Summer is upon us and soon we'll be enjoying long summer days, relaxing on the terrace and deciding big questions like "what's for the barbecue tonight"?
Before we can go into full summer mode, you need to get your summer communications in order - including your SMS campaigns. For inspiration for this summer's SMS campaigns, check out this post.
Why work with seasonal SMS campaigns?
When working with SMS campaigns, it's often a good idea to remember the season - and the special holidays that belong to each season. If you're working with seasonal SMS campaigns, it really just means that you utilise the characteristics of the current season to engage your customers.
Content that taps into the season and the associated holidays can help make your SMS message much more timely and relevant to the recipient.
It goes without saying that sending an SMS campaign about skiwear and sweaters in June might not achieve the same conversion rate as if the campaign focused on swimwear or sandals instead.
That's why it's a good idea to customise your SMS campaigns throughout the year to increase the chances of your target audience finding your campaigns relevant.
10 examples of summer SMS campaigns you are welcome to steal
Below you'll find 10 thought-provoking examples of SMS campaigns for your summer, which you are welcome to use as inspiration for your own campaigns.
1. Summer sale
For many, a new season means new needs arise that weren't there over winter. Use that knowledge to create an attractive summer sale on old, new or popular items.
2. Summer competition
Summer is the perfect excuse to run a fun SMS competition. If you have a product or service that is suitable for the summer months, you can offer it as a prize.
3. Create a collaboration
Maybe your products or services aren't so seasonal after all. Instead, team up with another company and create Collaborative Content. For example, partner with a clothing manufacturer or travel agency that fits your brand and double your summer campaign.
4. Inspiration campaign
For many, summer means more time for immersion. You can use this knowledge to create a great piece of content that your customers can read and get inspiration from.
5. Summer event
Summer means more time outdoors. That's why it makes sense to organise a summer event! It can be big or small - it can even be "just" that the store moves outside for a day. Unleash your creativity.
6. Freebie campaign
Sun and warmth do something to all of us, and in the summer, many of us are better at getting out and having new experiences. A free gift from our favourite company certainly boosts motivation too. Offer a free gift with in-store or online purchases and entice customers.
7. Upgrade your customer club
Boost sales throughout the summer by offering extra benefits to your customer club or loyalty club over the summer months. It's also a great way to grow your list of SMS permissions.
8. Launching new products
Summer is the perfect time to launch new, colourful products. Launch the products to your SMS list first and let them know they mean a lot to your business. As a bonus, it can help increase customer loyalty in the long run.
9. Have a little extra fun with physical customers
If you have a physical store, summer is a time for extra cosiness and luxury. Offer a glass of bubbly or hire a DJ and play live music to entice customers into the store.
10. Sell unique summer bundles
Sell more and create value for the customer by offering some of your seasonal items together. With bundles, you can inspire the customer to buy products they wouldn't otherwise have looked at, and at the same time you create value for customers if the price of buying the items together is lower than if the products were bought separately.
Plan your campaigns in advance
In inMobile it is possible to plan your campaigns in advance. When you set up your SMS campaign, you simply choose when to send it and the system does the rest.
That way, you're not dependent on when you and your colleagues might not be in the office. You can easily plan all your summer campaigns well in advance and prepare them for dispatch later. Then you can focus on other important things in your business.
What should you remember if you send SMS campaigns in the summer?
For some businesses, the summer months mean that money flows a little slower. For others, this is where they make the majority of their sales for the year.
What most people have in common, however, is that when summer is upon us, many consumers take things down a gear and take things a little more slowly. Especially during the school summer holidays, when many consumers choose to take time off work and enjoy time with their families.
For you as a business, this means you need to think more about what you send to your consumers. You risk "disturbing" them during their holiday - and the disturbance should be relevant.
Not many people bother to think about Säljare-Helle during their holidays. On the other hand, most people really want a great summer offer.
The summer holidays are also a time when many people have extra time to research, socialise and shop for the things they've been missing. Reaching your target audience with a well-organised SMS campaign can mean great results.
An added bonus of working with SMS campaigns in the summer is that mobile phones are usually still in use whether it's everyday or holiday time. Therefore, you can still be relatively sure that your recipients will see your campaigns - even if they have gone on summer holiday.
As always - but especially during the holiday period - you should remember SMS best practice:
- Keep your message short and sweet: Can the recipient read the message immediately?
- Have a clear sender and a clear CTA: How do you want the recipient to respond to your SMS?
- Segment your lists: Who is this text message actually relevant to?
- Remember send times: When are your recipients most active on the phone?
- Keep frequency at a natural level: How often are customers used to hearing from you?
- Remember to unsubscribe: Always include an unsubscribe link or keyword in your messages.
