SMS marketing has emerged as a potent tool for businesses, including those in the business coaching sector. It involves sending text messages to customers or clients with promotional or informational content. It’s a direct and effective way to reach a large audience instantly and is an invaluable asset for business coaches looking to attract and retain clients.
One of the key advantages of SMS marketing is its high open rate. Compared to emails, which often get lost in crowded inboxes, text messages are more likely to be opened and read. This makes SMS marketing ideal for time-sensitive promotions, announcements, or reminders related to business coaching services.
In this article, we will explore how business coaches can harness the power of SMS marketing to attract and retain their clients.
Let’s get to know some benefits and statistics revolving around SMS marketing:
Overall, SMS marketing offers businesses a direct, immediate, and cost-effective way to reach their audience, making it a valuable tool in any marketing strategy.
The coaching industry is expected to reach $6.25 billion in 2024 from the current market size of $5.34 billion.
Let’s get to know how to build an SMS marketing strategy for your coaching business:
Define the characteristics of your ideal clients in business coaching, such as industry, job title, or specific needs. Use customer data and analytics to segment your audience based on demographics, behaviour, or preferences. Tailor your SMS messages to each segment to increase relevance and engagement.
Determine what you want to achieve with your SMS marketing campaigns, such as increasing client inquiries, promoting new services, or improving client retention. Set measurable objectives, such as a target number of new clients acquired or a specific increase in revenue. Set realistic goals that align with your overall business objectives.
Research and compare SMS marketing platforms or service providers to find one that meets your needs and budget. Look for features such as bulk messaging, message scheduling, and analytics to help you manage and optimise your campaigns.
Consider factors like deliverability rates, customer support, and compliance with regulations (e.g., TCPA guidelines in the US) when making your decision.
Crafting compelling SMS campaigns for coaching business requires a thoughtful approach to engage your audience and drive them to take action. Here are some key strategies:
1. Identify Your Goal: Determine the objective of your SMS campaign. Whether it's promoting a new coaching business, driving registrations for a webinar, or increasing client inquiries, clarity on your goal will guide your messaging.
Pro Tip: Use action verbs and create a sense of urgency to encourage immediate action.
2. Understand Your Audience: Segment your audience based on their interests, needs, and behaviour. Tailor your messages to each segment to increase relevance and engagement.
Pro Tip: Use dynamic merge fields to personalise your messages that resonate with each segment of your audience.
3. Create a Strong Call to Action (CTA): Clearly state what you want recipients to do next. Whether it's visiting your website, scheduling a consultation, or downloading a resource, make the CTA compelling and easy to follow. For example, if you offer tiny homes, you could say: ‘Ready to Build Your Dream Tiny House?’ Check out our amazing selection of tiny homes for sale in Indiana and find your dream house today!
Pro Tip: Make your CTA clear and specific to encourage recipients to take the desired action.
4. Keep it Concise: SMS has a 160-character limit, so keep your message short and to the point. Focus on the most important information and avoid unnecessary details.
Pro Tip: Focus on the key benefit or offer to grab attention in a limited space.
5. Personalise Your Messages: Use merge tags to personalise your messages with the recipient's name or other relevant information. Personalisation can help increase engagement and response rates.
Pro Tip: Use merge tags to personalise messages with the recipient's name or other relevant information.
6. Offer Value: Provide recipients with something valuable, such as a discount, exclusive content, or a helpful tip. This can help incentivise them to take action.
Pro Tip: Provide recipients with a clear incentive to engage with your message.
7. Use Urgency and Scarcity: Create a sense of urgency or scarcity in your messages to encourage immediate action. Limited-time offers or exclusive deals can help drive conversions.
Pro Tip: Create a sense of urgency to encourage immediate action.
8. Timing is Key: Send your messages at a time when your audience is most likely to be receptive. Avoid sending messages late at night or early in the morning.
Pro Tip: Send messages at times when your audience is most likely to be receptive, such as in the morning or early evening.
9. Test and Optimise: Use A/B testing to test different messages, CTAs, and timing to see what works best. Continuously optimise your campaigns based on the results.
Pro Tip: Test different aspects of your messages to see what works and what doesn’t and optimise your campaigns for better results.
10. Compliance: Ensure that your SMS campaigns comply with relevant regulations, such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in the United States. Provide recipients with an easy way to opt out of receiving further messages.
Pro Tip: Ensure that your SMS campaigns comply with relevant regulations to avoid legal issues.
Implementing best practices ensures that your SMS campaigns are not only effective but also compliant and well-received by your audience. Here are some best practices:
Here are some best tips for implementing SMS in your coaching business to increase customer retention and build stronger relationships:
One of the most effective ways to retain customers is by sending personalised SMS messages. Addressing clients by their names and tailoring messages to their specific needs and goals can make them feel valued and understood. Personalisation can also include referencing previous coaching sessions or goals they've mentioned, showing that you're invested in their progress and success.
Sending timely and relevant messages is key to keeping customers engaged and interested in your coaching services. Whether it's a reminder about an upcoming coaching session, a motivational quote, or a tip related to their business goals, ensuring that your messages are timely and relevant to their needs can help reinforce the value of your coaching.
Offering exclusive discounts or special offers to existing customers can be a powerful way to encourage repeat business. Whether it's a discount on future coaching sessions or a bonus for referring a friend, providing incentives for customers to continue with you can help increase customer loyalty and retention.
SMS text marketing can also be used to stay connected with customers between coaching sessions. Whether it's sharing relevant articles, tips, or resources related to their business goals, or simply checking in to see how they're progressing, staying connected can help keep customers engaged and motivated throughout their coaching journey.
SMS marketing plays a crucial role in the success of business coaching by providing a direct and effective way to communicate with clients. When used strategically, SMS marketing can help business coaches attract and retain clients, drive engagement, and ultimately, achieve their business goals.
From initial client acquisition to ongoing engagement and retention strategies, SMS can play a pivotal role in driving success for business coaching endeavours. With the right approach and understanding of their target audience, coaches can harness the full potential of SMS marketing to achieve their business goals and build long-lasting client relationships.
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