3 ways SMS can improve your operations

I think that trying new marketing strategies is fun.

So, it was with excitement that I decided to give SMS a spin.

With 2.5K mobile phone numbers I thought that there might be some powerful opportunities.

I jumped on line, signed up to a provider and gave it a go.

I tried one strategy. No good.

And another. No luck there either.

At best the results were lukewarm?

To be honest I think I annoyed more people than I pleased them.

Perhaps I don’t have the strategy down pat. Or maybe it’s not a good idea. Not sure.

BUT…here is the silver lining.

With our new found sms capabilities I started talking to other (non marketing team members) and we found three other ways to successfully use it in our business. . .

1. Sales support: Meeting coordination and lead follow up. We used to do it all via email and LI message, now we have another string to our bow that has a way higher open rate.

2. Recruitment: Clients now get a message the day before the interviews straight after the recruitment team sends through the candidates resumes to ensure they don’t miss the resumes and can come prepared for the interviews.

3. Invoice payment reminders. We used to do it all via email and phone calls, now our accounts team can send SMS’s too. We will still call when we have to, but before that we will sms. This takes the pressure off our account management team, enabling them to do more loving and less chasing. Plus we all know that getting invoices paid on time is not only nice but essential for a healthy cash flow.

In trying something (sms marketing) and failing, we actually opened the door to opportunities we were not even looking for.

Business (and life) can be like that sometimes.

You may not always know where you are headed, but by moving (and not standing still) opportunities arise.