The number of mobile users worldwide in 2022 is a massive 7.26 billion, which is expected to continue rising year on year to reach 7.49 billion by 2025.
Given the sheer volume of people with access to a mobile device plus impressive SMS open rates that are too high to ignore, bulk messaging provides a golden opportunity to engage with your target audience and drive traffic to your website.
Once subscribers open your SMS campaigns and click on the link within, they'll be directed to a particular webpage. The SMS has done its job in getting your audience to this point, and the next step is to get conversions. To do that, you need an optimised SMS landing page that'll convince your audience to take action. Discover four tips to help you improve your mobile marketing conversion rates below. But first...
What is an SMS landing page?
An SMS landing page is a webpage your subscribers see after clicking the link in your text messaging campaign. This can be a regular webpage that anyone visiting your website can find. But it's usually a unique page that can't be accessed through normal search activity. An optimised SMS landing page is one where the content perfectly matches the subscriber's expectations and enhances their experience of interacting with your business.
SMS landing pages are commonly used in SMS marketing. You can use them to raise awareness of new products and get early sales off to a great start. Or for sending out exclusive offers that aren't available to all customers or clients. They're also ideal for promoting clearance sales, where you want to shift inventory without subscribers getting distracted by your other products.
What can a mobile landing page include?
The best SMS landing pages include the following:
Short captions or messages that resonate with the subscriber and tell them what they want (or need) to know.
Call-to-action (CTA) buttons that encourage visitors to take the desired action, for example, to buy a product or join a loyalty programme.
Graphics to draw the eye and grab attention.
Links to other webpages you want the subscriber to visit, for example, related products or tutorials.
An SMS landing page can also be used for market research and data gathering. You could include a feedback form or survey that subscribers can populate with their answers. (A survey is a good way to judge whether your SMS campaigns are performing well).
How to optimise your mobile landing pages
It's essential to ensure your mobile landing pages are optimised to encourage maximum conversions. If these pages aren't clear or don't live up to customer expectations, they'll undo all the good work your mobile marketing campaign has already done in getting traffic to your site. Here are four tips to ensure success...
1. Implement responsive design
Responsive design is where your web content responds well to a visitor's browsing behaviour and the device they're using. Factors such as screen size and device orientation come into play. A responsive landing page will adapt seamlessly in terms of resolution, scripting abilities and image size, no matter the device used.
As we're talking about mobile landing pages here, you'll need to ensure your landing page follows a mobile-first design. It should fit the smallest screens available and display only the essential features and information that visitors need. If you're using forms to capture data, use single columns rather than multi-columns (the former is easier to use on a mobile).
2. Don't waste limited space
Designing for a small screen means prioritising the content you want visitors to see. Keep messaging short and sweet without any fluff and make sure CTA buttons are prominent: consider placing them above the fold if your webpage is scrollable.
Avoid ads and fiddly popups and instead concentrate on the elements that'll make visitors convert. Follow proper UI/UX design – or hire an experienced mobile-first web designer if your budget allows. The goal is to deliver a seamless, pleasant browsing experience for your audience.
3. Carefully craft your content
When creating the content for your landing page, remember that your visitors are using their mobile devices to view it. Create custom content that's relevant to the SMS campaign your subscribers will have received before reaching the landing page. So if your text message copy promotes a new product, the subscriber will expect to see information about that particular product upon clicking your link.
Consider your CTAs – what they should say and where they'll take your visitor. Each step your visitor takes on your landing page should be as frictionless as possible.
So, for example, if you want to encourage visitors to take advantage of a free quote, use something like 'GET A FREE QUOTE' for the CTA button text. Then link it to a webpage that prompts visitors to fill in their details and specify what they're looking for (rather than a general enquiries contact page).
Don't be afraid to use interactive or dynamic elements as part of your content, as mobile phone users are more than happy with scrolling and tapping!
4. Reduce load time
Once you've grabbed your audience's attention with an SMS marketing campaign, you need to retain it as they click through to your website. Page loading time has a considerable impact on the user experience and conversions. The first five seconds of page-load time impact conversion rates the most.
There are several ways to speed up mobile landing pages, including keeping the content lightweight, compressing images, and using caching software.
Optimise your SMS landing page for success
SMS marketing campaigns are brilliant for grabbing the attention of subscribers. But if you want your audience to convert, optimise your SMS landing pages so they're eye-catching, contain relevant messaging and have an enticing CTA. For best results, ensure your landing pages are mobile responsive and fast-loading for a seamless user experience.
Discover more SMS marketing campaign tips in the Messente blog.
