A report released by SinglePoint showed that text messages have an open rate of more than 99 percent, making SMS one of the most effective marketing channels available to small businesses.

If you are using text messaging for marketing purposes, you can attract and engage consumers in many ways, one of which is holding contests.

Here is a look at three types of marketing contests that you can run via SMS….

Benefits of Holding SMS Marketing Contests

Holding contests is a great marketing strategy because it can help you expand your pool of potential customers. Since they offer people a chance to win something, contests will generate more interest than most other forms of marketing.

They also provide excellent opportunities for you to interact with consumers and build closer relationships with them.

Also, those who know of your contests may spread the word about your company to their family members and friends, which can result in increased brand visibility.

Contests can also be a rich source of consumer data for your small business.

The lure of a prize will cause many people to be willing to share personal information with you as part of the contest registration process.

You can use the information to make improvements to your products or business strategies, so that you can better meet the needs and preferences of your customers.

3 Types of SMS Marketing Contests

Trivia Contests

Holding trivia contests is an effective way to boost customer interest and engagement, because they require participants to spend a substantial amount of time answering questions.

There are many different types of questions that you can ask, ranging from general questions to questions related to your niche.

As mentioned in an article entitled “3 Types of Contests that are Perfect for Group Texting“, Starbucks is one of the companies that held a very successful trivia contest.

It offered a free soundtrack to the first 100 entrants who knew the first year it offered the Frappuccino. Through the contest, it was able to build a large base for its text alerts campaign.

Giveaways

Giveaways are one of the most common types of marketing contests. They can help you attract a large number of consumers because they offer them an opportunity to win a prize or gift.

You can run a successful giveaway by offering an attractive prize, spreading the word about the prize and rewarding consumers for participating, even if they do not win.

It is a good idea to repeat this type of contests regularly, so that your loyal customers will always have something interesting to look forward to.

Sweepstakes

Sweepstakes are chanced-based contests that are easy to set up, and they also allow for easy participation.

Participants typically have to complete a simple form, and then, the winner or winners will be randomly drawn after a set date. Holding sweepstakes enables you to gain valuable information about your customers.

SMS contests offer great potential for small business engagement because they require your customers to respond and participate.

They can help increase your conversion rates and boost the loyalty of your customers.

About the Author: John McMalcolm is a freelance writer who writes on a wide range of subjects, from social media marketing to running a small business.

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