The time has come – another new school year. And with it comes the idea of new school stationary, sports tryouts, and sharpened pencils.
But with every new school year comes a massive amount of communication between businesses and parents. Business owners should be jumping with excitement because the back-to-school season provides vast opportunities to promote your business and boost its sales going into Fall.
At this time of year, people spend a good amount of money. In fact, Statista shows that Americans’ estimated total planned back-to-school expenditure is roughly 41.5 billion USD.
That’s exactly why SMS messages are required during this time. That’s right, you can use SMS marketing tools to help share information and promote your business in seconds. Our tips for effective back-to-school SMS message communication can help you when it means the most. In this post, we’ve also included a few SMS template examples to help you in your business SMS marketing endeavor.
Tips for Effective Back-to-School SMS Communication
Regardless of how you decide to formulate your SMS message marketing strategy for the back-to-school season, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Keep your messages short and sweet
Avoid the temptation of overthinking how you’ll actually connect with your audience using SMS marketing during this time of year. Chances are that your customers will likely be very busy getting them and their kids back into a routine after the summer. So, it’s essential you share a clear and very concise message to get your point across to them. There should be zero room for misinterpretation here.
Use forms and shortcodes to boost sign-ups
Before running SMS marketing campaigns, you must gain sign-ups and create an opt-in contact list. These audience members are people who have chosen to receive texts from you. You can boost your SMS sign-ups by adding sign-up forms to your website or using a dedicated short code that is displayed in high-traffic areas around your business premises (e.g., at the entrance of a gym if you own one or at the pay point of a store). People can use this shortcode to sign up for SMS announcements quickly and seamlessly.
Segment your audiences
Customer segmentation goes a long way when creating effective and advanced SMS marketing campaigns. You can tailor SMS messages for various segmented audiences, allowing you multiple lists for multiple communication styles. For example, one segment could be for customers who have recently signed up for a membership, and another could be for your most loyal and long-term members. The message style and tone will be varied for those two customer segments, making your back-to-school promotional messaging much more appropriate to each group.
Connect your messages to your value propositions
The last tip on this list is to always ensure your SMS messages are connected back to your USP (unique selling point) as well as your value proposition. This means that your SMS should always convey your company’s unique value, whether you’re attempting to solve a customer pain point, answer a question, or sell something.
Crafting Impactful Back-to-School SMS Messages
Before we dive into SMS templates for back-to-school campaigns, let’s look at how to craft impactful texts. The tricky part is that an SMS has a character and word limit. This means you can’t word it how you would an email. Instead, you would need to keep it short and punchy and still get all your information across. In addition to this, you don’t want to come across as sounding spammy, so your SMS needs to be written smartly.
When crafting a text, remember these crucial factors:
- Always state your business name
- Address the recipient by name
- Stay within the character limit
- Keep the message short and to the point
- Include a link or CTA (call-to-action)
- Include an opt-out option
Sample SMS Templates for Back-to-School
And now it’s time to look at some sample SMS templates you can use for this year’s back-to-school campaign. The most crucial element of SMS templates is to ensure they provide the information required to the audience but simultaneously are creative and intriguing.
Let’s have a look at some of these SMS marketing templates your business can use.
Generic Back-to-School Messages
No matter what type of industry your business is in, these back-to-school SMS marketing messages could work for your company. Let’s take a look at them now:
“[Business name] wishes you a happy back-to-school season! Click here to view our deals today! [link]”
“Time to sharpen those pencils and pack those bags! [Business name] wishes you and your family a tremendous back-to-school season ahead!”
“Class is back in session! At [business name], we’ve got all your wellness needs covered for the season. Click [link] to shop.”
Gratitude Back to School Messages
The next SMS template is all about gratitude. That’s right, you should take the time to thank your customers for their ongoing support. Pairing this thank you message with a gift is a good idea. Here’s an example of what this text message template could look like:
“Hi [name]. We just want to say happy back-to-school season and thank you for being an A+ member. As a thanks, here’s a code for 15% off our fall items: 15OFFFALL. Shop here [link].”
Back to School Event Messages
This SMS template can be very handy for upcoming events at your store or studio. The idea here is that your SMS communication shares information about your back-to-school event. Here’s an example of what this business SMS marketing message could look like:
“[Name], RSVP YES to our 5th annual back to school event at the studio! Get a free personal training session, enjoy exclusive sale prices & fun games like trivia! Register here [link].”
