The Power of Using SMS in CRM Platforms for Wedding and Event Venues, Vendors, and Planners.

We live in a rapidly changing society, and people's attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. Mediums of communication like email and phone, so popular in years gone by, are now not favored by today's savvy clients. We need to learn how to best communicate to today’s clients & tomorrow’s 

Of all the forms of communication that can be used in your CRM, it may be surprising to some that SMS (Short Message Service) stands out as a game-changer. Everyone reads texts, and mastering sending texts, either manually or automating them, is key to success. By leveraging SMS within your CRM sales, marketing, and events strategies, wedding and event venues, vendors, and planners can enhance engagement, ensure seamless coordination, and drive business success.

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The 7 Key Advantages of SMS Messaging in CRM Platforms 

1. High Open Rates: The Unrivaled Reach of SMS

SMS boasts unmatched open rates that far surpass those of email marketing. Research indicates that SMS messages have an impressive open rate of 98%, compared to just 20% for emails. 

SMS messages have an impressive open rate of 98%

This stark contrast underscores the immediate attention that SMS commands, ensuring that your messages about venue availability, vendor updates, and event details are seen promptly. In an industry where timeliness is paramount, SMS offers a direct and effective communication channel to capture and maintain client interest.

2. Elevated Response Rates: Prompt Engagement at Scale

Beyond high open rates, SMS also delivers remarkable response rates, significantly outperforming email. Studies reveal that SMS messages garner a response rate of approximately 45%, compared to a mere 6% for emails. 

SMS has a response rate of 45% 

This heightened responsiveness is crucial for wedding and event professionals, enabling them to swiftly confirm bookings, address client queries, and finalize crucial details. It really is the secret weapon of communication that many event Pro’s do not use.

3. Effective for Reminders: Ensuring Seamless Planning

SMS excels as a tool for sending timely reminders, ensuring that no appointment or detail is overlooked in the wedding and event planning process. Whether scheduling venue tours, coordinating vendor meetings, or confirming event timelines, SMS reminders serve as invaluable prompts that enhance client punctuality and commitment. 

Automated SMS workflows integrated into CRM platforms streamline the reminder process, allowing businesses to maintain organization and efficiency while minimizing the risk of scheduling conflicts or missed opportunities. SMS workflows can be set up in a platform like BriteBiz or in an integration with a scheduling tool like Calendly which is super powerful for managing scheduling and sending SMS reminders. 

4. Personalized Communication: Establishing Trust and Loyalty

The personalized nature of SMS messaging enhances client satisfaction and loyalty in the competitive wedding and event industry. In a platform like BriteBiz, you can easily use placeholders to add information like first name and event date. Unlike generic email blasts, SMS offers a direct and intimate communication channel that makes clients feel valued and prioritized. 

Personalized updates, congratulations on milestones, and exclusive offers delivered via SMS demonstrate a commitment to exceptional service, fostering stronger connections and increasing client retention rates.

5. Streamlined Operations: Efficiency at Every Stage

Integrating SMS into CRM platforms streamlines operational workflows and enhances overall business efficiency. Automated SMS capabilities enable businesses to manage routine communications such as payment reminders, feedback requests, and post-event follow-ups with minimal manual intervention. This automation not only saves time and resources but also ensures consistent and timely client engagement throughout the customer journey, from initial inquiry to post-event feedback.

6. Marketing Advantage: Driving Engagement and Conversions

SMS serves as a powerful marketing tool for wedding and event businesses seeking to enhance brand visibility and drive conversions. With SMS messages boasting an open rate of 98% and a response rate of 45%, promotional campaigns delivered via SMS are more likely to capture audience attention and prompt action compared to traditional email marketing. 

7. Competitive Edge: Embracing Innovation for Success

In a competitive market, superior communication capabilities can differentiate wedding and event businesses and drive sustained growth. By integrating SMS into CRM strategies, businesses demonstrate a commitment to innovation and client-centric service delivery. This proactive approach not only enhances operational efficiency and client satisfaction but also positions businesses as industry leaders known for reliability, responsiveness, and excellence in service.

When choosing a CRM platform, to maximize the growth potential of your business, you should ensure that your CRM provider allows you to send SMS messages, that you can push messages manually, and automate messages. 

Effective Ways To Use SMS in Your Event CRM 

Here are some effective ways to use SMS automation in your Event CRM:

1. Appointment Reminders and Confirmations

• Automatically send SMS reminders for scheduled appointments, such as venue tours or vendor meetings. Through CRM like BriteBiz or integration like Calendly. 
• Include a confirmation link or response option to confirm or reschedule appointments, reducing no-shows and optimizing scheduling.

2. Post Meeting Follow-Ups

• Send post-meeting SMS messages. If you do, let’s say a venue tour, you can have a proposal/contract with a client within an hour in their inbox. What they will not expect is the SMS that you also send “Lovely meeting you today, your proposal is now in your inbox”. 
• These can be templated SMS messages and only take a second to send. They add huge value and can add much-valued personalization. 

3. Lead Nurturing 

• Initiate SMS sequences to nurture leads through the sales funnel.
• Set up sequences that make sense for your business and mix up how you follow up. Perhaps an email three days after the inquiry, an SMS 7 days after, if they don’t book, a simple survey. Your Event CRM should allow you to do all this. 

4. Feedback Collection

• Automate SMS surveys or feedback requests post-event or service delivery.
• Gather valuable insights and improve customer satisfaction by promptly addressing feedback received through SMS.

5. Payment Reminders and Invoices

• Send automated payment reminders via SMS to clients with pending invoices.
• Include direct payment links to a client portal or instructions to facilitate prompt payments and reduce overdue accounts.

6. Promotions and Special Offers

• Send exclusive SMS promotions or discounts to segmented customer lists based on preferences or past events booked. Your CRM should allow you to create lists based on customer type, booking type/date and send blast SMS messages. 
• Drive sales and encourage repeat business with time-sensitive offers delivered directly to customers' mobile devices.

7. Birthday or Anniversary Wishes

• This one is super cool! As everything in your CRM is a database and can be automated, you can easily send SMS messages like 1 year post-wedding. 
• Strengthen customer loyalty and foster long-term relationships with thoughtful and timely messages.

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Best Practices for SMS Automation in a CRM

These are some key rules. 

1. Segmentation: Segment your audience to send targeted and relevant SMS messages based on demographics, behavior, or preferences.
2. Personalization: Customize SMS content with recipient names, relevant details, and personalized offers to increase engagement. Make it as personalized as possible. 
3. Compliance: Ensure compliance with SMS regulations and obtain consent before sending marketing messages. Countries are becoming more strict, and your CRM provider should gather relevant tax and company registration details from you which is now required by law. 
4. Integration: Integrate SMS automation seamlessly with your CRM platform to maintain centralized customer data and streamline workflows. You should be able to automate SMS messages and send single or blast messages with a click. Your CRM Should also allow you to template SMS messages to make it quick and easy to send them. 

Conclusion

The integration of SMS within CRM platforms represents a transformative opportunity for wedding and event venues, vendors, and planners to elevate communication, enhance client engagement, and optimize business operations. 

With unparalleled open and response rates, SMS enables businesses to deliver timely, personalized messages that resonate with clients and drive meaningful interactions. By harnessing the power of SMS, businesses can streamline processes, foster stronger client relationships, and establish a competitive edge in an evolving industry landscape. 

SMS messaging is a powerful and cost-effective sales and marketing tool. At BriteBiz, we believe that all event pro’s should embrace SMS within your sales, marketing and event management strategy and unlock the full potential of SMS to help propel your wedding and event business to new heights of success.