor metrics such as open rates, response rates, and conversion rates to identify patterns and trends. Experiment with different sending times, considering variations on weekdays, weekends, and specific times of the day. By continuously testing and refining your approach, you can discover the optimal timing that maximizes your message’s impact.

Strike a Balance

While consistency is key in SMS marketing, it’s essential to strike a balance to avoid overwhelming your customer base with excessive messages. Maintain a regular cadence of communication, providing valuable and relevant content, promotions, and updates. However, be mindful of frequency and avoid bombarding your audience with messages that might lead to fatigue or opt-outs. Respect their time and preferences, focusing on quality rather than quantity.

By implementing these strategies and paying attention to the timing of your SMS messages, you can effectively engage your audience, drive higher response rates, and ultimately achieve your marketing goals. Remember, the right message at the right time can make all the difference in capturing your customers’ attention and inspiring them to take action.

Research for Inspiration

When it comes to developing captivating SMS campaigns, staying inspired and creative is essential. One effective way to fuel your creativity is by researching how other brands have successfully utilized text message marketing to engage their audience. By exploring case studies, industry blogs, and even your competitors’ campaigns, you can gather valuable insights and identify strategies that align with your brand voice and objectives.

Learning from the successes of others while staying true to your own unique identity can spark innovative ideas to captivate your audience and drive results. Let’s dive deeper into the importance of research for inspiration and explore some examples of how the style and voice of a text message can either attract or push away customers.

Tailoring the Style and Voice

Text messages provide a unique opportunity to infuse your brand’s style and voice into concise and engaging content. Consider the tone, language, and personality that aligns with your target audience. For example, a casual and conversational tone may resonate well with a younger demographic, while a more professional and informative approach might be suitable for a B2B (business-to-business) audience. By understanding your customers and their preferences, you can craft text messages that make them feel connected to your brand and encourage them to take action.

Real-life examples of how brands have leveraged SMS marketing effectively

• Retail Promotions: Retailers often use SMS marketing to deliver time-sensitive offers and promotions. For instance, a clothing store may send a text message to its subscribers, offering a limited-time discount on a new collection. By creating a sense of urgency and exclusivity, such campaigns can drive immediate sales and increase customer engagement.

• Appointment Reminders: Service-based businesses, such as salons or healthcare providers, can benefit from sending appointment reminders via text messages. By providing timely reminders and allowing customers to confirm or reschedule appointments with a simple reply, businesses can reduce no-shows and improve overall customer satisfaction.

• Exclusive Updates: Brands can use text messages to provide exclusive updates and early access to new products, events, or releases. For example, a tech company might send a text message to its subscribers, offering a sneak peek at an upcoming product launch before it’s announced to the public. This not only builds anticipation but also makes customers feel valued and part of an exclusive community.

• Customer Surveys and Feedback: Text messages can serve as a convenient way to gather customer feedback and insights. By sending short surveys or requesting feedback through SMS, brands can collect valuable data to improve their products, services, and overall customer experience.

Potential Pitfalls

While text message marketing can be highly effective, it’s important to be mindful of potential pitfalls that can push customers away. Here are a few things to consider:

• Overwhelming Frequency: Bombarding customers with excessive text messages can lead to annoyance and unsubscribes. Strike a balance between staying engaged and not overwhelming your customer base. Regularly assess the frequency of your messages to ensure you’re providing value without becoming intrusive.

• Lack of Personalization: Generic, one-size-fits-all messages can come across as impersonal and irrelevant. Take advantage of segmentation and personalization features to tailor your messages based on customer preferences, behavior, or purchase history. This level of customization demonstrates that you understand your customers and value their individual needs.

• Irrelevance and Lack of Value: Ensure that your text messages provide relevant and valuable information to your audience. Sending messages that are not aligned with their interests or needs can result in disengagement or opt-outs. Take the time to understand your customers’ pain points, desires, and aspirations, and craft messages that address and resonate with them.

By researching successful SMS marketing campaigns and understanding how the style and voice of a text message can impact whether you drive customers to your store, or away from it.

