During the holiday season, marketers bombard people with messages from all sides. It can be incredibly difficult for local restaurants, retailers, and small businesses to rise above the noise and stand out from the competition. Text marketing has become one of the most effective tactics to capture customers’ attention, inspire action, and connect with them on a personal level.
Recent statistics continue to highlight the effectiveness of text marketing, especially during the holiday season:
- 98% of text messages are opened within minutes of being received.
- 75% of consumers are more likely to do business with a company that texts them.
- 45% of consumers have made a purchase after receiving a text message from a business.
We’ve seen hundreds of businesses find creative ways to engage customers through our all-in-one loyalty and text communication platform over the years. But we also recognize that finding the time and energy to develop a creative campaign is difficult during a season that is already incredibly busy. We also care about equipping our white-label partners—and the businesses they serve—with proven ideas and best practices that can help them reach customers. In this article, we’re highlighting a few of our favorite text marketing ideas that our white-label partners can share with their clients to increase customer engagement during the holidays.
8 Text Marketing Ideas to Increase Customer Engagement During the Holidays
Here are eight different holiday-related text marketing campaigns that small businesses can implement through the textLIVING platform:
- Exclusive Offers: Encourage businesses to offer exclusive discounts and promotions to their text marketing subscribers. These offers could be themed around the holidays, such as “12 Days of Christmas Deals” or “New Year, New Savings.” The exclusivity of these deals will make customers feel special and more connected to the brand.
- Loyalty Program Promotions: If the business has a loyalty program, promote it through text marketing during the holidays. Retailers could offer exclusive rewards or holiday-themed incentives for program members.
- Countdown Campaigns: One way that local businesses can create excitement is by running countdown campaigns. For instance, a retailer could send daily text messages leading up to a big holiday sale to keep customers engaged and looking forward to what’s coming next.
- Flash Sales: Nothing grabs attention like a flash sale. Encourage businesses to send out limited-time offers via text message. For example, “Text ‘HOLIDAY’ to 12345 to unlock 30% off for the next two hours.” Creating a sense of urgency can drive immediate in-store visits.
- Event Announcements: If a business is hosting special holiday events, like in-store parties or Santa visits, they can use text messaging to spread the word. Merchants can use the textLIVING platform to include animated gifs, details, dates, and any exclusive perks for attendees.
- Text-Exclusive Early Access: Businesses can reward loyal customers by giving them early access to holiday collections or sales. They can use the textLIVING platform to grant customers access before sales are opened to the general public. This not only boosts sales but also strengthens customer loyalty.
- Mobile Coupons: Many businesses can simplify the holiday shopping experience by offering mobile coupons. Customers can easily redeem these coupons in-store, saving time and making their shopping experience more convenient.
- Post-Purchase Follow-Ups: After a customer makes a purchase, merchants can send a thank-you text with a special offer for their next visit. The textLIVING platform makes it easy for businesses to follow up with customers and incentivize repeat business during the holidays.
Text Marketing Best Practices for the Holidays
Here are a few additional tips for using the textLIVING platform effectively during the holidays:
- Use keywords and opt-in forms to build your text marketing list. Businesses need to make it easy for customers to sign up for their text marketing list by placing keywords and opt-in forms at key point-of-purchase locations throughout their store.
- Segment your text subscribers and send them targeted messages. Sending more targeted messages will help merchants reach the right people with the right messages at the right time.
- Use animated GIFS in your text messages. Images and GIFs can make text messages more engaging and visually appealing, offering another simple way to stand out during the holidays.
- Track the results of your text marketing campaigns. This will help your merchants to see what’s working and what’s not so that they can improve their campaigns over time.
Explore textLIVING’s Intuitive Text Marketing Platform
Restaurants, retailers, and small businesses need creative and effective strategies to stand out during the holiday season. By using text marketing, local businesses can connect with their customers on a personal level and build stronger relationships. This can increase sales and customer loyalty during the holiday season and beyond.
At textLIVING, we’ve designed an all-in-one customer loyalty and text messaging platform that helps businesses maximize the power of customer communication. If you want to help local businesses harness this tool, take a moment to learn more about our platform and discover how you can become a partner.