What Is SMS Sales? How to Effectively Sell to B2B Clients by Text

The average American checks their phone over 200 times per day — about once every five minutes during waking hours. In total, they spend more than five hours a day on their phones. 

The time and attention people devote to their phones create an opportunity for brands. With a simple text message, you can direct your audience’s focus to your brand name and products or services. 

Text message marketing isn’t new, but many companies still overlook the potential of sending sales-focused texts. SMS messages are a more personal way to communicate with business-to-business (B2B) clients. You can stay in touch through a channel you know they use frequently and are likely to pay attention to. 

Let’s explore the ins and outs of SMS sales, from how to create and implement your own SMS sales strategy to key best practices that will help you avoid common challenges.

What are SMS sales?

SMS stands for short message service — the service used to send text messages up to 160 characters between phones. SMS sales uses this platform to send promotional text messages to your clients and audience members. 

Text messaging is an often underutilized yet highly valuable channel for brands, including B2B companies seeking to connect with clients. By sending texts about upcoming events, shipment updates, and even appointment reminders, you can stay in touch with your clients and drive sales. 

Remember that obtaining permission is crucial for effective SMS marketing. You must get permission from each client before sending them any promotional text messages. Don’t simply start cold texting potential clients and hope for the best. 

Why sell to B2B clients through SMS text messages?

You have plenty of channels to choose from when communicating with your B2B sales clients, but text messages stand out from many of the others. If you follow SMS best practices, this sales approach can offer tons of benefits.

Higher open rates

When your phone beeps and you see you received a new text, you tend to open that message right away to see what it says. It’s no surprise, then, that the average SMS campaign has a 98% open rate.

By comparison, a good open rate for an email marketing campaign is typically between 15% and 25%. You can expect most recipients of a marketing email to ignore it, with only a smaller percentage opening the message. The opposite is true of promotional text messages. 

One of the reasons behind these incredibly high open rates is that text messages have an inherent immediacy factor. People’s instinct is to check their phones as soon as a new message comes in, and with SMS sales, your message could be the one they’re opening. 

Increased conversions

The ultimate goal isn’t to get people to read your promotional sales messages, though — it’s to get them to act. Fortunately, SMS campaigns also boost strong click-through rates compared to other marketing channels. The average click-through rate on an SMS campaign is over 6%, compared to around 2.8% for email marketing campaigns. 

Once again, immediacy works to the advantage of SMS marketing. Many of your audience members will likely read your text as soon as they receive the alert, which means you can use SMS campaigns to convey time-sensitive messages, such as limited-time deals. That immediacy may lead more people to click on the links your messages contain and complete conversions. 

A more personal feel

Compared to other marketing channels like display ads or social media, texting may also seem more personal. Since your clients must opt in to receiving your messages, there’s a feeling of familiarity that works to your advantage. They’ll recognize your brand name and view your text as a message from someone they know. 

As a result, they will likely be more willing to read and engage with your texts than with marketing messages they did not specifically choose to receive. You can take that feeling of familiarity even further by personalizing your messages. With SMS marketing integrations, you can easily sync customer contact information with their buying history to personalize messages with each recipient’s name and interests. 

Then, your message will seem less like marketing or sales speak and more like a personal note from a trusted contact. Through texting, you have a direct connection with decision-makers, so jump on that opportunity. 

SMS marketing examples for B2B

If you’re ready to reap the benefits of SMS marketing for your B2B sales efforts but are unsure where to start, consider these popular types of messages. 

Appointment reminders

A common problem in sales is that people often show up late or fail to appear at all for their appointments. On the seller’s side, these no-shows can be inconvenient, frustrating, and even costly. Anything you can do to ensure more clients show up for their appointments on time will aid your sales efforts, and sending SMS reminders is a great option.

With the high open rate of SMS messages, there’s a very good chance your clients will open the appointment reminder you text them. That way, your appointment is at the front of their mind at a crucial time, so they’re much more likely to show up. You can even ask them to confirm whether they will attend the meeting for an extra confidence boost. 

Say, for example, you’re selling a software as a service (SaaS) product and have a scheduled product demo with a decision-maker soon. About three days before the appointment, you could send a text like:

“Hi [Client Name],

You’re scheduled for a demo with [Brand Representative] on [Date] at [Time]. If you have any questions or need to reschedule, click [Link]. Otherwise, we’ll see you then. We’re excited to talk to you!”

If the client has forgotten about the scheduled appointment, your text reminder might be just the thing to ensure they don’t miss it. By reducing appointment no-shows, you’ll have a smoother process behind the scenes and more opportunities to close sales. 

Event promotions

You can also use text messages to promote any events your brand is hosting or attending. For example, if you’re attending an upcoming trade show, you could notify your clients via text. That message would inform any interested and available clients that they should attend the trade show to see you showcase your products or services. 

You could say something like:

“Hey [Name]!

We’ll be attending the upcoming [conference/trade show] and would love to see you there. Reserve your spot by clicking the link below.”

If you have any time-sensitive updates regarding your events, you can also send them via SMS. Texting is one of the best ways to ensure your clients get information on time so they can adjust accordingly. 

