Of the 7.7 billion people on the planet, it’s estimated that about 其中35亿人有互联网接入, and 超过一半的人使用电子邮件. That’s pretty impressive, but did you know that 约50亿人 can send and receive SMS (short message service) messages, also known as texting? It helps that SMS can be used on non-smartphones too.

Among consumers, 根据TechJury的数据，75%的 of them don’t mind receiving SMS messages from brands (after they’ve opted in, of course). They also redeem coupons delivered via SMS 10 times more than coupons sent to them in other ways. In general, SMS messages have an astounding 98% open rate, with 90% of them read within 3 minutes of being received.

将短信和电子邮件整合到你的营销策略中的好处

与任何方法一样，电子邮件和SMS marketing 都有其独特的优势。当您将两者结合起来时，它们的优势就会得到平衡，从而达到全面营销的目的。整合策略的好处包括

• Cost-effectiveness: Email marketing produces a solid return on investment (ROI) due to low execution expenses. SMS marketing offers a low-cost way to reach a large number of subscribers, so combining the two lets you reinforce your message through multiple channels. Local wireless carriers determine SMS rates for businesses, so the prices will vary.

• Mobile-friendliness: You can reach your customers on their phones through more than one marketing method and let them decide when to interact with your business by reading or responding.

• Better audience understanding: When you combine your feedback and analytics between SMS and email marketing, you get a wider picture of your subscribers and can identify patterns in the data to customize your approaches.

Before you stop reading and rush off to send SMS messages to your customers, though, there are some best practices to keep in mind. Here are seven tips to help you integrate an SMS strategy into your email marketing campaigns, so you can create an omnichannel marketing approach that delivers a consistent experience everywhere you communicate with customers.

1.用处理电子邮件的方式来处理短信

首先，你需要你的客户同意向他们发送短信，就像电子邮件发送通常需要的那样。在美国，联邦通信委员会要求在发送商业短信之前要有书面同意，你可以通过询问手机号码来处理，然后给人们发送一条短信，要求他们回复 "是 "或其他形式的同意，以便今后收到你的信息。

不过，像往常一样，检查适用于你的法律，必要时咨询你公司的法律顾问。

Next, you’ll want to segment your list of SMS message recipients, as you do with your email list, so you can speak directly to those cohorts in your messages. It’s no secret that users respond better when you personalize their email marketing. Many SMS message sending services offer the same customization options, so you can insert first names, birthdays, cities, and other information. Just don’t overdo it, since space will be at a premium.

最后，确保你也尊重通过SMS发送的取消订阅。如果你向取消订阅的人发送短信，你会损害你公司的品牌资产，而且他们很有可能向他们的运营商投诉，他们很可能会把你作为一个垃圾邮件发送者而屏蔽。你还可能招致FCC或其他政府机构的愤怒。

2.你可以发送触发式、交易式和促销式的短信

考虑通过SMS发送不同类型的通信，就像你用电子邮件一样。

• Triggered messages alert customers to events, such as order shipments, suspicious account log-in attempts, upcoming due dates for bills, and monthly reports.

• 事务性信息 are sent in response to customers’ actions, such as purchases, bill payments, new account creations, and password resets.

• 促销信息让客户了解新产品、特别交易、基于他们活动的奖励，以及其他你推动销售的方式。你还可以创造向上销售和交叉销售的机会。

鉴于SMS信息的即时性，它们对于比电子邮件更有紧迫性的通信很有用。例如，你可以发送一个仅在一天内有效的优惠券代码，或者让客户知道一个新的产品或服务，并附上一个缩短的链接，将他们带到你的移动网站。(你的网站是响应式的，对吗？）

短信也是为用户账户提供双因素认证的一个好方法，它允许你为你的客户提供一个有用的安全层。

如果你要发送大量的短信，你可能想投资一个短代码，这样运营商就不会认为你是一个垃圾邮件发送者。短码是一个五或六位数的电话号码，通常由移动运营商预先批准用于商业活动。试着选择一个拼出一个单词的号码，这样人们就很容易记住它。例如，凯马特使用562-78，在键盘上拼出零售商的名字。

3.简洁是短信的灵魂

SMS messages can’t be more than 160 characters long, so while your emails should be short and 到 point, your SMS messages need to make every letter count. When you include links, condense them with a link shortening application to save precious real estate. It may be tempting to string multiple SMS messages into one communication, but doing so will increase the odds that your recipients will start opting out in droves. Try not to send SMS messages more than a few times a week, 在 most.

如果你在推特的字数限制增加之前有在推特上写营销信息的经验，那么你应该在这里运用你学到的东西。把每条短信的内容限制在一件事上，把更完整的故事留到电子邮件中。

Consider how your SMS messages can complement your emails. For example, if you email your list about a special deal that has an expiration date, you could send a follow-up SMS message reminder shortly before the deal ends. You can schedule SMS message sending, allowing you to orchestrate your marketing campaigns. ǞǞǞ ability to control the message’s timing is essential to reaching your customers during daytime hours when they are available.

短信也可以用来提醒你的客户注意有时间性的消息，比如订单延迟发货或他们的账户出现问题。

4.使用简单、相关的关键词并立即回复信息

当你宣传你的新短信服务时，你可以要求客户发一个词或短语到你的电话号码（最好是一个短代码）来注册。尝试使用一些令人难忘的东西。例如，如果你有一个销售女性服装和饰品的网上商店，你可以要求人们给你的电话号码发短信 "时尚 "来注册。

使用自动应答器，确保客户在注册时能立即收到回复。欢迎他们使用该服务，并让他们知道该发什么短信来取消订阅，如 "停止"。确保他们很容易选择退出，并在他们退出时予以确认，以便他们知道你会尊重他们的请求。

你还可以设置和宣传关键词，使客户能够做其他事情，比如获得前往你的营业地点或活动的方向，或者收到下载移动应用程序的链接。此外，你还可以使用短信来收集信息，如要求人们把他们的名字发到你的短信上。

5.利用一个渠道来支持另一个渠道

一些企业在要求用户发送电子邮件以获取优惠信息方面取得了成功。通常，企业在发送电子邮件之前，会通过实体标牌和社交媒体进行宣传。这样，企业就能通过一条短信同时获取手机号码和电子邮件，以多种方式与用户互动。客户可以通过发送电子邮件中的特定单词或短语来选择接收额外的SMS marketing 信息，从而在现有电子邮件订阅者的基础上增加短信列表。

另一种利用SMS的紧凑足迹的方法是用它来为你的用户预热，以便发送更长的电子邮件。一条简单的短信让他们知道即将发生的事情，并总结在你的邮件中投入更多时间的价值，可以提高你的打开率和参与率。

6.匹配信息传递

在多个channels 上向订阅者发送促销或通知时，请确保您的内容是交叉对齐的。例如，在同时发送电子邮件和短信确认订单时，在两封邮件中都提供 "跟踪包裹 "选项，并确保目的地链接相同。其他链接也要使用相同的登陆页面。

7.为你的全渠道营销战略寻找合适的合作伙伴

SMS messaging allows you to complement your marketing efforts via email, social media, your website, and other channels. That’s important because today’s typical consumer 每次购买平均使用近六个接触点, whereas 15 years ago, they often used two. In addition, 90% of consumers expect to see consistent interactions with businesses across channels.

Companies that implement omnichannel customer engagement strategies 平均保留89%的客户, and those customers have a 30% higher lifetime value than those who shop with one channel.