Bonus Tip: Integrating QR Codes for Maximum Impact:

One powerful way to enhance the effectiveness of your SMS campaigns is by integrating QR codes. QR codes provide a seamless bridge between the offline and online worlds, enabling customers to access additional information or special offers with a simple scan. By including QR codes in your text messages, you can direct customers to sign-up pages, product catalogs, or exclusive content, elevating their overall experience and increasing the chances of conversion. QR codes offer a fun and interactive element that boosts engagement and reinforces the value of your SMS marketing efforts. Just check out our blog to see the other creative ways you can incorporate the best 2023 QR code strategies into your own.

Conclusion

As you embark on your SMS marketing journey, remember that success lies in understanding your audience, crafting irresistible offers, seeking inspiration from industry leaders, and timing your campaigns effectively. Embrace the power of SMS marketing to connect with your customers directly, and take it a step further by integrating QR codes for enhanced engagement. With careful planning, a dash of creativity, and a commitment to providing value, your text message marketing campaigns will deliver impactful results, fostering stronger relationships with your audience and driving business growth. Embrace the possibilities, and let SMS be your gateway to success!

The post The Beginner’s Guide to Successful SMS Marketing Campaigns appeared first on StreamWerks Media.

Jump to your section

• How Can Text Message Marketing Help Me?
• The Benefits for Your Business
• Customizing Your Campaign
• Best Practices for Text Messages
• Optimization Tips
• Measuring Your Text Message Marketing Success
• To Sum It All Up

How many hours do you spend each day on your marketing? And we mean all of it. Flyers, social media, graphics, emails, website… the list goes on.

It’s likely several hours minimum. And chances are that this isn’t sustainable, which brings us here.

Now let us ask you another question. How long does it take you to send a text message? A few seconds, maybe a minute at most? It’s no wonder that we use them often. Nearly every person has a phone and uses text messaging (check!), text messages are quick and to the point (another check!), and most people check a text message within 90 seconds of receiving one (and check!).

Text messaging is often thought of for personal use only, but as a business owner, you can also reap the rewards.

This efficient and simple strategy can help save time by streamlining communication with customers, improving response rates, and eliminating the need for manual processes like emails and customer calls. With our ultimate guide to text messaging for business marketing, you’ll soon be wondering why it took so long to adopt this convenient method of customer outreach! Everything from setting up a campaign to analyzing results is covered here – let’s begin exploring how texting has become the top choice for modern organizations.

How Can Text Message Marketing Help Me?

Text message marketing, or mobile marketing, is one of the most effective methods of digital marketing in today’s world. What business doesn’t want to be able to easily keep in contact with customers or leads through a quick and short message? This form of mobile communication allows businesses to easily inform customers about new promotions, upcoming events, and pretty much any info you want to send to your audience at the touch of a button. Text message marketing gives businesses the advantage of having direct access to the mobile devices of their customers; creating a much more efficient way for consumers to interact with each other. With its proven success track record, mobile marketing is definitely something that should be part of your overall marketing strategy if you don’t like to waste time.

The Benefits for Your Business

As we said at the beginning of this post, marketing is time-consuming. With so many platforms to advertise on, how do you prioritize your most active one? That is if you know which one truly is the most active. But nearly three-quarters of the world will be using only their smartphones for engagement by 2025. On top of that, the majority of people check their phones within 90 seconds of receiving a message! So if you’re still unsure about how your business could benefit from text message marketing, think about all that time you spent creating flyers and sending emails when you could have sent a text message in only a few seconds…

“Time isn’t a huge issue for me”

What about money? The average flyer costs about $1.07 each from Office Depot. Know how much it costs to send a text message? 3 cents.

No one loves doing math, but we believe this part is important:

Not only is important to note that flyers have a 1-5% engagement rate, but their cost to send them out to each individual is nearly 35 times the cost of text message marketing.

So not only are you connecting with customers within seconds of sending a message, but you’re also cutting back dramatically on costs. With text messages, businesses can easily create a personalized experience, save time in gradually connecting with their customers, and save money in the process. Text messages are short, but they can pack quite the punch when it comes to establishing a positive working relationship with potential leads or existing customers.

Customizing Your Campaign

If you’re interested in starting a text message marketing campaign for your business, we’re here to help. You can create a custom campaign that fits your needs, and manage it from start to finish. Whether you’re looking to run a QR code contest, or simply let your customers know about your monthly specials, youve got it covered. And even if you don’t know how to incorporate text message marketing into your current strategy, Rob our lead marketer can sit down with you in a 1:1 to find the perfect campaign to fit your unique brand and business goals.

