As a solopreneur, you probably know the importance of consistently staying in contact with your customers and prospects. In fact, having a plan to consistently stay connected can help you grow your business.

There are several ways you can stay in touch with your customers and prospects, (i.e. social media, email marketing, phone calls, etc.). However, Text Message Marketing is one of the only methods that allows you to effectively, efficiently, and easily reach your customers wherever they are, and whenever you need to.

Here are 6 super quick ways you can use Text Message Marketing to help you grow your business:

1. Appointments

   If you set appointments for your clients, then using text messaging to remind your clients of their appointments is a great way to confirm the appointment and remind your client at the same time. Texting clients a reminder the day before an appointment not only reminds them, but also gives them a chance to adjust their appointment if they need to. I use ScheduleOnce which gives my clients the option to receive a reminder text with every appointment that is booked in the system.

2. Coupons

   We all like to know that we are getting a good deal, so why not use text message marketing to send out good deals to your loyal customers. Coupons sent via text message generate an immediate response when you create a call to action with a time limit. You can use a push campaign to send out text messages to your list with a unique coupon code. The customers can then show this code at your office or enter it on your website to obtain the discount. You can also do a pull campaign in which individuals send a text to a short code and they are then added to your mobile coupon list. Types of discounts you could offer include:

   1. Bonus offers
   2. Percentage off
   3. Flash sales
   4. Not sure what discount to offer? Use technique #6 "Text to Vote" to run a poll and find out what offer is more attractive to your audience.

3. Promotion Announcements

   Running a special promotion for customers or prospects? Create a text message that you can send out to your mobile list. You can create special promotions around:

   1. Holidays
   2. Seasons
   3. Exclusive Deals
   4. VIP Promotion
   5. Rewards/Loyalty Programs

4. Text to Join

   This is a great way to build both your mobile phone number list and your email list. Individuals can text a word to your short code and then respond with their email address (i.e. text "join" to "51312"). This kills two birds with one stone by having them join your text list and your email list with one transaction. There are several text message services that you can use. I use EZtexting.com.

5. Text to Win
   

   People love contests, so why not offer a text to win contest. Allowing people to enter the contest via text message. Be sure you have the contest rules available online for people to be able to refer to the contest rules.

6. Text to Vote

   This method became popular from talent shows like American Idol and The Voice, which allows the audience to participate in the results of the show by texting their vote for their favorite artist. You can run similar promotions by having people vote for their favorite product, service, coupon idea, etc.

Are you using text message marketing in your business? If so, what methods are you using? How has it helped you to grow your business?

Nadine Mullings

Nadine Mullings is known as The B.E.S.T. Marketing Strategist™. She is passionate about assisting small business owners to market and promote their businesses both online and offline using the four core marketing strategies in the B.E.S.T. Marketing System™.
With over 15 years of experience in marketing and an MBA with an Ecommerce specialization, Nadine uses her experience and education to assist entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, and independent business owners to attract new clients, get repeat business, and build a strong social network.