Order updates and tracking

You can also consider sending texts to update clients about their orders. By sending timely text updates, your customers never have to wonder what’s happening with their purchases. Such a simple move can significantly improve your customer experience.  

Consider sending texts when:

• You receive the order
• The order ships
• The order is out for delivery
• The order has been delivered

How to use an SMS sales strategy to build your B2B customer base

So, you’re ready to implement your own SMS sales strategy. What first? Follow these key steps to get started. 

Get your B2B clients to opt in

You need to get explicit permission from each recipient before sending any promotional text messages. Permission is both a legal requirement in many places and crucial to your SMS sales success, so collect client phone numbers and permission by:

• Adding a sign-up form to your website
• Using a pop-up form to catch their attention (a great B2B lead generation tactic!)
• Offering an incentive to clients who sign up for texts, like a discount or a free product

Use the right SMS marketing tools

SMS marketing is much easier with the help of a dedicated tool like Constant Contact. Ensure the tool you select integrates seamlessly with your other marketing tools, meets the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) compliance requirements, and offers scalability as your list grows. 

Help them see the value of your offer

The wording of your texts is crucial. Make sure you write compelling value propositions that address clients’ pain points and the solutions you can offer. Add links to case studies, testimonials, or trials that help them see what you can do for them. 

Include a clear CTA

Once clients have opened and read your message, you need to get them to take the next step. That’s what an action-oriented call-to-action (CTA) is for. Make the next step obvious and straightforward. 

Try phrasing like:

• Sign up
• Join the webinar
• Snag your free trial
• Schedule your demo

Best practices for SMS sales success

If you’re used to email marketing, many of the same principles apply to SMS sales. In fact, these channels are so compatible that you can even integrate email and SMS to boost your client engagement further. 

Just remember to apply these best practices.

Avoid spammy language

Although texting is often perceived as a more casual channel, it’s essential to maintain a professional tone. Avoid using overly spammy language like:

• Bonus
• Bargain
• Money back
• Winner
• Guaranteed
• You have been chosen

Test your messages before sending to see if spam filters flag them. If so, rework your writing and try again. 

Be mindful of timing and frequency

You have to consider your audience before deciding when to send your messages. B2B clients may be busier during business hours and not check their phones, so you might get better results texting just outside the workday. 

Try sending between 6 pm and 8 pm, then adjust your timing according to the response you get. 

Keep it short and simple

The standard SMS message permits 160 characters, which isn’t very long. Focus on sharing one key message with only the essential details. If you include a link, consider using a digital tool to shorten the URL 

Give clients the option to opt out

Just as you need to get clients to opt in to start sending them messages, you also need to provide them with a way to opt out and stop receiving your texts. The TCPA requires brands to offer a clear, easy opt-out mechanism, such as replying with the word “STOP.”

When to consider selling through text

Text messaging has lots of uses in a B2B context, including:

• Evaluating audience receptiveness
• Responding to inquiries quickly
• Sending time-sensitive notifications
• Conveniently scheduling appointments and sending reminders
• Staying in touch to improve customer retention

Overcoming common SMS sales challenges

When brands begin using SMS sales tactics, it’s normal to encounter some challenges. Every marketing channel has a learning curve! However, with the right strategies and some persistence, you can overcome this to make SMS marketing work for your brand. 

Be prepared for these common challenges:

• Message filtering: Today’s smartphones often have built-in spam filters that can mark your messages as spam, drastically lowering their effectiveness. Avoid this problem by labeling your links, only sending messages to people who have opted in, and avoiding all caps text.
• Geographic limitations and laws: Different areas may have different regulations regarding SMS marketing, so adjust your strategy to the locations where your clients reside. 
• Character count constraints: Keep your texts concise and focused to avoid getting cut off by character constraints.

Learn from other marketers’ experiences with SMS marketing in the Constant Contact Community. Chances are good that someone in the Community has already faced any SMS challenges you’re experiencing and can offer sage advice! 

Start incorporating SMS sales into your marketing strategy

As you’re beginning to use SMS sales in your broader sales strategy, focus on finding the right SMS marketing service for your business. This tool will simplify the process of writing, sending, and evaluating your promotional texts. Compare pricing models and features from different platforms, and consider taking advantage of some free trials. 

A tool with automation capabilities will save you a lot of time and effort. Prioritize privacy and security to keep your clients’ personal information secure. And remember to continually monitor and analyze the results of your campaign. Your SMS marketing tool should include a dashboard where you can view key statistics about your messages’ performance. 

Unlock your B2B growth potential with strategic SMS sales

Whether you’re sending appointment reminders or order updates, text message marketing is an accessible and impactful strategy that can benefit any B2B brand looking to grow sales. It’s most effective as part of an integrated sales strategy, though, so use promotional texts in harmony with your other marketing channels. 

Using a marketing tool like Constant Contact that integrates SMS sales and other marketing efforts will help. Constant Contact’s SMS marketing tool helps you draft messages, manage your contact list, and track your campaigns. Sign up today to start crafting your own SMS sales messages and building relationships with customers!