Best Practices for Text Messages

If you decide that you want to do your own messaging and stay personally engaged with your audience, how do you know what to send? What hours are most effective for maximum reach? What should you even say when messaging as a business? Let’s break down some of the best practices before you start.

When it comes to text message marketing, industry restrictions and business hours should always be taken into account. It’s important to keep up with the industry-specific regulations and laws that pertain to messaging in order to reduce the risk of a penalty. Furthermore, sending messages within normal business hours is always a good practice to give your audience a more than welcomed distraction from their typical nine-to-five.

When crafting messages for your customers, be sure to maintain a friendly yet informative tone as if you were talking to a friend. It’s a text message after all, so keeping it casual is a great way to show that you’re a real person, not just some company face. In this way, you can create an inviting experience that connotes trustworthiness while providing helpful information that they can actually use.

Optimization Tips

It’s no secret that text messaging campaigns can be a great tool for businesses to connect with their customers and keep them informed about products, promotions, and updates. To maximize the effectiveness of your text message marketing campaigns, it’s important to keep your deals fresh and up to date. Make sure to use compelling offers that capture your customers’ attention and incentivize them to stay engaged with your brand.

Additionally, don’t be afraid to get creative with your messages try out different formats like polls or quizzes – anything that will spark conversation between you and your audience. Keep in mind that these kinds of strategies all go hand in hand and help make up a successful text message marketing campaign.

Measuring Your Text Message Marketing Success

Utilizing text message marketing is an efficient way to measure the success of your campaigns. With increased foot traffic as a result of increased customer engagement, track metrics like increased conversions, sales, and loyalty rewards. Specifically, use SMS marketing to gauge how successful doubling down on promotional campaigns can be and how that ties to increased revenue. There are many opportunities for businesses to gain more insight into their customer’s behaviors when it comes to opting in and out of content, creating additional touchpoints with customers to gauge how well your customers respond (e.g. increasing your contact list through new opt-ins).

Our dashboard breaks down the analytics in real time and has time parameter settings so you can see where you were a month, or even a year ago. Keeping track of your success can also help you optimize your messaging even faster so that you can create the perfect campaign with a few simple clicks.

To Sum It All Up

All in all, text message marketing is an incredibly effective and convenient way for your business to reach out to your customers and potential customers. This type of marketing strategy is not only trackable, but it also provides benefits like convenience, mobile visibility, speed, and personalization. Not only that, but setting up a text message campaign can be done quickly, and without requiring technical skills. With the right approach in mind and the best practices followed, you can measure success with metrics like open rates and response rates to track if your messaging is effective or not. Now that you know the importance of using text message marketing as part of your marketing plan, book a call with us and Rob can show you how text message marketing can benefit you!

Check out our library of tips and tricks for mobile marketing!

The post Text Message Marketing: The Ultimate Time Saver appeared first on StreamWerks Media.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how easy it is for small businesses to create their own campaigns and quickly see success from targeted promotions. Read on as we take a deep dive into why QR Code Scan-to-Win Contests make such great marketing tools — perfect for improving visibility and expanding your reach with minimal resources required!

Introducing QR Code Scan-to-Win Contests As An Effective Marketing Tool For Small Businesses

For small businesses looking for an effective mobile marketing tool, considered using QR Code Scan-to-Win Contests! Introducing our amazing QR Code Scan-to-Win Contest technology which empowers you to create exciting mobile promotional campaigns! Get the word out through mobile devices and draw customers to your business without breaking the bank. With our easy-to-use self service platform integrated with powerful features, you can effortlessly introduce QR Code Scan-to-Win Contests as an effective mobile marketing tool for your small business.

Aisha was feeling overwhelmed. She had a small business selling natural rocks and gems, and she wanted to get more leads but didn’t know how. Every marketing solution online was complicated and expensive, and Aisha wanted something simpler. Then she found Streamwerks Media and their unique QR Code Scan-to-Win Contest platform.

Understanding the Benefits of Using QR Code Scan-to-Win Contests for Your Business

Running a business comes with a lot of pressure to stay ahead of the competition, which can be overwhelming and expensive. QR Code Scan-to-Win Contests are an innovative way to save money and bring in more customers. You can spend less time on marketing strategy because it only takes minutes to set up and running a QR Code Contest does not require any technical knowledge. On top of that, these contests can work with the business owners to reward customers for their loyalty, creating a more personable connection between businesses and customers, which leads to more successful businesses overall.

