Escalating SMS messaging costs might be burning through your communications budget. Read on for some quick and easy cost-cutting tips.
准备好一睹Bird 的风采了吗？
短信成本的上升往往不能反映出短信战略价值的增加。相反，这些成本的上升是由于发送能力差、转售商收取佣金以及服务提供商引入的其他低效因素造成的。
Consider a scenario where your company’s average customer acquisition cost (CAC) is $200. If your SMS service provider offers deliverability close to 100 percent, that $200 figure is likely to hold.
但如果发送率下降到 80%，会发生什么情况呢？如果您使用的是短信批发聚合器，这种可能的结果就太真实了。而且成本会很高，使您的 CAC 增加到 240 美元左右。
而这一修正数字仅仅是基于糟糕的送达率。如果您的送达率如此之低，那么您可能还有其他效率低下的问题在拖累您的信息投资回报率。
这些费用既不可持续，也没有必要。如果您担心目前的短信策略价格过高，您可以采取几个步骤来快速削减开支，同时提高这种客户参与策略的价值。
看完本指南，你就会明白：
短信战略效率低下的真正代价
您可以采取哪些措施立即降低 SMS 成本
如何制作更好的信息，以提高信息传递性能和投资回报率
效率低下的短信成本高昂
发送单条信息的成本很低，有时只需几分之一。但在数千条甚至数百万条信息中，这些几分之一的成本很快就会增加。
Some of the costs associated with an inefficient SMS messaging strategy can be reduced or eliminated simply by optimizing your tactics—while preserving, and even improving, the parts of this strategy that are generating revenue and value for your company.
要确定这些机会并实施变革，首先让我们回顾一下，短信服务效率低下是如何为企业带来不必要的成本的。
对客户和潜在客户参与的影响
Inefficient SMS messaging comes at a steep opportunity cost for any business.
影响客户体验的最大问题之一是服务提供商延迟发送信息。这种情况通常发生在信息在多个聚合器之间传递，而不是由直接服务提供商执行时。信息交付延迟的增加会影响信息的相关性和价值，尤其是当信息内容具有时间敏感性时。
Working with low-cost, local SMS aggregators can also result in changes to your campaign data. Changes 到 message’s sender ID, for example, can result in your audience receiving messages from a new, unfamiliar number not associated with your business.
这些效率低下的问题可能会对许多信息传递方案产生切实的影响，包括
营销campaigns 。 An altered sender ID can give your audience the impression that the message they’re receiving is spam, rather than new communication from a familiar brand. This will inevitably result in lower open rates and, in many cases, diminished trust among your customers.
双因素授权 If one-time passcode delivery is delayed, they may expire before they reach your end user. This can prevent the customer from accessing their online account and making a purchase—and the frustration may prompt them to swear off your brand.
闪购。 When offers are time sensitive fast delivery is of the most importance. A delay can cause significant drops in conversion.
发货通知。 Your customers may want timely updates on order deliveries so they can promptly collect packages from their front step. Delayed shipping notifications could increase the risk of package theft.
准确的选择加入和选择退出管理。 If the sender ID is being changed by aggregators, opt-ins and opt-outs notifications may not be routed 到 correct sender ID for your SMS campaign. Notification delays can also slow down the opt-in and opt-out process, annoying your customers.
对企业的财务影响
累积的 SMS 成本会从多个不同角度打击您的业务，其影响远远超出您的营销投资回报率。最重要的例子包括
因违规而受到经济处罚。 Failure to follow local laws regarding spam messaging, consumer privacy, and other applicable regulations can lead to steep fines for your business—as much as 每条信息 500 美元 in the U.S., although laws and penalties 因国家而异.
短信欺诈风险增加。 Rising messaging costs—especially in contrast to declining ROI—could be the result of fraudulent activities on the part of your service provider. Fake traffic and delivery receipts can be very difficult to prove, giving your business little recourse to recover your lost funds.
信息传递和性能的可视性差。 Processing fees and commissions are often based on the volume of messages being sent, but delivery of these messages can’t always be verified. A lack of reliable performance data can make it difficult to understand what kind of value you’re getting from 您的短信campaigns 。 More often than not, a lack of visibility often goes hand-in-hand with lackluster results.
投资回报率低。 Lower delivery rates, open rates, click rates, and revenue generation all contribute to decreased ROI for this marketing strategy. Regulatory fines can come over the top and torpedo the underwhelming ROI you’ve managed to achieve in the first place. As costs continue to rise, your return on investment has nowhere to go but down.
立即降低成本和提高信息传递投资回报率的 5 个技巧
在做出这些改变后的第一年，您的企业就能大幅减少浪费的通信开支。更妙的是，升级后的短信策略可以提高您的短信性能，增强您从这些campaigns 中获得收入和其他价值的能力。
以下是五个简单快捷的入门步骤：
1.寻找价格透明的供应商，不在短信服务上加价
Understanding the true cost of SMS messaging can be challenging.
It's comprised of carrier costs, phone number fees, marketing automation software expenses, CDP costs, inbound SMS fees, and more. Many vendors obscure their pricing models by adding markups to each of these components. These markups can become quite substantial, especially as your sending volume or database size increases. Bird takes a different approach, offering transparent pricing with no markups on SMS and no hidden fees.
