4 Ways to take advantage of SMS automation

SMS automation is all about using the right tools and strategies to improve your workflow and help you save time. At its best, automation can help eliminate repetitive tasks, generate new leads, and nurture relationships with your existing customer base.

With our online SMS service, we have SMS automation tools that you can use right out of the box. One of the most simple yet powerful automation tools is SMS Keywords, which you can start using right away without any coding knowledge.

How to use SMS Keywords for SMS Automation

If you have a virtual number, then you can use SMS Keywords. They’re words that you set up, and when your customers can text in with them, it can trigger one or more of the following:

• Forward to email,
• Forward to mobile,
• Forward to URL,
• Add a number to a list,
• Send an auto-reply,
• Send to a group SMS chat,
• Confirm donations

Let’s take a look a few ways that you can take advantage of SMS automation.

Automated Lead Generation

Launching a contest, giveaway, or competition is very easy with text messaging. For example, you can offer free coffee if customers text in with coffee.

Here you can set up this keyword to automatically add your new leads to a list and send an auto-reply with instructions on how to claim their free coffee. For example, ask them to show the barista the text message.

Benefits of SMS Lead Generation

• Easy entries. Customers only need to send your keyword to your number. If you want to collect more information, set up an auto-response with further instructions, like filling out a form on your site.
• Prevent multiple entries. If you want to limit the entries to one per person, you can create an auto-reply that lets them know they’ve already entered.
• Fraud prevention. Since all entries are from a valid phone number, the sheer volume of fraudulent entries will be lower.
• Quick set-up. It just takes a few minutes to set your campaign up.
• Easy promotion. The beauty is that you can promote your these keywords anywhere.

Automated Customer Segmentation

If you’ve ever used Facebook’s advertising platform, then you’ve experienced one of the most powerful customer segmentation tools. Target users based on their age, gender, location, interests, and much more.

Customer segmentation is all about grouping customers together based on a set of characteristics. Here at Burst, we segment our customers based on their send volume, SMS API usage, industry, and much more. Done right, you can deliver personalised messages that improve customer experience and retention.

Though SMS Keywords aren’t as sophisticated as Facebook’s platform, you can segment your customers into separate lists using them.

For example, let’s say you run an e-commerce/retail store, and you want to separate your bodybuilders from yogis from a list of phone numbers.

You can send an SMS marketing campaign that looks like this:

Any replies with PROTEIN will be added to a separate list and receive an auto-reply that looks like this:

Benefits of Customer Segmentation

• Higher click-through rates. Most text messages are under 160 characters and have a 98% open rate. Sending relevant messages will encourage customers to click on your links, increasing web traffic and conversions.
• Fewer opt-outs. Recipients unsubscribe for one or two reasons. Either your messages aren’t relevant, or you’re sending too many of them. Segmented lists help you control which messages go where.

Automated Support

Similar to chatbots that you might find on other messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp Business Messaging, you can create a simple chatbot-like experience for your customers.

Here, use multiple SMS keywords that provide auto-responses to answer frequently asked questions. You may also want to have a couple of options that forward their messages to an email or mobile number for an agent’s response.

Here’s a list of keyword examples you can create and what you can do with them:

• OPTIONS: Use an auto-reply with a list of other keywords that they can text in for more information, like the ones below.
• HOURS: Send an auto-reply with your store hours.
• LOCATION: Send an auto-reply with your store location and address.
• OPERATOR: Forward the text message to an email address via Email to SMS or to another mobile number of your choice for an agent’s response.
• PROMO: Send an auto-reply with a promo description and another keyword to opt-in for an offer or competition

Zapier SMS automation

Last but not least, we also have Zapier SMS integrations. Start connecting your favourite web applications, like Salesforce, Shopify, and Facebook, to Burst SMS.

For example, when you get new contacts in your CRM, you can also add them to your Burst SMS list or automatically send them an SMS message. You don’t need any coding knowledge to get set up, and there are over 1,500 apps to integrate.

Check it out!