Utilizing QR Code Scan-to-Win Contests within your business can have a huge array of advantages. Save money and spend less time crafting marketing plans as these contests provide an optimal way to engage with customers. You can create a contest that is personalized to fit the brand and goals of your specific company to insure success. Ultimately, this type of marketing strategy is an excellent way to save time and money while still creating enjoyable experiences for customers.

How to Create a Winning Contest With QR Code Scan-to-Win Technology

Using a unique QR code you can easily draw customers to your business while increasing engagement and collecting customer data. Additionally, once the contest is complete, you have a fresh lead list for promoting future offers! As long as you offer an effective prize, this innovative technology will surely help take your lead list to the next level!

What to Take Into Consideration When Deciding on Contest Prizes and Entry Requirements

When deciding on the perfect prizes and entry requirements for a QR Code Scan-to-Win Contest, it’s important to select something that any VIP would want as well as something that suits the brand or industry you represent. You’ll also need to be aware of any industry restrictions and make adjustments to your plans if needed. With the right selection process, these contests can be invaluable in boosting customer loyalty, driving engagement with your products or services, and you can create an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.

Aisha decided to give it a try. She created a customized QR Code for her store and added it to her website, social media accounts, print materials, etc. When customers scanned the code with their phones they were taken to a page where they could enter their contact information into an opt-in form in exchange for the chance to win a gift card to Aisha’s store.

Strategies for Promoting and Engaging Participants With Your QR Code Scan-to-Win Contest

Promoting your QR code scan-to-win contest is essential to ensuring that participants can engage with the activity. An effective strategy would be optimizing advertisement placement in places where customers and prospective customers commute. Additionally, using social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are great ways to create brand awareness and boost participation in your contest.

Posting regularly about the contest can encourage people to join, thus creating an engaging user experience for all involved. Utilizing these strategies will enable you to spread the word about your contest, attract participants, and ultimately make it a success!

Within days of launching her QR Code Scan-to-Win Contest, Aisha had hundreds of new leads in her database and activity on her platforms had skyrocketed! She had even gained some national press coverage as word spread about her innovative approach to customer engagement. Plus, with all these new leads, she was able to start building relationships with more potential customers who would become loyal customers down the road.

Analyzing the Results of Your QR Code Scan-to-Win Contest and Making Changes as Necessary

Analyzing the results of your QR Code scan-to-win contest can be a great way to make sure you’re meeting customer needs and expectations. Looking at the data surrounding your campaign, such as how many people participated and which prizes attracted the most attention, can provide you with valuable insights that can help you make necessary changes in future contests. Not only can this give customers a better experience while boosting engagement, but it can also be instrumental in helping you drive business objectives. By leveraging data to make improvements, businesses are able to make better decisions while ensuring customers have engaging ways to engage with their brand.

Now that her business was growing thanks to Streamwerks Media’s easy solution for lead generation, Aisha finally felt like she had breathing room—and some extra funds—to reinvest back into the business.

Conclusion

Each business is unique and has its own needs, so it’s important to find the best approach for introducing a QR Code Scan-to-Win Contest that fits into your overall marketing strategy. When considering how to create a winning contest, you must take into account prizes, entry requirements, as well as promotional strategies to engage and actively promote participants. Once the results from your QR Code Scan-to-Win Contest are in, don’t be afraid to make adjustments or changes if something is not working properly or meeting expectations.

All in all, QR Code Contests can be an incredibly effective promotion technique for small businesses looking to generate leads and increase their sales and popularity among customers.  If you’re interested in using QR Code Contests, the Streamwerks Media platform can help you.

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From being used for menus, quick pay, and Scan-to-Win QR code campaigns, these little black and white squares are the swiss army knives of marketing tools. In addition to these elements, they also have the ability to collect information from consumers for future marketing use.

Consumer Marketing Expectations

In a sink-or-swim marketing world, every advantage a business can attain is the difference between success and failure. As technology is ever-changing, and customers transforming with it, we’re constantly finding common ground between customer comprehension and new trend-setting experiences.

