Proof SMS Messaging Gets Results: Giveaways and Contests
Sometimes referred to as “Text to Win” campaigns, SMS giveaways are much like their counterparts you’ve used or seen on email or social media. They help raise awareness, grow opt-ins, increase traffic, even start the ever elusive “buzz” about your products or company. It’s arguable that SMS versions, however, have some advantages over other channels when your target audience is mostly on mobile devices.
The real question is though, how do these types of campaigns fare? Do they get results? I’ve rounded up some examples from around the web to show how well they can do.
Gathering Opt-Ins
While SMS contests and giveaways can have many objectives (some I mentioned in the introduction), getting opt-ins for your mobile marketing campaigns is one of the most common. The good news is it can be used for that purpose, but don’t expect everyone to stay on your list.
Here are some sample numbers for companies that used a double opt-in format in their giveaways. That means the customer would text a message to enter the giveaway, then they would receive a reply asking them to agree to future marketing messages (note, many of these are from the US and Canada where double opt-ins are common and often required. This isn’t necessarily the case in the UK). Here are the percentages of giveaway entrants that also opted in to their SMS marketing:
- 30% for a cinema company
- 57% for a fast food company
- 46% for a candy company
- 18% for a car company
- 60% for a resort
- 44% for a wellness centre
In a non-retail example, a Canadian university grew their opt-in list using a giveaway. Over the course of the short campaign they got 700 opt-ins. Around 300 of those occurred in one day during an educational fair. The students who opted in received information about visiting and attending the university. There was no information saying how many of that 700 ended up attending, but they were quite happy with the opt-in number. I can only assume it led to more students going to their school.
Those are pretty good numbers for growing a list through a giveaway. It may not be the best option for everyone if growing a list is the only objective. But there are additional benefits to running these types of campaigns that are harder to measure, like brand awareness.
Different Types of Campaigns
Simple giveaways and contests are fairly common. But I found an example where companies used an SMS giveaway to keep people coming back to their content.
Here’s how it worked. The brand had a daily TV show. Each day at a certain time they would flash a keyword on the screen. People could then text that keyword to a shortcode for a chance to win a sizeable prize.
Because they used a different keyword every day, people had to come back and watch their show. This obviously increased their viewership and they received around 300,000 entries.
I’ve seen this type of contest using the web before. You find the special word on a TV show, radio ad, or on the web, then type it into a special form on a website to be entered for the draw. But implementing it via SMS seems so much easier! It’s a great idea for any business that wants to keep people coming back on a regular basis. The giveaway can’t go on forever of course, but by the end of it some people will probably stick around, and depending on your business, you could see other benefits during the contest (like a bump in sales perhaps).
SMS Advantages
Contests and giveaways are common marketing methods that utilise many different channels. SMS messaging has one advantage though: it’s hard to fool. Because each entry must come from a mobile number, you know exactly where each one originated. The process is much more resilient in the face of malicious fake entries that often occur in other channels. For example, it’s common to have automated bots that repeatedly fill out web forms.
Now you know that SMS is a great channel for your contests and giveaways. There are many benefits beyond opt-ins, repeat business, and security that I mentioned here. If you want to see more about how SMS messaging is great for business, come back for the next blog for some results on how it can improve sales.
Related Articles
5 Top Converting Power Words for SMS Marketing
More Examples of Calls to Action in an SMS Message
In a previous article I shared two examples of SMS marketing messages I received and how their call to action worked, or not. This time I want to share two more examples to help you in crafting the perfect call to action for your SMS marketing messages.
The Super Amazing Speed of SMS Marketing
One of the greatest advantages of SMS marketing is how fast it is. You might be thinking I'm talking about the almost instantaneous delivery rates, or how quick it is to write a message and send it to your entire list - but this time we're talking about how fast you can get results.
How to Capture the Essence of Autumn in Your SMS Marketing Campaign
5 Reasons SMS Marketing Rocks for Bank Holiday Weekends [Infographic]
On The Rise: 6 Changes in Marketing That SMS Can Help Exploit
While traditional advertising methods are declining, SMS marketing is increasing and it is a trend that looks likely to continue. Here are 6 recent marketing trends that open the door for you to take advantage through your next SMS marketing campaign.
3 Common Errors That Will Ruin Your SMS Marketing
You worked hard to get those customers on your SMS marketing list. But now they are unsubscribing like crazy, or maybe just no longer responding to your messages. What happened? Maybe you’ve committed one of the following common, but easy to fix, errors that can completely drive your customers away.
One Simple Trick Can Boost Your SMS Marketing
SMS marketing offers the ability to send time-sensitive offers to your best customers. But are you missing out on the potential of your own brand in your offers? Read this post to see an example of how a simple trick can potentially boost your results.
Using Perfectly Timed SMS Marketing to Engage Customers
One of the greatest advantages of SMS marketing is the ability to be personal. This gives the opportunity to engage customers based on any number of actions such as purchases and registrations. Some people call this kind of marketing "just-in-time" which describes the concept really well.