Customer Feedback Messages
This is an SMS message template most people forget about – and it’s a handy one! As we all know, customer feedback is an area that can really help improve your business – whether that’s related to operations, customer service, product reviews, etc. Below is an example of what this text message template could look like:
“Hey [name]! It’s officially back to school time, and we’re studying our positives and negatives. Share your review of our business here [link] and get 10% off your next subscription! We appreciate your feedback.”
Back to School Giveaway Messages
You can also create business SMS marketing templates referring to giveaways. Everyone loves a giveaway, and it’s a great way to keep your audience engaged and excited about your brand. The one tip to remember about prizes is to ensure that all your prizes are well worth it for customers. Prizes should also be easily redeemable. This will ensure that the experience is seamless for the entrants and the winner. Below is an example of how you can remind customers to sign up for your giveaway during the back-to-school season:
“Back to school means back to prizes! We’re giving one lucky customer a free wellness consultation plus 25% off apparel now through October 31! Just enter your details here [link] & share and tag us on social media.”
Back-to-School Sales Messages
When looking at SMS marketing to help boost sales, it can get very exciting indeed. You can create an entire SMS marketing sales campaign around it. Your campaign should always have specific goals and objectives, so your SMS marketing efforts stay true to the original vision. Messages can be a series pertaining to one type of sale or a variety of messages, all speaking to various elements of your business. Here’s an example of a sales back-to-school message:
“Save with our back-to-school BOGO deal! On any apparel or merchandise in-store and online. Available now through September 30. Visit [link] for more.”
Back-to-School Service Messages
Another major aspect of marketing can be leveraging the opportunity to improve your overall customer service. This means you can spend time using SMS messages to help customers learn more about a product or service you offer that is complementary to what they already have. This can be tailored to your business and industry – every business is different, so don’t be afraid to get creative here! Here’s an example of how a gym owner could use this SMS marketing tactic:
“Hi [name]. Thanks for joining [business name] gym. You’re crushing it! Click this link to unlock more workout tips from our trainers. Make an appt for a free consultation on nutrition and wellness today. [link] ”
Back-to-School Messages for Students
The last SMS marketing template we have for the back-to-school season is all for the students. These campaigns should be designed with students in mind first. So you want it to be an enticing offer with a good discount attached to it. This way, you can be sure that you’ll receive a good number of sign-ups or sales. Here’s an example of what this could look like:
“Calling all students! It’s back-to-school season. We’re introducing a special student discount on memberships. Show your student ID card and unlock 25% off! Offer valid through September 30. Ts & Cs apply.”
Tools and Platforms for Efficient SMS Communication
Now that you’ve seen all the SMS templates for back-to-school communication, you may be wondering how to implement your SMS marketing campaigns for your business. And the answer to this is easy – use a premium and automated SMS marketing tool.
That’s right, online SMS marketing software is designed to help you import contacts, manage contact lists, create SMS templates, and bulk send texts in minutes. The best part is that everything is housed on one platform, so many of your team members can access it from their computers, too. SMS marketing software is also designed for any type of business – whether that is small, medium, large, enterprise, or franchise.
You can also manage emails with text messages so that your communication strategy is clear and concise to all audience segments for your business (newcomers versus long-term customers, as an example). Moreover, everything can be automated and measured so that you have a consistent and data-driven communication strategy for everyone involved.
Conclusion
Are you ready to leverage SMS marketing for your business this back-to-school season? If you are, look no further.
Gleantap challenges traditional business communication methods by enabling you to connect with customers directly from one platform – no matter what size or how old your business may be. More importantly, you can enjoy marketing automation while at it – so the days of manually messaging people are gone! Everything is based on data and customer behavior – so the guessing work is totally gone, and your marketing strategy is based on true value and numbers.
Schedule a demo to see firsthand how this platform can help you keep everyone on track and fully informed every step of the way this season.
FAQs
1. How can SMS templates improve back-to-school communication?
SMS is an ideal communication channel for keeping customers informed as well as reminding them of critical upcoming events and promotions. It’s also an excellent tool, as once your SMS templates are set up, you can reuse them and send texts to customers in bulk.
2. Is it possible to automate the sending of SMS messages?
Yes, you can automate your texts using an SMS marketing tool. Create and adjust SMS templates, then choose your contact list and navigate to the automation section to select your desired date and time for sending.
3. Can I use multimedia in SMS templates, such as images or links?
Yes, a premium SMS marketing tool can help you add images, links, and more to each SMS. You should also receive guidelines and best practices for SMS marketing so that your texts are influential and technically sound each time you send one.
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