We expect the best from the stores we shop at. While basic things like cleanliness and customer service have a lot to do with these expectations, customers also want a smooth customer experience (a.k.a. your store’s technology!) Nearly 95% of Americans own smartphones today, making QR codes simple and easy to use for most consumers. Most smartphones come with built-in technology to scan QR codes from the camera function where they receive a simple call to action.

QR codes are common practice in the majority of stores. Major brands like Adidas and Mcdonald’s have taken advantage of this touchless technology, but so have medium and small mom n’ pop shops. But, while you may want to keep up with these trends, standing out from your competitors is also vital.

So how do you continue to be unique from your competitors?

QR Code Scan-to-Win Campaigns

QR Code Scan-to-Win contests are just like they sound. The QR code allows people to scan the square with their phones, which redirects them to a contest form. Customers are entered into the contest after completing their form, and their data is collected for future marketing use.

We’re sure that you can agree that everyone loves winning free things. But while these contests bring in customers for a one-time purchase, you’re benefitting from more than just a quick sweepstakes contest. As customers agree to sign up, you’re creating a lead list to entice customers for future discounts and promos. QR code contests can automatically send the winner their prize collection information, and send the nonwinners a consolation prize.

Now that you know how they work, let’s see how this small business owner made the most of her campaign.

QR Codes at Work

Jasmine has been trying to market her tea shop for months now. From flyers to punch card loyalty programs, her ROI on her investment has been anything but successful. Even her website and FaceBook barely drive traffic through her doors.

Meanwhile, Jasmine’s business friend has nearly doubled his store traffic and organic digital traffic. Jasmine asks him how he’s gotten such great engagement for his business, to which he replies, “QR Code Scan-to-Win contest!”. He refers her to Streamwerks Media where she can get a consultation and set up her account in just one day!

After getting in touch, she admits that she isn’t sure how to incorporate the contests with her brand. Fortunately, Streamwerks is great at brainstorming possibilities and helps her come up with a holiday promo to kick off at the beginning of February. She decides that she wants to offer a free couple’s tea tasting for Valentine’s Day. Streamwerks makes her branded QR code and graphics for her social media and some posters for around the store. Once she approves, them, she gets an email for the digital graphics and sets an order for some signage for her store.

A week later, Jasmine begins putting up the posters around and in front of the store, as well as posting the new graphic on her social media. Within hours, she starts getting notifications for all the sign-ups directly to her phone and email.

More customers begin visiting in the few days after, asking where they can sign up for the contest as they checkout at the counter. Her social media posting also gets several likes and shares as friends and family tag each other in the post.

A week passes and voila! One winner out of the 200 that participated is chosen at random by the Streamwerks platform, automatically receiving instructions on how to claim their prize. She didn’t even have to reach out to them, thanks to the Streamwerks automation system.

In the same automation, the platform sends a coupon to the nonwinners for 25% off one of her shops’ seasonal teas. As people come in to claim the offer, she encourages them to continue visiting for more contests in the future. Not only is she able to satisfy all the contestants of the QR code campaign, but she’s also ensured that customers will come back to keep entering the contests, and increased her profits from the campaign.

As the business day ends, Jasmine starts writing her email to Streamwerks Media for the next QR code contest…

The Best Tool for Your Business

As you can see, QR code Scan-to-Win contests are a fun and engaging way to increase sales and engagement at your store. They are multifaceted in their ability to engage your audience, increase your ROI on your marketing efforts, and are customizable with Streamwerks branded QR code feature. Nearly every customer that walked in or past Jasmine’s store had a phone that could scan the QR code, and the form was simple and quick, amplifying their user experience.

Streamwerks can help you out just like we helped Jasmine. From not knowing where to start to executing and following up on your QR code Scan-to-Win solutions, we’ll make sure that any major event at your business is a success. Follow this link to learn more about the best marketing strategies for every small business.

Contact us today to begin your consultation with our marketing experts!

The post QR Code Scan-to-Win Solutions for Holiday Marketing appeared first on StreamWerks Media.

QR Codes have made an incredible comeback in the last few years. Starting as a simple tool to track automobile parts during the assembly process, QR codes have vastly improved their use and design. Nowadays, they serve as a simple scannable code that takes customers directly to websites, menus, and many other sources for your business.

But how do you know when to use them, or how to use them effectively? We’ll explain the best strategies for using QR codes in 2023, and why they’re the perfect marketing multitool for your small business.

