Text Marketing Has Arrived! Here's Everything You Need to Know

Boulevard’s two-way Text Marketing lets you reach clients instantly and directly with engaging SMS campaigns

Email marketing is one of the most effective ways for self-care businesses to connect with clients, but it’s no longer the fastest or most direct way to do so. Consumers may get dozens of marketing emails per day, and these messages often get deleted or automatically marked as spam, never to be seen again.

On the other hand, text messages can cut through the noise and help build that crucial bond between you and your clients. While emails have an open rate of around 20%, consumers open 98% of incoming text messages — often as quickly as 90 seconds after they’re sent. In other words, SMS marketing has a faster response rate.

Of course, having your providers text clients from their own smartphones isn’t practical or efficient — and you have better things to do than stay glued to a screen all day. That’s why Boulevard is integrating text marketing functionality into our already comprehensive Marketing Suite. Here’s everything you need to know about the benefits of Text Marketing and how to make the most of this channel. 

Don’t get left on read (or marked as spam)

Picture this: You’re running a summer promotion, and your books are packed. However, a last-minute cancellation leaves a big gap in the schedule. You want to let your regulars know that you have an opening, but there’s little time to waste. You could send out an email blast, but they generally take about 90 minutes to generate a response. The gap in the schedule might be long over by the time someone takes you up on your offer.

On the other hand, texting is direct and immediate. In just a few minutes, you can send out a personalized message to a targeted group, such as clients due for a follow-up, or clients who have recently received a particular service. If a client wants to take you up on the offer, they can book directly from the link in your text campaign – and can even respond in the thread with true two-way texting.

Now multiply this single interaction over the course of weeks, months, and years, and think about the additional revenue you’ll be able to generate by ensuring your calendar stays filled and your clients keep in touch. Having a sale on a line of popular products? Use a text. Offering a new service on the menu? Just hit send. And just like with email campaigns, there are plenty of ways to get creative in text messages. Just think of the emojis! 

Introducing Boulevard Text Marketing, a smarter way to connect

If you already use Boulevard’s comprehensive and intuitive software platform, then we have great news: Text Marketing is now available right from your dashboard. Here’s how it works:

• Using a dedicated phone number specifically for your self-care business, craft your message in minutes with Boulevard’s easy-to-use text builder. You can add custom verbiage, merge tags for personalization, and even include a trackable booking link.

• From there, you’ll use seamless list segmentation to ensure that your campaign pinpoints the perfect audience. There are a number of ways to tailor your target audience by leveraging filters available in your Clients tab. 

• After you review the final message, just hit send, or schedule for a later date. Two-way SMS leaves the door open for clients to respond, making your texts more like a conversation than yet another marketing pitch.

• When it’s all said and done, you can track the key metrics of each SMS campaign to gauge what’s working and what’s not, so you can continue evolving your strategy with each send.

Thanks to Boulevard’s automation and customization tools, you can ensure that these messages reflect your brand identity and tone. It only takes a few clicks to build creative, brand-right text blasts — yes, really!

In addition to staying connected with clients and capitalizing on revenue growth opportunities, text marketing frees up your front desk and allows front-of-house staff to focus on delivering superb experiences for the clients already in your shop. And because all text communications go through the same dedicated phone number, it’s easy to keep track of conversations through a single inbox; meanwhile, your clients know exactly who’s contacting them.

Okay, but what does it cost?

Whether your business is a recent startup or a multi-location self-care empire, Boulevard has options for everyone. Start with free texts on each Boulevard subscription plan, then pay based on the volume of text segments each location sends and receives each month.

Self-care businesses are built on repeat appointments and long-term client relationships, but keeping those relationships strong is an ongoing challenge. Boulevard makes it easier with intuitive, on-brand marketing features that don’t require hours at a computer or a graphic design degree. With the addition of Text Marketing, self-care entrepreneurs have another smart way to keep in touch and grow their businesses. Who knew the humble text message could be so powerful? Get in touch to set up a demo.