It’s that time of year again! The party season is over and in a few short days, school will recommence in many countries. Then next month, university students will also return to their studies, so it’s a busy time of year for retailers who cater to these demographics. Have you got your last-minute SMS campaign sorted with the right SMS gateway set up?
From school bags and stationery supplies to electronics, books, uniforms, and new shoes — this is a big season for many vendors and service providers. With the right approach to your marketing, you can boost your revenue and build your customer base.
It’s not just retailers either who stand to see a boost in their business. This time of year, bookings and orders ramp up for:
- Hairdressers, salons, and barbers
- Dentists
- Bus companies
- School sport providers
- Excursion locations — e.g. museums, zoos, etc
- Tutors and after-school childcare providers
- Speech therapists and councilors
- Cafes nearby schools
- Sporting equipment retailers, sporting grounds and coaches
- Musical instrument retailers and music teachers
- Kids gift retailers and party entertainers (with kids parties starting almost immediately!)
Don’t get left behind, make the most out of the back to school season with text message marketing through your SMS gateway provider.
Maximise the Benefits of an SMS Gateway for your Brand
Know Your Target Audience
Remember who you’re messaging when sending back to school campaigns through your SMS gateway.
Get the most out of your back to school text messaging by ensuring that your message is targeted to your audience and their interests. Segment your messages with your SMS gateway service for specific recipients, for example, primary versus secondary versus tertiary level customers, or parents versus teachers versus administrators.
For example:
- Parents seek great deals on school uniforms, shoes, stationery, back-to-school dental incentives, etc. Once school is in session they may also be looking for ways to recuperate and get back to tasks they were unable do when on school holidays, for example home improvements.
- Tertiary students want to know about great deals on textbooks, stationery, laptops, and where to get a great coffee. They may also be from out of town and require rental accommodation.
- Teachers want great deals on school supplies, books for the classroom, and providers when planning things like school sport, language lessons, music classes and excursions.
- School children may be keen to get their hands on the coolest electronics, gadgets and games, and want to have the same school bags, lunch boxes and other accessories that their friends have. Parents of these children can be segmented by the age or gender of their child for even more targeted marketing.
- Principals, sports coordinators, administrators of school canteens, will want an effective way to communicate quickly and economically with their staff or volunteer base.
Back to School Sales or Events
With high tuition fees, expensive books and often the additional cost of living away from home, tertiary students are often on the lookout for sales.
Offer a Back-to-School Event to offer great discounts and deals in a time-sensitive way. This creates a sense of urgency and fear of missing out (FOMO) which drives customers to act. Examples of offers that drive FOMO could include buy-one-get-one and bulk offers.
Rewards and Referrals
Incentivise your customers to sign up for SMS marketing and refer your brand to their friends.
Offer incentives for opting into your SMS marketing campaign to convert your existing customers and generate new ones. Provide a percentage-off coupon for subscribing. Share coupons with subscribers via SMS. These SMS coupons are delivered directly to the recipient’s phone and are highly likely to be redeemed.
Refer-a-friend campaigns are great for generating new leads and rewarding existing subscribers for actively participating. Both parties receive the benefit when forwarded.
Think Outside the Box
Remember that it’s not just parents you are marketing to — you also want to reach and appeal to teachers, older students and anyone in the education system. Offer student discounts, coupons or vouchers for cafes, or end of school holidays specials for other businesses such as museums, zoos, cinemas, and theatres. Maintain the campaign well into the school term to maximise reach and stay relevant to tertiary students as well.
Going forward, organisations such as school canteens, school bands, book or chess clubs, university societies and clubs, youth sports clubs, youth community groups, church youth groups, and many more can also benefit enormously from the convenience and cost-efficiency that SMS offers. It is a clever tool to grab the attention of shoppers.
ClickSend can help you with all your back to school needs, through our superior SMS gateway service. Sign up now or chat to our friendly live customer support team member in the bottom right corner to learn more.