This translates to discounts of up to 90% in markets like the US and around a 50% lower total cost of ownership.
2.改用直接向运营商发送短信的服务提供商
与其通过阴暗的批发聚合商网络虹吸您的短信campaigns ，不如寻找一家能与您希望覆盖的市场中的运营商和网络运营商提供直接连接的短信服务提供商。
These direct-to-carrier relationships improve the transparency, speed, and security of your messaging, and they provide far more reliable assurances regarding deliverability and compliance. With a direct-to-carrier provider, you’ll know exactly what you’re paying for and how that spending is translating to ROI.
寻找能够公开、积极地谈论其网络、投递率和推动转化能力的直投运营商。确保他们服务的地理区域与您的企业希望覆盖的全球受众一致。
3.利用信息平台，为受众量身打造全方位的campaigns 。
短信可以成为公司通信战略的重要支柱。但它并不是实现这些传播目标的唯一途径。最大限度提高短信投资回报率的最佳方式是将短信campaigns 转移到一个平台上，使其能够整合到围绕对话式营销构建的更大参与战略中。
通信channels ，如 SMS、email marketing 、WhatsApp 和 Messenger，可以通过在一个集中的平台上共享客户数据、工具和其他资源来增加彼此的价值。设置这种集中式方法非常简单：Bird的 API 和 CRM 可在数小时内完成设置，与 Salesforce 和 Zendesk 等工具的集成可立即提高 SMScampaigns 的质量。
Once you decide to make the switch, your business can be up and running with your new platform in a matter of days.
4.使用 HLR 查询清理和细分联系人列表
电话号码在联系人列表中存储的时间越长，其失效的可能性就越大。客户更换电话号码。在某些情况下，联系人列表中的号码可能一开始就是无效的--因为打错了字，或者客户故意在表单字段中添加了一个假号码。
Your business is still paying to deliver messages to those numbers, though. This wasted money can be immediately saved by validating your contact list numbers using Bird 查询. ǞǞǞ Lookup API conducts a Home Location Register (HLR) lookup to confirm the number’s accuracy and clean up related contact information, such as the number’s provider.
Once the numbers are reviewed, Lookup lets you remove invalid numbers from your contact list, reducing your number of 无法投递的邮件 and protecting you against one of the most common forms of SMS fraud.
5.规划时考虑国际定价差异campaigns
不同国家发送一条短信的成本可能相差很大。当地的定价惯例和其他特定国家的变量会导致这些成本的显著差异，从而影响您能够锁定的消费者数量。
Along with the baseline cost of international messaging, some countries have restrictions that may impact the value of your SMS campaigns. Certain countries, for example, don’t allow you to send a message with a link, which could be a frustrating limitation for certain businesses.
Shifting more of your budget toward lower-cost international audiences can help you increase your total reach, reduce your overall SMS spending, or achieve both of these goals at once.
撰写完美（经济）信息的 3 个策略
You’ve got a handful of tips and tricks to lower the cost of sending SMS messages.
现在是时候讨论一下如何降低创建这些信息的资源成本，同时提高其影响力和投资回报率了。
以下是使用 SMS 实现更多目标的三个步骤campaigns ：
1.短信要短小精悍
ǞǞǞ 最大长度 for an SMS message is 160 characters. Go above that and your message will be split into two—and the cost of sending your message will double.
We always recommend getting your message under that 160-character mark. But if you can make your message shorter, you may see improved performance in terms of response rates and/or click rates. A shorter, more concise message makes your message more likely to be read to its end, including its CTA.
2.采用基于工具的方法，提高信息传递效率
简单的数字工具可以提高您的信息发送效率，让您在一条短信中完成更多工作。
一个完美的例子是什么？URL 缩短器。这种缩短代码可最大限度地减少超文本 URL 的长度，帮助您的信息符合 160 个字符的限制。品牌 URL 缩写器还能提高品牌短信体验的一致性。
Other tools can expand on the services supported through your SMS. Bird’s platform, for example, can use SMS messaging for customer service issues, with 自动消息传送 and the ability to escalate the conversation to a live agent. Automated message triggers can engage customers who have recently abandoned a virtual shopping cart, expanding the utility of SMS without increasing the workload for your employees.
3.微调时间，实现最佳参与
根据对受众的研究和以往的活动效果，在受众一天中最有效的时间段定向发送信息，最大限度地提高信息的打开率和参与度。
Remember to account for time zones when scheduling these messages. Some countries also have rules dictating when you’re allowed to send messages: if you send messages in France on Sunday evening, for example, you’ll frustrate some of your customers and also run afoul with 地方监管机构.
投资于短信服务的成功Bird
优化短信支出不是一次性项目。
必须定期清理联系人列表。活动绩效报告应为受众定位和信息内容提供参考。必须根据信息传递目标和投资回报率重新调整国际信息传递。
Bird 将为您完成繁重的工作，实现成本效益，为您的企业节省成本，同时从您的 SMScampaigns 中获取更多价值。
是时候开始少花钱多办事了。