The Comeback Kid

Quick response (QR) codes have only recently been adopted into everyday life, despite their continued existence over the last 30 years. Before COVID-19, QR codes were actually on the decline. While big tech companies like Apple were including QR code scanning software in their phones in 2017, the rest of the consumer world had little understanding of what they were, or what they did. However, the pandemic in 2020 revolutionized their contactless and quick use. With sanitation protocols and social-distancing measures, businesses quickly adopted the QR code into their day-to-day use, and eventually their marketing strategy. And there’s no sign of it slowing down. In 2020 alone, the global QR Code Labels market was valued at $916.7 million and is expected to grow to $1268.1 million by 2026.

Using QR Codes in Your Mobile Marketing Strategy

As a small business, you’re likely running several positions throughout the course of the day, and every minute of it counts. From running registers during the day to budgeting at night, how do you find time to create an effective marketing plan? With Streamwerks Media, you can use QR Code Scan-to-Win contests to build your contact lists, offer customers limited-time discounts that go directly to their phones, create one-scan event sign-ups, and bridge the gap between your in-store and online promotion. The best part? You don’t need any advanced tech knowledge to use them. Even better, Streamwerks Media will meet with you to understand your company’s vision, create the perfect marketing campaign, and execute it.

QR Code Scan-to-Win Campaigns

These simple contests are great for engaging new and existing customers. As shoppers scan your QR code, they are taken to a form to enter their information for the contest. As their contact information is uploaded to your contact list, they simultaneously get a notification that they’ve entered your contest. QR Code Scan-to-Win campaigns are great for enticing customers to sign up for your small local business with the chance of winning an exciting prize. This is the perfect segway to encourage them to join your loyalty program, and get future offers that you can send to their phones later down the road.

Limited-time Discounts

Who doesn’t love getting an immediate coupon while shopping? By advertising your QR code in your store, or on your social media, customers can scan these and get an auto-response text including a limited-time discount at your store. By offering a coupon that can be used immediately, but only within a certain number of days, you can push shoppers to make those quick purchases.

Event Sign-Up

This tactic will make any business owner squeal with glee. Paper classes and event sign-ups can bring a lot of stress. Not only do you need people to visit your store location to write down their information, but interpreting handwriting can also be a challenge when going back through the list at the end of the day. Long gone are the days of retyping endless email addresses and awkward group responses to your mass emails!

With QR code class sign-ups, you can avoid the chaos and confusion leading up to your grand event. As customers scan your code, they are directed to your web form to enter their information. The Streamwerks platform categorizes that data and enters them into a contact list for that event. When the day for your class or event finally arrives, you can send class information and instructions directly to your customers’ phones. What if you have multiple classes or events going on around the same time? Click here to learn more about QR Code Class Sign Ups!

Connecting Your Online and Offline Marketing

With the ever-changing technological world, there are a lot of platforms to advertise your business through. Aside from social media, in-store graphics and signage can also be time-consuming. But putting it all together? We know most small business owners reading this are already sweating at the idea of somehow collaging it all together. QR codes are an understatedly simple way to bridge the gap between your online and offline marketing. QR codes are most effective when used in conjunction with other marketing channels. For example, you can include a QR code on your print advertisements and on your website. This will help you reach more customers and increase the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

A New Year for New Growth

Advertising your small business shouldn’t have to be hard. But now that you’ve seen the many ways QR codes can be used, is it worth incorporating them into your small business marketing? Integrating a new system may seem intimidating, but the rewards are well worth it. In addition to being an easy transition to upgrade your business’s technology, you are saving far more time spent on your advertising. What’s more, most shoppers own a smartphone, making QR codes easy to use for a larger audience to grow your customer base. And finally, there are many ways in which QR codes can help your small business marketing an absolute success in the new year.

That’s a lot of information, but still not sure where to begin? Give us a call! We’ll sit down with you to learn what you want to accomplish for your company, create a plan, and do the work for you.

Scan the QR code for a chance to win 1000 free messages for your new year marketing campaign!

The post QR Code Strategies Every Small Business Should Follow in 2023 appeared first on StreamWerks Media.

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.

Here’s our gift to you! Scan our QR Code and get 1000 free messages to kick start your holiday mobile marketing!

