If you’re like many wine marketers, your to-do list is a mile long.
You need to post on social media, write a newsletter, update your blog, plan your next event and launch another vintage of wine. And that’s just on the marketing side.
With so many hats to wear, today’s wine marketers need any help they can get.
That’s where automated SMS workflows can lighten your load.
Many wine marketers face the same problem: balancing a long to-do list with limited time, but automation can help
Once your SMS workflows are set, you can serve with your best customers, nurture future business, and grow your wine sales, all while sipping your morning coffee.
The five automated SMS workflows outlined in this article can help any winery delight its customers and sell more wine with timely texts.
What are Automated SMS Workflows?
Automated SMS workflows are time- or action-triggered messages sent automatically to specific contacts on your list. They’re different from one-off text marketing campaigns sent manually to your subscribers.
When your business automates an SMS workflow, your opt-in contacts will get a text personalized for them whenever they take a specific action, like joining your wine club. Automated workflows can send one message or a sequence of messages spaced over time.
The reason to send automated texts is to build better relationships with prospects, new buyers, and loyal customers — without requiring more of your limited time.
SMS Workflow #1: Welcome Sequence
A welcome text is your chance to make a great first impression with new subscribers, wine club members, and recent guests.
Research on human behavior shows consumers are most engaged when they first sign up to receive your messages. It’s why their experience in the first few weeks defines the rest of the relationship.
If you offer consumers many ways to engage your brand, sending a series of messages might make sense instead of a single text. New subscribers to your text list might enjoy:
A link to your winery’s social media pages
Info on what new subscribers can expect
A thank-you gift for joining your text list
A similar welcome sequence can work for new wine club members and retail customers by using autoresponders to send your SMS messages at specific intervals.
SMS Workflow #2: Transactional Messages
Many wineries work with commerce systems that can trigger personalized text messages whenever customers place orders, make reservations, or expect a shipment from your winery.
Transactional messages like order confirmations, shipping notices, and appointment reminders are among the most popular text messages sent to consumers by their favorite brands.
For wine marketers looking to deliver a world-class customer experience, linking your wine commerce system to text marketing opens a new channel of communication that works 24/7 to engage your best customers without growing your workload.
SMS Workflow #3: Collect Reviews
98% of consumers say authentic reviews are the most influential factor in purchasing decisions. To say collecting positive reviews is crucial to your success as a wine marketer is an understatement.
The reason you should use this SMS workflow? Review requests sent via text see a 66% higher conversion rate than email.
One proven technique to collect customer reviews automatically is to insert a printed card in every wine shipment asking customers to review their purchase by texting a keyword to your winery.
Your automated SMS workflow can also capture valuable customer feedback to generate more positive reviews and improve customer service, as explained here.
SMS Workflow #4: Birthday/Anniversary Greetings
Birthday greetings sent to wine customers by email generate 4-times the open rate and twice the click-thru of typical promotional messages, so it’s no surprise that birthday texts are among the most popular workflows automated by text marketers.
To use this workflow, you’ll need to work with a text marketing platform that can automate birthday messages like this.
As a bonus, the same technology that powers SMS birthday messages can automatically reach out to club members on their anniversary date.
Most wine commerce systems store customer birthdays and membership anniversaries, so the ability to send personalized greetings 365 days a year without lifting a finger is one of the “easy wins” for wine marketers using automated text messaging.
SMS Workflow #5: Automated “Away” Messages
With 43% of online consumers wanting the option to text their favorite brands, it’s tempting to be on-call 24/7 to answer your customers’ questions.
But the next best thing is to use an automated away message confirming your customers’ text as soon as you receive it and telling them when they can expect a reply.
Especially when paired with a text marketing system your staff can access from their phones, automated away messages are another way wine marketers can use SMS workflows to delight customers and sell more wine.
PROFIT now from Automated SMS Workflows
Most wine marketers face the same problem: balancing a long to-do list against limited time.
Devoting resources to an impactful channel like SMS is a smart decision. Setting up automated SMS messages is even smarter. These workflows drive results without spending time working on them again and again.
PreferencePro Automated Text Marketing is the wine industry’s only full-featured text messaging solution built for wine marketers.
Generating 20-times more customer engagement than email marketing, and now with the ability to automate wine marketing workflows using SMS, now’s the time for wine marketers to profit from text messaging.
Compatible with any wine commerce platform, a new PreferencePro text marketing system can be fully customized for your winery in 7 days or less. To schedule a demo or sign-up for text marketing now, please visit www.vinteractive.com.
Happy Selling!