Everyone knows you can send email after a purchase or an opt-in. And, with innovations in funnel technology and funnel builders, you can easily add texts to your follow-up workflow. But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. And if you do, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll make you more money!
First, let’s talk about follow-up workflows. A workflow is a set of actions that get set in motion once a customer buys or a lead signs up. In the old days that meant one thing: a string of emails was about to follow.
Now, a workflow can include some or all of the following:
- Text messages
- Social media posts
- Retargeting ads
- Phone calls from AI
- Phone calls from a live person
- A postcard or letter
- A package
- A personalized brownie
- And anything else you could think of to send in the mail if you’re willing to pay for it
The possibilities are endless… but that doesn’t mean they’ll make you more money.
Setting the brownies aside, the next most easily implemented item on the list is text messaging. Why? Because all you need is an email and a phone number to follow up and drive content engagement.
Why do we care about content engagement? Because that’s how we can persuade people without them feeling like they’re getting sold. Content can rate just as effective at converting prospects into buyers as the craftiest sales letter, IF you do it right. This particularly applies to articles, which have been the workhorse of online content marketing for 30 years!
“Friends” Send Text Messages
“Salesmen” Send Emails
Think about it this way. You and I are friends. Today I texted you a link to an article and said “Hey [FIRSTNAME], check out this article on headline writing. I think you’ll dig it! LINK”
Or “{FIRSTNAME} – Jim Edwards here… check out this article LINK”
Or “5-minute read – Jim LINK”
That message from a friend is going to get clicked. Heck, sometimes you wouldn’t even need a message… just send the link!
Now, for that to work, you must have the trust of the person you sent it to. They must KNOW you and not think it’s weird to get a text message from you. If you have that level of trust, and you don’t send stupid stuff that’s annoying but actually adds value, then you can pretty much text as much as you want (as demonstrated by your brother-in-law and his idiotic memes).
In this scenario, the chances of that link getting clicked and the content on the other end getting at least a cursory glance are VERY high. If the content’s good, all the better. You’ve bypassed the email filters and gotten your customers’ eyeballs on a solid piece of content that moves your marketing another step down the trail.
If the name of the game is content engagement, texting your customers and prospects a link to a great article or video can generate significant traffic and conversion from that piece.
But Before You Go Nuts…
One word of caution: be extremely careful to only text people who know who you are and have given explicit permission to get texts from you.
Also, use caution about WHEN those text messages get sent (i.e. time of day for the recipient). You can automatically send marketing emails any time of day and it won’t matter. But if you send a marketing text in the middle of the night and the prospect’s phone goes off, you could be in for a world of hurt on a number of levels. (Yea, I know people should have their phones on Do Not Disturb at night, but all it takes is one person getting pissed off!)
Now, before you run out and start texting the crap out of your list, understand something else: texting can get expensive. Expect to pay $8-$15 per 1,000 messages sent through Go High Level (don’t hold me to that) depending on the length of your message, special characters, etc. And it goes without saying to use a URL shortener AND a link tracker so you can keep the character count low and track clicks and sales like a forensic accountant!
One alternative is to just get the phone numbers of your best customers and text them a link to your latest content. Try it out with 20-30 people who’d notice (and care) if you stopped breathing and won’t report you to the text police… see if you can get some action and then start expanding your reach.
But if someone spends $100 or more with you, building a couple of high-value content drops via text sure seems like a good idea to me.
So when you’re building out your next workflow, or want to get your best customers’ eyeballs on a new piece of valuable content, don’t just depend on email… give text a try and see what happens.
Did You Miss The Latest Posts?
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