The post Combining SMS and In-Store Marketing appeared first on StreamWerks Media.

How often have you had customers that love and use your products or services, but never followed up on giving you a good review online? What is your engagement rate with your customers? Are you able to easily convince people to join your loyalty program on their first visit to your business? What if we told you that you could encourage your customers to engage on a frequent basis, visit your store often, and even increase your popularity in your local community with a single text? Sounds like a lot of work, right? We’ll be exploring the simple concept of keywords and their multiple uses in your day-to-day marketing through loyalty programs, secret keyword contests, and text-to-win campaigns.

The Foundation of Mobile Marketing

So what are keywords, and why are they so important? A keyword is a single word that customers can text to a shortcode to opt-in to your contact lists to receive promotions and alerts. Furthermore, you can have multiple keywords for different campaigns, giving you a wide range of freedom and creativity to interlink them with your business’ own style.

The use of simple keywords is just the beginning of creating a responsive customer base. As you learn to incorporate more platform features into the use of your keywords, you’ll see how these build on each other. A new customer will use your keyword to get your promos, and inevitably get messages about your many types of contests. Once they start entering to win special prizes at your store, they’ll see the value of being a loyal member who knows about all these features at your store. The more you invest in creating loyal customers, the more likely you are to build trust in your community as a proactive business.

This an easy and effective way to increase your customer base, and a catalyst to the beginnings of a successful marketing campaign. Your keyword can be interconnected to Text-to-Win campaigns, loyalty programs, and exciting and engaging Secret Keyword contests that bring your existing and new customers back to your store over and over. So how can you do this with just one word? Let’s get into it.

Loyalty Programs

Our loyalty program feature is completely free to your customers. Through the same keyword that they use to join your contact lists, they can also opt-in to your loyalty program. While bringing in new customers is important, it’s equally important to retain them as well.

As new customers visit your store, inform them about your keyword and shortcode to instantly get coupons and special offers. Don’t forget to let them in on your loyalty program to work towards a unique surprise.  These shoppers will catch on that they can earn rewards by participating in your text message marketing. Not only are you encouraging them to come back to keep getting these promotions, you’re setting yourself apart from your competitors by offering paperless coupons that can be redeemed, and in an easy way. 

With nearly 97% of all Americans owning some type of smartphone, keyword sign-up is a quick and painless process for your audience to get your offers. Who doesn’t love an easy process?

Contests

Another way to use keywords to appeal to your audience is the use of mobile contests. Offering special prizes for new customers is a great way to reward their participation. There are two types of contests that we’ll discuss; text-to-win contests and Secret Keyword contests.

Text-to-Win Campaigns

A Text-to-Win contest is just like it sounds. Customers can text a keyword of your choice to your shortcode to enter a limited-time contest, or general monthly/weekly contests. Once they send the text message with your keyword, they receive a message informing them of their successful opt-in to the contest. To learn more about Text-to-Win contests, check out our blog breaking down everything you need to know to run your own contest!

Secret Keyword Contests

This type of keyword contest is a customer favorite! So you already have your main keyword and a decent opt-in list, and you’re looking for a new way to engage your customers and encourage them to return to your store without a coupon. This is where we introduce the Secret Keyword contest! Whether you want to do a contest every day or once a week, depending on your business, you have a secret keyword that only you know. Additionally, the only way customers can discover the secret keyword to enter time-sensitive contests is to visit your store or go to your social media to find the revealing post. This is our favorite way of engaging customers!

While your customer base is looking to win these exciting contests, they also have a good reason for visiting your business over and over. This will drive your sales, and increase your likelihood of converting one-time customers into loyal and frequent visitors. Sounds too good to be true? We helped one of our clients get 191 new and unique opt-ins in under 48 hours with this technique! Additionally, they now receive nearly 180 new views for their promotions each month. Then, after increasing their opt-in list, they alerted all their customers through text to go support them in their city’s local Best of the Best contest. Not only were they nominated for two categories, but they also won first place in one division and 3rd in another! And the best part is, they hardly had to put in any time to do it.

Remember how we said everyone loves an easy process?

Our Final Word on Keywords

We believe that mobile marketing should be fun and easy! Not only for you but for your customers are well. Keywords are the single most important feature within the Streamwerks platform to make you stand out in the sea of businesses. With so many uses, and so little to learn in order to use them, incorporating their uses beyond simple opt-ins is crucial to becoming a successful business.

