If you’ve been following the marketing headlines in the last few months, chances are you’ve heard about the ongoing shift in privacy policies.
Google’s plans to deprecate the cookie have caused a wave of concern among marketers all over the world, and the upcoming iOS 15 update by Apple introduces even more privacy controls to help protect user information. One thing is clear: 2021 will be the year when first-party data becomes the holy grail of digital marketing.
While many experts in the industry have been expecting this, the updates will surely take some time to get used to. Brands will need to figure out the best ways to adapt to the new reality; they will have to find new ways (and new channels) to reach and interact with their audiences, and they’ll need to offer more value in exchange for data.
These new privacy changes will reshape the current digital universe, but you might be wondering: How will this affect my online store and marketing strategy?
In this cookie-less world, your brand must have a direct and personalized line of communication with your customers to effectively engage them with relevant content and drive revenue. With advertising on Facebook and Instagram taking a hit, SMS marketing has emerged as the perfect solution.
Here are four reasons why SMS is a must-have retargeting channel for brands post-cookie.
1. With SMS marketing, you own your audience
SMS is an owned media channel. Brands that invest time and effort into building their own list of text marketing subscribers will never have to depend on third parties for their remarketing and sales campaigns.
Building a solid SMS audience is easy when you have the right tools. With the help of our wide range of advanced subscriber collection methods, you can meet customers at every stage of their shopping experience and quickly grow a list of people who want to receive text marketing updates from you.
SMS marketing also relies on consent. Our tools are fully built for compliance and allow for a seamless set up and integration. Once a customer agrees to opt-in, their phone number goes directly to your SMS database. Then, you can contact this customer with a special discount, a sneak peek into your new collection, to make a special announcement, or invite them to a new store opening.
With SMS, making connections with customers is simple. You have a list of customers and you get to choose when and how to contact them. Unless customers decide to opt out from your text marketing, you can continue to contact them with your offers and updates. By growing a solid and loyal customer base, you actually invest in your brand and business in the long run.
2. With SMS marketing, you enjoy all the benefits of first-party data
With the latest privacy-related changes by Google and Apple, marketers realized they need to invest in first-party data to adapt and move forward. As opposed to third-party data that is shared between many different companies and platforms, first-party data is something that you own and collect with the explicit consent of your audience.
Yotpo SMS & Email is built on first-party data. With our advanced tools, all your customers’ data is stored and available for you to use at the exact moment you need it.
For example, while having a 1:1 chat with your customer, you have access to their full customer profile, including essential information such as the customer’s name, address, number of orders, total amount spent at your store, and more.
Furthermore, we provide you with a great deal of aggregated data, such as top purchased products and top ten paying customers, to help you make informed decisions and achieve better results.
Nowadays first-party data is considered to be a luxury commodity. Many companies and agencies will need to make a quick shift and find a way to work with available data, instead of relying on third parties. Luckily, this doesn’t apply to SMS marketers and brands using text marketing as a vital part of their online strategy.
3. With SMS marketing, you take personalization to the next level
With the new changes, paid retargeting channels will become much less effective in terms of personalization and reaching out to potential customers based on certain individual traits.
For many marketers this is a step back to mass targeting, a business tactic typically not well-received by customers. In fact, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase from a brand that provides personalized experiences, according to Forbes. SMS helps businesses achieve high levels of personalization at limited costs.
Let’s say you want to launch a text marketing campaign to promote your new collection. Our sophisticated filters will help you segment customers based on their preferences or previous shopping experiences in your store, resulting in hyper-personalized and targeted SMS campaigns.
Adding SMS to your overall marketing strategy will help you engage with your customers on a more direct and intimate level. Tailored text marketing campaigns have proven to convert 54% of present-day shoppers — they are more likely to make a purchase if the messages they receive are personalized.
4. With SMS marketing, you enjoy stability and predictable costs
By having your own channel of communication with your customers, you can rest assured that your business and marketing strategies won’t depend on anyone else but your brand. You won’t be affected by other platforms and their plans for the uncertain future.
For example, the iOS 15 update and the cookie deprecation policies will have little to no effect on merchants who use Yotpo SMS & Email to engage with their customers.
In addition, you’ll never have to worry about price fluctuation. Your text marketing expenses depend on the size of your audience and the frequency of your SMS campaigns. With Yotpo SMS & Email, you pay per message, and the price is stable. It doesn’t depend on traffic, so no matter if you are sending a message on Black Friday, Christmas, or on a regular Tuesday, you will always pay the same amount, meaning your budget is 100% predictable.
Instead of spending thousands of dollars each month on advertisements on other channels and platforms, an investment in SMS marketing is an investment in your brand identity and longevity.
Final Thoughts
The latest major changes announced by Google and Apple only reiterate that we are shifting to an opt-in world, and consumer trust and privacy should move to the front lines of every marketing strategy. Yotpo SMS & Email helps brands create strong customer relationships built on trust, loyalty, and consent. We are constantly working to provide the most powerful and efficient tools to help you achieve your marketing goals and sustainable business growth.
Many industry experts claim that we are witnessing steps in the right direction, which will make the environment safer and much more responsible when it comes to consumer data. As the CEO of Gozoop said, “The only cookie we should enjoy is a chocolate chip one.”
Click here to find out what you can enjoy with SMS marketing once those third-party cookies are gone.
