Personal, conversational messaging is as much an art form as it is a marketing strategy. Any brand can engage with their customers 1:1 over text and email, but without a clear understanding of the steps in that dance, brands may not fully capitalize on the full potential of those valuable conversations. 

Nobody knows this dance better than Postscript’s dedicated team of SMS Sales Associates (SAs), who faithfully represent some of the largest brands on Shopify by texting customers in thoughtful, 1:1 conversations, making targeted product recommendations, resolving customer concerns, and building stronger relationships over SMS. 

Postscript SAs know that conversational messaging can do more than just delight customers; it serves as an extension of customer support, educates past and potential buyers, generates valuable zero-party data, and, of course, serves as a highway to conversion. 

We asked the SMS Sales team to distill some of their most effective strategies for engaging with customers into this guide so that you can turn more of those conversations into conversions.

People tend to trust people over faceless corporate accounts, which makes conversational messaging (particularly over SMS), that much more effective at persuading hesitant customers to purchase. So, how can you leverage that dynamic to the fullest?

Brenaya: When engaged in conversations with customers, mirroring their behavior is one of the most important things to get good at. Reading the room (albeit a virtual one) is the foundation for a successful exchange. If a customer is giving one-word answers, for example, I make sure not to over-educate them on the product and keep my replies succinct and efficient. If a customer is clearly engaging, I like to run with it and make them feel more confident in their purchase by expounding on the value of what they are investing in. Once a customer knows about a warranty, return policy, or 30-day trial period (or whatever the additional value proposition is), they are almost always more inclined to buy. Remember, the offer (a discount or promotion)  is not what sells the product! I have found that earnestly laying out all of the information in front of the customer is the best way to overcome objections, no matter what it is. No trickery or sugar-coating, just honest product education!

Brandon: I second what Brenaya said about mirroring behavior (you could say I’m mirroring her). Don’t over-educate when subscribers seem reluctant to engage—these customers are looking for quick answers and nothing else. However, when subscribers text back with even a modicum of enthusiasm, jump at the opportunity to connect and build trust by asking for more personal context and by providing ample information about your products.

When it comes to handling objections over SMS, make it clear that you really understand the customer's concerns; don’t brush them off or play defense too readily. Show them that you understand and that their concerns are reasonable. Then, pivot the conversation in a way that takes some load off of their objection. For example, common concerns can often be dispelled by assuring buyers that your warranty, return policies, and continued 1:1 service will have them completely covered in the event they don’t love their purchase. Adding that you are always ‘a text away’ if any issues arise does wonders.  

Jacquelyn: Providing a subscriber with product knowledge creates both trust and credibility because instead of a salesperson, you come across more like a product expert and guide. In the SMS space, we often have to overcome the initial assumption that humans are not on the other end of the line. But this assumption creates a moment of delight when we prove to these customers that we are, in fact, real people chatting with them in real time! People buy from those they trust, and people trust people! 

Demonstrating your product knowledge in 1:1 conversations is critical because subscribers don’t know what they don’t know! Many companies make the mistake of assuming their customers know their products inside and out. Not the case. Setting customers up for success with tips about your product, complementary product suggestions, or even basic instructions can oftentimes make or break their experience with a purchase. 

Most objections that customers bring to the table are connected to a lack of information they have access to. For example, when a customer objects to price, it may not be because they’re unable to afford the product, but rather that they don’t fully understand the value proposition. If a subscriber was to lose their phone, they would replace it within 48 hours. Why would $150 spent on skincare, cookware, or any other item be different? It comes down to how the customer gauges the value and the importance of a given product—that is our job as Sales Associates, and that is a brand’s job as well.  

How can conversational SMS complement a brand’s customer support system, and how does it strengthen the customer experience overall? 

Brenaya: I have worked in customer service online for years, and one tenet remains the same: don’t rely on tone! Without a face to read or body language to assess, words on a screen can be interpreted in a million different ways. Because of that, I have learned that you have to overemphasize kindness so that it bleeds through the screen—no matter how annoyed or frustrated you feel with a given customer. 

While it should be the goal of every brand to have positive interactions with their customers, doing so in the context of customer support puts brands a bit behind the starting line (especially if a customer is frustrated or angry). Concise, positive responses become even more effective when they’re clearly coming from a person. A kind response from a real human can change customers’ demeanors completely! 

Brandon: My experience as an SMS Sales Associate has revealed how critical my function as a 1:1 texter is for brands. It allows customers to feel as if they have a personal guide if you will, through the ups and downs of their shopping experience (hopefully its mostly ups). People buy from people they like. When we aim to build relationships with customers, they love the unexpected connection and often up becoming returning customers, sometimes even asking for the same associate when they’re ready to re-engage or re-purchase. 

Jacquelyn: 

Using SMS as an arm of customer support can really help with retention! It’s no secret that it is cheaper to retain a customer than to compete and find a new customer. That alone is the biggest reason that conversational messaging and services like SMS Sales are a change agent and an overall market disruptor. 