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With August coming to an end, active businesses are looking for new and innovative ways to engage new and existing customers. While newer marketing strategies and methods are being created every day, we can’t help but fall back to an existing tool that continues to pave the way for small to large businesses. QR Codes have continuously shown their worth in modern marketing. Today, we’ll talk about how to use QR codes to create a class sign-up list that can be updated instantly, generate a contact list to give updates to your participants, and highlight their advantage over paper lists.

Following Up on Classes

A QR code class sign-up is a process where customers sign up for classes by scanning QR codes with their mobile devices. This system is convenient in several ways. About 85% of Americans own a smartphone capable of scanning QR codes, making this method readily available to the majority of your customers. Additionally, QR codes, once scanned, bring a person directly to your sign-up page. This avoids the need to type in your URL or navigate to your page, making it a one-step process for your visitors. On top of an easy sign-up process, you can include your Facebook page, business page URL, and any other social media that you want to connect to the sign-up page for additional social media advertising!

Coupled with a data collection mechanism that collects generic and customized data from your customers, QR codes and mobile marketing technology give you the leverage to directly market to them in the future about classes they may be interested in. 

Once you have your attendee list for your class, keep them engaged with before and after-class tips and challenges to build up prior knowledge about the topic, engage them in learning and practice between classes, and then extend their learning after class is over. Create mobile offers for class materials before, during, and after class to keep them engaged and give them additional value from the class. And, don’t forget to send them industry updates to keep them engaged in the topic!

Create Your QR Code Sign Up

The best part about coming up with the class sign-up system is that its SUPER easy to do! We can help you plan a strategy for the pre and post-market opportunities to help you profit from more than just a one-time class fee. As the business owner, you come up with the classes you want to include, and a small description of what that entails (class description, costs, equipment needed, experience required for the class, etc.). Think about how to connect information and offers to your class and then let’s get a strategy together.

As customers scan the QR code, they can see all of the details, and if they want to sign up, the form will be right there under the description to opt-in directly to your contact list to receive additional details. Pending on if you want customers to come in and pay first to finish the sign-up process or not, they will receive a confirmation with any follow-up instructions, information about the topic offers for class materials, and encouraging quips from you before they come to your class How’s that for building brand loyalty and customer engagement?!

For example,

Debbie runs a yoga studio. She’s often too busy running the classes or doing internal work that makes manual class sign-ups difficult and time-consuming. So she creates three classes, each with its own QR code. As customers pass by or see her flyers and posters in other shops, they scan these QR codes, where they can see all the details, and finish filling out the form. Immediately after opting in for the class, they get a text message with details on paying for the class, along with any other information they need to know prior to attending. While her class sign-up runs automatically, Debbie can check in every once in a while to see how many people have opted into her classes without any of the hassle of collecting information, or continued advertising.

She suddenly remembers that she can’t run the third class session due to construction in one of the studios. Instead of running around to collect flyers to make new ones with the new information, she informs Streamwerks that it will need to be pushed back one week, and the pages connected to her QR codes are immediately updated for her customers! To keep the excitement going, she sends a text with a link to a yoga article, and even sends them a discount offer for a yoga mat and blocks from her studio. She sends a message to those already signed up to let them know of the schedule change. Having put in only an hour or two of her time, she’s planned out her whole month’s worth of classes with hardly any effort put in!

Making the Most of

Whether you’re creating new classes each week, or you have the next month planned in advance, the class sign-ups can be updated, and retired, pending on how long you want to run them. In addition to easy sign-ups, you can also update pre-existing customers with offers on similar classes and specials for class supplies after they’ve opted-in!

What if you don’t run the typical class structure? Perhaps you offer demos, do shows, or are looking to create volunteer events. You can create business conference sign ups, company-hosted events for customers, and so much more. The sky is the limit, so if you have an idea, its EASY to implement!

In Conclusion

It’s just a fact that QR codes are used more now than ever. As a powerful and convenient method of marketing and connecting with customers, and being an easy and affordable transition method for all business sizes and types, there’s no better time to incorporate QR codes into your marketing strategy. Interested in spending less time creating class sign-ups and extending your reach? Call us today to see how you can get started immediately! For more information on how our QR Codes work, click the link below to learn more.

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