Humans will always find the path of least resistance, so texting is often our first line of contact with a customer. SMS Sales Associates are on the receiving end of customers’ gratitude, anger, confusion, and happiness FIRST! We get unfiltered thoughts directly from the customer, so having a real person to address questions about shipping policies or return policies is like having a secret weapon. The brand and product knowledge that a Sales Associate can contextualize and deploy via SMS can remove 90% of the roadblocks a customer faces when placing an order. 

Do text threads with customers ever generate valuable feedback or insights that had not been considered before. If so, how can brands encourage customers to offer up this kind of feedback more freely, and how can they use that feedback? 

Brenaya: During SMS conversations, so much information is uncovered naturally if you simply ask the right questions. For example, there are very specific colors that are approved for military uniforms, and I once had a True Classic customer ask if the “Military Green” color was actually rated for military use. Those are the kind of random variables that most brands don’t consider as they build products and campaigns, and True Classic was thrilled to receive that sort of feedback from real customers.

The vantage point we have as SMS Sales Associates is uniquely powerful because we uncover each customer’s pain points and pass along that feedback to the brand so that they can actively improve the product and customer experience. A lot of companies practically beg for this information with post-purchase surveys or online reviews, and you can get it right here with SMS Sales! 

Brandon: A high volume of customers organically mention things that brands could do to improve their shopping experience. From UI/UX suggestions to adding new sizes or colors to certain products, a lot of feedback surfaces in SMS conversations. Whether brands incorporate that kind of feedback into decision-making or not, customers like to be heard, so letting them know that their concerns or suggestions are being seen and considered by human eyes and ears can make a huge difference in how they perceive a brand. 

Jacquelyn: 

I believe that conversational marketing and tools like SMS Sales will soon be the backbone of successful ecommerce brands. That’s because these types of conversations eliminate the perceived ‘middleman’. What I mean by that, is customers are very authentic when they can not see your face. They will share the cold hard truth whether you like it or not and why that is so valuable is because feedback feeds progress. Some companies will spend millions of dollars on discounts bribing customers to leave reviews. But customers actually want to be heard, and what better place to hear them than over text? 

Text threads are like rivers, full of golden informational nuggets. It is an absolute conversion superpower to follow up with a customer who didn’t buy because they were amidst a move to a new city. The reaction you get when you text them two weeks later, saying “Hey Sally, it’s Sam, I hope your move went smoothly! Did you decide if you were painting the new kitchen white or green yet? Can’t wait to hear about it, just a reminder I have that discount offer whenever you’re ready to add some new pans to the counter!”, this is the reaction brands dream about. Thoughtful engagements like these may appear simple, but 

personalized follow-up PRINTS MONEY and creates genuine fans out of your subscribers.  

Remember, it is not always about the sale today but it is how your customer is going to think about your brand tomorrow! 

Brenaya: There are so many tips and tricks I could give, but the one thing that drives sales for me personally is the urgency I push and the way I frame my offers. These two go hand-in-hand! I avoid using language like “let me know when you are ready to order and I will hold onto a discount for you” or “I’ll be here when you’re ready.” Instead, I let them know that the offer presented is very limited and it will most likely be gone if they wait a week or however long. I will also ask if there is a better time for me to reach back out to keep the ball in my court. If you leave it up to them, they 9 times out of 10 will not reach back out and you will lose the sale! Following up later is also a great way to build rapport with the customer and make them feel valued and more comfortable with the brand. 

Brandon: There are many things I would suggest to a new SA, but the two big ones are to be someone the customer would want to buy from and use subtle urgency wherever possible! I’ve had many times where I couldn’t meet a customer's exact needs, but because I gave them such a unique experience and built enough rapport to establish a real connection, they still purchased! 

Jacquelyn: The biggest piece of advice I can give is to focus on serving customers before you focus on upselling or converting them. Hear their needs, and do what you can to meet them in a genuine way. How you win in converting customers is by doing what other people are too lazy to do, and that is by spending 1:1 time addressing questions or concerns before throwing a discount in subscribe's faces. While not every brand will invest in that level of conversational marketing, they should, because that’s the secret to converting. 

As hyper-personalized marketing becomes more and more of a priority for ecommerce brands, it is vital to maximize the investment by optimizing 1:1 conversations. The value in these exchanges cannot be overstated; higher conversion rates, alleviated support queues, valuable zero-party data, and higher retention rates are all intrinsic to conversational messaging.

SMS Sales Associates like Brenaya, Brandon, and Jacquelyn can help expedite and scale these 1:1 conversations for ecommerce brands by serving as extensions of their sales and support teams over SMS. With tools like Conversational Intelligence, Postscript’s SMS Sales team can use filters and tags to pull up conversations relevant to specific topics, scan conversation summaries, and follow conversational trends so that brands can strategically adjust their marketing and CX programs.

And if you're still not sure why we are so excited about SMS Sales, you can experience a conversation with an associate for yourself!